Northern Voices — Short Film Anthology
The Bay International Film Festival
24th November 2024
Whenever I find myself on the periphery of independent filmmakers, I’m struck with gratitude that fate saddled me with love of the word and not the camera. Turns out, filmmaking is hard. Bloody hard. It’s thankless, expensive work that demands much from the artist and promises – maybe even guarantees – nothing in return. And if you’ve been blighted with the curse of being in the North? Keep dreaming, pal.
Morecambe is not known for cinema, though it has enjoyed recent limelight thanks to The Bay, a show that has likely graced your parents’ living room. I went there to attend part of The Bay International Film Festival, an event that boasted 96 films spread across eight different venues through November.
I attended one of the more low-budget screenings: an anthology of 10 short indies made by people from places like Morecambe, Lancaster, Barrow-in-Furness, Preston and Kendal. Geography ties them together, not taste, tone or technical skill. It’s a bit like a pick ‘n’ mix, with all the highs and lows you might expect; sometimes you want a cola bottle and get a flying saucer.
First of the night is Wishbone – a twee retelling of one woman’s life on a single street in Barrow – is the sort of parochial thing forged in an Arts Council wet dream. Beyond the set design, I didn’t care for it. A few films in and GRIM is the first standout. I won’t spoil its plot, but the burden of the narrative is carried effortlessly by Jack Holden through a surprisingly physical performance that sees him either ruffling his hair or swigging cognac. Performance aside, I can’t help but feel the film overcooks its ending, fearing the audience won’t take time to chew.
Other highlights include black and white comedy Lay-by, and the meta-textual KITSCH by Ethan Ward. The latter of which featured stop-motion, phallic sausage gorging, and an under-appreciated reference to Disco Elysium. Another notable mention is the BAFTA-winning WanderLand, a kind of North West Wasp.
My favourite of the night was Corran Gourlay’s Paint, a gorgeously shot surrealist piece that I’ll reductively call Lynchian. By far the weirdest of the evening, Paint managed to ascend the genre straightjacket of low-budget northern cinema. Shot inside the ongoing restoration of Queen’s Market in Morecambe, the film’s message is one of letting go, unshackling ourselves from our own history. Fitting really. After all, it’s only then that we can create something strange and new.
dir. Corran Gourlay
Northern Voices — Short Film Anthology
More Music, Morecambe
24th November 2024
17:00 — 20:00
FREE event
£21.80 public transport
Leigh -> Morecambe round trip
fully accessible venue
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