Department of Music Filmmaker Shortlisted for Prestigious National Award

Posted on: 25 September 2018 in Posts

A film made by Dr. Chen-Yu Lin from the Department of Music and Charlotte Sawyer has made the shortlist for the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s prestigious 2018 Research in Film Award. Their film,‘George Harrison, The Story of the Beatles and Indian Music Performance Teaser', will, therefore, be a contender for the Social Media Short Award.

Nearly 150 films were submitted for the Awards this year and the overall winner for each category, who will receive £2,000 towards their filmmaking, will be announced at a special ceremony at 195 Piccadilly in London, home of BAFTA, on 8 November.

Launched in 2015, the Research in Film Awards celebrate short films that have been created about the arts and humanities and their impact on our lives.

There are five categories in total with four of them aimed at the research community and the remaining being open to the public.

Filmmaker and Department of Music Adjunct Faculty and Research Associate Dr Chen-Yu Lin said: ‘This film was produced for a concert taking place at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in June 2017. This concert evolved from research that Dr. Mike Jones and Mr. John Ball have been organically working on for years. Through their work, they identified the previously uncrecognised Indian musicians recorded on the track ‘Within You Without You’ on The Beatles’ seminal album, Sgt Pepper and Lonely Heart Club Band. As producers of the concert, they managed to incorporate filmmaking from the very outset of production.

'These films, I believe, have made further engagement, discussion and feedback with the public in regards to their project possible. There have been so many stories about the Beatles, and to me, this is another important story. Indeed, there is nothing more worthy than to celebrate the wonderful achievement of the Indian musicians who were previously unrecognised and give them the credits and honour that they truly deserve. The director Charlotte and I are grateful that we were able to take part to document these precious moments; I am thankful that the judges have found our work as exciting as I have’.

Mike Collins, Head of Communications at the Arts and Humanities Research Council, said: "The standard of filmmaking in this year's Research in Film Awards has been exceptionally high and the range of themes covered span the whole breadth of arts and humanities subjects.

"While watching the films I was so impressed by the careful attention to detail and rich storytelling that the filmmakers had used to engage their audiences. The quality of the shortlisted films further demonstrates the fantastic potential of using film as a way to communicate and engage people with academic research. Above all, the shortlist showcases the art of filmmaking as a way of helping us to understand the world that we live in today."

A team of judges watched the longlisted films in each of the categories in order to select the shortlist and ultimately the winner. Key criteria included looking at how the filmmakers came up with creative ways of telling stories – either factual or fictional – on camera that captures the importance and impact of arts and humanities research in our lives.

Judges for the 2018 Research in Film Awards include Joanna Norman, Director of the V&A Research Institute, Steve Harding-Hill, Creative Director in Commercials and Short Form at Aardman Animation and Dorothy Byrne, Head of News & Current Affairs, Channel 4 News. [3]

The winning films will be shared on the Arts and Humanities Research Council website and YouTube channel. On 8 November you’ll be able to follow the fortunes of the shortlisted films on Twitter via the hashtag #RIFA2018.