The Swansea Bay Film Festival was a

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

that took place in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Festival mission

This is a

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

that promises to "honour the individual voice".bbc.co.uk
May 29, 2008, "Swansea Film Festival:, Retrieved September 26, 2009by Binda Singh
festivalfocus.org
, Swansea Bay Film Festival information, Retrieved September 26, 2008 Its goal is to provide a worldwide

public forum In United States constitutional law, a forum is a property that is open to public expression and assembly. Types Forums are classified as public or nonpublic. Public forum A public forum also called an ''open forum'', is open to all expression ...

for

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

and

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...

makers and to offer

educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

outreach Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...

. The Swansea Bay Film Festival is a qualifying festival for the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

. The Academy of Media, Recording, Interactive, Television and Stage Arts (AMRITSA) are organising the event and the festival's "Special Selection Committee" will comprise seasoned filmmakers, representatives from The City and County of

, The

Dylan Thomas Centre The Dylan Thomas Centre is an arts centre located in the Maritime Quarter in Swansea, Wales. It is a Grade II* listed building. History The building was commissioned to replace a previous guildhall which had been located near Swansea Castle ...

, and The Department of Adult and Continuing Education at

Swansea University , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

Critical response

*Director Michael Attardi says, "The Swansea Film Festival is better than Cannes."* On the other hand, the festival has been described by previous participants as "a sham" and "the worst film festival.". In June 2011 The Guardian headlined the Swansea Bay film festival as a 'disaster'.

Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...

has resigned
Wales Online Report as patron of the Swansea Bay Film Festival and

Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage role ...

has resigned as vice president following criticism of the festival. Festival organiser Binda Singh has been singled out for the most criticism.

Winners

2010 - main categories *Best International Documentary:From Ararat to Zion (Armenia)- Edgar Baghdasaryan and Fr Mesrop Aramian *Best International Feature Film: Carmilla Hyde (Australia) - Dave De Vries *Best International Environment and Ecological Film: Poison Wind (USA) - Jenny Pond *Best in the Festival: Shooter (UK) - Ronnie Goodwin 2009 - main categories *Best Documentary: War of the Gods (USA) - Jennifer Abbott *Best International Feature Film
Blue Bus
(USA) - Phil Scarpaci *Best Feature Film: Gods of Circumstance (USA ) - Justin Golding *Best in Festival
Jackson
(USA) - JF Lawton 2008 - main categories *Best International Short Film: Appassionata (Germany) - Mirko Echghi-Ghamsari 2006 - main categories *Best Feature Film: Footsteps (UK) - Gareth Evans *Best Feature Film Under 75 Minutes - Teenage Wasteland (UK) -

Andrew Jones (filmmaker) Andrew Jones (6 October 1983 – 15 January 2023) was a Welsh screenwriter, producer and director of low-budget independent feature films, mainly in the horror genre. One of his most successful properties was the ''Robert the Doll'' film ser ...

*Best Short Film (Under 20 Mins) : Tomorrow Never Dais (UK) - Anthony James *Best Noir: The Girl the Gun & the Desert (UK) - Alun D Pughe

References

{{reflist

External links

remotegoat.co.uk, "Swansea Bay Film Festival 2008"news.bbc.com, June 3 2006, "Swansea premieres film festival"
Film festivals in Wales Mass media and culture in Swansea Defunct film festivals in the United Kingdom