bfm Networking and Exchange Project -
Makes an impression on Festival De Cannes 2010
16 June 2010
The 63rd FESTIVAL DE CANNES took place from 12- 23 May 2010 in France. bfm through its Filmmakers Networking and Exchange project had an active presence at the Festival this year, supported by the ACP Group of States through the ACP Film programme.
This initiative was one of seven ACP funded projects present at Cannes Bfm hosted an information stand in the Marche du Palaise and brought a delegation of 8 filmmakers and producers from the UK, Trinidad and Tobago and Zambia to network and promote their work.
The aim of the project is to enable filmmakers and participating festivals to access international opportunities that will serve to further promote their work. During the overseas trips filmmakers will have the opportunity to exhibit their work, take part in Q&As, panel discussions, seminars, master classes and be given media opportunities
Cannes provides a unique opportunity for filmmakers to further their projects to an international market.
On the 17th May Kolton Lee (Freestyle, Cherps) took part on a panel at in the UKFC Pavilion to discuss What Next for Micro-budget Movies? Following the release of his latest film Freestyle
On 21 May bfm held a screening of a selection of films from filmmakers within the project which was well received. Menelik Shabazz BFM Director said “Cannes is a fantastic opportunity for filmmakers to present their work on an international stage to make contacts and network. We are looking forward to on going benefits by encouraging new partnerships and co-production opportunities beyond the life of this project.”
2010 Summer Movie Preview
2010 Summer Movie Preview
Words: Kam Williams
‘Tis the Season of Sequels, Adaptations and Remakes
Once again, the Hollywood studio execs, ever conscious of the bottom-line, have adopted a cautious approach to this summer’s fare, investing primarily in blockbusters with a proven pedigree.
As a result, the bulk of the big budget flicks set to be released soon are sequels, spinoffs, prequels, remakes, 3-D revivals, English-language versions of foreign film favorites, and screen adaptations of classic TV shows, novels, comic books and cartoon strips.
But just because you might already be familiar with a flick doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t have fun with that franchise’s latest incarnation, After all, the proof is still in the pudding in terms of whether what’s served up is A-1 entertainment or a take-the-money-and-run rip-off. Among the most eagerly anticipated offerings are the kiddie animated adventure Toy Story 3; Eclipse, the third installment in the Twilight series so popular with teens; The Karate Kid, a remake produced by Will Smith and co-starring his son, Jaden, opposite Jackie Chan; Inception, another sophisticated psychological thriller from Christopher Nolan, director of Memento; and Knight and Day, an action comedy reuniting Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz for the first time in almost a decade.
Now, without further ado, may I present a chronological listing of the delectable diversions you might enjoy while sitting in an air-conditioned theater during the impending dog days of summer.
Marmaduke (6/4) Live action adaptation of the popular comic strip features Owen Wilson as the voice of the clumsy, if lovable, Great Dane. Road comedy revolves around the pet and his owners’ misadventures as the family relocates from Kansas to California. Cast includes William H. Macy, Judy Greer and Anjelah Johnson, with voiceover work by George Lopez, Marlon Wayans, Sam Elliot and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Splice (6/4) Sci-fi horror flick about a couple of renegade scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) whose ethically-questionable experimentation splicing together human and animal DNA results in the creation of a beautiful but dangerous winged mutant (Delphine Chaneac).
The A-Team (6/11) Screen adaptation of the pyrotechnics-driven TV series from the Eighties chronicling the exploits of a squad of former Special Service soldiers determined to clear their names after unfairly being branded war criminals. With Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Face, Sharlto Copley as Murdock and Quinton Jackson as B.A. Baracus.
The Karate Kid (6/11) Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan co-star in this Beijing-based remake of the 1984 screen classic about a 12 year-old newcomer to China being bullied at school whose unassuming janitor agrees to help him master the martial arts so long as he promises not to question the seemingly-unorthodox training regimen. With Taraji P. Henson, Tess Liu and Harry Van Gorkum.
Jonah Hex (6/18) Screen adaptation of the DC Comics series about a scarfaced bounty hunter of last resort (Josh Brolin) who cuts a deal with the U.S. military to track down his archenemy (John Malkovich), a frightening terrorist threatening to unleash hell. With Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Thomas Lennon and Aidan Quinn.
Let It Rain (6/18) Character-driven drama about the sibling rivalry which bubbles back to the surface when a feminist (Agnes Jaoui) with political ambitions returns home to the family manse in the South of France to help her unhappily-married sister (Pascale Arbillot) put their recently-deceased mother’s affairs in order. (In French with subtitles)
Toy Story 3 (6/18) Revival of the animated franchise finds Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the gang in a daycare center after being accidentally thrown away by the mother (Laurie Metcalf) of their now college-bound owner, Andy (John Morris). Voice cast includes Joan Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt and Jeff Garlin.
Grown Ups (6/25) Buddy comedy about five former teammates (Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Rob Schneider) who, in honor of their recently-deceased basketball coach, reunite for the first time in years to runamuck over the 4th of July weekend at the same lake house where they celebrated winning a championship as kids. With Maya Rudolph, Salma Hayek, Tim Meadows, Maria Bello, Steve Buscemi, Norm Macdonald and Gary Busey.
