UK FILMMAKERS WIN £50,000 PRIZE

Director Jan Dunn and Producer Elaine Wickham took the grand prize at the London Independent Film Festival over the weekend for their feature film RUBY BLUE which stars Bob Hoskins as a man accused by his neighbors of being a pedophile. The Prize, sponsored by Prime Focus London, secures a significant portion of the of the post-production finance for Dunn and Wickham's next feature. The two filmmakers from Ramsgate found critical acclaim two years ago for their self-financed debut film GYPO, and RUBY BLUE is their second film together.

UK director Julian Richards took the festival's prize for Best Director for SUMMER SCARS - his autobiographically inspired portrayal of Welsh youth. Actor Bob Hoskins and Film London were each awarded the festival's CHAMPION OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA award, which annually recognizes one celebrity and one organisation for outstanding service to the UK independent filmmaking community.

Festival sponsors Prime Focus London, Motorola, and Archos were on hand for the awards ceremony on Sunday with prizes for the winning filmmakers.

Hosted at several screening venues across London, including the BFI Southbank, and Curzon cinemas, the London Independent Film Festival screened over 90 films. The festival highlights the best in low-budget filmmaking every April and has been called "A treasure trove of undiscovered cinematic gems. One of Europe's top indie film fests" by British Film Magazine, 2008.
Full information can be found on the festival website: www.londonindependent.org

Salisbury International Arts

23 May - 08 June
A multi discipline arts festival with a strong
film programme.

Details of the Festival are on our website:

HYPERLINK
www.salisburyfestival.co.uk/event-list.aspx

exposures – new talent in moving image

call for entries 2008

closing date for entries 31 July

festival dates 23-27 November, 2008

To download an entry form and enter for free,
go to http://www.exposuresfestival.co.uk/

exposures – the UK's leading competitive festival for student film and moving image – is looking for the talent of the future. Call for entries is now open for the 2008 edition to be held in November at Cornerhouse and Urbis, Manchester's two leading contemporary arts venues, co-hosts of exposures for the first time this year. The deadline for entries is 31 July.

Cambridge International Super 8 Film festival

24-26th of April 2008 - Cambridge (UK)
Hot on the heels of Cambridge Super 8 2007 comes Cambridge Super 8 2008 a film
festival with a difference; a film festival with 70 UK premières and 22 World
premières over only three days from the 24th till the 26th of April in the heart of
Cambridge. A film festival giving you a unique opportunity to view superb
independent cinema across the genres and meet the filmmakers in formal Q&As and over
informal drinks.

On Thursday the 24th of April, the festival is at St Pauls Church on Hills Road,
Cambridge. On Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th of April, the festival is at the
University Social Club, Mill Lane, Cambridge. For full details of the festival
programmes, please visit the festival website http://www.cambridge-super8.org

BFM Film Club bringing the unseen to light

4pm, Sunday 4th May 2008

Welcome to Nollywood
Dir: Jamie Meltzer

The Nigerian film industry, known as “Nollywood”, has exploded in the last ten
years. Now the most popular cinema in all of West Africa - more popular even than
imports of Hollywood or Bollywood films - the Nigerian film industry has
distinguished itself by shooting all films (called “video-films”) on digital video.
The sheer volume of Nigerian video-films is staggering: one estimate has a film
being produced for each day of the year. Nollywood is now the third largest film
industry in the world, generating 286 million dollars per year for the Nigerian
economy. And yet this vibrant, profitable industry is virtually unknown outside of
Africa.

Screening will be followed by a discussion led by Tope Omoniyi, Professor of
Sociolinguistics, Roehampton University, and Coordinator of the Nigerian Films
Project.

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
BFM: www.bfmmedia.com

Second Edition of the Bucharest Film Festival 2008

This years edition of the Bucharest Film Festival will take place from June
28 to July 6, 2008. Following the success from last years initial festival,
this cinematic event again focuses on Central and South East European
regions.

The programmers consider cinema as a mirror reflecting the needs and
mentalities of different societies. One of the main principles of selecting
films is drawing special attention to new filmmaking including their own
ways of expression. The aim is to promote talents, to fight the cultural
decay and to consolidate quality in culture, arts and mass media.

The competition programs are dedicated to Shorts and Documentaries, to
International Films and to long-features from the Black Sea Region.
Within the International Film section, regional directors and films will
have the opportunity of competing openly and directly with productions from
all over the world.

