The Blues Crab tells the story of a gnarled crab鈥檚 experiences with loss and sorrow, as he hopes to save a couple of young crabs from the life of blues he has led.
The film also credits the BFX Festival in part for its conception, as the film鈥檚 co-creator Ben Cozens explains, 鈥淔or me having the film premiere at BFX is hugely rewarding and quite special. When I met Ari [Rubenstein 鈥� creator of the film] at a BFX social evening two years ago, we found that we shared a mutual love for the music of Muscle Shoals (Alabama) and that was where the sonic concept for the film married with his visual ideas.鈥�
Ari Rubenstein, the film鈥檚 creator, traces the film鈥檚 conception back even earlier, 鈥淭he Blues Crab idea originated from a family trip to the beach in Delaware. I took my family crabbing off a pier and, over time, my daughters started to empathise with these depressed 鈥� yet aggressive 鈥� blue crabs.
鈥淥ne of my daughters turned to me and said, 鈥楧ad, it sucks to be a crab, you should make a film about them鈥� and the idea was born.鈥�
Ben Cozens continues, 鈥淭he film is about learning from mistakes and listening to elders that have gone before. It's also very much geared towards the roots and meaning of Blues music.鈥�
The 15-minute short will be shown at the BFX Festival this year 鈥� at the Bournemouth International Centre 鈥� with Ari and Ben in attendance to talk about the film and how it was made.
Ari continues, 鈥淚鈥檝e been to BFX for the past two years as a presenter, first for my company Blue Sky Studios to present our work on Ice Age 5, then last year talking to students about entering the VFX industry.
鈥淚t feels great to return this year 鈥榳alking the walk鈥� by premiering our short film, born of a series of relationships I made while in Bournemouth. What I love about BFX is the omnipresent air of creativity and motivation I feel, from the students all the way through to the professionals and organisers, I can鈥檛 wait to be back.鈥�
After BFX, The Blues Crab is set to go on tour to a variety of targeted film festivals globally. Ari said, 鈥淢y hope is that we can all take pride in its reach and exposure.鈥�
The BFX Festival takes place between 3-7 October 2018 in Bournemouth, UK, featuring talks and masterclasses from industry professionals, bespoke screenings, and a Family Weekend to enthuse children in the world of visual effects, animation and gaming.
To be at the official premiere of The Blues Crab, or for more information about the BFX Festival, visit
