27/10/2016, by CLAS

A perfect ending: 2016 Nottingham International Microfilm Festival

The 2016 Nottingham International Microfilm Festival (NIM) has finished, but its influence is wide-ranging and continues to be felt.

This was the second annual edition of the festival, developed through the Nottingham Screen Partnership consortium, of which the University of Nottingham is a member. The festival took place at venues throughout Nottingham on 20-22 October 2016, and featured contributions from several members of CLAS’s Department of Culture, Film and Media, including Cathy Johnson, James Mansell, Paul Grainge, and Julian Stringer. The first day’s presentations took place at the Broadway Cinema. Professor Yang Ming (Nanjing University) shared his findings on the use of bio-sensory technology in the arts in China and showcased the potential long-term impact it could have globally on the film industry. In addition, a talk by Sun Deyuan (Communication University of China) looked at the overall situation of microfilm in China. He summarized the issues and achievement of Chinese microfilm from both an academic’s and an actor’s perspective.

On 21 October, the festival moved to the Lakeside Arts Centre at the University of Nottingham. Dr. Justin Kirby (University of the Arts London) gave a talk on the changing landscape of media and marketing, followed by a panel discussion of the subject. The panel discussed how clients and content producers commission and create digital video shorts that people want to share and how to tell effective stories through digital content shorts. In the evening a panel on the Cannes Lions Screening discussed the Cannes festival of creativity and the development of the Branded Content category, while the screening itself featured a VR film of the Grand Prix winner.

A panel discussion led by Dr Cathy Johnson (Nottingham) and featuring Dr James Mansell (Nottingham), Neil Rostance (Fat Free Media) and James Bryant (Skeleton Productions)

The National Videogame Arcade was the last venue of the festival, where two sessions on “Microfilm in Action” focused on the process of commissioning online video content from the perspectives of director and actor, while a panel on International Self-Distribution and Big Data discussed the process of self-distribution through internet platforms to support internet success.

This festival is aimed at both the film industry and other businesses, and applies the insights of academic research and industry experience to make the production and distribution processes of microfilm and other genre films more accessible. It explores the development of microfilm and commercial films through microfilm screenings, talks, presentations, panel discussions and masterclasses involving world class industry. With its strong links to CLAS at Nottingham, we hope this event can bring more and more interesting and practical knowledge for audiences both within and beyond the university the next year.

Gu Zhun – PhD student in Film Studies

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