Loose Screw is a mini film festival of short artist films about mental health/illness, developed by disabled artist alabamathirteen. We are looking to commission three artist films to feature in the film festival alongside the work of lead artist, alabamathirteen.

About Loose Screw Film Festival:

Loose Screw is a mini film festival of short films about mental health/illness, developed by disabled artist alabamathirteen. It will be screened at ArtWalk Wakefield on 30th November 2022 and will also be available to view online.

A parallel public engagement programme will invite responses via social media, using the hashtag #WhatSupWakefield, on the theme of mental health from the Wakefield community, in the form of images, sounds, and words. 

Loose Screw Film Festival is funded by a Culture Grant from Wakefield Council, and kindly supported by The Art House, Artwalk Wakefield and Pavilion. 

We are also in discussion to exhibit the commissioned films as a central part of an exhibition, potentially displayed alongside curated objects from the Mental Health Museum’s collection, from 2023 onwards.

About this commission:

Loose Screw will feature four artist films that explore conversations around and lived experiences of mental health/illness. Responses could be from the perspective of personal experiences, and/or engage with the social and political aspects of the contemporary mental health landscape.

We invite artists to submit a proposal for a new short film piece responding to the theme. The final film should be no longer than 10 minutes in duration. 

There are a total of three commission opportunities available with the lead artist, alabamathirteen, creating the fourth film. 

The commission will include two professional development opportunities for the selected artists during September/October (dates to be confirmed). There will be a workshop about documenting artist film work-in-progress, and a masterclass with an established artist film maker. The workshops will be delivered online. There will also be an opportunity to share your work in progress/rough edits at the Pavilion Artists' Moving Image Network online meeting on 2nd November.

Commissioned artists will be asked to document the production of their film, so images can be shared across the Loose Screw and partner organisation social media/websites where appropriate.

Who can apply:

This commission is open to all artists working with film and moving image aged 18 and above, based in the UK.

We encourage applications from artists who are from and/or based in the Wakefield District.

We encourage applications from artists who have lived experience of mental illness, particularly those who face barriers due to additional marginalised identities. 

You are welcome to apply as a group/collective. However, in that case the commission and production fee would apply to the group rather than individuals. The group/collective would be responsible for the allocation of the fee between themselves. We would require a single point of contact for the group/collective.

Budget:

Each artist/group selected will receive a commission fee of £1,500.

Each artist/group will receive a production budget of £500 to include all materials, standard travel and other production costs.

Access Costs: 

There is also a budget of up to £750 to support access costs as needed by any of the four artists. This may include additional travel costs, support worker costs, child care, for example. Please note this is a shared group budget not an individual budget. 

Payment:

A payment of £900 (60%) of the commission fee will be paid at the beginning of the project, upon receipt of an invoice and signed artist agreement. 

A payment of £500 (100%) of the production budget will be paid at the beginning of the project, upon receipt of an invoice and signed artist agreement.

A payment of £600 (40%) of the commission fee will be paid at the end of the project, upon receipt of an invoice and any requested project evaluation.

How will the selection be made:

A total of three artists will be selected by a panel. The panel will consist of alabamathirteen (lead artist), Damon Jackson-Waldock (Programme Director, The Art House), Will Rose (Director, Pavilion), and Matthew Harrison-Lord (Cultural Development Officer, Wakefield Council).

Selections will be based on how clearly you demonstrate your artistic vision for your idea; the ambition of your work; your ability to deliver the final piece of work within the specified timeframe; and consideration of how all the selected films will work together. Wherever applicants are matched on these aspects, artists from the Wakefield area will be prioritised.

We will provide simple feedback to all unsuccessful applicants based on any general notes from the panel. All feedback will be provided by email and we will not be able to answer any additional questions.

If you require access support to apply or would prefer to apply using a different format please email Anne-Marie or Niamh on loosescrewfilmfestival@gmail.com or call 07774 268877. If you have a preferred method of communication please provide the relevant contact information. We are happy to call or video chat. There is also an easy read and audio version of the brief available on loosescrewfilmfestival.co.uk

Key Dates:

Applications open: Wednesday 24th August

Deadline for submission: Wednesday 14th September, 11.59pm

Panel decision communicated to artists by Friday 23rd September 

Briefing for selected artists: Week commencing Monday 26th September, date to be confirmed.

Professional Development workshops: late September/early October, dates to be confirmed.

Commissioned films to be submitted: Friday 11th November, 5pm.

Film screening at Artwalk Wakefield: Wednesday 30th November, 5pm til late.

Image credit: Stills from [on becoming a ghost…] by alabamathirteen