From dreamlike explorations of nocturnal women working to intricate narratives delving into migration, gender, censorship, crime, and familial ties, the 2024 Film London Jarman Award highlights an extraordinary array of creative approaches to the moving image. This year’s selection blurs the lines between reality and fiction, performance and authenticity, and blends old and new technologies.
The Film London Jarman Award 2024 shortlisted artists
Larry Achiampong – Maeve Brennan – Melanie Manchot – Rosalind Nashashibi – Sin Wai Kin – Maryam Tafakory
Maryam Tafakory: Elegiac films collage found footage with the cinema of post-Revolutionary Iran, revealing how objects, words, and glances have substituted physical contact between men and women in Iranian film history. Her work offers a reflection on cultural and historical constraints.
Sin Wai Kin: an artist and filmmaker, challenges binary gender constructions through moving images and performances. Their film, Dreaming the End, set in opulent palaces and enchanting Italian gardens, intertwines familiar and uncanny elements in a tapestry of dreamlike narratives and enigmatic characters.
Rosalind Nashashibi Denim Sky, shot on 16mm film, chronicles contemporary life through family, relationships, and community. Employing a non-linear or stream-of-consciousness style, Nashashibi uses the ancient Chinese oracle, the I Ching, to structure her film. The film features the artist alongside her family, children, and friends, exploring the idea of community and the non-nuclear family.
Maeve Brennan: investigative films focus on restoration and preservation, meticulously documenting detailed stories of art theft. Her film traces the journey of stolen 4th-century Apulian vases through the hands of looters, smugglers, restorers, and dealers to forensic archaeologists, blending forensic and mythological narratives.
Melanie Manchot: the first feature, STEPHEN, constructs a film within a film where fact and storytelling collide. The narrative focuses on Stephen Giddings, a recovering addict auditioning for a role in a fictional crime film while transforming his life into reality.
Larry Achiampong: A Letter reveals the story of a man facing sectioning and collapsing time to highlight the impact of history, immigration, and geographical separation on two brothers living in Britain and Ghana. The film offers a deeply personal narrative interwoven with broader socio-political themes.
The six artists shortlisted for the 2024 Film London Jarman Award demonstrate a fluidity of style and a commitment to radical and innovative moving image art. Their work provides fresh perspectives on personal and political subjects, showcasing the avant-garde spirit that defines the Jarman Award.
Celebrating its seventeenth year, the Award has earned a reputation for highlighting groundbreaking artist filmmakers in the UK. Notable previous nominees include Heather Phillipson, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Oreet Ashery, Duncan Campbell, MonsterChetwynd, Luke Fowler, Imran Perretta, Charlotte Prodger, Laure Prouvost, Elizabeth Price, James Richards, and Project Art Works—all of whom have gone on to be shortlisted for or win the Turner Prize.
Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London, remarked, “This year marks the 20th anniversary of Film London. I’m proud to celebrate two decades of supporting our capital’s screen industries, talent, and culture. The Film London Jarman Award is central to our support of artist filmmakers, celebrating a spirit of experimentation and imagination. What better time to spotlight current and future talent and present innovative and boundary-pushing works as we celebrate our history? Congratulations to all six shortlisted artists, and I would like to thank our funders, Arts Council England, for their vital support.”
The jury praised this year’s nominees: “The Jarman Award continues to champion the most exciting moving image work produced in the UK today. Each of the six artists shortlisted for this year’s award has impressed the jury with visually striking and imaginative work that challenges viewers to engage with new ways of seeing the world. With a commitment to film’s potential as a medium for aesthetic and political experimentation, the legacy of Derek Jarman’s fearless work lives on through this year’s shortlist.”
The winner of the Jarman Award will be announced in late November in London. Ahead of the event, audiences can explore the shortlisted artists’ work through a nationwide touring programme presented in partnership with various cultural venues across the UK.
This year’s jury includes Matthew Barrington, Cinema Curator at Barbican; Shaminder Nahal, Commissioning Editor for Arts and Topical at Channel 4; 2023 Jarman Award shortlisted artist Julianknxx; Ali Roche, Chief Curator at Nottingham Contemporary; and Eve Gabereau, Founder and CEO at Modern Films and Film London Board Member.