Film festival focuses on love and social media (From The Oxford Times)
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Film festival focuses on love and social media
12:10pm Friday 21st September 2012 in News
By Andrew Ffrench, covering Didcot and Wallingford. Call me on 01865 425425
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Relate client Clare Hunt, left, Sue Trevor-Wilson and Stephen Birch from the Chipping Norton Theatre with posters publicising the Relate film festival
SIX short films showing how relationships are influenced by social media will be shown at a film festival staged by marriage guidance counsellors.
Counsellors working for Relate Oxfordshire launched the competition in May for film-makers to create short films on the topic Love in the Time of Twitter.
Following about 40 entries from film-makers around the world, six shortlisted films will now be selected and screened at a two-day festival at Chipping Norton Theatre on Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13.
Mum-of-two Sue Trevor-Wilson, 69, from Iffley, Oxford, a trustee for Relate Oxfordshire, said the six shortlisted films would last about 10 minutes each.
She added: “Teenagers and lots of other people communicate through social networking sites like Twitter and are constantly on their mobiles.
“Relationships are fundamentally the same as they always have been, but a lot of people now meet and date on the internet.
“By establishing an annual film competition and festival, we want to raise much-needed funds so that Relate can go on supporting people who can’t afford to pay for help.”
Screening and judging of the shortlisted films will take place on October 12, and on the same day TV documentary The Trouble with Love and Sex will be shown, followed by a discussion featuring director Zach Beattie The winning short film will be the one which most convincingly highlights the power of social networking in relationships.
The 2010 movie Blue Valentine, which starred Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, will also be screened and director Derek Cianfrance will give a talk.
On October 13, Kate Figes, author of Couples, a book about the state of modern relationships, will give a talk.
Ms Trevor-Wilson added: “Kate interviewed a lot of couples as research for her latest novel so she’s an ideal person to consider the theme Love in the Time of Twitter.”
The festival will finish with a screening of the 2004 movie Sideways.
Relate Oxfordshire has been providing counselling for the past 60 years.
lFor further information about the festival visit relatefilmfestival.org.uk. Tickets are available from Chipping Norton Theatre box office on 01608 642350
