Tess Martin's 'How Now, House' To Premiere At Athens Film and Video Festival

Award-winning independent animator Tess Martin is back with a new film. Her experimental short How Now, House? will have its world premiere at the Athens International Film and Video Festival 2025 in Athens, Ohio. The film will screen as part of the View From Here program, and will screen as part of an exciting line-up of innovative works that push the boundaries of storytelling and visual expression.

The 13-minute short film How Now, House ? explores time, memory and the impermanence of home through a deeply personal lens. Inspired by Martin's experience of leaving a home she had lived in for a decade- the longest she had lived anywhere- the film reflects on the urgent housing crisis and our collective sense of precarity.

The film uses time-lapse photography, photo-replacement and rotoscoping, repetitive actions and the symbolic replacement of playing cards, to evoke multiple time periods at once. It questions whether a space can ever truly belong to one time or moment. The playing cards symbolise time, sequential but devoid of intrinsic meaning- shuffling through past and present as if in a never-ending game. A multi-lingual voiceover blends real historical documentation and philosophical reflections on time invites viewers to consider the imprints we leave on spaces and the fleeting nature of permanence.

“I wanted to explore how our time in a shared space connects us to the past and to those who
came before us,” said Tess Martin. “Athens is the perfect place to premiere this piece, as the
festival has a history of championing bold, experimental work that sparks conversation.” 

As part of the film's creation, Martin extensively researched the building's history and past inhabitants, applying techniques she honed as an amateur genealogist. Records in the Rotterdam City Archive led her to previous owners and occupiers whose stories she was able to incorporate.

Beyond the film's festival run, Martin is embarking on a podcast tour to discuss the themes of How Now, House? in the context of the global housing crisis, the instability of creative work and how displacement shapes identity.

Supported by the Dutch Film Fund and the Centrum voor Beeldende Kunst, there was also a site-specific installation version of How Now, House? that was housed at Het Wilde Weten and FilmDak in Rotterdam. There is also a forthcoming solo exhibition of the piece at Galerie Lecq, opening in June 2025 in Rotterdam.

The Athens International Film and Video Festival runs from April 7-13, with How Now, House? screening on April 10, 2025  at The Athena Cinema, 20 South Court Street, Athens, Ohio, USA.

For more information on How Now, House ? visit Tess Martin's official website. Check out the trailer below.