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Abertoir Daily - Day 5
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Final DayGaz Bailey describes a year in the life of the Abertoir Horror Festival team
Well, this is the final day of Abertoir
2010. It’s been such a wonderful
privilege to see the festival grow over
the five years, and a real pleasure to
have such a hard-working team here. We therefore thought you’d like an
insight into what it takes to keep our
humble festival in check over the year.
My favourite fest hangout is BIFFF in
Brussels, and I religiously make the journey over there to start scoping out new possible titles (and drink Belgian
beer). Watching an average of 30 films in
a 6 day period might sound excessive to some, but to me it seems like I’m not trying hard enough - the hangovers don’t
help. But it doesn’t just stop there, once
I’m back we’re all over the internet checking out reviews, sending begging letters to filmmakers to let us see their
films, and trying to explain why getting
screened at Abertoir is far more important than Cannes (after all, when have Cannes ever had the nerve to wire up seats to vibrating motors?).
By this time, I realise I’m neglecting my
duties as a human and are reminded by my colleagues of the need to shave, shower and generally stop watching
films. Well, stuff them, because the films
keep coming! We’ve had great movies
sent to us from all over the world, from
countries I never even knew existed (although they probably never knew we
existed either). I’ve also learnt to love
and forgive those kind filmmakers who enthusiastically report that have never been to this particular part of England
before…… Grrrrr…..
So, after what seems like a million hours of films and shorts, the team here
whittles them down to a manageable 3 weeks worth. We sit back in horror, and
then whittle them down to a mere 5 days. None of this repetitive rubbish that Hollywood loves to churn out, we’re always looking for something new and fresh. We eventually come up with our final lineup: it’s decided, sorted, printed,
and signed off. "en after announcing it,
we sit back and see how far it can alter from the original plan…..
But the highlight of course is when the festival starts, and someone actually pays good money for what we’ve been
working on the whole year. Whether it’s
one ticket, or the whole festival, it’s a great feeling to hear someone say they enjoyed the festival… it just about gives
me the strength to do it again next year. "anks folks!
DAY 5 DYDD
ABERTOIR
Desi
gn: R
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Fow
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or A
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Arts
Cen
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Daily TweetsA selection of the weeks’ Tweets
dpm74Does anyone know what day of the week it is? Bit hazy... #Abertoir2010
HayleyR1989Just attended a really insightful & informative masterclass @Abertoir with Nicholas David Lean,discussing the realities of the film industry
dpm74Vampires was excellent, highly recommended #Abertoir2010
sheffhorrorfestVampires was great to see again - just as funny as the first time #Abertoir2010
Hellbound_Heart!e M R James event at #abertoir2010 was fab - even creepier than my hangover...
Dion_ScrollsMR James production at the Abertoir festival was unbelievably good. Proper review will be coming with full details but I am so glad I went
ShockHorrormagHeading to Abertoir festival in Wales tomorrow to promote Shock Horror, can't wait!
Daily PicksBy Nia Edwards-Behi
!is afternoon our regular guest
Paul Shallcross will be performing
an especially commissioned score
in accompaniment to !e Cat and
the Canary.
!is evening’s very special event
sees Robin Hardy return to
Abertoir after his appearance
here five years ago, to give us a
sneak peek of !e Wicker Tree.
Our closing film this year is set to
put everyone in a festival mood,
with bad Santa tale Rare Exports.
Stick around then for our closing
ceremony, when the winner of the
short film competition will be
revealed, and posters will fly
through the air…!
Review: The Cat & the CanaryBy Nia Edwards-Behi
Paul Leni is one of horror’s
forgotten masters, starting as he
did in German expressionism,
and then moving on to the early
days of Universal’s horrific
heyday. Although not my
favourite Leni film (that honour
lies firmly with !e Man Who
Laughs), !e Cat and the Canary
is a superb old dark house film,
with a wonderful thread of
humour running throughout.