For further information and accreditation please contact:
Boxer & Sparrow Film PR, Berlin
Gunnar Gilgen
Reichenberger Strasse 117, D-10999 Berlin
tel. +49 (0)30 600 311 76, gilgen@bs-pr.de

NPA The Successful Screenplay Intensive Weekend

This Saturday the 19th & Sunday 20th April 10:00 - 16:00

Screenwriting is a highly rewarding profession and the most accessible route into the exciting business of film. But like any prize worth gaining, the way can be difficult and perilous for the uninitiated. Just as a film's hero needs a mentor to provide invaluable training for their magical journey, so studying craft will put you ahead of the game and give you the skills required to win the Holy Grail - the Successful Screenplay.

This course, held over one weekend, guides you step by step through the process of creating a professional screenplay: The Unique High Concept, Perfect Plotting, Killer Characters, the Secret of Segments, Sequences and Scenes, Dazzling Dialogue plus important industry information on how to Pitch and Sell Your Script and work festivals such as Cannes this May.


Tutor: Jacqueline Genie


Renowned for her practical, no nonsense approach, Jacqueline Genie has worked as a freelance script consultant for numerous companies including Brass Hat Films ("Premonition"). In 2001, she co-founded the London Script Consultancy, script-editing hundreds of features in Europe and the US. She taught the popular weekly Soho Screenwriters classes, intensive weekend courses and script development programmes for Film London. She is also a professional screenwriter, currently commissioned to write a feature film treatment, adapted from a novel.


Fantastic, brilliant teacher - a pleasure to attend.""Wonderful overview and also totally arms you with practical skills and tools." NPA member

"Really helpful and inspiring. Feel I'm coming away with some very useful tools to break my apathy!"

NPA Member To book your place please contact the NPA office on T 020 7613 0440 E admin@npa.org.uk or book online www.npa.org.uk

NPA Members £100 Non Members: £175

Filmaka announces new competition

Filmaka.com is an exciting new online network created by established independent producers, industry professionals and film financiers. It's about to fully launch in April after a very successful initial two years - but before that its next exciting new tie-in is with the US TV channel the FX NETWORK (Nip/Tuck, The Shield) in which anyone can have a go at creating the next hit comedy!

Click here for all the details.

What do you have to do? Make a 3 minute comedy film – think a mini-pilot – that is a sample of the show you would like to make. It should introduce the premise and the main characters. Along with that, you need to upload a 1-2 page brief that outlines the plot of future episodes, the main characters and the themes.

Filmaka offers cash prizes to filmmakers in these regular competitions, and one filmmaker wins a feature film deal over the course of one year after having competed with the prize winners of each contest (the 2007 winner is to be announced on April 21st!).

Film & Festivals Surgery

In partnership with the East End Film Festival we are launching Film & Festivals Surgery. F&F Surgery is a unique opportunity for filmmakers to receive free one-to-one advice from or just have a chat with a top film professional.

One of many highlights of EEFF this year is the VIBE LOUNGE FILMMAKERS CENTRE, a cinematic chill-out space hosting a variety of events including a party and screening. On 22nd April from 3pm Film & Festivals will be hosting its first filmmakers Surgery there.

Documentary producer Mike Chamberlain is one of the professionals already confirmed. Mike Chamberlain has produced more then 100 docs and he will be at the VIBE LOUNGE FILMMAKERS CENTRE to answer any question you may have on how to get into documentaries or how to make the most of your documentary projects, whether for Festivals or television.

If you’re interested please email info@filmandfestivals.com for a Surgery time between 3.00 and 6pm on 22nd April. Spaces will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

www.eastendfilmfestival.com

10TH ANNUAL SCRIPTAPALOOZA SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

FINAL deadline is April 15 - We now accept scripts by EMAIL or regular mail

www.scriptapalooza.com

Why should you submit your script to Scriptapalooza?

Grand Prize: $10,000
Ben Monaghan (semifinalist) is setting up his film with Glenn Close
2 writers got their scripts made into movies by LifeTime
2 writers this year got their scripts optioned
All the reading is done by 90 production companies
Entertainment Weekly Magazine calls us 'One of the Best'
We promote the winners, runners-up, finalists and semifinalists for a full year

About Scriptapalooza:

The Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition, was founded in 1998, and has generated heat, publicity and a reputation that demands respect. Scriptapalooza, Inc., along with its various divisions was created to nurture talent and create opportunities.
Storytellers come from all over the world and from all walks of life, because of the simple fact that everyone has a story. Scriptapalooza's goal: to seek out that storyteller and honor their script with a grand prize of $10,000. Each year dozens
of production companies and literary representatives sign on as participants to read our winners, resulting in many scripts being optioned, sold or outright bought.

Questions or comments email us at info@scriptapalooza.com

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