Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival

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The Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival (also known as the Shepton Digi Fest) [1] is a British annual public arts festival and creative industry showcase based in the Somerset town of Shepton Mallet at venues including Kilver Court.

The Festival was founded in 2009 [2] and marked its third year with a three-day programme of events from 6 to 8 October 2011. [3]

The 2011 festival featured contributions from Merlin Crossingham, the creative director of Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit, [4] Aardman model maker Jim Parkyn, film composer William Goodchild, Natural History film-maker Paul Appleby, [5] Icon Film's Dominic Weston and camera workshops from award-winning director of photography Jeremy Humphries. [6]

The festival describes itself as "The South West Showcase of New Film, Photography & Performance" and states its aims as connecting young talent in the digital arts with established businesses and professionals and showcasing digital creative talent in the whole of the South West, including Bristol and Bath.

2011 also saw the festival's first engagement with the gaming industry, [7] linking up with Edinburgh Interactive and Sean Dromgoole of industry research company GameVision.

The festival is non-profit, and is supported by the Arts Council; The Open Innovation partners South West One, IBM, Plymouth University and Somerset County Council; Shepton Mallet Town Council [8] and a number of other public and industry bodies. [9]

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References

  1. "Shepton Digi Fest 2011". Take Art. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  2. "Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival". Bath Box Office. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  3. "Get Animated Over Digital Arts Festival". Wells Journal. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  4. "Aardman gives animation workshops in Shepton Mallet". Digital Arts. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  5. "Festival debates future of SW arts". Weston Mercury. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  6. "Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival". Bristol Media. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  7. "The Essential Guide To Video Games Festivals". The Guardian. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  8. "Notes of the Town Council's Community Development Working Group Meeting held on 23 August 2011, in the Council Chamber, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet" (PDF). Shepton Mallet Council. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  9. "Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival Partners". Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival. Retrieved 13 October 2011.