Canary Wharf Film Festival review: Music Videos

Animation is utilised in four of the twelve videos clips being shown in the music videos category this year, including the touching Flies by the Young Knives, which documents a rotund boy’s relationship with his insect pals.

Animated critters also have a key role in SPEkTR’s Things That Go Bump in the Night, when a fly exposed to radio waves is responsible for turning the world’s animals into mutants.

One of the non-animated standouts is Jedeye’s Head Down Hood Up, which chronicles what happens to four sets of people who spend time in the same hotel room. Although they never meet, each occupant affects the person who comes after by leaving behind one of their belongings. A man poised to cheat on his wife has second thoughts after spotting the wedding ring left on the nightstand by the woman fleeing her husband, while a mum-to-be is touched by the family photograph left by a man who was there the previous night. Filmed in black and white, the raw emotion on the faces of the actors coupled with the haunting chorus of the song packs a powerful emotional punch.

However, some of the videos are full of sheer joy. It is hard not to crack a smile as a man and his three friends scoot along the streets of London wearing trainers with wheels attached to them in Doughnut by Man Like Me.

The clips selected for the festival vary widely in style and tone but are well worth checking out.