Max Hattler is an experimental film-maker and media artist based between London and Germany. Besides providing concert visuals for Basement Jaxx, he has been touring his latest stop frame animation on the international festival circuit.

In his own words he describes Aanaatt as 'the ever-shifting shape of Analogue Futurism'. Journalists have said of Hattler's work: 'elegantly choreographed object animation' (Cine Source Magazine), 'visually arresting' (InMotion) and "a stop-motion masterpiece" (ByDesign09).

Film London's Film-makers' Festival Fund offered Max Hattler a travel grant to the International Film Festival Rotterdam (21 Jan - 1 Feb 2009) when Aanaatt was selected in competition. He talks us through the strategy of his application, as well as his top tips for attending a festival.


How did you get into film-making?
I was never that into film, and in a way I'm still not - not in the traditional sense, anyway. I came to film-making through a combined interest in visual art, music, and computers. Growing up, I was always drawing and painting. When I got my first computer age twelve, I started manipulating and animating images digitally, but wasn't thinking about film at all. Then I discovered the computer's audio editing possibilities and spent most of my teens making electronic music. It was only when I came across an animation module at university, that it dawned on me that I could combine all these previously disparate interests into a singular expression through the medium of film! Doing an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art (RCA) really brought it all together for me.

What is the story behind the film?
Aanaatt is a collaboration with Japanese electronic musician Jemapur. The film explores a retro-futuristic abstraction of the everyday through all-analogue stop-frame animation of shapes, discs and tubes. It's all shot from one single camera angle. The movement comes from an endlessly changing and evolving configuration of mirrors, colours and light.

How did you find out about the Film London Film-maker's Festival Fund?
I found it through the Film London Artists' Moving Image Network newsletter.

Was there a strategy behind your festival applications?
To be honest, I'm not very strategic with my festival applications. I don't make short films to win awards, or as calling cards for feature projects. So for me it's not that important to time exactly when they play and where. Usually I just send my work as and when I can. But sometimes I do hold out for a festival and don't submit elsewhere if I think if might jeopardise an application. It is obviously great to be picked up by important festivals, as this tends to generate a lot of interest. Having Aanaatt premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam really helped to get some attention from the word go.

Why do you think that it is important to attend short film festivals abroad?
Attending festivals abroad is good for these reasons:

1. It's good to be visible internationally, to make contacts, to 'represent'.
2. It's always good to watch new work, and festivals are ideal for that!
3. It's like a small holiday, and usually cheap, but can be justified as 'work'. Brilliant!

In what way do you think that attending the festival has furthered your career?
It is usually hard to quantify exactly how attending one specific festival helps or doesn't help ones career. What I can say is that things usually lead to other things, but often in roundabout ways. I try to go to several international film festivals a year, and so far it's always been worth going.

What are your plans for the future?
I recently created tour visuals for Basement Jaxx which are now showing as part of their stage show. Since graduating from the RCA in 2005, I've also been doing my own audio-visual live performances, taking my moving image work into a live context. Upcoming 2009 performances are scheduled for Muuuvi Festival in Romania (where I'm also on the jury), Optica Festival in Spain, and Fredrikstad Animation Festival in Norway. My next short film, Spin, will be completed this autumn and will then hopefully be doing the festival circuit.

Can you offer your top three tips for anyone looking to attend a festival?

1. Go with the flow - don't try to watch every film on the programme.
2. Going alone can be good if you want to meet people.
3. If the festival is in Europe, consider taking the Eurostar - it's so convenient!

Find out more about Max Hattler and Aanaatt on his official site: www.maxhattler.com/aanaatt/.