Knight and Day (6/25) Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz reunite for the first time since Vanilla Sky for this action comedy about a Plain Jane from the Midwest who unwittingly goes on a blind date with a dashing international spy only to become embroiled in a globetrotting adventure where they must prevent a piece of technology holding the key to infinite power from falling into the wrong hands. With Maggie Grace, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis and Paul Dano.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (6/30) Episode three in the fantasy saga opens with high school graduation fast approaching, and Bella (Kristen Stewart) being forced to choose between her love of a vampire (Edward Pattinson) and her friendship with a werewolf (Taylor Lautner). Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest again finds itself plagued by a string of mysterious slayings. With Anna Kendrick, Dakota Fanning and Bryce Dallas Howard.
The Last Airbender (7/2) M. Night Shyamalan directs this initial offering in a live- action trilogy based on the popular, animated TV show “Avatar.” First installment in the sci-fi fantasy series opens with the world at war and on the brink of destruction and revolves around the attempt of a young boy (Noah Ringer) to restore peace with the help of a couple friends (Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone) and a flying bison (Dee Bradley Baker). With Dev Patel, Ali Khan and Rohan Shah.
The Kids Are All Right (7/7) Family comedy about the fireworks which ensue when two teenagers (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) conceived by artificial insemination by a lesbian couple (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) decide to track down their anonymous, sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo).
Despicable Me (7/9) 3-D computer-animated comedy, set in an otherwise idyllic suburban neighborhood, where a wicked weirdo (Steve Carell) with a black house and a dead lawn is secretly hatching a diabolical plan to steal the moon with the assistance of an army of minions. Hope for averting the disaster rests with three orphans (Dana Gaier, Miranda Cosgrove and Elsie Fisher) in need of a father who see some potential for redemption in the evil villain. Voice cast includes Kristen Wiig, Jason Segel, Danny McBride, Will Arnett, Dr. Ken Jeong, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews.
Predators (7/9) Sci-fi sequel about a group of elite warriors who discover that they were brought to another planet by a race of bloodthirsty alien creatures to be hunted like prey in a human game reserve. Cast includes Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, Alice Braga and Danny Trejo.
Cyrus (7/9) Dysfunctional family comedy about a divorced guy (John C. Reilly) who thinks he’s met the woman of his dreams (Marisa Tomei) until he has to deal with her 21 year-old son (Jonah Hill) still living at home. Supporting cast includes Catherina Keener, Matt Walsh and Zosia Mamet (daughter of David).
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (7/16) Live-action remake of the Mickey Mouse segment of Fantasia updated as a latter-day tale, set in Manhattan, where a magician (Nicolas Cage) enlists the assistance of a college student (Jay Baruchel) to do battle with his evil archenemy (Alfred Molina). With Monica Bellucci, Teresa Palmer and Omar Benson Miller.
Inception (7/16) Christopher Nolan directs this sci-fi, psychological thriller about a master thief (Leonard DiCaprio), capable of hacking into people’s subconscious minds while they’re in the dream state, who plans to pull off the perfect heist by implanting an idea inside of someone’s head. Cast includes Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Salt (7/23) Angelina Jolie plays the title character in this espionage thriller about a disgraced CIA Agent-turned-fugitive who goes on the run to try to clear her name after being falsely accused of being a Russian spy. Cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber and Zoe Lister Jones.
Dinner for Schmucks (7/23) English-language remake of The Dinner Game, the French farce about a businessman (Paul Rudd) who invites a naive simpleton (Steve Carell) to a party where a prize goes to the guest who brings along the biggest buffoon. Cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Bruce Greenwood and Ron Livingston.
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (7/30) 3-D sequel to Cats and Dogs finds the canines and felines joining forces this go-round after a tabby spy (Bette Midler) goes rogue and hatches a plot to conquer the world. Starring Fred Armisen, Chris O’Donnell and roger Moore, with voice work by Alec Baldwin, Michael Clarke Duncan and Joe Pantoliano.
Beastly (7/30) Modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast reimagined as an urban tale about a school bully (Alex Pettyfer) who finds himself transformed into an ugly monster when a Goth classmate (Mary-Kate Olsen) he teased casts a spell on him. To undo the curse, he must find a woman (Vanessa Hudgens) willing to love him in this hideous state. Cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Rhiannon Moller-Trotter.
Middle Men (8/6) Luke Wilson stars in this crime comedy, set in 1995, about an entrepreneur who became filthy rich by helping a couple of shady characters (Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht) streamline their internet porn business. With James Caan, Terry Crews, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher McDonald, Laura Ramsey and Kevin Pollak.
The Other Guys (8/6) Unlikely-buddy comedy about a couple of grounded NYPD detectives, one (Will Ferrell), a dimwit, the other (Mark Wahlberg), a hothead with an itchy trigger-finger, who do their best to measure up to their highly-decorated idols (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson) when finally assigned street duty again. With Eva Mendes, Paris Hilton, Michael Keaton and Anne Heche.
