06.02.26

ME AND JOACHIM TRIER: TWO STORIES THAT STARTED WITH A
SHORT FILM

SUFFOLK SHORTS DIRECTOR, CLAIRE WHITTENBURY, REFLECTS ON PRODUCING CHANNEL 4’S SHOOTING GALLERY WITH MARK KERMODE AND WHY SHORT FILMS ARE THE ULTIMATE SPRINGBOARD FOR DIRECTORS LIKE JOACHIM TRIER.

While catching up on my favourite podcast the other day I was reminded of where it all started for me, and Joachim Trier.

It’s not often I can put myself in the same sentence as a world renowned film director, recent BAFTA winner and current multi-nominated Oscar contender, so bear with me. 

On Kermode and Mayo’s Take from January 8th Mark Kermode says:

I love Sentimental Value and I’m a big fan of Joachim Trier as a filmmaker, and I was waiting backstage in the green room at the BFI and he came in and I put my hand out to shake his hand. I said:

“It's such a pleasure to meet you.”

He said, “We've met.” 

And I went, “what?” 

He went, “yeah, we've met.”

And I looked at him. 

“Back in the 90s, you used to present a program on Channel 4, about short films.” 

I said, “The Shooting Gallery, yeah, I did do that.” 

And he said “You got young filmmakers who had made short films, and every now and then, if you found one that you like, you interviewed the filmmaker, well, I was one of those filmmakers. You watched my short film. You liked it. You interviewed me about it and I told you at the end of the interview, my ambition is that I'm going to make a feature film and you're going to review it.”

It all started with a short film.

At the turn of the century I produced a couple of series of Shooting Gallery for Channel 4 with Mark Kermode. It was a late night series and we featured around 6 short films in each episode. He introduced each film in his inimitable way and if we were able to secure an interview with the director or cast we’d record him talking to them about their film, in creative locations around London.

This was the start of my personal passion for short film, I learned a lot and I was privileged to record interviews with some incredible directors at the start of their careers. The films selected by the brilliant Nick Freand Jones at Channel 4 were often the first film for a director. This is how I get to write my name in the same sentence as a genius Danish/Norwegian film Director. The Shooting Gallery is where it all started for me too. 

The short film that really impacted me on that series was Clio Barnard’s Lambeth Marsh. She explores the Lambeth of the late 1990s, telling stories about the residents and it was her non-linear exploration of the contrast between the urban environment and lush marsh that hit me. We chose the location to reflect the film which is prompted by William Blake's lyric "London", filming all Mark’s introductions and interviews on the Thamesmead estate, where A Clockwork Orange was filmed. It’s currently a political hot potato as the debate rages about whether or not it should be demolished to make way for new ‘affordable’ homes. I really hope it is regenerated rather than demolished - it’s not only stunning, but still has a resident community. 

We immersed ourselves in the liminal location on the shoot, wandering through the concrete buildings, raised walkways and manmade lakes on the estate, looking out over layers of those homes which had been abandoned as Barnard talked eloquently about her process. The effect on me was profound. It helped me to see how short films are an art form all on their own and that they don’t have to follow a formula. 

Claire on the production pinboard of a Kids TV show in the early 90s

Since then I’ve witnessed how they are also a springboard, if that’s what the director, cast or crew are looking for. These early works by now successful and hugely respected individuals in the film world were their first stepping stones.

So many directors made this journey, why? Because short films allow you the freedom to experiment, to tell the story you want to tell. They are a playground, meeting pace, a bonding experience and a safe place to make mistakes. Many short films echo through directors work for years, whether it's through relationships founded with their key collaborators, or even scenes that reemerge. I’m always banging on about the genius of Lynn Ramsey and her brilliant short films, one of which (Swimmer) has a scene that returns almost shot for shot four years later in her underrated feature film You Were Never Really Here. I bloody love that film.

Suffolk Shorts grew out of this passion for short films that developed in me over the coming years, and a desire to ignite that passion in other people, people who may never have considered watching a short film. Now that they are no longer presented on mainstream TV with any context, film festivals are so much more integral in introducing people to the format, whether as an audience or as the potential next Joachim Trier..

I am at my happiest at the festival when someone tells us they’ve never been to a short film festival before, or even seen a short film. And I welcome them.

Claire with Mark Kermode at Norwich Film Festival

Author:

Claire Whittenbury

Claire is Festival Director and
Student Short Programme Lead
of Suffolk Shorts