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Fringe Report is now closed. Fringe Report closed on its 10th anniversary, Thursday 12 July 2012. It remains online as a record of 10 exciting years in the arts. Till July 2013, previously unwritten content is being added to the site from the past 10 years, but we are no longer reviewing new material. You can still write to us on the existing email addresses. Good luck with your shows.
Flickr Wall / The Shoe Tree / HomeVerdict: 3 short films
In the same way that people post photos online on Flickr, the Flickr Wall is an analogue alternative. Made in one long tracking shot, the scene changes from the Tyne Bridge as it might be posted as a photo on Flickr to the Flickr Wall. The Flickr Wall is a long black board down an alley.
Chalk pictures, comments, cartoons and opinions are on this wall. Overlapping voices off-camera read it. They also tell that the Council cleaned it all off and it had to be started again in the middle of the night. The items on the wall give a fleeting glimpse of a particular time and place.
The final voice proclaims that while Gateshead may have The Baltic, Newcastle has the Flickr Wall which is better. Flickr Wall takes a simple concept, explores it in an original way and shows that something as short-lived as graffiti can have something important to say.
On one level, The Shoe Tree is just lots of shots of lots of shoes hung on a particular tree. And there's a voice-over by the owners of particular pairs of shoes, remembering their shoes and how high up the tree they managed to throw them.
The Shoe Tree is also a magical mystical place. People get married beneath it. It is a commentary on life as it is lived now. It tells real things about real people. A tree whose fruit is shoes - a continuous, developing piece of performance art. Or is it just an eyesore? The shots of the shoes are fruity and magical. The spirits of those who wore them still linger. A joyful, life-affirming film.
Those from other cultures see Newcastle gradually becoming their home as they start to raise a family. Douggie who has just inherited his parents' house is going to make changes - make it his home as an adult not as he remembers it as a child. Becky (15) loves a particular shade of orange and tells a quirky story of how she got it for her room. She also likes the peacefulness of her back garden and the large gold/orange fish in the pond.
Those who are interviewed present a range of ages, backgrounds and homes. The low-key approach and absence of the interviewer on camera add to the quality and homeliness of the film.
CAST (awaited from producer)
COMPANY: (awaited from producer)
END
(c) Peter Andrews 2008
reviewed Sunday 30 November 08 / The Classic, Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Notes: Three Short Films - Flickr Wall, The Shoe Tree, Home. The Northern Stars Young Filmmakers Academy (15-18 year olds). Commissioned as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Portrait of a Nation project. Presented as part of Juice - NewcastleGateshead’s festival for children and young people. The films are also showing as a continuous rolling programme during the festival and will represent the region at the final event of Capital of Culture 2008 (Liverpool). Northern Stars Young Filmmakers' Academy is looking for talented and promising individuals aged 15-18 years for its 2009 programme. Details at www.nlff.co.uk/nstars
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2013