The Forgotten Circus is the pilot film for the „Forgotten Trilogy“. This film explores notions of humanity embodied through the minds eye of a dying ringmaster and his Forgotten Circus.
In 2008 Shelly became artist in residence at Circus Space the circus arts school in London and was commissioned to make a film with their students. Shelly worked with the students over a two-week period to devise, choreograph and shoot the film. The result of this creatively rich collaboration is a visually sumptuous poetic feast, where forms merge and melt into the world of ‘The Forgotten Circus’. Gerard Bell stars as The Ringmaster. A regular in Shelly’s films, Gerard appears alongside Shelly in their first film together, ‘Delia and George’.
The soundtrack to the film was composed by Jamie McDermott and ‘The Irrepressibles’. This collaboration resulted in the EP/DVD release of ‘From The Circus to the Sea’ a limited edition box featuring the film and sound track. To be found on Rough Trades ‘Most Wanted’ shelf.
The Forgotten Circus marks the beginnings of future collaborations with The Irrepressibles and Circus Space and is the pilot film for a future ‘Forgotten Trilogy’. The Forgotten Circus was funded by Circus Space and Arts Council England and was produced by MJW productions.
