2019 Artifact Film Festival

By Sydney Urschel

 If you have even the slightest incline towards films and movies, I HIGHLY suggest... possibly even beg you to attend at least one day of the 27th Annual Artifact Small-Format Film Festival, running March 7th, 8th, and 9th at The GRAND.
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​Artifact is run by CSIF (Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers) and provides the city with a truly magical contribution to our film community; being Calgary's only celluloid-based film festival--screening physical 16mm and super8 works--- and among a handful of festivals around the world dedicated to showcasing these small-format films. So what's so incredible about screening 16mm, and super8 films? Well, let me tell you. I absolutely DROOL over every aspect of the experience of small-format films, and I am going to give you 3 reasons why I salivate, and why you should too.

1. The Sensory, Haptic, Goodness

​Sensations are nice, but they're even nicer when a majority of your senses are active in an experience. While we sit in theaters to watch films, every sense is engaged somehow, and with celluloid, all that sensory engagement is amplified to a great degree. You hear the projector rolling behind you, realizing that tiny, individual frames of repeating and changing images are pass through a bright light that you then see with your eyes in front of you. The sound of the projectionist counting down changeovers to transfer the eye to the next film fills your ears. Scratches on the film itself signify to your body that this is a physical material that has passed through the world getting little marks, just like us, just like our bodies. It is not the same to see the scratches of digitize film. Not only do you not have the active sound of the projector--adding to the haptic nature of the scratches-- but also, those lines are crisp and touchable on the screen at Artifact when the film is not compressed to a data file. The grain that small-format gives to the senses is something that truly cannot be recreated in a digital sense. You feel hyped after a night of Artifact, you may even feel your body has been given some energy, not to mention your mind feels refreshed. A little hit of non-digital stimulus has been given to you that does something powerful to your soul and your body. So come out to Artifact and FEEL some good sensations that you can't get anywhere else!

2. Participate in Analog Revolution

​I have grown up in a primarily digital age, which is applicable to most millennial’s and after generations here in Calgary. It is easy to forget the long history of film showcase and projection technology, but once you have opportunities to learn about, work with, and watch small-format film, you wonder how we could ever forget that film is still alive and well! Very much alive (see reason 1. ;) ) After last year’s Artifact, I came away excited and hyped on the material of film, but also with the thought of ‘WHY can't this be a more common experience?’ The answer is multi-part, but could be summed up due to the dominant, arguably more accessible, and easier to manipulate recording format = digital. Also a factor is the cost of using film vs. digital today. However, that is an obstacle that the Artifact (Previously the $100 film festival 1) has sought to overcome in the past and today the festival is still intended for low budget works. The choosing of the word ‘artifact’ is also curious to me. To me, it suggests a desire for the festival to be looked at and noticed by the collective memory, to recognize that analog is still an alternative to digital consumption and creation. Artifact gives us an opportunity to not only pay homage to film history, but also the opportunity to be inspired to revitalize analog creations and usage within today's society. So come out to Artifact, join in the sense that we aren't forgetting about that salivating celluloid!

3. Come See Amazing Films!

​Even if reasons one and two don’t interest you, come out to Artifact just for some really good films! I don't know if it is the actual handmade element of celluloid, but Artifact shows a diverse program of creative and inspiring films! You will most likely feel a connection to one or more of these films and their creators. There is something intimate with small-format viewing as personalities and feelings transform well into celluloid. 

​The films are organized into a the themes of each night:
Thursday March 7th-- Unexplained Phenomena
Friday March 8th -- Forces of Nature
Saturday March 9th -- Fierce/Femme/Free

So come on out to Artifact and DROOL over some films! Student and Member pricing available.
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See these helpful links for more info:
 
Festival website:
​ https://artifactfilmfestival.com/about/

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/288979885119882/?event_time_id=288979888453215

 
Check out Film Society members Zach and Erin's podcast ‘NUTV Film Chats’ that interviews the Artifact’s Festival Director, Katie Wackett, former president of the Film Society! It’s airing Monday, March 4th at 11:30am, and 8:30pm on CJSW 90.9FM! If you miss it, you can listen to past episodes here https://cjsw.com/program/nutv-film-chats/
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Also check out our Film Society Alumni’s writing in Luma Quarterly: Kevin Dong’s Carbon Capture: Experimental Strategies for Re-Presenting the Anthropocene at the link below.

https://lumaquarterly.com/issues/volume-four/015-winter/carbon-capture-experimental-strategies-for-re-presenting-the-anthropocene/ 
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