The British Guide to Showing Off

Colour, HD CAM
United Kingdom, 2011, 93 min
WP – World premiere
Section: Documentary Films in Competition

Synopsis

Andrew Logan is a living legend – whether in his role as sculptor, painter, video performance artist or jeweller. Experimental filmmaker Jes Benstock, however, was intrigued by this key figure of London’s cultural and fashion scene, particularly as the man behind the show The Alternative Miss World. The event, which isn’t about beauty standards, but about the ability to effect transformation and about appreciating the virtues of "being different,” was organised by Logan for the first time in 1972. Since then, with help from friends and supporters, he has been regularly staging a spectacle which, in its quirky way, reflects and shapes (and also discredits and rejects) artistic, pop-culture and subculture trends. On each occasion, the glitter of the extravaganza is further enhanced by the presence of the various celebrity patrons supporting the event. Benstock charts Logan from the very early days, to the mounting of a new show (which took place on May 2, 2009). In doing so, he pays tribute to Logan’s artistic integrity and freedom of expression, opting for a form of film collage deftly combining animation, documentary footage, and pure joy of life.

About the director

Jes Benstock (b.1964, Glasgow) is a founding member of the comic stage troupe The Merry Mac Fun Show, based in Edinburgh (1984). He studied production at Newcastle Polytechnic (1987–1990), made children’s programmes for Scottish television, and ultimately mastered all manner of audiovisual techniques and professions. He teamed up with actress Tilda Swinton to make The Box (1996, co-dir. Luke Losey), a music video for the band Orbital. Today he is an award-winning creator of short experimental documentaries, animated and feature films, and music clips. Filmography (selection, shorts): Poof (1999), the documentaries Orders of Love (2004) and The Holocaust Tourist (2005), the TV doc. series "Reel London” (2006), and the portrait of "heretical” scientist Rupert Sheldrake The Man with the Extended Mind (2006). He co-founded the production company Living Cinema in 2007.