Absurd Art House film festival, Blue Town, Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, 9 July

Really very proud that my poetry film and poem Villanelle for Elizabeth not Ophelia is a finalist in the Absurd Art House film festival this year. Villanelle centres on suicidal relationships, and how Elizabeth Siddall a Pre-Raphaelite poet, model and wife of dominating poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti finds life mirrors art or art mirrors life as a suicidal poet and artist’s model. The poetry film posits a different ending for Elizabeth not as Ophelia.

This is the second year for the festival and there are different sections being shown:
We are open to all international films that don’t fit in, don’t want to fit in, or just can’t be categorised to fit in to the norms expected of so many conservative festivals (you know who you are)… we are looking for fictions, animation, video arts, short films and very short films. Finalists and winners will be shown in the evening all will be eligible for “the absurdah awards”.

The festival is the brainchild of artist, prize-winning video poet, all-round designer, publisher … the list goes on … of Keith Sargent and like the films the location is pretty ‘out there’ literally and metaphorically as well, since it is on the Isle of Sheppey. Basically this is off the East Kent coast and at the mouth of the Thames estuary, and should set up its own parliament if things get any worse politically in the UK! For those of you who travel a lot the island can be seen in full on the flight path from Berlin to Bristol. The actual screening takes place at the atmospheric and historic location of The Criterion Music Hall and Theatre, Blue Town, Sheerness.​ Looking forward to discovering some equally gritty, adventurous and inspiring work and diving into (or rushing in and out of) the once-familiar North Sea) …