Now We Are Grown Up and Hopes, Fears, 20 Years are works commissioned by The Bigger Picture from two of the UK’s most highly regarded artist duos, Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy (desperate optimists) and Kartoon Kings (Simon Grennan and Christopher Sperandio). Following on from their premiere in Manchester 2005, as part of Cornerhouse’s 20th Birthday celebrations both productions are touring to Big Screens Nationwide.
The films will launch on Big screen Birmingham (Chamberlain Square)on Thu 19 October at 6.00pm. The films will continue to be screened in Birmingham between Sat 21 October – Fri 17 November. For other tour dates visit The Bigger Picture pages of our website.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to circumstances beyond our control the planned post-screening event due to take place at VIVID on Thursday 19 October has been cancelled. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause.
About the films
Now We Are Grown Up a film by Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor (desperate optimists) is part of Civic Life, an acclaimed moving image series, consisting of seven short films made in conjunction with local residents and community groups, and foregrounding the relationships these local communities have to the environments in which they live and work.
Each of these high quality films can be likened to an intricate narrative painting, revealed to the viewer piece by piece. The series, which was begun in 2003, has met with great critical success, with Who Killed Brown Owl winning the award for Best British Short Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2004. Completing the series, Now We Are Grown Up was filmed entirely on location in the Grand Hall of Manchester Town Hall with a cast of performers all 20 years of age. Perfectly positioned and synchronised, the piece is filmed in two smooth and immaculately planned takes.’ www.desperateoptimists.com
Hopes, Fears, 20 Years a film by Kartoon Kings (Simon Grennan & Chris Sperandio) is based around a series of 50 interviews the artists conducted with members of the public from all walks of life between the ages of 25 and 100 in 2005. Each of the people interviewed were asked just two questions with a single five word or less response: What’s been your single greatest hope since 1985? What’s been your single greatest fear since 1985?
The collected hopes and fears have been assembled into a series of vibrant animated texts, with key words and ideas often exposing contradictions and diverse opinions. Using the Big Screen as a video soapbox in a crowded and demanding street environment, Hopes, Fears, 20 Years presents real voices in an extraordinary way, creating reciprocity between the contemporary street and the lives of the people who use it, striking at the core of the relationship between individual lives and the recent growth of UK cities. The original soundtrack underwrites the drama of the animation, introducing suspense, narrative, humour and climaxes to the visual sequence. Kartoon Kings work screens only on the big screen, so this is a unique opportunity to see this film. www.kartoonkings.com