UC San Diego presents the 2nd edition of the Filmatic Festival.
Exploring the future scene of the movie viewing experience.
Article by Alejandra Enciso Guzmán
From April 30th to May 3rd at the Qualcomm Institute
An intersection of science and technology, the Filmatic Festival showcases the work being done at the UCSD campus, dressed with scientists, artists and filmmakers who explore the “future of film-making and film-going,” shared Rebecca Webb ArtPower! Film Curator and Founder of the Festival. Also pointing out that it is the first of its kind in California. “I am embracing a society that consumes movies on smart phones and personal tablets – often by themselves. However, some audience members may feel that they are missing the simple joy of sitting in a dark theater together, with others – the need for community is still very important.” She added.
The Filmatic addresses this need by creating interactive and participatory experiences gearing towards the future of movie watching/going and consuming.
What do you consider the main goal for this festival?
To continue to showcase the creative work of UCSD faculty, graduate and undergraduate students and feature thought provoking work by an innovative international community. We also want to continue growing with the latest technological advances so that it will become the place and time to feature forward thinking ideas about audience participation, story reinvention and social commentary.
How many projects where involved for the curating process and how do you curate the festival? We developed the Filmatic based on the idea of a co-curatorial model to tap into multi-modes of thinking and expertise in Virtual Reality, Gaming, Cinema and more. There are over 32+ events, 3 workshops, and 5 panels. All in the span of 4 days.
Amongst the highlights of the Festival, Rebecca shared the following 4:
- April 30. 7pm. Keynote event and Kick Off Party with Director of the 5D institute at USC and a Salk Institute Vision Scientist who will speak about the future of narrative storytelling.
- May 2. 7pm. Screening and post screening ArtTalks! With famous experimental documentary filmmaker Godfrey Reggio (QuatsiTrilogy) and his new film Visitors
- May 3. 4pm. San Diego Premiere Measure of All Things(“Live Cinema”) and Closing Party!
- Various times/days. WAVElab Demos: A special interactive 3D experience not to be missed. Travel through the Egyptian temples of Luxor and more!
“I am really excited about building a residency program and commissioning work — and getting even more UCSD and San Diego students of all ages involved, while paying special attention to women and artists of color in the areas of science, arts, cinema and technology as it relates to the medium of digital technologies”.
Rebecca works to build and bridge connections in order to explore concepts, ideas, and projects that enhance the Filmatic themes. “I couldn’t take all of this on without my awesome colleagues and amazing student assistants. They are as vested in the Filmatic as I am! We have a small but mighty team at ArtPower! So we all wear a lot of different hats. That’s what makes our jobs so exciting.”
ArtPower! offers 1-Day Passes from $12-$35, and 4-Day Passes from $30-$125. “Filmatic Free Friday” will allow all students to attend the festival for free that day. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 858.534.TIXS (8497), online at www.artpower.ucsd.edu, or in person at the UC San Diego Box Office, Price Center Plaza, Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm (closed Saturday and Sunday). More info at: http://filmaticfestival.com
About ArtPower!
ArtPower! at UC San Diego builds creative experiences in music, dance, film, exhibition and food for our collective pleasure and inspiration. We engage diverse audiences through vibrant, challenging, multi-disciplinary performances by emerging and renowned international artists. Through extensive partnerships, ArtPower! Provides exciting opportunities for research, participation, and creation of new work, igniting powerful dialogue between artists, students, scholars and the community.
About the Sponsor:
The Qualcomm Institute is the UC San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), one of four Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovation located on University of California campuses. The Qualcomm Institute brings together more than 350 faculty members and nearly 120 technical and professional staff on the UC San Diego campus, as well as hundreds of student workers, undergraduate scholars and graduate fellows, as well as postdoctoral researchers. The institute’s interdisciplinary strategic vision ranges from brain science to robotics, and stresses collaborative research in four broad areas – culture, energy, the environment, and health – as well as four enabling technologies (wireless, photonics, cyberinfrastructure, and nano-micro-electromechanical systems).
