dasha sevcenko

Beg Steal Borrow’s William Brown is proud to curate Roehampton Guerrillas (2011-2016), a showcase of short films made by participants in William’s Guerrilla Filmmaking class, which he has been teaching at the University of Roehampton, London, since 2011.

The class involves students making a series of short films that involve both a technical and a thematic constraint – akin in some respects to Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth’s The Five Obstructions (2003), which is the first film that participants watch as part of the class.

The class also invites participants to draw on a history of guerrilla filmmaking from around the world, reading important texts and manifestos by filmmakers like Julio García Espinosa, Fernando E. Solanas and Octavio Getino, Glauber Rocha, Jia Zhangke and Wu Wenguang. Participants also watch and gain inspiration from work by zero- to micro-budget filmmakers like Giuseppe Andrews, Ai Weiwei, Khavn de la Cruz, Mike Ott and Harmony Korine.

Roehampton Guerrillas (2011-2016) features 39 short films by 31 different filmmakers, and which respond to eight different challenges set to participants on the course. The films, chosen from among 100s made during the first five years of the Guerrilla Filmmaking course, are all packed in to a 127-minute running time!

Short on time, with no technical support, and forced to make films about topics and using techniques that are not of their choosing, the Roehampton Guerrillas prove the following:-

You don’t need money to make a film.
You don’t even need a camera.
You only need an idea.
Limitations do not hinder creativity. They drive it.

Among the filmmakers whose work is showcased are various who have worked with Beg Steal Borrow in different capacities, including Aleksander Krawec and Millad Khonsorkh, who both perform as actors in The New Hope, and Angela Faillace, who has designed the posters for The New Hope and Circle/Line.

Viewers may want to watch the films out of order. As a result, below is a list of films included in Roehampton Guerrillas (2011-2016) with timings so that viewers can browse the selection at their leisure.

Challenge #1
Make a film using only still images and which answers the question: what is Great Britain?

00m46s-04m37s – ‘This is Britain’ by Pablo Saura
04m37s-07m23s – ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ by William Guy
07m23s-09m58s – ‘#1’ by Josh Fenwich-Wilson
09m58s-11m08s – ‘Bricks’ by Lola Lextrait

Challenge #2
Make a film using only still images and which answers the question: what is Europe?

11m18s-15m02s – ‘Postcards from Europe’ by Marc Moyce
15m02s-16m48s – ‘Europe’ by Charli Adamson and Alex Crowe
16m48s-19m58s – ‘EuropA’ by Aleksander Krawec
19m58s-24m10s – ‘The Foreigner’ by Lino Negri

Challenge #3
Make an experimental, animated or found footage film that deals with a personal issue.

24m19s-29m17s – ‘Gainsbourg For Eve(r)’ by Eve Dautremant-Tomas
29m17s-30m43s – ‘Ambition’ by Joshua Bessell
30m43s-33m55s – ‘#3’ by Audrey Jean
33m55s-35m12s – ‘Your Future Depends on Women’ by Zainab Nassir
35m12s-39m32s – ‘Early Onset Alzheimer’s’ by Taylor Matsunaga
39m32s-40m28s – ‘Memory’ by William Guy
40m28s-43m18s – ‘#3’ by Josh Fenwick-Wilson
43m18s-46m10s – ‘Open Your Eyes’ by Benita Paplauskaite
46m10s-48m49s – ‘Mind Glitch’ by Pablo Saura
48m49s-50m16s – ‘Monday Morning’ by Marina Oftedal
50m16s-52m41s – ‘Vote Romney’ by Millad Khonsorkh
52m41s-56m39s – ‘From An Outsider’ by Oz Courtney

Challenge #4
Make a film about a political issue that does not feature any synchronisation between image and sound.

56m48s-60m56s – ‘Aylesbury Estate’ by Maya Djurdjevic
60m56s-67m21s – ‘Free Tibet (Bless Dale Cooper)’ by Millad Khonsorkh
67m21s-69m58s – ‘Eat My Fear’ by Lino Negri
69m58s-72m52s – ‘Access’ by Marc Moyce

Challenge #5
Make a film about a human rights issue that does not feature any synchronization of image and sound.

73m01s-76m45s – ‘Surveillance’ by Mary Burnett
76m45s-81m56s – ‘Peri’ by Eve Dautremant-Tomas
81m65s-84m03s – ‘The Imperfect Human’ by Gabrielle Littlewood
84m03s-89m15s – ‘The Perfect Human’ by Louise Benedetto and Samuel Taylor

Challenge #6
Make a film about a political issue that consists of only a single take.

89m23s-92m12s – ‘Patriarchy in Porn’ by Zainab Nassir
92m12s-95m50s – ‘Alien’ by Sian Williams
95m50s-99m15s – ‘Toaster’ by Ewelina Lipska

Challenge #7
Make a film about multiculturalism using a smartphone, or which is silent and consists of only a single take.

99m23s-102m28s – ‘Girl Before a Mirror’ by Wajod Alkhamis and Pablo Saura
102m28s-109m20s – ‘Underground’ by Samuel Taylor
109m20s-111m20s – ‘Watts’ by Dasha Sevcenko
111m20s-113m52s – ‘Dilution’ by Myles Bevan

Challenge #8
Make a film that is a letter to a loved one and which consists either of found footage or which is an animation.

113m59s-116m54s – ‘Google Heart’ by Lola Lextrait
116m54s-119m59s – ‘Letter to a Loved One’ by Valerie Gonzalez
119m59s-122m26s – ‘The Façade’ by Tom Heffernan
122m26s-126m23s – ‘Dawn of the Third Challenge’ by Angela Faillace

With the finishing touches being put to The New Hope, and with Selfie and Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux slowly beginning to be submitted to select festivals (keep your eyes open for screenings!), Beg Steal Borrow Films has moved for the first time into the world of music video direction.

William Brown directed the video for Extradition Order’s new song, ‘Boy in Uniform’ in early December 2014. The video was edited over the Christmas period, and is now just awaiting grading and a confirmation of release date from the band’s label before becoming available shortly – online and in other places, no doubt.

The clip tells the story of the band playing an illegal concert that the police disrupt. However, the music is just too seductive for the coppers, who soon find themselves seduced into having fun, rather than doing their job!

Inspired by Banksy’s famous ‘Kissing Coppers’ mural, the video features performances from Beg Steal Borrow regular Dennis Chua and first-timer Ariel Pozuelo, while Tom Maine was as usual in charge of cinematography.

Beg Steal Borrow’s video for Extradition Order’s ‘Boy in Unifirm’ takes inspiration from Banksy’s famous and controversial mural, Kissing Coppers.

Beg Steal Borrow newcomer Tony Yanick acted as assistant director, while the crew was made up of Angela Faillace, Bahareh Golchin, Sara Janahi and Dasha Sevcenko.

Friends of the band acted as party goers and crowd as shooting took place in Roehampton, London on 6 December 2014.

Extradition Order consists of lead singer Alastair Harper, bassist Nick Boardman, lead guitar Jez Walton, with Radhika Aggarwal on drums and Matt Bergin on keys. For the video, the band all wore costumes inspired by the Village People.

Extradition Order‘s new album, Kennedy, is due for release in early spring 2015.