Search is on for Doc/Fest 2008

Sheffield International Documentary Festival, the UK's premier event for
international documentary professionals, has today started its search
for films to showcase at this year's festival.

Sheffield Doc/Fest is considering documentaries of any style or subject
from established or debut filmmakers, television or film school
productions for this year's official programme.

Last year Doc/Fest showcased 100 of the finest examples of documentary
film from across the globe, attracting over 1,200 industry delegates
from as far away as Japan and Australia.

The Festival, now in its fifteenth year, will run from 5-9 November
2008. To coincide with the result of the US Presidential Elections,
Doc/Fest will present a number of films and panels around the theme of
Regime Change. Other film strands this year will include Green Docs,
Anti Docs, Bent Docs and Music Docs.

For more information and to submit entries visit www.sheffdocfest.com

GUIDING LIGHTS

Are you an up-and-coming filmmaker with at least two years’ experience in your field?

Have you got the talent and passion to succeed but need high-level contacts to get ahead in the industry?

Would you benefit from the support of an established film industry pro?

If so, could Guiding Lights be for you.


Following the success of the first Guiding Lights mentoring programme, we are again looking for 25 emerging film professionals to match with top industry talent.

Successful applicants will benefit from 12 months of one-to-one mentor support from the best in the business. Filmmakers and industry professionals who have agreed to act as Guiding Lights mentors include Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum), Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), Nira Park (Shaun of the Dead), Mark Herbert (This is England), David Yates (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Julia Short (Verve Pictures), Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal) and Cameron McCracken (Pathé).

We are currently seeking applications from filmmakers across all sections of the community and from a range of film industry disciplines. Directors, producers, screenwriters, cinematographers, talent agents and professionals working in sales, distribution, exhibition, marketing, publicity and business affairs are all eligible to apply.

Guiding Lights is run by Lighthouse Arts & Training, and is part of 'A Bigger Future', the UK film skills strategy set up by Skillset and the UK Film Council to address skills development across all job roles in film. The scheme is primarily funded by the Skillset Film Skills Fund, supported by the National Lottery through the UK Film Council and the film industry through the Skills Investment Fund.

Application Deadline: 5pm, Tuesday 29th April 2008

Further information: http://www.guiding-lights.org.uk

KINOTEKA- Polish Film Fesival

Following on from its great success in previous years, the annual
Polish Film Festival returns to London in April for its sixth and biggest
instalment, with a brand new name; KINOTEKA.

Developed in partnership with Wyborowa Wodka and supported by the Polish
Film Institute, KINOTEKA will give audiences in the UK the rare opportunity
to discover the best of contemporary, classic and experimental
Polish cinema.

Highlight: Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda will be in attendence for the
UKpremiere of his eagerly awaited and deeply personal war drama, *Katyn*,
at the BFI Southbank on the 22nd April.

The festival begins on 10th April with *Twists of Fate*, the long awaited new film
by actor and director Jerzy Stuhr (*Love Stories, Big Animal*). 

 For more information, visit the KINOTEKA website at www.kinoteka.org.uk

BFM Film Club bringing the unseen to light

4pm, Sunday 6th April 2008

The Fighting Spirit
Dir: George Amponsah

Bukom is a tiny shantytown suburb of Accra in Ghana, a factory for the toughest,
most skilled boxers in the world. The Fighting Spirit tells the story of three
fighters, two men and a woman, as they battle their way to the glittering rings of
Europe and America to fight for the biggest prizes in the business. Witnessing their
triumphs and defeats in and out of the ring, this is a story of modern Africans'
ambitions as they fight for respect and reward, for their tribe and their home.

Screening will be followed by a Q&A with the Director.

Duration: 80 min UK, 2007
Certificate: PG
Language: Ga with English Subtitles
Venue: Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), The Mall (just off Trafalgar Square).
Tickets: £8 non-members / £7 concession / £6 members
Book: 0207 930 3647 or online at www.ica.org.uk
By Tube: Charing Cross or Piccadilly Circus
By Bus: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 29, 38, 77a, 88, 91, 139, 176
BFM: www.bfmmedia.com 

Tiburon International Film Festival - ‘Golden Reel Awards’

Tiburon -- The winners of the Golden Reel Award were announced during a formal

ceremony on Friday, March 21, 2008 in Tiburon, with many filmmakers, local guests,

and dignitaries present.



