Adventures in Alternative Cinema

Golden Door - Emanuele Crialese (2006)

Adventures in Alternative Cinema is just that! Encompassing 'non-mainstream' film to experimental animation and artist moving image, Adventures began by working with young people, exploring cinema 'beyond the multiplex'. Teams of Young Programmers discovered specialised film, and thought about new ways to grow new audiences for something 'un-hollywood', as well as making use of their local, rural part-time cinema venues.

Today, the Adventures Programme has expanded to work with other interest groups, including artists, and older people, whilst young people continue to be a core part of the programme.

In 2018 our main focus was on Anim18 - a UK-wide celebration of British animation that took place between April to November 2018, and more recently we have been working with local people and venues on 'Adventures with Archives' - unearthing some of the hidden treasures of archive film collections, presenting fascinating film clips alongside live and specially composed music - take a look below to find out more...

Adventures with Archives

The Adventures with Archives project aims to bring new audiences to archive film, through music based events, screenings and collaborations. The project includes screenings of archive film alongside live music, as well as working with musicians to compose new music for specific pieces of archive film.....to see more photos, music and videos from this project please visit the Adventures blog (please follow the link below).

Select the event image to find out more and buy tickets

Breath Takers
Original music composed and performed by Adam Knight specifically for this piece of archive film.
Archive film date: c1920s; music composition: 2018

Swinging the Lambeth Walk
Original music composed and performed by Here Be Mountains specifically for this piece of archive film.
Archive film date: 1940; music composition: 2018

See more Adventures with Archives via our Adventures blog
- please select the image below

Adventures with Archives - two songs by Blue Jenkins
'Stubborn Too' and 'Say Yes' - archive film clips selected to accompany two original songs written and performed by singer-songwriter Blue Jenkins.

Adventures with Anim18 - Exhibition and Animation Residency
Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

Anim18 was a UK-wide celebration of British animation that took place between April to November 2018. Led by Film Hub Wales and Chapter (Cardiff) working with the BFI Film Audience Network and project partners, including MediaActive, Anim18 showcased the best of British talent – past, present and future – through a programme of screenings, activities and events across the UK.

Adventures with Anim18 exhibition at Theatre Severn included animations made by UK animator Cyriak, selected by Adventures’ Young Programmers, and short animated films made by young people, who have worked locally with MediaActive, and further afield with BFI Film Academy partners.

The exhibition was expanded during November to include work in progress by our Animator in Residence Raj Mahuru, an alumni from the Animation BA at University of Wolverhampton. Raj worked with MediaActive, and with the inspirational support of award winning animator Dr Samantha Moore and UoW Head of Animation Emily Mantell. Raj's finished film 'Line Tempo' can be seen below...

Illustration by Raj Mahuru - Animator in Residence

Line Tempo by Raj Mahuru

Adventures with Anim18 exhibition guide
- please select the image below to view

Adventures' Summer workshops & 'A Symphony of Cyriak'

Adventures' Young Programmers returned in Summer 2018, selecting and programming screenings for MediaActive's Anim18 programme; developing an Adventures @ Anim18 website; as well as making a 'mashup' of UK animator Cyriak's work, accompanied by an original soundtrack, composed and performed by 15 year old Ben - take a look at 'A Symphony of Cyriak' below.

Cinema Tipi film programme at Merefest 2017

With support from Flicks in the Sticks our Adventures in Alternative Cinema team put together the programme of screenings for the Cinema Tipi at Merefest - this included the very popular Finding Nemo as well as Lotte Reiniger's silhouette animations.

Young Programmers Regional Development

Particpants at the Queer Media Film Programmers Workshop in Media City UK

MediaActive have been supporting a number of organisations across the North West to develop their own Young Programmers projects

Curating and Presenting Archive Film through mash-ups

A number of our Young Programmers created archive film mash-ups for screening at festivals and public spaces throughout 2016 - here's a couple of them

Flatpack Film festival 2016

Select the image above - to our Adventures' blog - to see what we got up to at Flatpack