Inside New Genesis Film Festival: Showcasing Brighton’s Emerging Filmmakers
Brighton’s film making community is one that keeps graduates here long after their studies. Whether it's the hope of a future career or a passion project that keeps the creativity alive there is always a different set that needs help or a filmic event to attend. One of which that stands out to me personally, both for my close connection with the attendees, and its general accessibility no matter your reason for enjoying filmmaking is New Genesis Film Festival.
New Genesis Film Festival is celebrating its second year on September the 25th at Brighton Odeon. Located right of the sea front, from 2pm to 6pm one of Odeon’s screens will be showing a collection of Brighton-based short films. The festival’s theme this year is Inclusion, one that Brighton itself is known for, and marks the official launch of New Genesis as a charity with a portion of their proceeds going to MIND, a UK-based mental health charity.
Image by Bowie Revell (Freelance Graphic Designer), @spacejunkroads
I attended last year’s event and met so many wonderful people, especially at the networking event after the festival. As much as I could carry on praising the festival, it is probably best to hear all this from the creators themselves; I had the opportunity to ask the management team of New Genesis exactly how this festival came to be and why it means so much to them.
Thomas Ross, the director and creator of New Genesis film festival, explained his motivation behind the event. During his final year of University, after assisting with multiple projects with students from neighbouring film courses, he realised the impressive quality of content going unnoticed in Brighton. This inspired him to build a space that would promote those looking to get into the industry after studying.
This then led to the idea for the charity overall, an organisation with the aim to support career development, recognition and education across Brighton. With support of BIMM, the University of Brighton, the BN1 Arts centre and other surrounding education providers, New Genesis are building our network so we can help provide more opportunities in the years to come. Thomas approached Isaac McKenna, Benjamin Ross, marketing and development manager, and Alisha King with the concept.
Senior producer, Isaac McKenna, explained that after graduating he realised networking beyond campus was limited and when he proofread the first pitch deck he fell ‘head over heels’ for the idea. In his own words “Graduating university was wonderful, and I wanted to keep the network in Brighton active and continue my creative work.”
Likewise for Alisha, the social media manager for New Genesis, who expressed how important it is to give filmmakers festival experience and a chance to see their films on the big screen. Benjamin Ross, the marketing and development manager, explained that his involvement with New Genesis is more to do with community development and outreach; “When I was approached to join the team, it felt like the perfect opportunity to bring my experience and knowledge to support a brand-new project. Brighton has a thriving creative community, and the chance to support students, graduates, and independent filmmakers in and around the city resonated with me as a creative student myself.”
Not only is New Genesis set on creating opportunities for filmmakers of all different levels of experiences to come together but it is also managed by four incredibly hardworking and passionate individuals. The background of the management team parallels their interest in the project; Director Thomas Ross stated that, due to his background in acting, “I have always had a passion for filmmaking, I believe filmmaking is one of the most efficient forms of story telling, which is becoming increasingly more important in this digital age - it is also how we have moved to document events, share information and record and share history.”
Similarly Isaac McKenna expressed that his passion for film lies in its “ability to make us care, and its ability to freeze moments in time for us to enjoy for a lifetime. - I love creating as a form of self expression and finding circles to share that with”. While Benjamin Ross explained that his connection with filmmaking and New Genesis is less about film production itself, and more about supporting the team with our wider impact, using his experience in developing charities and community projects through brand development, funding, and outreach.
Finally I asked the New Genesis management team why they would recommend people attend this year’s film festival? The collection of responses highlighted that New Genesis is a friendly event that focuses on enjoying the hard work of filmmaking as a creative practice - regardless of experience, there will be a spot for everyone at the festival. The team works hard to keep tickets reasonable - just over £6 to view a selection of incredible short films. All while raising money for MIND charity.
The New Genesis team have provided their email and encouraged people to contact them if they have any questions, general and about this year’s event, or suggestions for the future: films.newgenesis@gmail.com.
With ticket discounts for BIMM’s freshers week and City Girl Network’s Friends Pass Holders, New Genesis is sure to be even busier than last year so get your tickets now and come join the filmmakers of Brighton in celebrating each other’s work.
Written by Hazel Earthy