Step-Up 3-D (8/6) Channing Tatum reprises his lead role in round three of this dance-driven franchise which pits a tight-knit team of New York street dancers against some of the best from the world of hip-hop in a high-stakes showdown. Cast includes Alyson Stoner, Harry Shum, Jr. and Adam G. Sevani.
Eat, Pray, Love (8/13) Julia Roberts stars in this screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling memoir about a miserably-married career woman who quits her job and divorces her husband (Billy Crudup) to embark on a globetrotting journey of self-discovery financed by an advance from the publisher who purchased the rights to her book. With Javier Bardem, James Franco, Viola Davis and Richard Jenkins.
The Expendables (8/13) Sly Stallone wrote, directed and stars in this political potboiler about a team of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow an evil, South American dictator (David Zayas) who discover that they’ve been double-crossed by a traitor in their midst. Cast includes Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (8/13) Michael Cera stars in this romantic comedy based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic comic book series about a bass playing, 23 year-old slacker in a garage band who discovers that he must contend with seven, evil ex-boyfriends before he can win the heart of the girl of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Cast includes Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong and Brandon Routh.
Lottery Ticket (8/20) Bow Wow stars in this inner city comedy about a lotto winner from the ‘hood eager to claim his $370 million prize who first has to survive a weekend in the projects hiding his ticket from all the scheming opportunists aware of his good fortune. Ensemble includes Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Terry Crews, Charlie Murphy, Naturi Naughton, Keith David, Loretta Devine, T-Pain and Bill Bellamy.
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (8/20) Emma Thompson reprises the title role in this sequel set during World War II in the English countryside where the no-nonsense nanny with magical powers arrives in time to help an overwhelmed young mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) saddled with responsibility of raising her rambunctious kids and tending to the family farm alone while her husband (Ewan McGregor) is fighting on the front lines. With Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes and Rhys Ifans.
Takers (8/20) Crime caper about a very successful gang of bank robbers (Chris Brown T.I., Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Michael Ealy and Hayden Christensen) who decide to pull off one last heist before retiring only to come up against a hard-boiled detective (Matt Dillon) intent on cracking the case. With Zoe Saldana, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Jay Hernandez.
Going the Distance (8/26) Bicoastal romantic comedy about the trials and tribulations of a journalist (Drew Barrymore) and a music scout (Justin Long) trying to maintain their relationship after she moves to San Francisco while he stays behind in New York City. With Christina Applegate, Ron Livingston and Kelli Garner.
The Last Exorcism (8/27) “Found footage” horror flick about a crooked evangelical minister (Patrick Fabian) who decides to come clean by allowing a documentary filmmaker to shoot him performing another phony exorcism on a gullible subject only to get the shock of his life when the teenager (Iris Bahr) he’s been summoned to help turns out to be truly possessed. With Louis Herthum, Ashley Bell and Tony Bentley.
Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson in the UK
Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson in the UK - *Sold Out*
Yesterday, Ritzy Picturehouse confirmed that revolutionary filmmaker Tyler Perry and international icon Janet Jackson will introduce the special one-off screening of their movie, Why Did I Get Married Too.
It sold out within 24 hours which proves there is a demand for more films of this nature.
Date: 21 May
Time: 8pm
Where: Ritzy Picturehouse, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London
First the good news. David Oyelowo has been nominated for a BAFTA as Best Television Actor for Small Island, but the bad news is that his co-star, Naomie Harris, hasn't been nominated for Best Actress. However, Sophie Okonedo has been nominated in two categories for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Mrs. Mandela and Criminal Justice respectively.
This is the first year BAFTA members have recognised Black actors in their television categories (launched in 1954), but David and Sophie face strong competition. David is up against Kenneth Branagh (Wallander), Brendon Gleeson (Into the Storm) and John Hurt (An Englishman in New York), while Sophie is nominated for Best Actress with Helena Bonham-Carter (Enid) and Julie Walters (A Short Stay in Switzerland and Mo).
Small Island is also nominated in the Drama Serial category with Occupation, Red Riding and Unforgiven.
In the past, BAFTA members have overlooked the outstanding performances of a number of Black television actors, including Norman Beaton and Carmen Munroe. The omission of Marianne Jean-Baptiste from the Best Actress category in 1999 for The Murder of Stephen Lawrence was shameful.
I wish David, Sophie and Small Island every success at the awards ceremony on Sunday 6 June.
Lena Horne: Singer and actress who fought prejudice throughout a career that lasted more than 60 years
Words: Stephen Bourne
Despite all the odds against her, Lena Horne became an enduring superstar. Her career as an entertainer, which spanned over 60 years, began with her debut as a teenage chorus girl at Harlem's Cotton Club and climaxed in the early 1980s with her one-woman show The Lady and Her Music, which ran for over a year on Broadway.
