A three-minute film dedicated to championing the unseen work of Bristol’s overnight train cleaning crews secured first prize for emerging filmmakers Bristol Sprout in the third 0117 Hour Digital Short Challenge.
The Bristol Sprout team took the £1,000 prize for Behind the Journey, a beautifully-filmed documentary that went behind the scenes at the diesel depot at Bristol Temple Meads station. While the city sleeps, teams of dedicated cleaners work through the night to prepare the trains for the following day’s commuters.
The 0117 initiative is a collaboration between Bristol Film Office, Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival and M Shed.
Some 16 teams completed the challenge to shoot and edit digital shorts of up to three minutes in just 117 hours. A mix of traditional short film and animation were presented to an esteemed panel of judges.
The high-energy event is part of a series of Bristol Temple Quarter commissions coordinated by Watershed, Knowle West Media Centre and MAYK, with support from Bristol City Council and Arts Council England.
The brief was to create a piece around the theme of Journeys, making use of at least one location within Bristol Temple Quarter and including a classic Bristol phrase: either ‘Cheers Drive’ or ‘Shipshape and Bristol Fashion’.
The winner was unveiled at Bristol’s M-Shed museum last Friday when all teams attended for the exclusive screening with jury members Peter Carlton of Warp Films, Jon Mowat of Hurricane Media, Cllr Simon Cook and Julie Finch, head of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives.
Mr Carlton said: “All the films submitted show real verve and imagination, approaching the brief in bold and varied ways that are testament to the creative diversity of Bristol.
“But our winner, Behind The Journey, managed in three short minutes to do what many feature films by experienced makers fail to achieve: it took us into another world, captured our imaginations and moved us, bringing dignity and beauty to a simple portrayal of an essential job we take for granted – cleaning train carriages. It was a clear and unanimous winner.”
