Nude Triumphant to premiere at FilmPride
We are delighted to launch hand-painted watercolour animation, Nude Triumphant, at FilmPride, Brighton & Hove Pride’s official LGBTQ+ film festival. The film is one of 50 diverse films selected for the festival and will be available to view for Brighton & Hove residents on Latest TV on 4 and 11 August, and globally via the free online festival at filmpride.org from 17 August.
The online screening is also accompanied by an interview with director Leo Crane and writer Roy Joseph Butler speaking with festival programmer Deborah Espect about the energising experience of making the film with a community of Queer and intersectional life models and artists.
An experimental animated documentary, Nude Triumphant was produced during the Covid-19 lockdown using the words and lived experiences of real life models. Inspired by this unique situation, the work reinforces the value of live group engagement as a space to pause, reflect and intuitively express our individual identities.
Director Leo Crane said:
With the Coronavirus lockdown the city stopped overnight and – like our protagonist Jay – many people were forced to confront their relationship with time and themselves. Sequences evolved with isolated figures as well as images of nature thriving in an urban context. Our story was now resonating with a powerful and universal relevance.
Nude Triumphant combines painting from life with experimental digital animation. The project brought together painters Leo Crane, Haemin Ko and Aaron Jacob Jones who experimented (remotely) with watercolour to produce the characters and environments of the film, each bringing their individual style to the mix. The visuals evolved during the course of the production in response to the words and movements of the performers/life models and the sound design of the piece.
The film is at the heart of a collaborative, cross-artform celebration of identity, including live performances, exhibitions, screenings, talks and public workshops. Several events have already taken place that have contributed to the film, including life drawing events where the performer Jo Calderwood developed and rehearsed the character of The Professor. Drawings made by artists attending have been incorporated into the film.
Upcoming events include The Starkers Academy Ball, featuring life drawing and cabaret performance, as part of Brighton Fringe! in May 2021. The film next screens in competition at This is England Festival in Rouen, France, in November, with more festival presentations, art exhibitions and creative events expected to follow over the coming year.
Nude Triumphant is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
