About The Festival
Inaugural Festival dates: 16-25 September 2005
For the first time, Berwick is staging a world-class contemporary film and media arts festival.
The Berwick Film Festival 2005 was proud to showcase some of the most dynamic moving image work to be screened nationally, spanning everything from contemporary British and international features to video installations. With a 'Crossing Borders' theme, the programme of feature films and artists' videos set out to explore the boundaries that define and sometimes confine our lives, with work that encourages us to cross these geographical, cultural, economic, moral or artistic borders and broaden our horizons.
As well as an exciting range of mainstream and art house films, audiences could experience a mix of artists' videos and films in unusual venues throughout Berwick. These venues include the Town Hall Prison Cells, The Berwick Gymnasium, The Barrel's Ale House pub, the Ice House and the Black Hole.
The Festival also hosted a number of events including an artists' symposium, talks by industry professionals, an educational outreach programme run by ISIS Arts and a mobile cinema. Berwick was also be the first venue to screen a new programme of films in the "Big M", a futuristic inflatable three-screen cinema.
The festival was proud to present some rare archival footage featuring the local area from as far back as the 1920's.
Plans for future Festivals is currently in development, and we hope the Festival will be back next year with yet another challenging and innovative programme of film and video art.