Artists bring fresh ideas to filmmaking

Outside, the collection of artists’ films screening on Thu 25 Aug as part of The Short Cinema film festival, is one example of how the boundaries between filmmakers and artists are being blurred.

Artists’ films can be challenging for audiences – artists often don’t use the traditions of narrative structure in their search for expression.

But artists are trained to experiment and break boundaries and, as a result, they are increasingly considered as bringing fresh ideas to filmmaking.

This may be one reason for the success of artist and film director Steve McQueen, who became the first person ever to win both a Best Picture Oscar – for 12 years a Slave, in 2014 – and a Turner Prize, for his video installations Drumroll and Deadpan in 1999.

But he’s certainly not alone in artists who have crossed over.

Painter and conceptual artist Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director, for her movie The Hurt Locker, which also won Best Picture at both the Academy Awards and the Baftas.

Bradford-born artist Clio Barnard is now a critically acclaimed director, garnering awards and Bafta nominations for her films The Arbor and The Selfish Giant.

Add to that, former sculptor Ben Rivers whose 2015 film The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers received award nominations across the international festival circuit.

Just a few good reasons to see what artist filmmakers are doing in Outside.

Outside screens at Phoenix on Thursday 25 August at 7pm – tickets £4