|
News Archive
2002 2004 2005 2006 | 2007
2003
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 10/12/03
UK FILM COUNCIL AND PACT AGREE EARLIER SHARE OF RECOUPED FILM REVENUES TO PRODUCERS FROM LOTTERY FUNDED FILMS
LONDON. UK film producers are to benefit from a change in the funding guidelines, which will apply to all applications for Lottery funding to the organisation's New Cinema and Premiere production funds received from 1 April 2004, it was announced today.
The decision means the UK Film Council will offer all UK producers the opportunity to receive from 'first dollar' 5% of the money recouped by the UK Film Council's production funds against the organisation's film investment(s). These revenues will be available to the UK producers to reinvest in their businesses through training, development, marketing, business planning etc. Currently, the 'producer's corridor' on films supported by the UK Film Council only becomes accessible to producers once the UK Film Council has recouped a certain level of its investment in a film: that level varies according to the specific participation of the UK Film Council alongside other investors in the film.
The UK Film Council is to simplify the funding structure on recoupment following a recent review of the funds' first three years of operation and in light of how the market has developed since the funds became live in October 2000. Pact, the trade body for UK independent producers has played an instrumental role in the review. The new framework will come into effect for applications received from the start of the new financial year, April 2004.
John Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council, comments:
"Our first aim in setting up our development and film production funds was to reorganise how public funding was made available for film production and work more in sync with the industry. We have been successful in both making smart decisions in the films we have supported, and in setting up processes that work much more in sync with the industry.
"However, we want to make the Lottery money work harder for the production sector and by opening the door wider to producers, we hope to encourage the growth of sustainability within the sector. By simplifying the terms, we are accelerating the route for producers to benefit from the success of their films and to reinvest in their own businesses. In addition, producers are being incentivised - the more revenue returned from international distribution, the more revenue returns to the producer."
Ronnie Planalp, Director of Film for Pact, says:
"Pact welcomes the commitment by the UK Film Council to give producers a corridor out of its recoupment for reinvestment in development and production. The idea of rewarding performance by channeling revenue back into UK production companies is central to Pact's view on how to build a sustainable film industry. This is the most market-driven way to ensure that success is rewarded."
For further information please contact:
Ian Thomson/Caroline Nagle
UK Film Council Press Office
T: +44 (0)20 7861 7861
F: +44 (0)20 7861 7863
E: press@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
Sarah Walker
Pact, Director of Communications & Marketing
T: + 44 (0)20 7331 6040
M: + 44 (0)7787 523941
E: sarah@pact.co.uk
www.pact.co.uk
Notes to editors:
1 The revised funding guidelines to the UK Film Council's New Cinema and Premiere Fund will be available from 1 April 2004 and applicable to applications received by the UK Film Council from that date. The revised terms and conditions will comply with the 1993 National Lottery Act (as amended).
2 Pact is the UK trade association that represents the commercial interests of independent feature film, television, animation and interactive media companies. Pact has 1,000 members, making it the largest representative group of screen-based content producers in the UK and the largest trade association in the film, television and interactive media sectors.
3 The UK Film Council is the lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad. We invest Government grant-in-aid and Lottery money in film development and production; training; international development and export promotion; distribution and exhibition; and education. Our aim is to deliver lasting benefits to the industry and the public alike through:
• creativity - encouraging the development of new talent, skills, and creative and technological innovation in UK film and assisting new and established film-makers to produce successful and distinctive British films;
• enterprise - supporting the creation and growth of sustainable businesses in the film sector, providing access to finance and helping the UK film industry compete successfully in the domestic and global marketplace;
• imagination - promoting education and an appreciation and enjoyment of cinema by giving UK audiences access to the widest range of UK and international cinema, and by supporting film culture and heritage.
4 The UK Film Council's Premiere Fund invests in popular films that offer quality and entertainment to the widest possible audiences both in the UK and worldwide including Gosford Park, Mike Bassett England Manager and L'homme du train. The New Cinema Fund supports films and filmmakers that illustrate unique ideas and innovative approaches. It has an especially strong commitment to supporting work from the nations and regions and from black, Asian and other ethnic minorities and also encourages digital technology in the production, distribution and exhibition of films. Films supported by the New Cinema Fund include Bloody Sunday, The Magdalene Sisters, Anita & Me and Noi the Albino.
back to top of page
News Release 24/11/03
Brighton filmmaker wins BBC Talent Award
Brighton based Matthew Thompson has picked up first prize in the BBC Talent award at the Brief Encounters Short Film Festival.
Matthew directed Gone, a ten minute film co-funded by the UK Film Council's Digital Shorts scheme. Gone follows the consequences of the morning-after a teenage party where a boy witnesses an horrific event whilst in a drunken stupor.
 |
Screen South’s regional partner Lighthouse match-made Matthew with writer Lucy Moore, whose script was selected from applicants to the UK Film Council’s Digital Shorts scheme. Lighthouse co-fund and manage Digital Shorts. Sarah Flint, Head of Film and Caroline Freeman, Exec. Producer for Lighthouse, saw the potential of bringing Lucy’s script together with Matthew’s directing skills and producer Miranda Robinson of Four Soul Productions (who had herself produced a Digital Short in 2002).
Lucy, who has also written for the Royal Court Young Peoples programme, persuaded her boss at BBC Films to get some extra funding and provide half of the crew - half of her colleagues from BBC Films crewed the film.
Thirty six year old Matthew works in TV as a documentary filmmaker after a post graduate course in film making. He is currently working on a big CGI documentary drama reconstruction for BBC TWO.
Matthew receives a £5000 cash prize and the opportunity to be attached to a BBC Three Drama on a short term contract.
