ELLEN LOVE - WATCH THE TRAILER NOW!

Here is a little teaser for our spooky new cine film, The Return of Ellen Love. Maya Deren eat your f**kng heart out! Hope you like the dark vibe we have going on at the moment, because Gothic is just so 2009, we have just decided...

This little clip is all you're getting, for now - so wait until Christmas and see what Santa brings you. Maybe we'll show some more then. Or maybe you'll just end up with a tangerine and a lump of coal. No biggie.

STRIP!

With Ben Barton still recovering from his very own stag night, it seems fitting that his new film Stag Movie has just had it's premiere at the Striplite night in London. This mix of burlesque, short films and other saucy entertainment is the perfect venue for the film, which uses found footage of old girlie movies and a 70s disco soundtrack. Marilyn Monroe and Joan Crawford are both said to have starred in 'stag' movies early in their careers, so we're in good company, I guess...

ANYONE FOR A BRAZILIAN?

Yep, Brazil here we come...! OK - we couldn't afford the air fare, and we're watching those nasty carbon emissions too, but the Roundeye films are winging their way to the Curitiba Super 8 Film Festival. Uphill for Jesus is one of dozens of films that will be screened in the Caixa Cultural Cinema from November 25th. Tickets are free too.

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET - ELLEN LOVE

Check out these pictures taken from the rough cut of The Return of Ellen Love - Roundeye's latest film. Still very much in progress (we're hoping to screen this early in the new year) it has been all hands on deck, with Jennifer working on music, the Vanstones busy lino cutting the new titles and Ben splicing the film. We can't wait for you to see it, so don't go changing channels anytime soon, okay?

ROUNDEYE, CROSS THE MERSEY

Ben Barton's film Uphill for Jesus has been shown at the Wolstenholme Screenings in Liverpool. It was one of nine artist's films installed throughout the gallery, projected continuously for one night only in a show collated by Leo Fitzmaurice.

Here are some photos from the show - to watch the Jesus film visitors had to perch on a little wooden chair and view it one at a time.

WE'RE AT THE SALFORD FILM FESTIVAL

Yes - our super 8 opus Uphill for Jesus is being shown at this year's Salford Film Festival. It's part of the Super 8 In A Digital World event, which promises 'a selection of the most exciting work currently being produced in the medium'. Come on down to the Islington Mill on Saturday 22nd November at 2pm.

TWO DAYS TO GO UNTIL FLICKER

Over the pond and two days to go until the Flicker Film Festival's 'Projector Bulb Fundraiser Show', with Scott's Garden part of the line up. They're showing a few other Roundeye classics too. Exciting eh?

ROUNDEYE AT THE CANTERBURY FESTIVAL

Friday night saw two of our films being shown at the Big Lens.Small Films event at the Canterbury Festival. Two hours of moviemaking brilliance ensued - and the wine was free too! (our favourite vintage) so a great night out was had by all.

Here are a few grainy snaps of the tipsy Roundeyes at the event...

THE 'INITIAL PROSPECT' POSTER

Thanks to the endless talents of Mrs Jennifer Harris, here is the poster for the Initial Prospect film, which follows the two Bennies on a trip to Dungeness.


Fresh from its screening at this year's Canterbury Festival (more of which later) this super 8 delight was made as part of the ongoing PROSPECT project. It follows two people as they journey to Dungeness on the famed RHDR train and walk around this unique place, which is Britain's only desert. The film's soundtrack, 'Chester' is a collaboration between Jen and legendary film composer George Fenton, and is written by her father Jack Harris, also a successful musician.

PREMIERING AT THE FLICKER FILM FESTIVAL

Two films from the cinema of small gestures will receive their American premiere at the Flicker Film Festival - and we couldn't be happier about it! Flicker is one of the longest-running super 8 events in the world, with film screenings held in several countries.

The date is set for November 9th at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill, NC @ 8pm.

PREVIEW - 'THE RETURN OF ELLEN LOVE'

Here is the two Bennies (that's Ben Barton and Jennifer Harris to you) on the 'set' of guerrilla film shoot The Return of Ellen Love filmed in the beautiful, tiny village of Acrise in Kent. We're shooting more tomorrow; then it's all up to Kodak and the laboratory as to what becomes of this 200ft of celluoid.

ENJOY A NIGHT AT THE PICTURES

We're pleased as punch that three films from 'the cinema of small gestures' collection will be shown tomorrow at The Pictures underground film night.

Uphill for Jesus is being shown, along with the first Dungeness film, Initial Prospect, and fresh from the lab, Scott's Garden - so it's a triptych of super 8 delights, just for you. The event is at Bardens Boudoir and entry is free, so there's no excuse not to be there. OK?

Uphill for Jesus




Initial Prospect




Scott's Garden

All images © Ben Barton 2008

WE'RE ON TOUR!

