A festival for a new generation of media artists and film makers is taking place in Liverpool. The Abandon Normal Devices Liverpool film festival isn't arthouse, or mainstream, or somewhere in the middle. This film festival explores new technology, and invites you to play with it.

Ken Russell
Abandon Normal Devices Liverpool film festival is a new venture by FACT, the Cornerhouse in Manchester and folly in Lancaster. The festival's debut is being hosted in Liverpool but it will take place in Liverpool and Manchester on alternate years. It specifically celebrates new cinema and digital culture, with screen veterans Ken Russell and Nic Roeg talking about their ventures into the digital realm as well as a fresh batch of film innovators exhibiting their works.

Kazimier
This is a film festival with broad appeal. Kids can muck about in the Portable Pixel Playground, an interactive but artistic play area brought to life with computer wizardry, but there's also a special late-night event by The Kazimier, the underground Liverpool collective. The group are renowned for hosting bizarre themed nights, and for the festival they're hosting a one-off event which includes a travelling carnival, and weird and wonderful attractions.

Liverpool Young Film Festival
Screenings are obviously a big part of the Abandon Normal Devices Liverpool film festival. One of the highlights will be The Yes Men Fix The World which is followed later in the festival by the talk and workshop - How To Be a Yes Man. This band of political renegades set about creating the sort of headlines that multinational corporations have nightmares about and during the workshop you'll have the chance to interact with the Yes Men themselves. There's also a screening of shorts submitted by 13 to 19-year-olds and a host of other screenings from international directors and innovators in digital film.

Public Works
Throughout the festival there'll be artworks and installations dotted around the city. These include Peter Appleton's Water Piano which will be in Ropewalks Square at FACT. Each movement in front of the piece increase the speed of the rhythm of the piano. There's also the Hand From Above which will see a giant hand from the BBC Big Screen playfully transforming passers-by.

Krysztof Wodiczko
Elsewhere, the political power of cinema will be highlighted in a very public way with the large-scale projections by Polish artist Krzysztof Wodiczko. The politcally charged images which were inspired by the experience of Northwest soldiers returning from war, will be splashed across buildings around the city.

A Long Night
Other Abandon Normal Devices Liverpool film festival events include workshops on how to get funding for your first film, a networking event and, if you're struggling to fit it all in, there's The Long Night of the AND Festival, a night of art, film and music with tours, eat and meet and special events hosted by the city's galleries and artists.

Screenings and events take place at Bold Street, Arthouse Square, Tabac, Chameleon, Leaf Tea Shop and Bar, Static, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, A Foundation, Art and Design Academy at LJMU, Open Eye Gallery, The Bluecoat, Tate Liverpool and FACT.

The Abandon Normal Devices Liverpool film festival takes place between 23rd September - 27th September 2009. Most events are free but booking is advised. For more information click on the link below.

Abandon Normal Devices Festival