Hackney Film Festival 2010: an interview with Steven McInerney

What first made you think of producing a Hackney film festival?

In the past I have organised smaller film events but wanted to reach a much wider audience while keeping it community based. And what better community than Hackney? I am an independent film maker/visual artist and work as a freelance editor. Most of my work comes from the borough so my eyes are open to the tremendous talent here. I collaborate with a lot of creative people and many of these artists are playing a part in Hackney Film Festival so big things are about to happen. I am a firm believer that anything is possible. All you need is an idea. If you put it out there it can grow into weird and wonderful things.

What effect do you think the festival might have on the emergence of talent in the borough?

The talent will always be here and will only keep growing. Hackney Film Festival will be another avenue among many in Hackney to give local filmmakers the chance to have their work screened in renowned locations across the borough. Already we have had an overwhelming response from the community and I know the Hackney Film Festival will prove to be a successful event. Shooting People and the RIO cinema have been very supportive so we are all optimistic.

As it is the first annual festival, what are your hopes or/and expectations for the next 5-10 years?

In the coming years we hope to utilise all of Hackney’s amazing locations and venues so that the whole of London can enjoy what we have to offer in terms of film screenings and audio visual live performances.

Are there any chances that the films on show may be picked for future funding, or is the festival purely a showcase of talent and exposure?

We are putting on this event primarily to showcase great films from Hackney people. This event will be a great chance to meet others from the industry.

Lastly, do you have any parting comments regarding the festival?

The Hackney Film Festival is a community funded project. We are putting on fundraising events, where it is a good chance to meet all who are willing to support the festival. For our next event we will be taking over the Korsan Bar on Kingsland Road on Thursday 19 August from 7pm. There will be DJs and VJs all night and quite possibly some surprises in store. The best way to keep up to date with info is to visit our website, facebook page and follow us on twitter. Submissions are still open so get those films in to us. Good luck and we’ll see you there.

More about the first annual Hackney Film Festival on facebook and twitter.