Reviewing her appearance at the London Palladium in The Sunday Times in April 1964, the jazz critic Derek Jewell said, "She may not belt out songs with the classic brashness of Merman, nor recreate them as magically as Ella, nor sweet-and-sour them like Peggy Lee.
SUS is the new film based on Barrie Keeffe's award-winning play that looks institutional racism dead in the face.
1979 Election Night, as Thatcher comes into power. SUS takes place on that very night, when Delroy (Clint Dyer: *Unknown White Male* *Sahara*) is being interrogated about his pregnant wife who has been found dead in a pool of blood. With all the evidence stacking up against him, Delroy continually refuses to confess.
He suffers a night of callous humiliation at the hands of two racist coppers (Ralph Brown: *The Crying Game* *Withnail & I* *Rafe Spall* *The Calcium Kid* *Hot Fuzz*), both high on the impending Conservative landslide victory, and more concerned with the outcome of the election than establishing the truth.
Written in 1979 by Barrie Keefe (*The Long Good Friday*) and based on a true story, SUS is a powerful cry against institutional racism, which is as relevant today as ever. Instead of SUS ("suspect under suspicion"), there is "stop and search" under Section 44 of the Terrorist Act of 2000.
Filmdirecting4women was created to contribute to the worldwide movement that will see a huge rise in the number of films being directed by women. (The current shocking statistic being only 6%. Source BEV 2009). We aim to empower, support and encourage new and already working female directors. Our inaugural International film festival in London, September 2010 will be a creative space where women directors will be championed, celebrated, nurtured and encouraged. As well as showing a variety of features and shorts we will host interviews with top female directors, Q&A sessions, panel discussions with industry professionals, training opportunities, networking parties and lots more....
If you’ve just directed your first film or you’ve been directing for many years, we want your films for the inaugural FD4W International Film Festival. The Festival will be held over 4 days in September 2010 at a central London venue (exact dates tbc).
We’re looking for films made within the last five years in two categories: features and shorts. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been screened at other festivals we want to see the best films directed by women throughout the world. All films must be in English or subtitled in English.
Members of filmdirecting4women get a discount on the entry fee. To join the growing community of filmdirecting4women click here.
Regular deadline: May 28, 2010 – members £30 / non-members £40 Late deadline – Friday 25th June 2010 – members £40 / non-members £50
Info: www.filmdirecting4women.co.uk
Watch the Trailer for Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too
Watch the Trailer for Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too
Released in the US on 2 April, 2010
2010 Oscar Recap
2010 Oscar Recap
Words: Kam Williams
Mo'Nique gets the last laugh
Mo’Nique got the last laugh after having been subjected to considerable criticism during awards season for not campaigning or kissing the ring of the Hollywood establishment. This explains why she began her acceptance remarks with, “First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance, and not the politics.”
Kathryn Bigelow and The Hurt Locker emerged victorious in what had been touted as a David vs. Goliath showdown with her ex-husband James Cameron and Avatar, the biggest moneymaker in box-office history.
Each entered the competition with 9 nominations, with Bigelow’s Iraq War saga netting 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay, as well as a trio in technical categories. Meanwhile, Avatar had to settle for just 3 Oscars, in Cinematography, Visual Effects and Art Direction.
Bigelow made history as the first female ever to be named best director. An obvious hint that she was about to triumph, the supposedly sacrosanct secret ballots notwithstanding, was the fact that the presenter in the category was Barbara Streisand who had herself won a golden Globe but not an Oscar for directing Yentl way back in 1984.
There were no surprises in the lead acting categories with veteran thespians Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) and Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) both winning more for their body of work than for this particular role. Bridges, in his heartfelt acceptance speech, thanked his late parents “for turning me on to such a groovy profession.” And the self-effacing Bullock was equally-gracious, thanking her mom, and acknowledging each of her fellow nominees by name. Sandra was most effusive about Gabby Sidibe (Precious), about whom she gushed, “I love you so much. You are exquisite. You are beyond words to me.”
As for supporting roles, prohibitive favorites Mo’Nique (Precious) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) prevailed as expected. Mo’Nique got the last laugh after having been subjected to considerable criticism during awards season for not campaigning or kissing the ring of the Hollywood establishment. This explains why she began her acceptance remarks with, “First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance, and not the politics.”
In terms of upsets, the biggest surprise arrived when Geoffrey Fletcher and Precious won for Best Adapted Screenplay over Up in the Air. However, the evening’s most shocking incident was undoubtedly the reverse Kanye West moment when Roger Ross Williams, who is black, was rudely interrupted during his acceptance speech as the director/producer of Best Documentary Short Film-winner Music by Prudence.
For midway in, this ostensibly-inebriated white woman appeared out nowhere to give him the bum’s rush, just like Kanye did to Taylor Swift. Then she started rambling into the microphone like a mental patient until her voice was drowned out by the orchestra. As it turns out, Elinor Burkett apparently wasn’t a complete lunatic, but a former co- producer of Music by Prudence, who had abandoned the movie over a year ago but now wanted back in to bask in the glory when the project turned out to be a tremendous success.