Review: Rare ExportsBy Rhys Thomas Fowler
A last-minute find for the
Abertoir team, we discovered this
gem in Sitges just last month.
Turning the traditional Santa-tale
on its head, not only is Father
Christmas real, but he’s also evil.
With its stunning location and
dark tone, this is a perfect end to
a brilliant festival.
The Wicker Man Five years on from Robin Hardy’s visit to Abertoir’s first festival, Karen Oughton discusses The Wicker Man
When a young girl is reported missing from an
isolated farming community, Edward
Woodward’s police officer, Sergeant Howie, puts
his own life in jeopardy in order to find her.
!is brief synopsis belies the beauty and quiet
menace of Robin Hardy’s landmark horror
feature. From the moment the film opens with
the realistic shot of the plane landing in the bay
with its superimposed and hauntingly
overbearing folk-style background music, !e
Wicker Man is about control, morality and reality
– and whether or not we deal our own fate.
We follow Sergeant Howie’s attempts to find the
child in a photograph whom the locals claim
never existed, despite leaving Howie cryptic clues
as to her whereabouts. We share his
compounded confusion the Christian happens on
the locals’ religious rites, which veer from the
raunchily raucous to the palpably menacing. !at
!e Wicker Man remains eerily ageless is
testament to its cinematography and design. We
may think we are modern and resistant to the
symbolism of ‘hokey’ horror images, but we have
seen the merrily mischievous Green Man on
public house signs before the pandemonium
heralded by the final bell. We understand.
What sets !e Wicker Man apart, however, is the
superb screenplay, direction and acting. A
charismatic cast including Christopher Lee (as
Lord Summerisle) tears our loyalties, as while a
character may be rendered a villain by his killjoy
conservativism, the piece’s aggressors are so
plausible when defending their beliefs that the
film’s conclusion is extremely cathartic and
utterly fitting. We, too, may catch ourselves
wondering whether there is magic, metaphysical
justice or just madness at work. !e final image
of the blazing son going down over the hillside
will burn into your conscious forever.
Yesterday’s Audience Vote
Vampires
Exorcismus
I Spit on Your Grave
Today’s Schedule
Short Film Competition 11.00amPART TWO
Abertoir celebrates the third year of its short film competition. Narrowed to a shortlist of just
twenty-four films, this year’s entrants have the exciting prospect of having their films
considered alongside winning short films chosen at other film festivals across Europe. Now a
member of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation, Abertoir is delighted to be
awarding the winning short film (subject to criteria) a nomination for the Méliès d’Or. As always
the audience decide!
The Silent House 1.30pm
Guaranteed to make you jump out of your seat, !e Silent House is a creepy tale shot in a single
take. Laura and her father arrive at a remote cottage on the eve before their contract to
renovate it begins. !ey are left with just one instruction - don’t go upstairs.
The Cat and the Canary 3.30pmPLUS LIVE PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT BY PAUL SHALCROSS
Annabelle and her family spend the night in their uncle’s haunted mansion where they are
stalked by a mysterious figure. A classic silent horror film adaptation of John Willard’s 1922
black comedy play of the same name.
Robin Hardy 5.45pmTHE WICKER TREE PREVIEW
In 2006, Wicker Man director Robin Hardy came to Aberystwyth for a talk about his new book
Cowboys for Christ. His appearance was the entire reason Abertoir was born. Now, on our fifth
anniversary, and on the closing day of the festival, we are honoured and privileged to be
welcoming Mr Hardy back to the stage to talk about his latest film !e Wicker Tree and screen
footage from his brand new film.
Rare Exports 7.30pmFOLLOWED BY CLOSING CEREMONY
In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 metres deep, a team of experts are drilling
for something. When a herd of reindeer is brutally ripped apart and children start to disappear,
it appears the Christmas stories of Santa could not be more wrong.
For more details, buy your Festival Programme at the festival reception.