Twenty-three visionary short films made by talented young artists from the North of England are being showcased in one place for the first time by Channel Four as part of the Random Acts initiative.
The films are available to watch online from Fri 9 December 2016 and form the centerpiece of Channel Four’s celebration of films from Random Acts Network Centre North.
The young people commissioned by Random Acts Network Centre North practice a wide variety of art forms including photography, theatre, creative writing, visual art, dance and filmmaking.
Their short films are all between 90 seconds and 3 minutes in length and range from a eulogy to the North East’s industrial past, to a school lesson from the near future by a robotic teacher, and even a quirky exploration of human mating rituals through dance.
This is the first time that all the films accepted by Channel Four from the first year of Random Acts Centre North commissions have been available to watch in one place.
A joint initiative between Tyneside Cinema, Arts Council England and Channel Four, Random Acts aims to develop young creative talent through commissioning short films by young people from a diverse range of backgrounds and art forms.
Tyneside Cinema is the lead organisation for Random Acts Network Centre North, and works in partnership with us here at HOME, and True North in Leeds, one of the North’s leading independent production companies.
Applications are currently open for the third year of Random Acts North. No previous film-making experience is required, and anyone aged 16-24 living or studying in the North of England (North East, Yorkshire, North West and Cumbria) can apply. Applications close on Monday 3 April 2017.
Ian Fenton, Creative Director of Learning & Participation at Tyneside Cinema, said: ‘Having seen how hard these young artists worked to secure a place on the Random Acts North programme, it’s fantastic that their films have now been made available by Channel Four for the public to watch.’
He added: ‘I would urge everyone to watch these striking, bold and daring films, whether they are thinking of applying to make their own Random Acts or simply interested in the range and scale of artistic expression possible through short film’.
For more information on Random Acts and to sign up to the mailing list, please visit the Random Acts website or email randomacts@tynesidecinema.co.uk.