Go to RESFEST 2005
By Nick Hyman

Each year, in some of the most creative cities across the world, a festival is held which showcases the most diverse and unique digital art from all over the planet. RESFEST is an annual gathering of the boldest short films, design, music videos, film and more. Named after the excellent magazine res, the festival has been a hotbed of cutting edge talent, up-and-coming superstars, and retrospectives of creative arts living legends. This year should be no different.

Past RESFEST highlights have included retrospectives focused on the works of video directors (or video auteurs, if you will). Aphex Twin collaborator Chris Cunningham stunned audiences a few years back with his singularly demented clips for Aphex Twin’s “Come to Daddy” and “Windowlicker,” not to mention the beautiful A.I. of Björk’s “All Is Full of Love.” The chance to view rarely seen treats such as these on the big screen is in itself worth the price of admission. The years since have had similar programs featuring the work of Spike Jonze (Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”) and Jonathan Glazer (UNKLE’s “Rabbit in Your Headlights”), which has led to the creation of the Directors Label series of DVDs. The series provides a long overdue look at often unsung talent, some of whom have gone on to make some of the striking movies of the past few years (Jonze’s Being John Malkovich, Glazer’s Sexy Beast, and Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

This year features Four Seasons of Traktor: A Retrospective, about the Scandinavian advertising collective who are perhaps best known for their terrifyingly twisted video for Basement Jaxx’ “Where’s Your Head At.” The Beck Retrospective will feature music videos from Jonze, Gondry, Steve Hanft, and this year’s Los Angeles keynote speaker Mark Romanek (Beck’s “Devil’s Haircut,” Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer”), among others. Cinema Electronica and Videos That Rock always feature the best and most creative music videos from musicians and artists worldwide; you’ll rarely see them anywhere else. Select cities will have the pleasure of seeing New Order: Early Years, a sampling of videos from New Order’s new DVD retrospective Item on the big screen and an advance look at Richard Linklater’s long-awaited adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly.

The always popular By Design returns with countless new and innovative trends in motion graphics and broadcast design that you’ll see here first before they bleed into tomorrows music videos and feature films. And last, but certainly not least, are the RESFEST Shorts One, Two, and Three, which feature unforgettable short films that stretch the boundaries of narrative and design. This year’s crop is especially choice and includes the beautiful and poignant Over Time, a French-made homage to The Muppets’ Jim Henson, as well as the gravity-defying Rehearsal.

RESFEST rarely disappoints, and this year should be no different. Don’t miss one of the coolest displays of talent on this planet.

http://www.resfest.com

http://www.res.com

By Nick Hyman