The Magic Lantern is an independent monthly event based in Glasgow which showcases some of the best short films from around the world. Since January this year it has begun touring around Scotland. Director Penny Bartlett talks to Eye For Film about the inspiration behind the project and why everyone ought to consider coming along.
"Rosie Crerar and I started the night as we felt that there was a great short filmmaking culture in Scotland but sometimes a lack of context in which to view, enjoy and appreciate all this exciting work," explains Penny. "We also wanted to offer the opportunity for people to see a wide range of shorts from the festival circuit and to revisit classic shorts, and introduce people to films and filmmakers they might not have seen before. We want the event to celebrate short films as an art form in their own right, rather than treating them as just a prelude to feature film making."
Running since September 2006, Magic Lantern offers film-makers from Scotland and beyond the opportunity to submit their short films for presentation. But what sort of audience is this attracting?
"We try to reach a diverse audience – we’ve been really pleased that the nights have attracted a wide range of people, from those that work in the film industry in Scotland to students to artists and writers – I think that because we programme such a mixture of work in any one event the screenings appeal to all different kinds of people. People should expect to see an interesting range of films including artist’s video, documentary, animation, current films from film festivals and older classics. Afterwards there’s the opportunity to chat, discuss the films and sometimes meet some of the filmmakers."
Last year, Magic Lantern screened several short films from the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and in February this year it participated in the Glasgow Film Festival. "We do lots of research into what’s showing at film festivals in the UK and beyond," says Penny. "We seek out shorts by the filmmakers that we love, we look out for interesting work which is being produced locally, we look at what interesting short films are held by archives such as the BFI, Lux and Scottish Screen… it also of course depends on the theme we’ve chosen for the programme which avenues we use to source the films." This year's Edinburgh event will benefit from Magic Lantern involvement. "We’re screening three shorts programmes a day in The Institute of Zoo Logic, a Fringe Festival venue on Queen Street, alongside 'Arthurart' – art works by comedian Arthur Smith. We’re screening a great selection of short comedies, films by comedians, and comic animations as well as some of the highlights from our programmes over the past year. These screenings are free to the public."
Now that the Magic Lantern is touring, it's helping to make short film much more accessible to people all around Scotland, with tickets for most events starting at just three pounds. "We already tour our programmes to Edinburgh, Dumfries, Inverness and Dundee, and we’d like to increase the number of touring venues this year. We’ll also be celebrating our anniversary on September 26th with a selection of shorts from the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and a bit of a party afterwards! Full details will be on our website, www.themagiclantern.org soon."
