Jersey International Film Festival reports it’s highest audience numbers

The 13th Parish Film Festival reported it’s most successful edition to date, after four days and nights of international film and events at the Jersey Arts Centre.

Since it began in 2019, the 13th Parish Film Festival has screened a wide range of international short film, documentaries and features, all at the Jersey Arts Centre. It has grown steadily, despite the interruption of Covid, and now just finished the third festival, organisers have reported on the substantial increase in audiences.

Festival Director Tony Langlois commented: ‘We are hugely grateful to the people of Jersey for supporting this festival in such substantial numbers. Not only at our partner venue the Jersey Arts Centre, which was a hive of activity over the weekend; but also for the special events at the festival. The visit of the Hamburg collective ‘A Wall Is A Screen’ attracted over 300 people last Saturday night, walking the streets of St. Helier. Eight perfectly chosen short films were shown on normally blank walls in locations such as Snow Hill, Wests Centre and King Street and most affectingly, the final film was screened on the wall of the old Odeon Cinema. This was a magical night, and an example of what our festival aims to do – bring people together. We now look forward to planning next year already’.

The Festival announced it’s 2023 awards:

• Prix d’Honneur: ‘Freedom Swimmer’ by Olivia Martin-McGuire, UK
• L’Esprit de la Fete: ‘Little Green’ by Luka Pinto, Jersey
• Provacateur Award: ‘Abyss’ by Jeppe Lange, Denmark
• Best Jersey and Channel Islands Short Film: Winterfalle, by Todd MacDonald, Jersey

Steve Carter of 13th Parish Festival, who co-ordinated the visit of the Hamburg team said: ‘It was wonderful to see this complex project be realised from start to finish, and we’re very proud of what we have collectively achieved this year’.

The festival attracted international participation also from the Off-Courts Trouville Festival team from Normandy, who returned to the 13th Parish Festival this year to train Jersey filmmakers in the ‘Kino Jersey’ workshop. This culminated in a screening at the JAC. Jooj Duquemin who co-ordinated the Trouville workshops commented: ‘The value of one week workshop is immense for local people seeking to learn filmmaking skills, or indeed those who have experience. It’s a collective approach to film and education that we want to encourage’.

The 2023 programme was a substantial expansion on previous years with more films, special events and workshops than ever before.

Úna Langlois, Festival Programmer said: ‘We have developed the festival programme at a steady pace, but this year was an important advance for us. Our programme is centered on bringing new and diverse cinema to Jersey. The workshops, industry, special events and training elements enhance this, and make the festival a valuable platform for creativity. In particular, the Jersey and Channel Island Showcase is aimed at nurturing and creating a local film industry in the longer term. We like to engage with new forms of cinema, and the Virtual Reality (VR) showcase was another highly popular element this year also. We’ll now review the festival and start planning for 2024’.

The festival has a five person committee and Phill Hogben who is Treasurer of the 13th Parish Film Festival rounded off the 2023 festival by saying ‘I’m delighted to report an increase in attendances and income for the festival, it feels like we have truly left the Covid period behind us. The enthusiastic audiences this year give us great hope for building the festival next year and beyond’.