Yes, we’re on tour! Sort of. As reported previously the ‘Jesus’ film has been winging it’s way around the country to all your favourite festivals and film nights.

If you still haven’t seen the film, the next dates on the Jesus Tour are at the fabulous Final Cut in Brighton on October 19th, or at the Canterbury Festival on October 24th in the Michael Powell Theatre for the Big Lens.Small Films event. Be there or be square my Jesus fans (rosaries are optional but highly recommended).

THE JESUS JUGGERNAUT CONTINUES...

‘Uphill for Jesus’ continues to rear its beautiful head at screenings. We are very proud that it was shown at this month’s Quickflick World International Short Film Festival, at the Roxy Bar & Screen in London, which claims to “debut the world’s best filmmaking talent at monthly screenings in Sao Paulo, London, Berlin, Barcelona, New York, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Beijing, Tokyo and Tel Aviv”. Wow.


The film can also be seen this weekend at the Videophile Festival in Brighton, supported by Phoenix Arts.

NEW FILM - 'THE LIGHTHOUSE'

For your eyes only - here’s some photos of the two Bennies down and out in Dungeness, shooting new super 8 opus ‘The Lighthouse’ which is at the lab as we speak.

All photos by Jennifer Harris

'EXPLODING CINEMA' - A BELATED POSTER

Better late than never – here is the poster for the Exploding Cinema event at last month's Collision Festival, which featured 'Uphill for Jesus' in the programme.

UPHILL FOR JESUS POSTER

I almost forgot (how could I) - the poster for the Jesus film...

Artwork is by Jennifer Harris, who also lent her songwriting and vocal skills to the film, clever girl that she is.

SEPTEMBER IS OFFICIALLY ‘JESUS’ MONTH

September has been super exciting for Roundeye and geography fans – ‘Uphill for Jesus’ has been screened all over the shop. The world premiere was provided by Rotoreliefs (London) @ the uber-cool Vibe – you should have been there daaaling - followed by a screening at the Collision Festival (also London) with the Exploding Cinema team. It was also selected as part of the Szeged Super 8 Festival (Hungary).

You can watch ‘the Jesus film’ (as we have come to call it in the Roundeye ‘Factory’!) at upcoming screenings - both September 29th - at The Forest (Edinburgh) and also at the Over Exposure film night (Chorley). Now that's geography.

‘Uphill for Jesus’ is the first film to be publically shown from the ‘cinema of small gestures’ project, in case you didn't know.

More screenings are coming up – so boys and girls, watch this space please...

YES, IT'S COMING...

Patience is a virtue they say, and yes we have been enormously busy with other projects - such as the super 8 films - but The Hospital is still going ahead, perhaps a little later than planned...

Bear with us - some things are worth the wait, don't you think?

BEN BARTON INTERVIEW TALKS ABOUT UPCOMING BOOK

Ben Barton has recently spoken about The Hospital in an interview with Gloom Cupboard editor Richard Wink:


Q) You are releasing a book titled ‘The Hospital’ this year chronicling your experiences on a NHS ward. I’m interested to know more about this and whether putting together this book was more difficult than other collections you have previously had published?

BB) It’s the most personal book I’ve written. It began when I was in hospital, back in 2002. I’d broken my legs so was bedridden, and tanked-up on intravenous morphine. So I just hallucinated and sweated for weeks, scribbling this mad account of what was happening on scraps of paper. The book is basically my diary of my time ‘inside’. The lack of soul in the place nearly killed me. And I saw some horrible things, so of course it’s been difficult – I guess that’s why it’s taken me six years to put it out there.


To read the full interview, visit Gloom Cupboard online

READ EXTRACT FROM THE HOSPITAL ONLINE

Poems From The Hospital, an online chapbook featuring 14 of the Hospital poems, is now available to read at the Open Wide Magazine website

From the editor, James Quinton:

"We have just added a new online chapbook ‘Poems from the Hospital’ by Ben Barton. Ben is a major talent and we’re thrilled to have his work on the site."

OPEN WIDE MAGAZINE TO PREVIEW 'THE HOSPITAL'

Britain's best independent arts magazine Open Wide will soon be previewing a selection of The Hospital poems in an 'online chapbook'

PREVIEW OF THE HOSPITAL POEMS

A poem from The Hospital has been published in Concrete Meat Sheet #8.

Another poem will be featured in the second print edition of Gloom Cupboard, published by the erbacce press.

THE HOSPITAL COVER DESIGNS

Here's a sneaky peek at some of the cover designs for The Hospital book... still a work in progress.

They are linocuts are by the ridiculously talented Mr V – see the link to his 'Illustration Emporium' on the right…

ROUNDEYE'S FIRST BOOK - COMING SOON

The first book from Roundeye Books will be The Hospital by Ben Barton

See www.benbarton.co.uk