'How, Now House?'' Gets European Premiere At Sheffield DocFest
We've been following the progress of the experimental short film How Now, House? as it makes its way around the international festival circuit. Directed by the acclaimed animator and filmmaker Tess Martin, the film will have its UK and European Premiere at Sheffield DocFest, one of the world's leading documentary festivals. Featuring in the festival's Shorts: Building a Home program, the film will screen as part of a line-up of three other innovative works that push the boundaries of visual expression and ask what do we mean when we say 'community'? Is it about care, togetherness, solidarity or separation? Director Tess Martin will be in attendance for the screening and a Q&A.
Running 13 minutes, 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 which she had lived in for a decade- the longest she has ever lived in one single place, the film reflects on the urgent housing crisis and our collective sense of precarity.
Using time-lapse photography, photo replacement and rotoscoping, repetitive actions and the symbolic replacement of playing cards, the film evokes several time periods at once, questioning whether a space can ever truly belong to one person 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-language voice over, blending 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. 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 inhabitants she was able to incorporate in the film.
“I am very happy that How Now, House? is starting its European journey in Sheffield,” says Tess Martin. “DocFest has an open mind and forward thinking programming, and I’m especially looking forward to watching the other shorts in the program, and meeting the audience at the Saturday screening, as I will be in attendance. Come say hello!”
Beyond the festival screenings, Martin will also be embarking on a podcast tour to discuss the themes of How Now, House? "within the larger context of the global housing crisis, the instability of creative work as an immigrant, and how displacement shapes identity. Through in-depth conversations, she will examine the intersection of personal experience and systemic issues, bringing visibility to the challenges faced by artists and renters worldwide."
