A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness

Ben Rivers (b. 1972) studied Fine Art art at Falmouth School of Art, initially in sculpture before moving into photography and Super8 film. After his degree, he taught himself 16mm filmmaking and hand-processing. His practice as a filmmaker treads a line between documentary and fiction. His work has been shown in many film festivals and galleries throughout the world, and won numerous awards. His work ranges from themes about exploring unknown wilderness territories to candid and intimate portrayals of real-life subjects. His feature length film Two Years at Sea was presented in September 2011 in the Orizzonti section at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI prize.

Ben Russell (born 1976 -- USA) is a media artist and curator whose films, installations, and performances foster a deep engagment with the history and semiotics of the moving image. He has had solo screenings and exhibitions at the Musem of Contemporary art Chicago, the Rotterdam Film Festival, The Wexner Center for the Arts, Threewalls and the Museum of Modern Art. A 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship and 2010 FIPRESCI award recipient, Ben began the Magic Lantern screening series in Providence, Rhode Island, was co-director ot the Artist-Run Space Ben Russell in Chicago, Il and performed in a double-drum trio called Beast. He currently resides in Paris, France.