He describes how he cast the female lead “I threw each actress in at the deep end by making them lie on the floor of the execs office with Danny Young (the male lead), and do a scene where they had to kiss him. Pippa Moss had all the right instincts and Danny told us she was the best kisser. We shot the film over two days on a budget of £8k in the flat below my house in Brighton.”
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 26/11/03
First Cut
First Cut is a scheme funded by Carlton Television aimed at finding and nurturing new filmmakers and giving them a showcase for their talent.
All the films in 2003 have been factual-based rather than drama with directors and producers being given the chance to tell contemporary regional stories. The scheme was open in theme, but filmmakers aimed to reflect the diverse nature of the region.
Films and Filmmakers:
A Strange Jig
Directed by Carmen Montanez-Callan
'My mum's a Morris dancing vicar. Her Morris dancing friends are a diverse bunch including an opera singer, a long distance lorry driver and an engineer, all united by this odd English tradition. By day they hold down responsible jobs, by night they dress in eccentric disguise and dance a strange jig'
Letters Home
Directed by Jo Elliott
Imagine what it must feel like to be forced to leave everything you know and love in order to stay alive. This was the situation for Jean Baptiste, a journalist in Rwanda. Letters Home is a poignant and very personal portrayal of his experiences since arriving in England as a refugee, through his letters home to his family.
Banger!
Directed by Hank and Daisy Starrs
Daisy needs a new car. She donates her old one to the banger racing neighbours and in return, they offer her the first race. She is terrified but decides to do it - we go along for the ride.
The Rubbish Film
Directed by Mayyasa Al-Malazi
A cheeky peek at the backside of consumer society, where a stoical workforce interacts with the skip-diving punters of Redbridge Dump. Driven by an original soundtrack played on redeployed rubbish, we investigate the hidden treasures and dubious pleasures lurking in Oxford's household waste.
For further info contact: Isabel Clarke
email:Isabel.Clarke@carltontv.co.uk
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 01/12/03
GRANDMA LAUNCHES OBSESSIVE FILMS
By providing funding and support, Screen South helped lay the foundations for Obsessive Films to produce Grandma, a highly original and entertaining short with feature film production values.
Sophie Thompson (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gosford Park) and Nicholas Farrell (Chariots of Fire, Pearl Harbour) star in this surreal dark comedy about a boy who objects when his parents seem happy to have his dead grandmother (Gabrielle Hamilton) haunt the family home.
When Pip's Grandma dies, his Mum sinks into a depression that even his Dad fears will never end. Then one morning, Grandma returns; not transparent, not rotting, just back. Normality swiftly returns to the family, but it's up to Pip to remind his parents that Grandma is dead and buried.
Funded by Screen South in association with the UK Film Council, Grandma is writer-director Paul Tomalin’s and Producer Nick Tanner’s debut short film. With the help of an exceptional cast and Emmy award-winning Director of Photography Stefan Lange, they have crafted a short that combines humour, horror and suspense in an intriguingly British take on the classic ghost story.
“Screen South encouraged us to think bigger and develop our creative aspirations” say Producer Nick Tanner and writer Paul Tomalin “The experience of producing Grandma alone has helped quantify our individual strengths and vision for Obsessive Films. Grandma is already generating great interest for screenings at international festivals and providing us with a platform to promote our careers within the international film industry.”
A special thanks to Pippa Brill executive producer, and Jo Nolan, Screen South's Head of Regional Development and Skills for their time and support.
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 17/12/03
THREE YEARS ON
‘A consultation on our funding and policy priorities’
Monday 12 January, 2004
Screen South Offices, Folkestone
In 2000, when the UK Film Council was set up, a Lottery Strategic Plan was created in 2 stages:
Stage one; the first three years, completing the complex task of totally reorganising the key existing publicly funded film initiatives in the UK to run alongside the already established Lottery funded film production franchises.
Stage two; the priority was to develop and consolidate the UK as the centre of global film activity in Europe.
The UK Film Council Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and senior executives are now in a position to present their priorities in a complete brochure entitled ‘Three Years On’ and are seeking feedback and comments on the next three years work and their funding priorities.
Screen South would like to encourage you to respond to the paper. You may download the report from www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/filmindustry/threeyearson/ and respond directly to the UK Film Council
Alternatively you may attend a consultation workshop where we will be discussing these priorities and how they affect you as regional filmmakers and companies. Screen South will collate, with your assistance and input, a feedback report to send to the UK Film Council
The workshop Session is held at the Screen South office on Monday 12th January 2004.
If you would like to attend the session or require a hard copy of “Three Years On” please
contact Joanna Rayner on
joanna.rayner@screensouth.org or
tel: 01303 298222
back to top of page
News Release 10/12/03
Good Foundations
Producer Training Scheme
Approaching the film finance marketplace
Screen South is pleased to announce the launch of a new foundation-training programme for emerging producers. The scheme will be delivered in association with experienced film executives, Carl Clifton and Tom Strudwick supported by key representatives from the international film industry.
It is hoped that successful participants will have a pathway to establishing a viable and sustainable career in the film industry as well as develop their current project and new partnerships, which will assist with future projects.
The scheme is intended to be a vital reality check and awareness programme for media professionals in the Screen South region who are looking to get their first feature film off the ground.
The cost of the programme is £3,500 per participant for the year. The majority of the cost will be met by Screen South RIFE Lottery programme; however, each participant will be asked to pay £500 towards costs. In exceptional circumstances full bursaries may be available.
The deadline for submissions is January 7th 2004.
