The Edinburgh International Film Festival (18-29 June 2008) put tickets for two events opening its Mirrorball strand on sale today. Mirrorball is the edgier, music and pop culture orientated element of the film festival.
Mirrorball kicks off on Thursday 19 June with a live performance at Edinburgh venue The Caves, by UK act British Sea Power, on their return from a major US tour. The band will be not only playing their music, but divulging the visual ideas
behind it. Two of the band members are film school graduates as well as musicians, and will host a screening of their selected screen work, followed by a Q&A and live soundtrack performance.
On Saturday 21 June a collective of international VJ and AV artists will host a second evening of live music and visual entertainment in Mirrorball Presents: An Unusual Void, a celebratory mix of art-forms featuring musicians, visual artists, music video directors, DJs and animators performing in a club environment. The line-up will include: Motomichi (Japan), No-Domain (Spain), Michael Fakesch (Germany) and Konx-om-Pax from the UK.
"With our move to June in 2008, we have the freedom to host events throughout the city in venues that have been previously unavailable, increasing the diversity of the Mirrorball experience," said Mirrorball Programmer David Drummond.
New £1000 Mirrorball Award
A new Mirrorball Award has been introduced in 2008 for Best British Music Video, which will be selected by a three-person Jury, and will reward "ingenuity in the sphere of promo filmmaking." The winner will receive a prize of £1000 and a limited edition Corin Hardy print from this year's Mirrorball/EIFF exhibition.
Exhibition of Frames
Over 1000 hand-drawn frames from Corin Hardy's animation for The Horrors She Is The New Thing will be on permanent display from June 20 throughout the Festival. The animation recently won best International Animated Music Video in Brussels Anima 2008.
Tickets for the British Sea Power and the VJ/AV Night can be purchased by phone on 0131 228 2688, from Ripping Records, South Bridge, Edinburgh or The Filmhouse.
The full EIFF programme is announced on Wednesday 7 May 2008.