Film Fest Gent's horse receives a new look
News
30 May 2023
For those who have been visiting the festival for many years, the horse of FFG has become a familiar icon, closely connected with film history and the history of the University of Ghent. With this in mind, the horse needed reinvention.
The horse itself refers to Joseph Plateau's phenakistiscope, a device where the idea for moving pictures has its root. The Joseph Plateau Honorary Award, awarded yearly by Film Fest Gent to a special guest as a crown on their career, is also modelled to the design of a phenakistiscope.
For a renewed horse, the festival turned to German illustrator, designer and animator Benedikt Luft, dubbed the contemporary Saul Bass - whose designs still influence artists today.
“When Film Fest Gent and Mutant approached me and asked if I’d like to work on a logo for their rebranding, I was pretty thrilled. Movies have always been a big part of my life and I think it’s one of the most interesting - and in terms of its accessibility - also one of the most important art forms we have. In a world built on a never-ending stream of images and information, cinema can provide space for reflection, focus and new thoughts to be discussed - and hopefully this inner process can be translated into action, to develop a critical view and to live a life full of empathy and positive change. My love for movies started as a kid when I went to the cinema with my family and grew so much that I even started writing a script with my friend Daniel Knußmann recently. So maybe we will see each other again in a few years, but for now I’m looking very much forward to visit Film Fest Gent in October.”
© Gesine Laura Hennig