The selection will be three rounds:
1st selection
Based on written application
2nd selection
Based on verbal presentation on 23rd January 2004
Final selection
Based on full script/treatment which will be requested for round two
The start date for the programme is 18th & 19th February 2004
APPLICATION PROCESS
This is an open access programme and Screen South welcomes applications from all those who live or work in the Screen South region regardless of ethnicity background or ability
To apply for a place on the scheme you must you must submit the following
• Completed Good Foundations application form
• A letter of motivation outlining the reasons why you want to take part in the scheme
• A 3 page outline of your project telling the story in detail from beginning to end
• 5 page script sample
• Key personnel Biogs/CVs
• Supporting visual material
• Database & diversity form
Selection will be based on normal Screen South priorities and guidelines including
• The quality of the project’s ideas and script as well as its market potential.
• The ability of the applicant to deliver and manage the proposed project
• The ability of the participants to deliver a coherent written and verbal presentation.
• Financial viability
• Value for money
Full guidelines are available upon request from Screen South info@screensouth.org
Downloads
Application Form download pdf Word
Diversity Statement download pdf Word
Data Protection Form download pdf Word
 |
 |
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
An intensive and practical foundation course designed to equip inexperienced producers with the key skills and knowledge to survive the world of film production from development through financing to exploitation.
Who it’s for
Participants will have at least one feature film project in development. They will have either produced one or more short films or gained experience in another sector of film production. Writers or writer/directors may also apply as long as they are acting as producers in their current stage of development.
How it works
Successful applicants will be invited to take part in a six-month or one-year programme of development, marketing and financing workshops working towards attending one or more film markets.
One Year Development Programme for Producers
Most participants will be expected to go through two cycles of the programme - over a one-year period and should be working towards attending at least one market. Cannes and AFM (though other markets such as Berlin and CineMart will also be considered). Those whose projects are at an advanced stage of development will be eligible for a “Fast Track” programme, going through one six month cycle with a view to being ready to attend at least market in May. This Fast Track programme will also accommodate writers without producers. As Fast Track participants may graduate after six months, there may be a second intake selected later in the year.
Both Fast Track and One Year participants will attend the same workshops. All workshops will be tailored to participants specific abilities and needs and split into two groups where appropriate. The training cycle will consist of:
Development Workshop Participants will be given a detailed script assessment including preliminary story notes. A one-day workshop will cover the script assessment process and story editing skills in detail. This will be followed by a day of one-to-one sessions with the executives giving participants detailed feedback and advice on their specific project. Participants may be required to deliver a new draft of their screenplay or treatment before the next workshop.
Marketing Workshop Participants will be given a detailed market assessment including an outline-marketing plan. A one-day workshop will cover preparation of a comprehensive marketing pack including written materials and visuals. This will be followed by a day of one-to-one sessions with the executives giving each participant detailed feedback and advice on the marketing of their project, as well as a brief examination of financing options. Participants will be required to deliver a draft marketing pack before the next workshop.
Meet The Industry Day Based on Screen South’s successful 2003 session, participants who are ‘Ready to go’ will have the opportunity to meet with industry executives.
Market Preparation Workshop A one-day workshop will cover financing: drawing up a finance plan, who to meet – and preparation: mail shots and cold calling; scheduling and handling meetings; and pitching. Followed by a day of one-to-ones reviewing the participants’ marketing packs, fine tuning their pitches and drawing up a realistic finance plan.
Market Attendance (Cannes and AFM) Participants who have satisfactorily completed the workshops will be recommended for a bursary to assist with attendance to the markets. Support and guidance will be available during the markets
Post Market Debrief A half-day group discussion exploring the participants’ experiences of the market, identifying lessons to be learnt and opportunities which have arisen. Followed by a half day of one-to-ones helping the participants plan a strategy for their immediate future, whether they are staying in the programme for another cycle or graduating at this point.
Downloads
Application Form download pdf Word
Diversity Statement download pdf Word
Data Protection Form download pdf Word
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 18/12/03
PRODUCERS PICK UP TIPS FOR GOOD FOUNDATIONS
Over sixty local producers, writers and directors packed into the Brighton Hotel for Screen South’s Good Foundations workshop on Thursday 27th November. The aim of the workshop was to offer a free introduction to the world of film producing from both a financial and creative perspective.
A mix of both emerging and more established producers and creatives were led through issues covering development, marketing, financing and co-production with France. The workshop was by two experienced industry professionals, Carl Clifton (Polygram/Universal/FilmFour) and Tom Strudwick (Polygram/Ciby/United Artists).
Feedback from the day has been extremely positive. Comments included:
“Have paid £600 for courses like this, I really appreciate the organisation and effort”
“Very useful. Fantastic we didn’t have to pay and a great introduction to the film industry.”
“A great opportunity to meet other writers in a similar situation.”
THE GOOD NEWS CONTINUES!
Following on from the introductory workshop, Screen South is delighted to announce the launch of the Good Foundations Producer Training Scheme. The scheme will be delivered in association with Carl Clifton and Tom Strudwick and supported by key representatives from the international film industry. It is hoped that successful participants will establish pathways to viable and sustainable careers in the film industry as well as to develop current projects and new partnerships.
The deadline for applications to the Good Foundations Producer Training Scheme is Wednesday 7 January 2004.
Click here for more information and to download application forms
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 15/01/04
SOUTH EAST CONTRIBUTES TO RECORD UK FILM PRODUCTION SPENDING OF £1.1 BILLION IN 2003
New figures show Screen South region plays major role in
UK Film Industry
Films shot and made in the South East of England such as Alexander (starring Colin Farrell), Troy (starring Brad Pitt) and Ladies in Lavender (starring Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith) helped to make 2003 an all-time record year for spending on film production in the UK, new figures from the UK Film Council reveal.
According to the analysis, which covers films with a budget of £500,000 and above, production spending in 2003 totalled £1.17 billion with UK involvement in the production of 177 features.