 Best Film:  The Yellow House, directed by:  Amor Hakkar [Algeria]

 Best Director:  Zoltan Kamondi, for:  Dolina [Hungary]

 Best Actor:  Jan Decleir, for A Perfect Match [Belgium]

 Best Actress:  Minnie Driver, for Take {US]

 Best Documentary:  Behind Forgotten Eyes, directed by:  Anthony Gilmore

[US/Korea/Japan]

 Best Cinematography: Lazlo Kovacs, for: Torn from the Flag [Hungary]

 Humanitarian Award:  Welcome Europe, directed by: Bruno Ulmer [France]

 Best Musical:  The Samba Poet, directed by: Ricardo Van Steen [Brazil]   

 Best Short:  Julieta, directed by: Raul Antonio Caballero Carreto [Mexico]

 Best Music Video:  Gone, directed by:  Andrew Watson [US]

 Best Dance Short Film:  The Rain, directed by:  Pontus Lidberg [Sweden]

 Best Animation:  One Night in a City, directed by: Jan Baledj [Czech Republic]

 Best Sports Film:  Row Hard, No Excuses, directed by: Luke Wolbach [US]

 Federico Fellini Award:  Miaoyan Zhang for: Xiaolin Xiaoli [China]

 Orson Wells Award:  In the Name of the Son, directed by:  Harun Mehmedinovic  [US]

 Best Experimental Film:  Agnieszka 2039, directed by: Martin Gauvreau [UK]

 Best Student Film: The Vaudevillian, directed by: Bryan Nest [US]

 Best Comedy:  American Fork, directed by: Chris Bowman [US]

 Best Children’s Film: The Flyboys, directed by: Rocco DeVilliers [US]

 Audience Choice Award: Spine Tingler, directed by:  Jeffery Schwarz [US]

  

www.TiburonFilmFestival.com

Flanders International Film Festival-Ghent

New European shorts wanted


The 35th Ghent International Film Festival (October 7th to
18th 2008)is looking for new European shorts for its Prix
UIP Ghent competition. The winner is granted 2.000 euro cash
and has a chance to win an extra 10.000 euro in the Prix
UIP Winners 2007-2008  competition for Best European Short.

Application deadline is August 1,2008.


The Ghent International Film Festival is Belgium's most
prominent annual film event. It started in 1974 as a student's
film festival and has developed into one of Europe's foremost film
events. Recently Variety called the festival one of the 50 'must attend
fests', and The Wall Street Journal catalogued it amongst the 5 European
'fest with character'.



For the next edition (October 7th to 18th 2008), the festival is
looking for fresh European shorts. Shorts directed by a European
director,produced in 2008 and under 15 minutes can compete for the
Prix UIP Ghent(in co-operation with the European Film Academy).

More information: www.filmfestival.be

54th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, 1-6 May 2008

Oberhausen Market with new CD-ROM catalogue

Film professionals have been able to select their own preview programmes from all
shorts submitted annually to the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen since
1989. Today, the Oberhausen Market with its Video Library and Screenings of leading
international distributors of artistic films is an attractive meeting place for
short film buyers, festival programmers and art curators.

This year, the Oberhausen Market Catalogue will be available on CD-ROM for the first
time. Working with the catalogue, which contains extensive information about every
film, will be made easier by search options by title, director, genre or running
time. Oberhausen is publishing a password-protected version of the catalogue on its
website about two weeks before the festival starts to make it easier for accredited
professionals to prepare their preview lists.

In 2008, the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen is offering film
professionals the biggest pool of new short film productions from across the globe.

