Impressions - #1 FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Festival

The first edition of FASHIONCLASH FASHION FILM FESTIVAL took place from 3 – 5 November in Maastricht. FFFF is the first international film festival in the Netherlands dedicated to fashion film. The 3-day program contained screenings with a selection of more than 60 short fashion films from all over the world. The program kicked off with several avant premieres at de Bijenkorf, followed by the screening of the ‘We Margiela’ documentary.  On Saturday, there were inspiring workshops by Canon and Pascal Baillien, various screenings and award ceremony at Lumière Cinema. In addition, a multidisciplinary exhibition was presented in cooperation with AKATAK Studio. FFFF showcased both emerging and established international filmmakers and designers who experiment with the genre. Being the first fashion film festival in the Netherlands, there was a special focus on Dutch fashion films, with Act! Cut! Play! project screening as an inspiring example. Another special feature was the Fashion Makes Sense screening with fashion films that show that fashion and film medium can contribute to a relevant dialogue and place fashion in the context of the society.

One of the highlights was the State of Fashion Film Talk moderated by Niccolo Montanari. An inspiring discussion on the state of the fashion film, experiences and future speculations. The speakers of the panel where Kathryn Ferguson (film maker, director), Marie Schuller (film maker, photographer), Raquel Couceiro (head of fashion film Showstudio), Ditte Marie Lund (director Copenhagen Fashion Film Festival).

photography Sem Shayne, Laurens Bouvrie

FFFF @ de Bijenkorf Maastricht

FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Festival @ de Bijenkorf Maastricht

3 November: invitation only 4 November: 10:00 – 18:30, free entrance 5 November: 12:00 – 18:00, free entrance

FFFF program at the Bijenkorf shows fashion films by Dutch filmmakers/designers and a number of brand new productions.

Kill Your Darlings - Maarten van Mulken, Pascal Baillien Fashion is Dead. Maarten van Mulken’s collection is a middle finger against this statement. ‘Kill your Darlings’ is a movie about the life and death of the things you love. It's a surreal impression of a girl and her fears, her sins, her joy and her hopes. It's a moment between life and death, where she asks herself why she had to die.

SOLUM, Luca Tichelman A video portrait of two people in different tableaux vivants, raising feelings of stilled alienation. They seek communication, a conversation. At times share one world, but a conversation seems too complex, they stay '' together alone ''. Solo, SOLUM.

'ES TUT MIR LEID! - Studio M.E.N., Annie van Noortwijk ‘Es tut mir leid’ features the debut collection of the new designer Studio MEN. The designers drew inspiration from rugby and played with gender. The models in the film are alienating, and at different locations they try to make contact with the audience. Body language, intense gazes and a dynamic edit and music score, take you to the desolate green fields where the collection of MEN sets foot on earth for the first time.

Dance a measure, Studio Selvedge & Sally Dansgezelschap Maastricht Dance a measure is fashion/dance film inspired by the poem of Neil Gaimen.

A Model Muse: Gwendoline Christie, Barnaby Roper & Iris van Herpen Game of Throne’s Gwendoline Christie finds herself in a dark, digitally rendered alien landscape, entangled in unearthly garments created by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen.

The Mutants, Lotte Milder/AKATAK ‘The Mutants’ is a short fashion film that stems from a fascination with constant change and a desire for stasis. It features three performers and their costumes, each of which undergoes four phases of transformation: from object to woman, from object to man and from object to ‘it’. ‘The Mutants’ poses the question: what will these beings evolve into next?

The Cycle Story - Yoni, INE & SANNE A series of cheeky videos to get the conversation about the female cycle started, in a light hearted and contemporary manner.

Call for entries - FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Festival 2017

FFFF – FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Festival 3 - 5  November 2017 Maastricht

FFFF is the first international film festival in the Netherlands that is focussing on the ‘fashion film’ genre. The program consists of short fashion film screenings, masterclasses, workshops, cross-over performances, installations and fashion talks. FFFF Festival aims to offer a stage to emerging and filmmakers and designers who experiment with the genre and is also a platform for debate about The State of The Art of this rising film genre. The program consists of a curated selection of the relevant fashion films from the past few years and new films. The festival curatorial special focus themes are Dutch Fashion Film and Fashion Makes Sense (films that matter). Furthermore, in program is the Act! Cut! Play! project screening and recap talk. FFFF is accessible festival for everyone and a unique opportunity to get inspired by the world of fashion, discover new fashion and film talents and to enjoy the city of Maastricht. Festival program is accessible via ticket sale and partly for free. The festival program will take place at various locations in Maastricht, including venues such as Lumière Cinema, de Bijenkorf and Thiessen Wijnkoopers.

OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR FFFF 2017

FASHIONCLASH invites all emerging and established filmmakers, designers and brands to submit their work via the Open Call. By entering the FFFF you have a chance to be selected for one of the official program screenings and also to be shortlisted for the FFFF Awards. FFFF contains an award ceremony where several prizes will be announced by the appointed jury. - Best Fashion Film: €1.500,00 - Best International Emerging Talent: € 500,00 - Best National Emerging Talent: Canon camera awarded by Canon Netherlands

You want to submit your film/films? All films must be submitted online via FilmFreeway only. Find out the conditions and application: FASHIONCLASHFashionFilmFestival

The State of the Art of the Fashion Film Fashion and film have been hand in hand and influencing each other for decades, for example in classics like Breakfast at Tiffany's or more recent examples like A Single Man or The Neon Demon. More and more the fashion film has become an essential part of the communication strategy of each fashion brand. In this era of e-culture, it is one of the best ways to capture a fashion narrative and to reach a wide audience via online platforms and media. Challenging the norms of traditional advertising techniques and moving fashion shoots, designers have embraced film as an art form and have moved away the use of mundane product placement. Film as a medium is an incredible discipline to tell stories. Nowadays, the genre is highly on the rise and also embraced by major directors such as Wes Anderson, Miranda July, Martin Scorsese and David Lynch who are engaged in making fashion films. In less than ten years the fashion film broke from the Off Schedules through to the core of the fashion industry. The fashion films are no longer used as a means of communication but also presented as independent artworks. Big brands like Dior, Chanel, Prada and Gucci are spending loads of money on editorial campaigns and fashion films. Undoubtingly the fashion film is here to stay. The industry has to look further than just clothes and photography. Technological developments have made fashion films more accessible; for instance, you can now film a fashion film entirely on your phone. What is the future of fashion film and the state of the art of fashion film? With the FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Festival we invite you to discover the beauty and the potential of fashion film.

“As an interdisciplinary development platform FASHIONCLASH focuses on presenting fashion in the broadest sense of the word. The growing interest and the rising submissions of fashion film has inspired us to include fashion films screenings in our program. In 2014 and 2015 we have organized the ‘Fashion Film Night Out’ during FASHIONCLASH Festival. In addition, FASHIONCLASH produced two fashion films, one of these ‘Aspire’ has been part of the official selection in festivals such as Madrid and Berlin Fashion Film Festival.” – FC artistic team

Recently, the Act! Cut! Play! Project has been organized, an initiative of FASHIONCLASH, Flemish Arts Centre De Brakke Grond and MoMu – Antwerp Fashion Museum. Act! Cut! Play! is an interdisciplinary talent development project with the ambition to lift the quality of fashion films to a higher level. Three teams existing of a designer, theatre maker, and filmmaker from either the Netherlands or Flanders, were challenged to work together to investigate the possibilities and boundaries of their disciplines and the provided ‘format’ of the fashion film. With the incorporation of a theatre maker, the three teams are challenged to make the narrative an important element within the films. Since December 2016 these three films are on display in the international fashion, theatre-, film- and art world. Meanwhile the films have received nominations and awards in festivals such as ASVOFF, BAIFFF Buenos Aires International Fashion Film Festival, Bokeh Fashion Film Festival (Cape Town), Mexico Fashion Film Festival and Copenhagen Fashion Film Festival.

FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Festival is made possible by Provincie Limburg, Gemeente Maastricht, Prins Berhard Cultuurfonds Limburg, Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industrie, Stichting Edmond Hustinx, Canon Nederland, de Bijenkorf, Lumière Cinema, Thiessen Wijnkoopers, Amsterdam/Dubai Fashion Tv, NOTO, WEDOVOODOO.TV, Kaltblut Magazine, Arts Thread, Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond, MoMu Antwerp.

More information about the festival: ffff@fashionclash.nl