Screen South, funded by the UK FILM COUNCIL’s Regional Investment Fund, works to develop a dynamic film and media environment in the South East region (Kent, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, East and West Sussex and the Isle of Wight). Through Screen South’s Film Commission Office based at Pinewood Studios, we promote the regions’ locations, facilities and skills to attract film productions.
Last year, Troy, Alexander and King Arthur were just some of the movies made at Pinewood and Shepperton – the largest studios in the UK. King Arthur (starring Keira Knightley) made use of Pinewood’s massive paddock tank, covering it in snow for a battle scene, which saw hundreds of extras charging across a frozen wasteland.
Other top-spending films shot in the region:
• Brighton-based production company Spice Factory filmed at the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex for Head in the Clouds
• Southampton played host to a big build for Sahara
• Being Julia and Viper in the Fist was shot in and around Buckinghamshire
• Lazarus Child shot a big stunt in Theale, Berkshire, plus scenes on the beach at Romney, Kent and the Mermaid Inn and Romney Beach Hotel, New Romney.
“This is great news for the UK film industry and great news for the South East” said Gina Fegan, Chief Executive of Screen South “Our aim is to stimulate a strong film industry, which will be an economic engine, providing jobs and opportunity for people who live here. The Screen South region is the second highest work base for the film industry (with London the highest). Film production spending not only benefits the many talented people employed directly by the industry, but also has knock on benefits for other service providers such as hotels, retailers etc. We will continue to work hard to bring big budget movies to the region as well as nurture the filmmakers of the future.”
Commenting on the figures British Film Commissioner Steve Norris, Head of the UK Film Council’s International Department which compiled the figures, said:
“These figures show that the wealth of talent in the UK film industry, together with our outstanding studios and facilities and our fiscal incentives, reaped record creative and economic rewards in 2003 …The UK continues to be recognised by international filmmakers as one of the best places in the world to make a film.”
Please find attached a UK FILM COUNCIL press release giving further information.
Press contact for further information or interviews:
Sarah Heyworth, PR Screen South
Tel: 01273 608021
email: sarah@heyworth-pr.com
Notes to editors:
The new UK Film Council study covers indigenous UK film production, inward investment productions (films originating overseas but filmed mainly in the UK), and UK co-productions filmed both in the UK and abroad using UK crew and expertise for the calendar year 2003.
The analysis which is based on financial information supplied by the industry included the following findings:
• the UK was involved in the production of a total of 177 films, including 45 UK feature films, 30 inward investment films produced in the UK, and 102 co-productions;
• total film production spending more than doubled to £1.17 billion from £550.45 million in 2002, (an increase of £619.65 million or 113%);
• the number of indigenous productions increased by 21% to 45, from 2002’s total of 37. Last year’s UK productions included Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason; Bollywood-inspired musical Bride and Prejudice; Football Factory; the E Nesbitt classic Five Children and It; and period romp Ladies in Lavender with Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith, (the latter two both received National Lottery funding from the UK Film Council)
Screen South, Shearway Business Park, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 4RH.
Tel: 01303 298 222
Fax: 01303 298 227
info@screensouth.org
www.screensouth.org
back to top of page
News Release 17/12/03
FIRST CUT DOCUMENTARY – CALL FOR ENTRIES
SCREEN SOUTH and CARTLON TELEVISION are seeking innovative filmmakers for factual TV slot
Screen South is delighted to announce details of First Cut 2004, an initiative for filmmakers looking to explore bold new approaches to factual based programming. After our success last year, First Cut is running again and we are looking for the next generation of passionate programme makers with original, regional stories to tell.
The films will be snapshots, points of view and opinions that will engage the audience, taking them into a rarely seen world. They should make the ordinary seem extraordinary. You will challenge the form of factual programming, even blurring the boundaries between documentary, drama and possibly animation and comedy.
The scheme will offer a chance to tell contemporary regional stories. We are particularly interested in visual storytelling - this is not a slot for talking head TV. The scheme is open in theme but should aim to reflect the diverse nature of the region. Finished films will be either 5 or 10 minutes in length and will be shown on Carlton in the Central region within a year of completion.
Application details are available here
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 17/12/03
BRIGHTON FILMMAKER WINS
EMPIRE FILM AWARD
Screen South sends congratulations to Brighton-based filmmaker Mark Jay and his team for winning the Empire Film Awards 2003 Best Short Video.
YOU’RE GONNA WAKE UP ONE MORNING, directed by Mark Jay is a romantic short comedy adventure set in Brighton following two teenagers on a blind date - a Punk girl and a Townie boy who go to score some drugs, get given the wrong stuff and overhear a murder and robbery being planned by two hitmen...
For more on the awards see: www.empirefilm.com
YOU’RE GONNA WAKE UP ONE MORNING has also played at the Rhode Island Film Festival (an Academy Award qualifier), The Downstream Film Festival, GA, the Portobello Film Festival, Brighton's Final Cut and Film Festival and the Curzon Soho. It has been selected for distribution by the British Council and is currently being submitted to many more festivals during the next year.
Mark is now working on development for his Screen South-supported feature DOLPHINS, described by The Latest magazine as "a twisted romantic thriller set in the underworld of Brighton's boy racer gangs".
back to top of page
News release 20/10/03
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan heads for Amsterdam
A feature made with support from Screen South has been picked from over 1,600 entries for the main competition at the International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (20-30 November 2003).
 |
Phil Grabsky’s feature-documentary The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan is one of twenty feature length documentaries in the Joris Ivens Competition. The winner will receive a cash prize of € 12,500 presented by an international jury. IDFA has become one of the world’s leading documentary film festivals with more than 200 documentaries and an audience of over 90,000
Phil Grabsky, of Brighton-based Seventh Arts Productions, filmed and produced the The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan.