The Video Library offers more than 6000 submitted works, in addition to the complete
short film list of reelport.com and works from the Screenings. In the Screenings,
introduced successfully in 2006, the leading international distributors of artistic
works are presenting their latest catalogues. In 2008, these will be:
Agência da Curta Metragem/SOLAR (Portugal) www.curtasmetragens.pt/solar
argos (Belgium) www.argosarts.org
arsenal experimental (Germany) www.fdk-berlin.de
AV-ARKKI (Finland) www.av-arkki.fi
Collectif Jeune Cinéma (France) www.cjcinema.org
Electronic Arts Intermix (USA) www.eai.org
Filmform (Sweden) www.filmform.com
HAMACA (Spain) www.hamacaonline.net
Heure Exquise ! (France) www.exquise.org
Hong Kong Arts Centre (China) www.hkac.org.hk
Light Cone (France) www.lightcone.org
LUX (Great Britain) www.lux.org.uk
Netherlands Media Art Institute (Netherlands) www.montevideo.nl
sixpackfilm (Austria) www.sixpackfilm.com
Video Data Bank (USA) www.vdb.org
Vtape (Canada) www.vtape.org
Accreditation deadline 54th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen:
7 April 2008
Online accreditation form: http://www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/accreditation.html 

2nd London International Documentary Festival

The festival in association with the London Review of Books http://www.lidf.co.uk/,

which takes place in London on the 29th March –
5th April 2008.

Films of Fact: A Short Lecture About Science on Film

London Review Bookshop, WC1A 2JL

27 March, 7PM

Tickets: £6, http://www.lrbshop.co.uk/events

The first in-depth study of its kind, Films of Fact: A History of Science in

Documentary Films and Television (Wallflower Press) explores the fascinating

development of science on screen. Starting with a screening of the film, Cheese

Mites, at the Alhambra Music Hall in 1903, the book looks at how visual media

has shaped the public's comprehension of science, with a special focus on the heyday

of British documentary (1930 - 1950) and the significant role of

government post-war health programmes. Tim Boon, author of the volume and Chief

Curator at the Science Museum, will be giving a short lecture at the London Review

Bookshop as part of the London International Documentary Festival. He will be

joined by Brian Winston, Professor of documentary at the University of

Lincoln and general editor of Wallflower Press’ Nonfictions series.

The London Palestine Film Festival

Open April 18th and runs for two weeks at the Barbican Cinema April 18th to 24th.
And SOAS,Russell Square from April 25th to May 1st.

The festival present another extraordinary selection of documentary, fiction,
art, and experimental work by artists from around the world.
Still the largest of its kind, this year the Festival programme includes more
than 50 works related to the question of Palestine by artists from across
the globe working in every genre of film and video production.

More information contact: www.palestinefilm.org

CINEUROPA

Glorious Exit in competition at Cinéma du Réel

The Cinéma du Réel Documentary Festival – whose 30th edition will be held in Paris and the surrounding region from March 7-18 – is set to screen Glorious Exit by Swiss director Kevin Merz (Amka Films Productions). The film is among the 28 titles selected in the international competition.

This impressive film is dedicated to Jarreth Merz, the actor of Swiss and Nigerian origin who lives in Los Angeles. Following the death of his father (a doctor in Lagos), he is morally obliged to fulfil his role as the elder son and organise a grandiose funeral, which leaves him bereft of all his money.
www.cineuropa.org

FILM LONDON

Mayor Joins with London’s Film and TV Industry to make London ‘Greenest’ Place to Film

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone and Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London, were today joined by Emma Thompson and Alistair McGowan to launch 'Green Screen London', a programme which will help film, TV and commercial producers to help to cut climate change emissions in the capit

http://www.filmlondon.org.uk/press_details.asp?NewsID=1314

Events Calendar : Microbudget Movie Making - A Debate: London

What is a microbudget feature and what steps should you take to get your film made?

Film London Microwave film-makers Ben Pugh (producer for Shifty), Steven Sheil and Lisa Trnovski (director and producer for Mum & Dad) will share their experiences of the Microwave scheme and illustrate their processes with extended clips.

