18th December 2017

Real to Reel: The Craft Film Festival

- words by Laura

Taking over London’s Picturehouse Central between 8-10 May, Real to Reel is the UK’s first film festival dedicated to craft. Devised by the Crafts Council and Crafts Magazine, the three-day filmic extravaganza includes everything from heart-felt documentaries about individual makers and communities of crafters, through to masterpieces in costume or prop-making, fictional narratives and wild animations.

But the programme wholly relies on the strength of its submissions and that, dear reader, is where you come in. If you’re a potter, animator, prop designer, songwriter, calligrapher, sculptor, film-maker or maker of ANY kind, Real to Reel needs you. Submit your films (from 30 seconds to an hour) by the 15 January 2018, for a chance to see your work on the big screen. And it’s not just films about craft, if you’re a film-maker and there’s a craft element to your work, the festival wants to hear from you.

Real to Reel 2017

In fact as long as the film showcases a skill, anything goes. “It's the eclectic nature of it that I really like,” says Crafts Magazine editor Grant Gibson, one of the esteemed panel of craft experts that whittle down the 300+ submissions down to a three day programme. Last year, for example, Real to Reel kicked off with a documentary about the team that hand-paint white lines on the roads in Glasgow, narrated by the evocative voice of one of the painters. “Suddenly this mundane activity, that you don't really think about apart from when it's delaying you when you're in a car and you want to get somewhere suddenly becomes a work of art.” 

Other highlights included a rap devoted to knitting which featured a cameo from knitwear hero Kaffe Fassett, as well as poignant documentaries on makers, from cutting-edge craftspeople that explore how digital technology connects with hand-making, right through to traditional like basket-making or knife-making. 

Mawuena Kattah, Intoart

Get cracking – films need to be submitted by 15 January 2018. And for punters, who will get to mingle with makers during post show-drinks, tickets will be on sale in the new year. “A lot of the films haven't been shown in a cinema before, they just resided on YouTube,” adds Grant. “It's hard to emphasise that feeling of seeing something on the big screen. It's quite a buzz.”

Click here to find out more about how to submit your masterpiece to Real to Reel.