The film follows a year in the life of Mir, an eight year old boy who lives in the caves beside the destroyed Buddhas of Bamiyan, in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
The film is supported by Five, Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, and blue post production as well as Screen South. It was also selected for screening at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival (13-19 October 2003)
For more information please contact Jack White, Seventh Art Productions,
t: 01273 777678
e. jwhite@seventh-art.com
Or visit: www.theboywhoplaysonthebuddhasofbamiyan.com
back to top of page
Screen South DVD Giveaway
In February 2003 Screen South launched a DVD as a record of our first year of activities. The DVD generated considerable media interest and introduced our work to many more people.
We have some DVDs left to give away FREE. "A Year in Pictures" features six smart, funny and inspiring short films produced in our region and, through interviews with producers, directors and other industry representatives demonstrates our work in discovering and nurturing talent and the development of sustainable businesses and cultural partnerships.
For more information see and for a free copy contact: joanna.rayner@screensouth.org
back to top of page
News Release 10/10/03
CINE CITY
21 November – 3 December 2003
CINE CITY is a new annual film festival for Brighton & Hove organised by the University of Brighton, the South East Film and Video Archive and City Screen. The festival involves every major cinema screen in Brighton including the Odeon, UGC, Cinematheque, the Gardner Arts Centre and the Duke of York’s Picturehouse.
CINE CITY is funded by Screen South, Arts Council England, South East, Brighton & Hove City Council, City Screen and the University of Brighton with support from Lighthouse, Junk TV and many other key industry partners.
The programme will include:
• A range of films in a special ‘City Eye’ programme which will feature a different international city every year. This year’s programme focuses on Tokyo and features classic work from acknowledged Japanese masters including Ozu and Kurosawa. City Eye is supported by The Japan Foundation and sponsored by Moshi Moshi.
• A showcase of new film and video work from Brighton short films screening before features.
• New and classic international features including previews of films not scheduled for national release until Spring 2004
• Live music and film events including ‘Berlin – Symphony of a City’ with leading piano accompanist, Neil Brand and ‘Cities of the Future' with filmmaker Patrick Keiller
• A digital programme called ‘Digital Cities’ including a special programme of work from the onedotzero festival and networking events with Wired Sussex and Fabrica. Digital Cities is sponsored by Baker Tilly in association with Wired Sussex.
• Education events including free screenings for schools at the Duke of York’s, a presentation on the Hove Pioneers at Hove Museum, filmmakers events at the Duke of York’s and Q&A's with film-makers.
• An artist in Residence supported by Arts Council England, South East: Paul Farrington will work with new sound and image technologies to produce a range of work for the festival including a live interactive digital performance at Moshi Moshi in Bartholomew Square.
For more information about CINE CITY please contact
Jane King or Tim Brown on 01273 643213
Email: sefva@brighton.ac.uk
www.cine-city.co.uk
back to top of page
News release 06/11/03
Networking event and panel discussion for digital film makers – Thursday 27th November, Brighton
Wired Sussex will be hosting a special digital film evening at Fabrica in Brighton. This FREE event, is part of the ‘CINE CITY – Digital Cities’ festival programme, supported by Wired Sussex and sponsored by Baker Tilly.
 |
 |
The event starts at 6.30pm and will include digital film presentations and discussion by panel of industry experts, including representatives from 4 Minute Wonders, Lighthouse, onedotzero, and Screen South. The panel will talk about their personal experience and the support and opportunities they can offer digital film makers including how to find financial backing, training and distribution outlets.
A Q&A session will give attendees the opportunity to raise issues and ask questions. This will be followed by networking during which attendees will be able to talk to key industry players and other digital film makers.
CINE CITY is Brighton's new annual film festival running from November 21st to December 3rd this year.
Wired Sussex is the business development agency for new media businesses in Sussex. The agency offers a range of crucial business development services for the new media industry and has helped build one of the region's most successful sectors.
For more information on Wired Sussex and to register to attend the digital film evening and please visit: www.wiredsussex.com
back to top of page
News release 23/10/03
“HE SHOOTS HE SCORES”
COMMUNITY FILMMAKING PROJECT
On Monday 27 October, Southern Film Education will begin an exciting, community-based digital project called He Shoots | He Scores, in collaboration with Thornhill New Deal for Communities. It will enable 6 male teenagers from Thornhill’s The Centre youth club to make 6 short, digital films around their thoughts and experiences of relationships and teenage pregnancy.
The project will be made in a video diary style, whereby each filmmaker will make their short film and then pass the camera onto the next young person. The films will be interlinked by short docu-drama pieces. Each film will also be contextualised by facts about teenage pregnancy, through a voice-over.
The teenagers will work alongside several of the region’s media industry practitioners to enable them to gain a real insight into the creative processes and practical skills involved and the project will provide a vehicle through which the young men can explore issues affecting their lives.
Nicola Smith, former Production Coordinator of the highly successful BBC Video Diaries and Video Nations series, will lead pre-production training. Gary Cassey and Nick Coulson of Cass Productions, a local production company who are extremely experienced in working on educational filmmaking projects, will then facilitate the production and post-production training.
"We are very excited about this project and hope that this pilot will be the first of many collaborative projects with Thornhill New Deal for Communities.” (Jo Wilcock, Director of Southern Film Education)
For further information on He Shoots | He Scores please contact Sally Steel on 02380 627816.
For further information on Southern Film Education log onto www.southernfilmed.co.uk
back to top of page
News release 20/10/03
Summer Screen gets set for 2004
Summer Screen, a new film festival initiated this year by Screen South for children, young people and families looks set to take place again in 2004.
