Learning on Screen10 Years of the IWM Student Film Festival
Soldiers of a Lesser Blood (2008), Pervez Akhter’ s film about the Indian Army during the Second World War, was based on interviews with veterans, speaking in their own language, and now living in Pakistan. Although Pervez’ s film did not win, the judges recognised its potential and the rarity of such a perspective for British audiences. As a result there were discussions about how the film could be developed, and Pervez is now part of a team led by Dave Green and John Digance, tutors at the Documentary School at the University of Bedfordshire, collaborating with us on a major documentary project based on interviews with former members of the Indian Army now living in India, Pakistan and Britai
Looking at some 150 films screened during the last ten years of the Festival, there has been an understandable interest in the two World Wars but there has also been a refreshing range of topics and many of these highly contemporary ones. Along with films on the Falklands War, Vietnam, the experience of refugees and immigration, the Holocaust, the former Yugoslavia, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, other themes covered include war gaming and historical re-enactment. In addition, as a film is eligible for submission if it includes archive film from the Museum’s collection, we have also had entries, even winners, with no military content: these include films on astronomy, the British lido and bread.
A Candle for the Shabandar Café, winner of the 'Annie Dodds Award' for the Best Documentary in 2010.
One of the unforeseen benefits of opening up the Festival to amateur filmmakers has been the submission of films from serving members of the armed forces. For the tenth Festival, this led to the intriguing situation of a film made by a British Territorial soldier, Martin Carey, about a comrade’s experiences during the opening phase of the invasion of Iraq (Memories of Iraq, 2010), being shown alongside five films made by students of the Independent Film and Television College in Baghdad, all of which included reflections of the impact of the American and British-led invasion on Iraqi society.