When: 18 March, 6pm - 9.30pm
Where: The Old Cinema (University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW)
Booking: To reserve your place please call 020 7613 7696 or email
holly.hawkins@filmlondon.org.uk

Audience Development Fund

Film London awards Regional Investment Fund for England (RIFE) Lottery Funds on behalf of the UK Film Council. The Audience Development Fund aims to support education and audience development through;

• Projects that bring new audiences to film
  
  
• Projects that educate London audiences and develop a deeper understanding of cinema
  
  
• Projects that increase the range of cinema available to London audiences

http://www.filmlondon.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=815

14th Annual Brainwash Movie Festival

CALL FOR ENTRIES

FULLY JURIED

Submit your entries for the 14th Annual Brainwash Movie Festival in
Oakland, California.

Shorts are under 13 min., Features under 130 min.
Movies 13-59 min. are Shorts; 60-129 min. are Features.

"Early Bird" Special
Shorts $20, Features $50 by April 15th, 2008 (postmarked)

"On Time" Entries
Shorts $25, Features $65 by May 1st, 2008 (postmarked)

Late Entries
Shorts $35, Features $90 by May 10th, 2008 (postmarked)

RULES:

All entries must be transferred to VHS NTSC or Region 1 DVD for
preview.
No tapes will be returned unless you include $4.60 or whatever it costs
to priority mail your stuff back.
All accepted entries will be notified by mail - enclose your name and
address.
PLEASE NEVER SEND YOUR PARENTS' HOME MOVIES!

WHAT YOU GET:

Free Admission to the Festival Event.
We have a deal to send your movie, with your permission if yours is
selected, with our agent to major movie markets, such as Cannes and the
American Film Market.
Prizes! We would like to welcome our returning sponsor Jungle Software
to The Brainwash Movie Festival. We will be presenting Jungle software
Gorilla Standard to ALL 6 of our AWARD WINNERS this year, to help with
future movie productions! Find out more at
http://junglesoftware.com.

SHOWCOMOTION CHILDREN’S MEDIA CONFERENCE

2 - 4 JULY 2008  SHOWROOM CINEMA, SHEFFIELD UK


EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Conference organisers have announced that registration is now open for the
5th Showcomotion Children’s Media Conference which runs from Wednesday 2 to
Friday 4 July 2008 at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield.

DELEGATES RATES
Delegates should visit the conference website at
www.showcomotionconference.com to
register online for the Early Bird rate of £160 +VAT (£188), which is almost
30% off the full conference rate.  The Early Bird is available until 31
March.

The following rates are available from 1st April:

Under 30s/ Self-funded/ Student Rate: £90 + VAT (£105.75) (Limited
availability)

PACT/ BAFTA/ Non-profit/ ELSPA/ LIMA/ BIMA Rate: £180 + VAT (£211.50)

Full Corporate Rate: £225 + VAT (£264.38)

This annual get together is now the most important event of its kind in the
kids’ media and entertainment calendar in the UK; up to 400 delegates from
children’s TV, film, radio, gaming and interactive are expected to converge
in Sheffield for sessions, masterclasses and keynotes.

International Screenwriters' Festival

Renowned fantasy writer and creator of the Discworld novels, Terry Pratchett,
together with director, Vadim Jean, Leon the Pig Farmer, will be joining the
Screenwriters' Festival in July to talk about their recent collaboration on 'The
Colour of Magic' for Sky, having both worked together on last year's Sky production
of 'The Hogfather'.  They have been added to the high profile line up of speakers at
this year's International Screenwriters' Festival to be held in Cheltenham, UK
during 1-3rd July 2008. The Festival's sponsors include South West Screen,
Cheltenham Council, Sky, UK Film Council, Skillset and C4.


With close to 1000 entries for the SWF's popular pitch scheme 'A Pitch in Time' in
association with 4Talent has now closed  for entries and the successful short list
will be made public on 17th march.

David Pearson. Producer at Arturi Films, and the festival's Director and founder
said that, " Once again we are impressed at the high standard of entries and we look
forward to a lively pitch session as the Festival. Interest in screenwriting and its
role in the value chain of film and TV making continue to be in the ascendency".