”We are delighted with the response we had” said Festival Director Nicki Setterfield, “the workshops in particular proved incredibly popular. Plans for 2004 are already underway and with the help and support from the community, local businesses and councils, we can make next year’s Summer Screen festival an even bigger event!"
The festival, which took place during August at cinemas and venues across east and south Kent, closed with a special screening featuring 11 films made by children during the festival.
The films included: Thanet Goes Pop - two pop videos made by Pie Factory Music and Kent Hothouse with the support of The Children’s Fund. Directed by Jes Benstock, whose credits include Orbital videos, the youngsters met and developed their own ideas, culminating in two very different pop videos.
 Annie Hamalououi, of Creative Partnerships based in Margate, is Special Projects Co-ordinator for the Ramsgate School. She said, “It’s an opportunity that comes along once in a lifetime. The shoot introduced them to the whole world of film, and the skills they have learned can be taken into the classroom. It boosts their self-esteem, develops their confidence, and gives them the ability to manage themselves and get on with others.
This has been all about that – it’s fantastic.”
Also screened were three skateboarding videos. Filmmakers Raoul Morris and Graeme Kennedy facilitated workshops with skateboard enthusiasts to make three action-packed short films that demonstrated their skills, with the emphasis on the movements and sounds associated with the extreme sport
 Six action adventure mini films completed the programme, these were produced by a film crew that consisted of two professionals plus two film students from South Kent College, Folkestone. A Hollywood stuntman whose credits include James Bond, led the workshops where young people learned the tricks of the trade before staging their own daring rescue of a captured heroine; a mini James Bond-style adventure, and a recreation of West Side Story.
As well as screening popular children’s classics, Summer Screen gave over 60 children the rare treat of seeing first-hand where all the James Bond films, Carry On Films, Tomb Raider, Thunderbirds (to name but a few) were made, with a trip to the UK’s leading film production studio at Pinewood.
Summer Screen is delighted that Terry Jones has accepted their invitation to be Festival Patron. Mr Jones joins Anna Home, former Head of Children’s BBC and Chief Executive of the UK’s Children’s Film and Television Foundation.
For more information on Summer Screen please contact: info@summerscreen.co.uk
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 10/10/03
Shot by the Sea 2003 – Digital Film Festival
27 October – 2 November 2003
Over 30 digital short films, 8 feature films, and film installations in the most surprising venues – the Shot by the Sea, Digital Film Festival is back in Hastings for its fourth year, with a unique line-up celebrating all areas of innovative digital filmmaking.
Screen South is supporting this weeklong event pioneering national and international digital film work, with feature films, a digital short film competition, multimedia installations, online internet gameing (sponsored by GAME), filmmaking workshops. The festival week culminates in ‘Altared States’ a VJing party night at St Mary-in-the-Castle with a live V-J artist, ‘Wireless’ an experimental band, performance artist Edyta Was and guest DJs.
Film screenings include features such as 28 Days Later, Russian Ark and London Orbital, introduced by director Chris Petit & author Ian Sinclair. Over 30 digitally produced short films, selected from entries from ‘Digital Shorts’ can be watched daily on a digital duke box, there are professional filmmaking workshops, a late night Halloween horror screening and an opportunity to see a film created at Camber Sands featuring many local participants.
For full programme visit: www.shotbythesea.com
Festival sponsors: Screen South, Arts Council England South East, Awards for All, Hastings Borough Council, Coastal Currents, East Sussex County Council, Electric Palace, Game, Brooker & How
back to top of page
The ‘Moulsecoomb Media Massive’ Premiere
Lighthouse Media Centre has been working with a youth film group based at the Bridge Community Centre in Moulsecoomb after winning a First Light Studio award. Three short films under the title ‘Moulsecoomb Media Massive’ have been made and will be premiered at the Odeon Cinema, Brighton on the 22nd November 2003 as part of the new Brighton film festival ‘Cine City’.
The young people thought up the initial ideas and then worked with a professional scriptwriter to work up the ideas to full film scripts. The youngsters then took on all the roles involved in filmmaking.
Films include:
Run-around
A comedy farce where a younger sister, Sophie, gets revenge on her older brothers' bad babysitting by playing embarrassing tricks on him around Brighton.
Featuring Alicia Eyo from ‘Bad Girls’ and Richard Horely from ‘The Bill’ and ‘Family Affairs’
Second Chance
A tense drama, which portrays a young man's moral and physical struggles with an elderly shopkeeper who he attempts to rob. It transpires through an animated flashback sequence that the shopkeeper isn't as much of a stranger as the young man had initially thought...
Featuring John Forgham from 'Footballers Wives' and 'Kiss Of the Dragon' Directed by Luc Besson.
Contakt
A young boy's sci-fi fantasy becomes reality when his preoccupied, vain family are replaced...
Featuring Joe McGann from ‘Day and Night’
Supported by the Lottery through the UK Film Council's First Light Initiative
For more information and images please
contact: Liz Squire on 01273 384222 or
email liz@lighthouse.org.uk
back to top of page
NEWS RELEASE 28/10/03
CINE CITY, THE NEW FILM FESTIVAL FOR BRIGHTON & HOVE, ANNOUNCES PROGRAMME
The programme for CINE CITY– The Brighton Film Festival (November 21 – December 3) explores celluloid cities around the world and features a global mix of new releases and premieres, treasures from the archive and classic reissues, the latest digital cinema work, live cinema presentations, film-maker events, free schools screenings and much much more.
CINE CITY is a new annual film festival for Brighton & Hove organised by the South East Film and Video Archive at the University of Brighton and the Duke of York's. The festival involves cinema screens in Brighton including the Odeon, Cinematheque, the Gardner Arts Centre and the Duke of York’s Picturehouse.