Among other Oscar lowlights were Sean Penn’s mumbling presentation of the Best Actress award, a sleep-inducing, interpretative dance number choreographed to musical selections from the Best Score nominees, and Tom Hanks’ failure to introduce the 10 nominees before opening the envelope to announce the Best Picture. So much for dramatic effect.
Overall, the 82nd Academy Awards Show was rather entertaining and engaging, especially how it devoted time to intimate introductions of the acting nominees, and to detailing the contributions made by a variety of craftsmen to the magic that is moviemaking. The festivities were capably co-hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, whose hilarious, offhand introduction of Sandra Bullock with, “Please welcome my longtime dear friend, and by that, I mean I've never met her,” was nothing short of brilliant.
COMPLETE LIST OF ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS
Motion Picture: The Hurt Locker
Actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique (Precious)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Foreign Film: El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious)
Original Screenplay: Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
Original Score: Michael Giacchino (Up)
Original Song: The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart) by Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett.
Animated Feature Film: Up
Documentary Feature: The Cove
Art Direction: Avatar
Cinematography: Avatar
Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker
Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker
Costume: The Young Victoria
Makeup: Star Trek
Visual Effects: Avatar
Film Editing: The Hurt Locker
Documentary Short Film: Music by Prudence
Animated Short Film: Logorama
Live Action Short Film: The New Tenants
The Federal Capital Territory to play host to 36 professional film directors
The Federal Capital Territory to play host to 36 professional film directors
The Federal Capital Territory will in March 2010 play host to 36 professional film directors from the New York Film Institute for a month-long training for participants in the nation's film industry.
The Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, and host of the training programme, Chief Chuka Odom, disclosed this on Friday while inaugurating the 20-man inter ministerial committee to oversee the successful hosting of the programme.
About 500 participants will take part in the training, where they will be tutored in different aspects of film making, including directing, scripting, acting, broadcasting and general production and is to be sponsored by the Lagos and Rivers State governments, as well as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), alongside the Ministry of Information and Communications, as well as other government agencies.
According to the minister, the nation's film industry has been a major source of inspiration to other African countries, and an influential voice for Nigeria 's culture and people, hence the hosting of the training to grow the capacity in the nation's film industry,
"Before our eyes, Nollywood has grown into a massive industry that is currently rated second in the world, and has become a purveyor of our unique culture, and the dynamism of our people to the outside world, aside becoming a source of livelihood for millions of people, especially the youth, who are engaged one way or another in the industry," Odom noted.
He, however, said there was need to enhance the expertise and quality of participants in the industry so as to effectively position it to compete with the best quality productions from America and Europe.
Odom added, "Considering the unprecedented growth and the pace of development of the movie making industry in Nigeria, government has deemed it proper to weigh and contribute through collaborating with organizations such as Del-York International and the New York Film Academy to train hundreds of our youth in the subtleties and technicalities of film-making so that we can expect to gain more from the industry."
He said the government would ensure that the fast pace of development in Nollywood would be channeled in the right direction to further propagate the immense potential inherent in diverse cultures of Nigeria.
Odom further pledged the commitment of the FCT Administration to collaborate with organisers of the training project, Del-York International, towards hosting a successful and rewarding programme, adding that government had put all mechanism in place to ensure that the visiting tutors from the United States are given every technical and logistic support for a successful outing.
The Images of Black Women (IBW) Festival
The Images of Black Women (IBW) Festival is postponed to:
9 - 11 April 2010
Back at the Tricycle Theatre for its sixth year to unveil an exciting programme packed with UK premieres. Film lovers can look forward to evenings filled with fascinating screenings, Q&A panels and great company.
A children's series based on African folk tales aimed at 4- to 6-year olds - main talent includes Lenny Henry, Miriam Margolyes, Maureen Lipman, Shaun Parkes, and Patrice Naiambana. The series was first developed by Claudia Lloyd, head of animation at Tiger Aspect while travelling through Africa.
bfm news: 2010 Oscar Nominations
by Kam Williams
The Hurt Locker and Avatar Land 9 Nominations
Everyone expected James Cameron’s Avatar to land a bunch of Academy Award nominations. After all, the billion-dollar movie is on the brink of breaking the box office record as the best money-maker in screen history. But that 3D, sci-fi spectacular’s 9 nominations has been matched by The Hurt Locker, a super-realistic, Iraq War saga which barely made back its $11 million budget.
What’s equally interesting is the fact that The Hurt Locker’s director, Kathryn Bigelow, is Cameron’s ex-wife, so the former spouses’ films will be pitted up against each other in not only the Best Picture, Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Original Score categories, but head-to-head for Best Director as well.
Among the other multiple nominees are Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (8), Lee Daniels’ Precious (6), Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air (6) and the endearing Disney cartoon Up (6). A welcomed surprise was newcomer Gabby Sidibe’s being recognized for her compelling portrayal of the title character in Precious, especially since in earning the spot she had to beat out some stiff competition like Tilda Swinton (Julia), Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers), Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist).
