The great thing about documentaries at film festivals is that they can open your eyes to topics that, although sometimes small or meaningless, are really quite interesting.
Things opened up with award winning film Tunnel Vision by Dean G Moore, showing interesting slow shots of the underground, including some behind the scenes and shots of the building/repair process. Some great special effects showing facts and figures about the network and it’s passengers were well executed, but sadly lost on the projection, proving difficult to read. The music also had a slightly sad or sinister vibe to it, which I felt didn’t fit the visuals at times.
Streetcar by James Page was, for me, a highlight of Screentest. Following on from the devastation of Katrina, it documented the lives of streetcars and their mechanics in New Orleans, focusing on the importance these seemingly meaningless machines have in their lives. Interviews with drivers, mechanics and passengers were well produced, heartwarming and eye opening, the film also won the RTS Best Documentary award at this years Royal Television Society Awards in London.
Laundrette by Bertie Telezynski with cinematography by Alex Nevill, was another imaginative short, featuring what impromptu questioning of strangers in a laundrette, asking probing personal questions about family and youth. Unpretentious and beautifully simple, it gave a sad insight into people’s failed dreams, aspirations and family life.
Launderette from Alex Nevill on Vimeo.
By Mark Allen