CINE CITY, which is supported by Screen South, will open on Friday, November 21st with two new films:
 PULSE – the award winning film about STOMP previously only available as an Imax film and
DOGVILLE – Lars Von Trier’s powerful new film starring Nicole Kidman.
Full programme details can be found from the start of November at the website www.cine-city.co.uk.
Highlights include:
• Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris, Venice and Warsaw are just some of the cities that feature in the NEW FEATURES strand screening at the Duke of York's.
• BRIGHTON: CINE CITY dedicated to the huge range of film and video produced in Brighton and Hove. Includes: Ashes and Sand, a new feature film shot on the streets of Brighton starring Nick Moran and Lara Belmont; Digital Shorts the very latest digital short films from the region's film-makers made with Lighthouse and the UK Film Council. First Light - the Moulsecoomb Media Massive the premiere of three short films made by a youth film group based at the Bridge Community Centre in Moulsecoomb.
• Live music and film events including Berlin – Symphony of a City made in I927 and screened with leading piano accompanist, Neil Brand
• CITY EYE: TOKYO the Duke of York's and Cinematheque explore one of the world's most cinematic cities. Programme includes films brought in from Japan and rarely seen in UK
• DIGITAL CITIES features the very latest digital moving images and includes two packages from the onedotzero festival. Finisterre: A Film About London features the music of St. Etienne. Members of the group and the film-makers will attend the screening
For more information about CINE CITY please contact:
Jane King or Tim Brown
Tel 01273 643213
sefva@brighton.ac.uk
The festival website www.cine-city.co.uk will be launched at the beginning of November
back to top of page
News release 05/11/03
GOOD FOUNDATIONS
Producers-Get your film off the ground
SCREEN SOUTH will be launching a new regional producer’s initiative in Brighton on Thursday 27th November with a day seminar outlining the challenges and opportunities open to aspiring producers and those other creatives who are driving feature film projects forward.
The intensive one-day workshop for emerging producers will cover development, marketing, financing and European co- production addressing the key issues that face new producers setting up films in today’s difficult climate. Confusing and conflicting messages from the marketplace will be clarified and useable tools provided to help you re-develop your projects, sharpen your presentation and plan your financing.
Highly experienced industry professionals Carl Clifton (Polygram/Universal/FilmFour) and Tom Strudwick (Polygram/Ciby/United Artists) have both faced the highs and lows of independent production and will share their experiences and insights.
• Whether you’ve been brushed off with a curt “not for us” or promised a great deal which never materialised, encounters with financiers can be frustrating and confusing. Where to start and how to negotiate the tricky path between equity investments, licence fees, tax write-offs and other funding mechanisms
• Marketing starts with the producer. Financiers won’t back your project unless they believe it can reach an audience. Understanding the marketing process in order to create effective tools to sell your project.
• Why do buyers turn your projects down? Could it be your script is the problem? How do you know when your script is good enough? Developing material which makes them say yes.
• How do you sell your project in the best way possible? Preparing a marketing package and knowing how to use it. Approaching meetings, film festivals and markets.
• Working with European partners and developing relationships, in particular opportunities to work French counterparts
Participants will have at least one feature film project in development. They will have either produced one or more short films or gained significant experience in another sector of film or television production.
Writers or writer/directors who need to find appropriate producing partners may also benefit from the workshop.
For further info contact Jo Nolan on 01303 298 222 or jo.nolan@screensouth.org
To Apply for a place please
contact: joanna.rayner@screensouth.org or
phone 01303 298 226
back to top of page
News Release 07/10/03
KENT & SUSSEX TO BENEFIT FROM NEW ANGLO-FRENCH FILMMAKING DEAL LAUNCHING HALF MILLION POUND CROSS CHANNEL PARTNERSHIP
 |
|
Producers from the region visited CRAVV with Screen South to pitch projects to contacts in France.
Pictured are: Project Assistant Mick Etherton (Beeping Bush) plus Oliver Hodge (Earthlinks), Suzanne Porter (Suzanne Porter), Mark Francis (Speakit Company) and Jason Porthouse (Synchronicity Productions)
|
British and French filmmakers are to join forces in the first ever region-to-region co-production fund with a new half million pound deal to encourage a closer working relationship between the two countries.
Screen South, based in Folkestone and its sister organisation CRRAV
(Centre Regional des Resources Audio Visuals) in Lille announced the deal on Saturday at the Dinard British Film Festival in Brittany where the UK and French industries are meeting to discuss future co-production possibilities.
The Screen South initiative is aimed at encouraging filmmakers in East Sussex and Kent to work with French partners based in northern France. The £500,000 three year programme will:
• support a long-term development programme for producers and production companies from all areas of the community
• support the development of emerging talent
• promote greater cultural exchanges.
• encompass film and television production activity, subtitling and joint marketing and distribution initiatives.
• Encourage film showcases and festival activities for all ages
“ Screen South hope that this initiative will encourage cross-Channel creative and business relationships between our filmmaking communities” announced Jo Nolan, Screen South’s Head of Regional Development and Skills “We are providing an opportunity for filmmakers from first-timers to more established production companies to make valuable professional contacts through cultural exchange in a relaxed but focused way."
The project is an Interreg partnership between Screen South and CRRAV. Screen South is the regional screen agency for the South East of England, supported by the UK Film Council. CRRAV is the regional screen agency for Northern France, supported by the CNC, and is well placed to develop new partnerships with other European countries.
Contact: Jo Nolan at Screen South on
Tel: 00 44 1303 298222
Mob: 00 44 7967 657 488
email: jo.nolan@screensouth.org
www.screensouth.org
back to top of page
News Release 7/10/03
Breaking the Illusions Media Festival
Breaking the Illusions, High Wycombe's first black media festival, will be launched on Thursday 9th October with a gala screening of the film EMOTIONAL BACKGAMMON at UCI The Filmworks. Visitors to this screening will also get the opportunity to quiz the director of this film, Leon Herbert, at a question and answer session at the Junction Bar at the Holiday Inn in High Wycombe.