COMPLETE LIST OF ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES
BEST PICTURE
* "Avatar"
* "The Blind Side"
* "District 9"
* "An Education"
* "The Hurt Locker"
* "Inglourious Basterds"
* "Precious"
* "A Serious Man"
* "Up"
* "Up in the Air"
BEST DIRECTOR
* James Cameron, "Avatar"
* Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
* Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"
* Lee Daniels, "Precious"
* Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
* Penelope Cruz, "Nine"
* Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
* Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"
* Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
* Mo'Nique, "Precious"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
* Matt Damon, "Invictus"
* Woody Harrleson, "The Messenger"
* Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
* Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"
* Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"
BEST ACTRESS
* Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"
* Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
* Carey Mulligan, "An Education"
* Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"
* Meryl Streep, "Julie and Julia"
BEST ACTOR
* Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
* George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
* Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
* Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"
* Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
* Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker"
* Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"
* Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"
* Joel and Ethan Coen, "A Serious Man"
* Pete Docter, Bob Peterson and Tom McCarthy, "Up"
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
* Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, "District 9"
* Nick Hornby, "An Education"
* Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, "In the Loop"
* Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious"
* Jason Retiman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
* "Coraline"
* "The Fantastic Mr. Fox"
* "The Princess and the Frog"
* "The Secret of Kells"
* "Up"
ART DIRECTION
* "Avatar" (20th Century Fox), Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics), Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* "Nine" (The Weinstein Company), Art Direction: John Myhre, Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* "Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* "The Young Victoria" (Apparition), Art Direction: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
CINEMATOGRPAHY
* "Avatar" (20th Century Fox), Mauro Fiore
* "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.), Bruno Delbonnel
* "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment), Barry Ackroyd
* "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company), Robert Richardson
* "The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics), Christian Berger
COSTUME DESIGN
* "Bright Star" (Apparition), Janet Patterson
* "Coco before Chanel" (Sony Pictures Classics), Catherine Leterrier
* "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics), Monique Prudhomme
* "Nine" (The Weinstein Company), Colleen Atwood
* "The Young Victoria" (Apparition), Sandy Powell
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
* "Burma VJ" (Oscilloscope Laboratories), A Magic Hour Films Production, Anders Ostergaard and Lise Lense-Moller
* "The Cove" (Roadside Attractions), An Oceanic Preservation Society Production, Nominees to be determined
* "Food, Inc." (Magnolia Pictures), A Robert Kenner Films Production, Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers", A Kovno Communications Production, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* "Which Way Home", A Mr. Mudd Production, Rebecca Cammisa
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
* "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan, Province", A Downtown Community Television Center Production, Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
* "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner", A Just Media Production, Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant", A Community Media Production, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* "Music by Prudence", An iThemba Production, Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* "Rabbit à la Berlin" (Deckert Distribution), An MS Films Production, Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra
BEST FILM EDITING
* "Avatar" (20th Century Fox), Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* "District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing), Julian Clarke
* "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment), Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company), Sally Menke
* "Precious" (Lionsgate), Joe Klotz
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
* "Ajami" (Kino International), An Inosan Production, Israel
* "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haddock Films Production, Argentina
* "The Milk of Sorrow", A Wanda Vision/Oberon Cinematografica/Vela Productions, Peru
* "Un Prophete" (Sony Pictures Classics), A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production, France
* "The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics), An X-Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production, Germany
BEST MAKEUP
* "Il Divo" (MPI Media Group through Music Box), Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
* "Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
* "The Young Victoria" (Apparition), Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
* "Avatar" (20th Century Fox), James Horner
* "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox), Alexandre Desplat
* "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment), Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* "Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.), Hans Zimmer
* "Up" (Walt Disney), Michael Giacchino
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
* "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* "Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* "Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" (Sony Pictures Classics), Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas
* "Take It All" from "Nine" (The Weinstein Company), Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
* "French Roast" , A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production, Fabrice O. Joubert
* "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (Brown Bag Films), A Brown Bag Films Production, Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
* "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)", A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production, Javier Recio Gracia
* "Logorama" (Autour de Minuit), An Autour de Minuit Production, Nicolas Schmerkin
* "A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Aardman Animations), An Aardman Animations Production, Nick Park
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
* "The Door" (Network Ireland Television)
* "Instead of Abracadabra", (The Swedish Film Institute)
* "Kavi", A Gregg Helvey Production, Gregg Helvey
* "Miracle Fish", (Premium Films)
* "The New Tenants", A Park Pictures and M & M Production, Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
BEST SOUND EDITING
* "Avatar" (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
* "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson
* "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company), Wylie Stateman
'Why We Laugh'
Sundance Documentary “Why We Laugh” to Air Thursday, February 4th, at 8pm
Codeblack Entertainment CEO Jeff Clanagan announced today that “Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy,” the groundbreaking film examining the history and cultural influence of American black comedy, has been acquired by Showtime and will premiere on the cabler Thursday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. The film will air throughout US Black History Month.
Directed by noted actor-producer-director Robert Townsend (“Hollywood Shuffle”), the documentary, which originally screened at Sundance in 2009 in the Premiere section, features interviews with prominent scholars, politicians, cultural critics, and a host of notable comics, including Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Steve Harvey, and Katt Williams.
