Friday 15th to Sunday 17th September 2006 The first Northampton International Community Film Festival has attracted nearly 200 films documentaries, dramas, community films and educational resources from Malaysia and Nambia to Vietnam and India.
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- Film screenings will take place at the University of Northampton's St George's Avenue Campus.听
- Admission is free.
The brainchild of the community festival is Dr Ian McCormick. He says that increasingly community groups and voluntary organisations are making films to get their messages across: "Raising awareness of issues with the general public can be achieved effectively through film. The audio-visual can also be used effectively for educational and training purposes." He was surprised that there was no festival which brought together the best of the community films: "There are documentary film festivals and there are festivals with social or environmental films, but nothing that brought together films made by or for voluntary and community groups." Dr McCormick adds: "Our festival demonstrates that these groups are now embracing new technology and that this is empowering for them." Improving lives The festival was developed as a joint project produced by the University of Northampton's School of Arts and NCompass, a Northamptonshire support group for local charities and volunteer organisations. Many of the pieces submitted depict how people have worked together to improve life in their community. NCompass chief executive Stuart McQuade says that there are common themes: "In many cases the community films show how people can overcome prejudice and discrimination, reduce poverty, improve health and work together to build a fairer society. It's fascinating to watch the UK films (including those produced in Northamptonshire) in an international context." The festival will coincide with the opening of a community cinema at St George's Avenue Campus in Northampton. Some of the films being shown during the festival include: - 'Seeking' (UK) - a documentary made by a group of young asylum seekers about their experience of gaining asylum and living in Milton Keynes.
- 'Make It Real (To Me)' (Kenya) - the story of Kevin, 17, who grew up an orphan in Kenya.
- 'Dance Dangerous' (UK) - by a Northamptonshire voluntary organisation that provides dance training and exploration for dancers with and without physical disabilities.
- 'Naata' (India) - a documentary about tensions between religious and ethnic groups.
- 'Trolley Dollies' (UK) -听a project featuring older people which explores the shopping trolley as an emblem for physical and emotional support.
- 'The Treasure of Mecsek' (Hungary) - an amusing and at times surreal take on the threat to a local fairground for young people.
- 'Pipeline' (US) - while New York City youth struggle to get a decent education and jobs for teens are at an all-time low, funding for jails and detention centres continues to increase.
- 'Angels in Development' (Zambia) - a film committed to the use of media for improved communication, social change and development.
- 'Clay House Project' (Namibia) -听Four hundred poor families in the Namibian town of Otjiwarongo face leaving their makeshift shacks and move into new clay houses provided by a German NGO.
- 'Crimes of the Heart' (Australia) - an innovative short film which combines drama, documentary and archival with music and song to generate awareness and expose the horrors of child sexual abuse.
- 'Toy Gun' (Sierra Leone) - explores the predicament of the rebels and their re-integration into society.
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