November 19th – December 6th 2009

Welcome to the 7th edition of CINECITY and what must be our most international programme to date, a truly global mix of screen gems from a host of countries.

Alongside the chance to catch previews of forthcoming major release there are many titles brought to the festival that are unlikely to screen again in the city. With the sheer number of films being made and the high costs of theatrical distribution, even in this digital age, film festivals are becoming something of an alternative distribution network offering audiences their only chance to see a range of films on the big screen. It is this element of discovery combined with the opportunity to meet, discuss and share a passion with other members of the audience and to talk to visiting film-makers that lies at the heart of the film festival experience.

Landscapes, urban and rural, form the connections between different parts of this year’s CINECITY. At the heart of the programme we present a major exhibition from Mark Lewis, one of the world’s most acclaimed moving image artists. His films explore the intriguing relationships between film, space, place and time with cityscapes a recurring subject. Our exhibition at the University of Brighton Gallery features work made in Toronto and London. Mark and Laura Mulvey will be ‘in conversation’ at the University to launch the exhibition.

FIGURING LANDSCAPES is a package of Artists’ Moving Images from the UK and Australia. The five programmes are complemented by a panel discussion including some of the featured artists.
Andrew Kotting, Matt Hulse and Ben Rivers have had their work screened at previous editions of CINECITY. To complement their contribution to FIGURING LANDSCAPES we screen their latest, longer works which are concerned with aspects of the landscape.

Polish surrealist Wojciech Has (1925-2000) is the subject of this year’s retrospective. He is renowned for his highly distinctive journeys through dreamscapes of the mind such as the cult favourites SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT and HOURGLASS SANATORIUM, Has recently appeared in Sight and Sound’s list of the top 50 visionary film-makers of all time and we present 5 new prints including some of his less known earlier films. We are delighted to welcome the  Quay Brothers back to CINECITY to present a new installation celebrating the work of Has.

The imagination also lies at the heart of a new programme strand for this year – Nevermades; those films that were never completed and remain in an unmade state for both the maker and audience. Their enigmatic quality ensures they remain forever unknowable, mysterious and unseen. Nevermades features a separate film programme exploring a alternative history of British Cinema and a guest lecture by film historian and broadcaster Ian Christie.

CINECITY is presented in partnership with the Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Screen Archive South East and the University of Brighton. We gratefully acknowledge the funding and support we receive from Arts Council England South East, Brighton & Hove City Council, Screen South /UK Film Council and the University of Brighton.

CINECITY Patrons are Nick Cave, Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan, John Hillcoat, and Henry Normal.