Timely, insightful, and downright funny, Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy is a sweeping account of the evolution of black comedy in America. Inspired by comedian Darryl Littleton’s book, directors Robert Townsend and Quincy Newell have crafted a no-holds-barred documentary that is both an insider’s take and a critical examination of the cultural influence of black comedy.
Winner of Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival, 2009 Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film festival 2009 Special Jury Prize Performance, for Mo'Nique, Sundance Film Festival 2009 People's Choice Award, Toronto International Film Festival 2009 Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 2009 Official Selection, Times BFI London Film Festival 2009.
Set in 1987, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write. Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.
Check out MovieVortex.com
Check out MovieVortex.com
MovieVortex.com is a site a co-own bfm film critic Cassam Looch and colleague, Michael Edwards. It's been running for six months and has steadily seen users rise due to their no nonsense, honest and uncompromising reviews as well as exclusively produced podcasts.
Movie Vortex aspires to be the home of good movies. We’re tired of ad-heavy websites that only plug the biggest releases and only talk to the biggest stars. We don’t believe that websites are about driving traffic through repetitive image galleries or recycled quotes from Tom Cruise. We want the newest, most exciting film talent to be recognised for what it is. More than that though, we want to provide real movie fans with real movie content.
In the reviews sections you will find a collection of views on the latest theatrical and DVD releases. We get excited about the ones we love, and angry about the ones we hate, but we will never get drawn in by the hype that surrounds a release.
Vortex Scrolls is the section where we show off all the great people we’ve talked to. Because we love films and not celebrities, you’ll find lots of people you might not know, and lots of people behind the magic rather than those who are simply the highly paid faces on the big screen. We don’t do gimmicks, we don’t do personal lives, we just want to know about films.
Because we love media, we want to make our own. That’s why we have a media player which will have a whole bunch of movie commentary ranging from podcasts and vodcasts to short films and trailers. Because we want to help new talent get out there we might occasionally stick a (modest) price tag on some content, if you feel like supporting us and seeing something new then we’d love for you to chip in and help out our vision.
New Disney Film Princess and the Frog is First to Feature a Black Character in the Lead
Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical The Princess and the Frog, an animated comedy that provides a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. Voice talent: Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Keith David, Jim Cummings, Jenifer Lewis and Oprah Winfrey
Release Date: 5th February, 2010
Trailer:
The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival launch and bfm highlightsd
The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival launch and bfm picks
On a fine sunny morning in a crowded central London cinema this year’s line-up for the London film festival was announced. The numerous highlights are listed below in detail, but here are some of the titles that we’re particularly looking forward to. Whether it’s the blisteringly honest ‘Precious’ or the controversial British feature ‘1 day’ there is plenty to see this year.
The line-up looks to be the most accessible in recent years and anyone looking for a documentary fix need look no further than ‘Still Bill’ which profiles the reclusive singer Bill Withers. George Clooney stars in a trio of films with ‘Men who stare at goats’ promising to be as much of a crowd-pleaser as the man himself. The festival launch also featured clips from the hilarious Steven Soderbergh spy caper The Informant! and a tantalizing short which showed us a Bruce Lee action figure going on the rampage.
We’ll be featuring these films (and many more) in the coming weeks with the festival's proper running from 14th – 19th October.
Cassam Looch
Festival details:
The programme for The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival, includes a diverse selection of world and international premieres with a total of 191 features and 113 shorts screening alongside an exciting line-up of special events and expected guests.
Opening Night film, Wes Anderson’s FANTASTIC MR. FOX, is one of the Festival’s 15 world premieres and will be presented by the director and cast members including Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Helen McCrory. Other films celebrating their world premieres include Sam Taylor-Wood’s Closing Night Gala NOWHERE BOY and the Festival’s first ever Archive Gala, the BFI’s new restoration of Anthony Asquith’s UNDERGROUND, with live music accompaniment by the Prima Vista Social Club, led by Neil Brand. The Festival will also host 23 European premieres, including Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s MICMACS, Scott Hicks’ THE BOYS ARE BACK and Robert Connolly’s BALIBO, as well as Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni’s THE WELL and Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson’s MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN. The 4 international premieres that will be featured are 45365 from Bill and Turner Ross, Celine Danhier’s BLANK CITY, Mike Judge’s EXTRACT and Rumle Hammerich’s HEADHUNTER. Festival audiences will also have the chance to enjoy the UK premiere of John Lasseter’s TOY STORY 2 in Disney Digital 3D™.