The festival's delegate tickets are on sale  this week and the first 50 sold will
have a discounted price of £300 for the packed three days of events (normal price
for three day pass £330). 

Previously announced speakers include Jane Tranter Controller of BBC Fiction, who
runs the BBC Drama group including BBC Films, together with Oscar winners Julian
Fellowes Young Victoria &  Gosford Park, Guillermo Del Toro 'Pan's Labyrinth' and
'Hellboy II', along with  Lucy Prebble 'Secret Diary Of A Call Girl', Deborah
Moggach 'Pride and Prejudice' ,Peter Kosminsky 'The Government Inspector' and
'Britz' , Laura Mackie Director Of Drama ITV. 

Kay Mellor 'The Chase', 'Fat Friends' and 'Band Of Gold' and a return of leading
psychiatrist Dr Raj Persaud who will explore at how writers overcome the mental
challenges facing them to make great films.

      

The initial SWF 2008 programme will be available on line on the Festival website on
Friday 14th March 2008.

Sign up for regular emailed news bulletins to be reminded of speaker and programme
additions, how to book delegate passes, where to stay etc at

www.screenwritersfestival.com  

Images of Black Women

Images of Black Women(IBW) will hold its annual Emerging Filmmaker Award: short
film competition winners' showcasing eclectic and thought provoking topics such as
Darfur, Child Neglect & Afro hair. There will be a short preview of "Afro-Saxon" a
brand new feature from UK director Rachel Wang. As part of the Children's Corner
tradition, IBW will feature a richly entertaining children's programme. 

Films details: www.imagesofblackwomen.com

2008 TIBURON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Tiburon, CA – The 2008 Tiburon International Film Festival (TIFF) is set for March
13 – 21, 2008.  TIFF will be showcasing over 225 films from 94 countries. 
 
 The Opening Night Film & Gala is scheduled for March 13, 2008.  The Opening Night
Film of the 2008 Tiburon International Film Festival is Twins for President, a
comedy from Spain directed by Miguel Angel Calvo Buttini (starring Andoni Gracia,
Txema Blasco, María Galiana, Merce Llorens, Teresa Gimpera).  Twins for President
will be making its US Premiere that evening.  Miguel Angel Calvo Buttini will be
present for the screening and available after the film to answer questions.  The
film will be presented at the Playhouse Theater beginning at 7pm.

 
 The Opening Night Gala (March 13, 2008) is a formal event, which will be held at
the Corinthian Yacht Club, beginning at 8:30pm.  The evening will include
filmmakers, international cuisine and live entertainment.

 
 2008 Tributes & Films: The Great American Actor John Wayne, The Searchers (March
16, 2008 @ 4:45pm); Director, Bob Rafelson (One of the Kings of Independent
Films), Five East Pieces (March 14, 2008 @ 7:25pm); and The Great Comedy Director,
Blake Edwards, The Pink Panther Strikes Again (March 15, 2008 @ 5:00pm).  Members
of John Wayne’s Family, Bob Rafelson, and Blake Edwards will be present.
 
 Special Programs: Hal Hickel, Academy Award winning visual effects animator, will
have a Special Presentation on the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and how the
visual effects create a new and illusion world for the audiences.  There will also
be two Special Panel Discussions on the topics of “Film, Politics and Culture: How
Films Shape Political Beliefs” and “New Technologies for Acquisition and
Distribution.”
 