Breaking the Illusions Media Festival, which is open to the public, has been funded by Wycombe District Council, Screen South, and the UK Film Council, will see High Wycombe playing host to a plethora of black stars from film and television.
From Thursday 9th October until Thursday 30th October UCI The Filmworks will show an array of screenings from America, Africa, the Caribbean and England. Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College will conduct a range of seminars on representation, advertising and black television history as well as animation workshops and an exhibition on black cinema history and achievement.
Highlights of this event include:
An evening In conversation with Ellen Thomas, star of Channel Four's TEACHERS. A question and answer session with Floella Benjamin after the screening of her film COMING TO ENGLAND. Discussions with Patrick Augustus the author of the BABY FATHER series of books, at the representation seminar.
Please contact:
Pamela Roberts,
Festival Founder and Director on 01494 535 684 or
email: pamilaroberts@yahoo.co.uk for more information.
back to top of page
News Release 17/09/03
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING - UK FILM COUNCIL COURSE AT OFVM
OFVM will be one of the first organizations in the country to run the new UK FILM COUNCIL - "Introduction to Screenwriting" Course.
Starting at the beginning of October, the course consists of 22 modules run over two terms on Monday evenings.
The course is being hailed as a serious attempt to boost and expand the British Film industry, which is famous for its excellent technical abilities and now needs more top level screenwriters. The course is aimed at any budding writers and filmmakers who want to write for the screen.
This comprehensive course looks at all aspects of writing a short film including; developing ideas, stories and plots; research; premises; characterization; genres; adaptations; Outlines and Treatments; dialogue; The re-write; writing for television and selling your screenplay.
The course includes masses of course materials and notes and complete scripts for you to read and keep. This is all included in the price of £200. Students will also produce during the course two assessed pieces of work; an Outline and a Short Script.
OFVM scriptwriting tutor Jon Spira has been especially trained by the Film Council to deliver and teach this new course.
For more information
see:www.ofvm.org
tel: 01865 792731
back to top of page
 SIR ALAN PARKER
at the
FOLKESTONE LITERARY
FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER
Screen South is delighted that Sir Alan Parker, filmmaker and Chairman of the UK FILM COUNCIL will visit our region on Saturday 27 September during this year’s Folkestone Literary Festival.
Alan Parker will join film critic Derek Malcolm in conversation and Screen South Chairman Graham Benson who is introducing the event.
The Folkestone Literary Festival is offering Screen South contacts 2 tickets for the price of 1 (£10) to see Alan Parker. Please call the Box Office on 0800 056 5086 quoting Ref: AP1
On the same day at the Folkestone Literary Festival, you can also discover new screen writing talent at a reading of the five short-listed treatments from Screen South’s Dreamcatcher initiative.
And to close the day, fans of Vic Reeves’ surreal brand of humour have the rare chance to see the man live in what promises to be a bizarre and quite unique occasion when he comes head to head with Michael Hogben, aka The Diamond Geezer and a Truly Fantastic Character…
For more info visit www.folkestonelitfest.co.uk
Alan Parker: in conversation with Derek Malcolm
6pm on Saturday 27 September - Price: £10
From the moment he stepped out from behind an advertising agency desk, director Sir Alan Parker has been making his mark in films. He has never been bound by a genre, moving with ease between musicals such as Bugsy Malone and The Commitments to hard-hitting political dramas – Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning. He has long been an outspoken critic of the lack of funding for the UK film industry. In 1985 he received the Michael Balcon Award from BAFTA for his outstanding contribution to British cinema. He is currently working on a novel.
Venue: The Saga Pavilion, Enbrook Park, Sandgate, Folkestone
Screenwriters SouthEast: Dreamcatcher – Live Reading
2pm on Saturday 27 September - Price: £2
Screen South’s groundbreaking regional initiative to discover new screenwriting talent in collaboration with the UK Film Council was launched at the Folkestone Literary Festival in 2002. The venture now concludes with the reading of the five short-listed treatments and a discussion of the intricacies of the discipline.
Venue: The Metropole Galleries, The Leas, Folkestone
Tickets for all events can be purchased
on (freefone) 0800 056 5086.
Open Mon – Fri 8am – 7pm Sat – Sun 9am – 5pm.
Website: www.folkestonelitfest.co.uk
back to top of page
News Release 16/07/03
GRAMMY’S NOMINEE HELPS YOUNG BRIGHTON FILMMAKERS ATTRACT LOTTERY FUNDING
Young filmmakers from Brighton have been selected from thousands of entrants to benefit from over £15,000 of lottery money to make and star in digital films.
The money from First Light, the UK Film Council’s lottery-funded programme, has been awarded to Lighthouse Arts and Training in Brighton. The group will work with thirteen young people between the ages of 11 and 15 from the Bridge Community Centre Drama Group, Mouslecoomb Estate, Brighton to produce three films – an animated drama, a comedy and a science-fiction film.
The First Light scheme gives the next generation of filmmakers the chance to get their first foot on the ladder by learning valuable skills such as scripting, acting, shooting, producing and editing.
John Woodward, the UK Film Council’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“First Light represents the biggest push in the UK today to give young people the chance to learn new skills and develop their creativity through filmmaking. This funding will enable young filmmakers from Brighton to project their ideas and imagination on to the big screen and I look forward to seeing the results.”
For more information contact:
Keith Gabriel
First Light
Tel: 0121 693 2094
Mobile: 07958 985 395
press@firstlightmovies.com
|
