Our Civic Life Masterclass

Our Civic Life is a special Masterclass presented in partnership with Metro Screen and Balcony Productions, with support from the British Council.

As one half of the filmmaking partnership ‘desperate optimists’, Joe Lawlor has directed a series of beautiful, critically acclaimed films, shot on 35mm widescreen, which explore the relationship between community, belonging and a sense of place.

Called CIVIC LIFE, the narratives of the films are developed through a process of consultation with communities where the film’s cast is made up of volunteers from the community. Joe’s much-praised debut feature film ‘HELEN’ played at film festivals around the world, while the latest CIVIC LIFE film ‘TIONG BAHRU ‘, shot in Singapore in June 2010, will screen in Australia in June and is described as the touchstone of their work, “restrained and lavish, formally audacious and sentimental” [Sight & Sound].

In this special Masterclass, Joe will be sharing his experience over the past seven years of working with communities and the challenges and issues it presents. He will discuss how to find funds from non-screen agencies, working with non-professional performers, the move from making shorts to features, the festival circuit and working on international co-productions.

Joe will workshop approaches and participants’ ideas for short films inspired by ideas of place, community and identity.

Participants will be given the opportunity to produce their own short film following the Masterclass with the finished work uploaded to the ‘CIVIC LIFE: TIONG BAHRU’.

The Masterclass is runs for 2.5 hours from 6.30pm – 9.00pm.