 2008 Spotlight: Spotlight on Brazilian Cinema will present 10 Brazilian films.
 
 Film Genres: Feature, Documentary, Short, Animation, Experimental
 Film Programs: Marin Filmmakers (a collection of films from Marin County’s finest
filmmakers), Sports, Music Video, Children, and Seniors
 

Ticket Information: Online: www.TiburonFilmFestival.com or by phone: 415.789.8854 

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

12-21 March 2008
The Ritzy, Clapham Picture House, Gate Cinema, Greenwich Picturehouse,
Renoir, ICA

(London – 5 February 2008) - The 12th Human Rights Watch International Film
Festival, which takes place in six London cinemas from 12 to 21 March,
offers a powerful line-up of films that challenge and inform our world view.
Whether it’s the untold story of US female soldiers in direct ground combat
in Iraq in Lioness, Ariel Dorfman looking back to Pinochet’s bloody coup in
Chile in A Promise to the Dead, American artist Steve Kurtz facing 20 years
in prison for having test tubes in his apartment in Strange Culture; or the
extraordinary interviews with 14 survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in
White Light / Black Rain, this year’s festival covers a lot of ground.

For more information visit: www.hrw.org/iff

16th ALTER-NATIVE International Short Film Festival

The 16th ALTER-NATIVE International Short Film Festival will be held from 5 to 9th
of November 2008 in Tirgu Mures (Romania). The ALTER-NATIVE is one of the oldest and
the most important Romanian film festival presenting experimental, documentary,
animated and short fiction films.

The festival has no participation fee. Films submitted to the festival are to be
completed after January 1. 2006, not exceeding 30 minutes. An international jury
will present one major award (independent of category). The other prizes are yearly
changing.

The deadline for film submissions is 12 of September 2008.

Near the competition the festival include complementary programs like: future films,
the price wining films of the similar festivals, university students films,
video-installation exhibition, concerts, meetings and round table conversations for
the cinematographers, critics, spectators and the representing of media.

More detailed information you will find at www.madisz.ro

Highlights-Birds Eye View

Unrelated + Q&A with Director and Producer, hosted by Jonathan Romney (Independent on Sunday)- ICA CINEMA 1: 11 March 6.15PM

A continental-style gem following 40-something Anna as she arrives at friend Verena’s Tuscan villa. After a humiliating episode Anna fears she is condemned to a life on the periphery.

For more info see: http://birds-eye-view.co.uk/2008/unrelated.htm

Expired +Q&A with Director, hosted by journalist, writer and broadcaster Sarfraz Manzoor. ICA CINEMA 1: 13 March 8.30PM Repeated ICA CINEMA 2: 14 March 6.15PM

*UK premiere*

Claire (Samantha Morton) is an unimposing, sweet-tempered meter maid whose sheltered existence with her stroke-afflicted mother is jolted when she meets Jay (Jason Patric), a troubled fellow parking officer.

For more info: http://birds-eye-view.co.uk/2008/expired.htm

XXY + Q&A with actors Ines Efron and Martin Piroyanski, hosted by Dave Calhoun - film editor, Time Out. ICA CINEMA 1:12 March 9PM

A young hermaphrodite child and her friend explore their sexuality and differences with open-mindedness, while her parents battle against society’s prejudice.

For info see: http://birds-eye-view.co.uk/2008/xxy.htm

GENERAL MOTORS drives your stories competition with FILMAKA

General Motors Corporation, the world's largest automobile
manufacturer, wants your pitches for shows that can feature some of
their new vehicles.  They are not looking for a traditional
commercial, but instead for an engrossing story in which a GM vehicle
plays a memorable part. Viewers should connect with characters, and
through them with the vehicles they drive.  Find the emotions that
will make viewers remember your film whenever they see these vehicles.
Think the Pontiac Firebird "Screaming Chicken" in Smokey & The
Bandit.  Think the original Knight Rider Trans-Am.  Think the Camaro
as Bumblebee in last summer's blockbuster Transformers. They are
extensions of the characters, or characters themselves.

Submit a detailed written synopsis of a film 3 to 5 minutes in length,
with 4 or 5 more episode ideas intended to total around 30 minutes of
original content. Include in your story one of the GM car models noted
below. Each episode should be able to live on its own and together
they should make a coherent half-hour story. Include in your
submission any other ideas you might have about production or how
these webisodes might utilize new technology or interactivity when
distributed. Be sure to bring your own aesthetic and stylization to
your proposal. You can upload storyboards and other visuals with your
proposal – as long as it's all in PDF format.

  www.filmaka.com/