UK Film Council backs new filmmaking talent at Encounters
The UK Film Council is backing the next generation of UK filmmaking talent at Encounters, the 13th International Short Film Festival, running 21-25 November 2007 at the Watershed, Bristol.
London: The UK Film Council is backing the next generation of UK filmmaking talent at Encounters, the 13th International Short Film Festival, running 21-25 November 2007 at the Watershed, Bristol.
On Friday 23 November the UK Film Council presents three short film showcases. Digital Generation is a programme of outstanding short films from the Digital Shorts and Digital Shorts Plus short film schemes which encourage filmmakers to make innovative shorts using digital technology. Films being screened are:
- Richard Lawson's Perfect to Begin
- Aneel Ahmad's Boot Polish
- Arlene Cullum's Bulb
- Susanna Wallin's Eddie Proctor
- Sebastian Goodwin's The Girls
- Graham Eatough's Missing
- Lou Birks's Stubborn and Spite
Cinema Extreme, the programme funded by the UK Film Council and Film4, is presenting this year's short films under the banner of A Filmmaker's Journey. Cinema Extreme run by The Bureau encourages and develops filmmakers with a distinctive directorial voice. Previously commissioned films include Simon Ellis's Prix UIP winning Soft which is in official competition at Encounters this year and Ellis is also the subject of a filmmaker focus at the festival. This year's Cinema Extreme screenings are:
- Sean Conway's Alex and her Arse Truck
- Matt Palmer's Island
- Jesse Lawrence's Much A Do About a Minor Ting
- Laurence Coriat's New Love
- Johnny Barrington's Terra Firma
"At Encounters the audiences are knowledgeable about the short film landscape and have a great understanding of the form," says Rebecca Mark-Lawson from Lifesize Pictures, which manages all of the UK Film Council's short film schemes including Digital Shorts, Digital Shorts Plus, Completion Fund and Cinema Extreme. "The British films selected for competition illustrate the vibrancy and diversity of short filmmaking across the country."
EM Media is presenting Heartlines/Sharp New Shorts, a programme of shorts produced in partnership with the UK Film Council's Digital Shorts and EQUAL's Identities project. Two films, David Smith's The Visitor and Peter Baynton's Over the Hill, are being screened in competition at Encounters. Also screening are:
- Steve Nijjar's A Chaat in the Park
- Mehul Desai's Circle
- Marcella Forster's Daddy's Girl
- Cheryl Marshall's Dreams Don't Walk Straight
- Richard Porter's The Imaginary Girl
- Deborah Haywood's Lady Margaret
- Nick Whitfield's Rebecca
- Dan Seagrave's Shadowline
- Plus David Smith's The Visitor and Peter Baynton's Over the Hill
Awards for winning filmmakers at Encounters include the BBC Three new filmmakers' award, the Best of British award, the International Jury award and the UK Film Council Audience award.
The UK Film Council will also be holding networking breakfast events for filmmakers on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 November. Interested parties will be able to sign up for these via the Encounters information desk.
For press enquiries please contact:
Tina McFarling / Chloe Lola Riess
UK Film Council press office
T: +44 (0)20 7861 7900/7901
E: tina.mcfarling@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk mailto:
tina.mcfarling@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk / chloe.riess@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
Notes to editors
New Cinema Fund
The UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund encourages unique ideas, innovative approaches and new voices funding an eclectic mixture of films that connect with a range of audiences. The fund has an especially strong commitment to supporting work from the nations and regions and from black, Asian and other minority ethnic filmmakers. The fund also encourages digital technology in the production, distribution and exhibition of films. The New Cinema Fund has £15 million to invest over three years.
To date the New Cinema Fund has supported films including: Sarah Gavron's Brick Lane (Best screenplay and Silver Hitchcock, Dinard), Shane Meadows's This is England (Best Film, British Independent Film Awards); Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival), Andrea Arnold's Red Road (Prix du Jury, Cannes Film Festival), Kevin Macdonald's Touching the Void, (Best British Film BAFTA), Peter Mullan's The Magdalene Sisters (Golden Lion Venice), Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday (Golden Bear Berlin), Jerry Rothwell's feature documentary Deep Water, Dan Reed's Straightheads, Paul Dibb's Bullet Boy, Adrian Shergold's Pierrepoint, and Michael Caton-Jones's Shooting Dogs.
Up and coming projects include Mark Tonderai's Hush, Kenny Glenaan's Summer, Noel Clarke's Adulthood, Alexis dos Santos's Unmade Beds, Gerard Johnson's Tony, Michael Winterbottom's Genova, Chris Waitt's feature documentary A Complete History, Peter Greenaway's Nightwatching, Dominic Murphy's White Lightnin', Olly Blackburn's Donkey Punch; and Nicolas Roeg's Puffball.
The New Cinema Fund invests in an ambitious programme of shorts schemes including Cinema Extreme, the Completion Fund and Low Budget Digital Shorts (producing more than 120 films to date) to encourage directors, producers and creative talent to explore new storytelling methods in the short film genre. In partnership with Film4, EM Media, Screen Yorkshire and Optimum Releasing, the New Cinema Fund also funds the Warp X Low Budget Film Scheme offering filmmakers development support, production finance and theatrical distribution in the UK.
