Friday 22 June 2012

On Languard Point

Last night I went to the premier of On Landguard Point at the Ipswich Film Theatre. there even was a canopy and a red carpet.  

 as it says on the blurb...'On Landguard Point is a film by Pacitti Company featuring performance, prose, myth, music and spectacular visuals. Inspired by the histories and culture of the East of England, On Landguard Point exists at an intersection between live performance, community and cinema – where local people and places really do become the stars of the show.'

It was a stunning, painterly film. The director Robert Pacitti captured  a tapestry of moments and events from last year, of both commissioned performance art pieces woven together with events and displays by local communities  based in and around Languard Point; a historical old fort situated right on the edge of the country where Felixstow juts into the cold grey sea. The words were beautiful and poignant and hung the piece together, the music too had a rhythmic pace.
(click here on landguard point at Ipswich Film Theatre Trust to see more.)









2 comments:

Peter Fletcher said...

I was at the IFT last Thursday as well.

I struggled to work out what on earth it was supposed to be about. What I saw was a series of unconnected, some rather strange, short sequences that just happened to have been filmed close to the Suffolk coast.

I can think of many more worthy causes that would welcome a fraction of what this rubbish cost to make.

Robert Pacitti said...

Hi there Peter and Annabel,

Thanks for your words Annabel. It's been a privilege to make On Landguard Point with and for people in the east. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Peter I'd like to pick up on something you've raised. It's no surprise that some people won't like the film, and as you clearly state here (and on the IP1 Magazine site) this really wasn't one for you. But I would like to share something in response to your comment about worthy causes and cost.

I respectfully suggest that whilst you didn't like or understand the filmic outcome, to then position a view publicly that the project is therefore rubbish and somehow wasting resources is neither factually correct nor useful.

Over 14,000 people have taken part so far in On Landguard Point, from thousands of folks exploring the archeology of their own homes and locales, to large numbers of people sending entries for our People's Encyclopedia, to everyone that has helped create A People's Peculiar (a now permanent exhibition at the Museum of East Anglian Life), those that took part in professional development training across our Felixstowe Weekender, or the 1000 people that appear onscreen in the film, and beyond. These are all of course in advance of very high numbers of cinema goers predicted to attend future film screenings. That's quite a high level of engagement.

My company is a registered charity, and of the money we were awarded to make this project we took just under 7% for our toil , which was 3 years full time work on what is undoubtedly a truly giant project.

So perhaps viewing the film as an isolated outcome and trying to square that with what you perceive as it's value, culturally or fiscally, is misleading for all. I hope you come in to contact with some other outcomes of On Landguard Point and feel more favourably about them. But if you don't, rest assured many many others have and will.

Best wishes
Robert Pacitti,
Director, On Landguard Point

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