Edinburgh International Film Festival 2012: Black Box
Many people choose to believe that a film’s creation always follows the formulaic process of Hollywood. The same cannot be said of “art films”. Not to be categorised, the Black Box section at the EIFF incorporates films that can neither be hailed as artsy nor mainstream. Collecting experimental shorts from around the globe, this year’s section covers themes of state control, nature and girlhood while establishing a singular aesthetic with the same importance held for the plot and sound of the picture. Kicking things off with its International Première is Abigail Child’s The Suburban Trilogy which includes three shorts about youth, moving through various cinematic techniques of documentary, found footage and home video. Michael Palm’s UK première, Low Definition Control – Malfunctions #0 is another feature-length picture which deals with images of everyday life in order to explore issues of surveillance in the 21st century. Though considered experimental, these films simply try to challenge how we view narrative cinema in a world inspired by modern revolution.