Josephine Halbert - Writer, Producer and Director
Josephine Halbert is a British artist, writer and film-maker. Her work in print and film-making has been exhibited at galleries and festivals internationally. Before studying art and pursuing a career as a creative person, she worked in the PR field of film and media, a world away from the hands-on production side of art and film-making she is now obsessed by.
She divides her time between London and Northumberland. Her favourite food is rose-flavoured Turkish Delight.
Looking forward
Time Travel Boyfriends (2009)
award-winning film
A woman's fantasy love-letter to the unavailable men of her dreams. The ten minute short film is Josephine's first adventure with 35mm and is adapted from her recent book of the same name. The film is a fantasy love letter to a diverse collection of men from history who inspire her romantic imagination and include Marlon Brando, Brunel and rock star Jim Morrison.
"Adapting the book to film, I decided the best approach was to create short scenes, a tableau of 'memory' sequences to illustrate the girl storyteller's fantasy moments with each man. Some are happy and some not...but that is the best thing about fantasy - we can all choose which bits we want to dwell on. We can all be the writers of our own personal histories!" Josephine Halbert
The film is currently enjoying success on the international film festival circuit and has already won four awards:
Best Original Short Story and Special Mention Screenplay, Angel Film Awards, Monaco International Film Festival 2009
Winner, 'Short Film UK Under 15 Minutes, UK' Swansea Bay Film Festival, Wales, 2010
Prix RADi award at the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival, 2010Looking back
Time Travel Boyfriends (2007/2008)
Time Travel Boyfriends is a series of twelve original pictures, each depicting a 1920’s style cartoon-like girl character swooning over a framed image of a different dream boyfriend. The girl character has been the artist’s signature doodle since childhood and has had many reincarnations. The series has been exhibited at:
Tenderpixel Gallery in Covent Garden, London at a special Valentine's exhibition in February 2008
The Chelsea Festival at Chelsea Farmers Market in London in June 2008 www.lilygardner.com
The work is currently exhibited at the Robinson Gay Gallery in NorthumberlandFilmography
Shadow Buddy (2003)
A tribute to her childhood imaginary friend, Shadow Buddy was Josephine’s first dramatic narrative, shot on location at Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland, UK.
Her nine minute mystical fantasy shot on dvcam about a woman meeting the grown-up version of her childhood imaginary friend is a tribute to the director’s own imaginary childhood companion.
Screenings at film festivals included Chichester and Sitges.When It Suits Me (2000)
An animated short film based on Josephine’s first illustrated book about fantasy creatures in search of adventures was created with animator Sheila Graber