Film London Jarman Award 2023 comes to the MAC in November

Featuring work from the six artists shortlisted for the 2023 Film London Jarman Award, the tour will offer audiences the chance to explore an extraordinary range of boundary-pushing work. While Andrew Black’s films challenge conventional narratives around the British countryside, Sophie Koko Gate’s darkly humorous animations set stories of longing and frustrated desire in dreamlike worlds. Julianknxx highlights the interrelated crises of inequality and air pollution, while Ayo Akingbade crafts a love story to London in a narrative film that follows a day in the life of a Hackney teenager. Rehana Zaman examines the compromised promises of cryptocurrency and the possibilities of alternative modes of exchange, while Karen Russo presents a cinematic exploration of the fantastical carved home of visionary architect Karl Junker.

The 2023 tour will visit venues across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with screenings and artist talks at 6 major arts venues in Glasgow, Belfast, Nottingham, Cardiff and Bristol, accompanied by the opportunity to watch recent works by all the artists. The tour will include a special showcase day with all the six artists on November 11 at Whitechapel Gallery, London.

The tour will visit: The MAC, Belfast; LUX Scotland, Glasgow; g39, Cardiff; Nottingham Contemporary; Spike Island, Bristol; Towner Eastbourne and Whitechapel Gallery, London.

The Jury who selected this year’s shortlist are: Matthew Barrington, Cinema Curator, Barbican; Shaminder Nahal, Commissioning Editor, Arts and Topical, Channel 4; Artist and 2020 Jarman Award joint-winner, Michelle Williams Gamaker and Lila Rawlings, Head of Creative: Film and Television for award-winning director Alfonso Cuarón’s London-based company Esperanto Filmoj and Film London Board Member.

The recipient of the £10,000 award will be announced at a special celebration at the Barbican on 21 November.

You'll be able to watch all six artists' work at the MAC on 21 November from 11am - 5pm in our Upstairs Theatre. No need to book. Find out more here. Plus, a short Q&A with one of the finalists Sophie Koko Gate will be available to watch on the 2nd floor throughout the day.

Films in the 2023 Touring Programme:

Ayo Akingbade, Jitterbug (2022), 24’
Andrew Black, Revenge Fantasy (2019), 13’
Julianknxx, Black Corporeal (Breathing By Numbers) (2022), 16’
Sophie Koko Gate, Hotel Kalura (2021), 5’
Karen Russo, Junkerhaus (2021), 7’
Rehana Zaman, Alternative Economies (2021), 28’

Find out more about the six finalists here.
Read the Jarman Award 2023 booklet here.
Find out more about the Film London Jarman Award here.

The 2023 Film London Jarman Award Touring Programme Events:

Towner Eastbourne
Thursday 21 September

• Online presentation of shortlisted artists’ work
• Q&A with Karen Russo and Noelle Collins, Curator, Towner Eastbourne
  
  

Nottingham Contemporary
Wednesday 4 October

• In-person screening of shortlisted artists’ work
• Q&A with Ayo Akingbade and Canan Batur, Curator of Live Programmes, Nottingham Contemporary
  
  

LUX Scotland, Glasgow
Tuesday 24 October

• In-person screening of shortlisted artists’ work
• Q&A with Rehana Zahan and David Upton, Public Programme Manager, LUX Scotland
  
  

Spike Island
Thursday 2 November

• Online presentation of shortlisted artists’ work
• Q&A with Julianknxx and Carmen Juliá, Curator, Spike Island
  
  

g39, Cardiff
Friday 10 November

• All-day screening of shortlisted artists’ work in cinema space
• Q&A with Andrew Black and Anthony Shapland, Creative Director, g39 (accessible in-person and online)
  
  

The MAC Belfast
Tuesday 21 November

• All-day screening of shortlisted artists’ work in Upstairs Theatre
• Q&A with Sophie Koko Gate and Maggie Ellis, Head of Artists’ Moving Image, Film London on 2nd floor
  
  

Whitechapel Gallery
Saturday 11 November

Day of events and screenings from all shortlisted artists

Find out more about the six finalists here.
Read the Jarman Award 2023 booklet here.
Find out more about the Film London Jarman Award here.