Search The Archive

Search the film archive



Christopher Hales makes films which expand the practice of independent and experi­mental filmmaking into an interactive format while retaining their intrinsic filmic qualities. Hales has exploited the potential of interactivity to entertain, frustrate and engage in work that is evocative, touching and comic.

For The Twelve Loveliest Things I Know children were interviewed and asked to describe what would be the twelve loveliest things they know, and these were gathered into themes. When reflected upon with the eyes of adulthood this formed the basis of a personal documentary which provides emotion and thoughtful reflection. Using the interface' of an elderly man and his memories the viewer can call up a range of sequences reflecting the emotional resonance of childhood memories and experiences.

Les Mysteres is a portrait of a clifftop castle and its reclusive inhabitant. The viewer can move from the castle environs to its interior, interaction is linked with musical motifs and it is possible with persistence to reach a revelatory sequence in which the warlike and suspicious protagonist is also shown to have had a childhood.

Lagan is a word for treasure on the seabed it is a psychological drama with watery associations involving a female protagonist and the spirit of her drowned lover. There is no beginning or end and events can often repeat. Fire and water become links between the two characters and their worlds of day and night. Events can be made to happen but there is no true ending.

Jinxed is an interactive slapstick comedy film. The central character is a loser who needs to attend an interview and without user interaction he will simply get ready and leave. However objects in his apartment are 'Jinxed' and it is possible to painfully and comically hinder him in his attempts to prepare.