Presenting a total of 146 UK premieres, the Festival showcases new work from established and emerging filmmakers alongside debuts by newly discovered talents. Directors travelling to London to introduce their latest work will include Michael Haneke (Cannes Palme d’Or winner, THE WHITE RIBBON), Atom Egoyan (CHLOE), Steven Soderbergh (THE INFORMANT!), Lone Scherfig (AN EDUCATION), Ang Lee (TAKING WOODSTOCK), Jane Campion (BRIGHT STAR), Gaspar Noé (ENTER THE VOID), Lee Daniels (PRECIOUS), Grant Heslov (THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS), and Jason Reitman (UP IN THE AIR). George Clooney will also be in attendance to support his role in THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS. In addition, the Festival will welcome back previous alumni such as John Hillcoat (THE ROAD), Joe Swanberg (ALEXANDER THE LAST) and Harmony Korine (TRASH HUMPERS), whilst also screening films from Manoel de Oliveira (ECCENTRICITIES OF A BLONDE-HAIRED GIRL), Jim Jarmusch (THE LIMITS OF CONTROL), Claire Denis (WHITE MATERIAL), Ho-Yuhang (AT THE END OF DAYBREAK), Todd Solondz (LIFE DURING WARTIME) and Joel and Ethan Coen (A SERIOUS MAN).
The programme introduces the work of debut directors including Tom Ford (A SINGLE MAN), Jordan Scott (CRACKS) and Warwick Thornton (SAMSON & DELILAH). Amongst the many British directors making their feature film debuts at the Festival are Paul King (BUNNY AND THE BULL), Malcolm Venville (44 INCH CHEST), David Morrissey (DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME), Tom Harper (THE SCOUTING BOOK FOR BOYS), Lindy Heymann (KICKS) and J Blakeson (THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED). They will screen alongside a compelling line-up of British films from directors such as Stephen Poliakoff (GLORIOUS 39), Julien Temple (OIL CITY CONFIDENTIAL), Penny Woolcock (1 DAY), Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas (AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY), Jez Lewis (SHED YOUR TEARS AND WALK AWAY) and Chris Atkins (STARSUCKERS), several of which are world premieres.
Included in a strong selection of films representing new French cinema are Jacques Audiard’s A PROPHET, André Téchiné’s THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, Jacques Rivette’s AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN, Catherine Corsini’s LEAVING and Patrice Chéreau’s PERSECUTION. This year’s French Gala is Mia Hansen-Løve’s FATHER OF MY CHILDREN and as part of the Festival’s Special Events programme, the Festival will present two exciting masterclasses with Audiard and Téchiné, in partnership with Unifrance.
Contemporary European cinema is celebrated in the Cinema Europa strand which includes 40 films, such as Jesper Ganslandt’s THE APE from Sweden, Yorgos Lanthimos’ DOGTOOTH from Greece and two Austrian-French-German co-productions: LOURDES by Jessica Hausner and WOMEN WITHOUT MEN by Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat. Additionally, the Film on the Square strand includes the French-Romanian co-production TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE, directed by Hanno Höfer, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu and Ioana Uricaru and Marco Bellocchio’s VINCERE, one of 8 films screening in the Festival from Italy. Marking its 10th year of a valuable association with Film Italia, the Festival will also host MAESTRI & MULTIPLEXES: ITALIAN CINEMA NOW, a panel discussion about the issues facing contemporary Italian films and filmmakers.
The very best of world cinema is reflected in the programme, as Festival audiences have a choice of films from 46 countries around the globe. Territories represented include Africa (Souleymane Cissé’s TELL ME WHO YOU ARE), East Asia (Bong Joon-Ho’s MOTHER), South Asia (Shyam Benegal’s THE STOLEN WELL) and the Middle East (Samuel Maoz’s LEBANON and Haim Tabakman’s EYES WIDE OPEN). A fresh slate of new films representing the next wave of American independent filmmaking includes Sophie Barthes’ COLD SOULS, Andrew Bujalski’s BEESWAX, Sam Fleischner and Ben Chace‘s WAH DO DEM, Nicholas Jasenovec’s PAPER HEART and Suzi Yoonessi’s DEAR LEMON LIMA.
Frederick Wiseman’s LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET is one of 26 documentary features at the Festival which will compete for the annual Grierson Award for best feature-length documentary. Michel Gondry’s THE THORN IN THE HEART, Ondi Timoner’s WE LIVE IN PUBLIC and Connie Field’s HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG: THE BOTTOM LINE also screen, in addition to music documentaries from Tom DiCillo (WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE: A FILM ABOUT THE DOORS) and Damani Baker and Alex Vlack (STILL BILL). With a total of nine short film programmes and four experimental shorts programmes, audiences enjoy a wealth of choice ranging from recent work by the capital’s most exciting new filmmakers in the LONDON CALLING selection, to A THING CALLED LOVE- an assortment of films examining personal relationships, from the briefest encounter to love beyond the grave.
The Festival’s cutting edge Experimenta strand will feature the series of seven films by American avant-garde artist and theoretician Hollis Frampton known as HAPAX LEGOMENA. Considered one of his most distinguished achievements, it will be presented in its entirety on new preservation prints. Additionally, Johan Grimonprez’s ingenious hybrid DOUBLE TAKE will screen, as well as the latest instalment of the FILM IST series, A GIRL AND A GUN, by Gustav Deutsch. Treasures from the Archive celebrates the legacy of cinema with a wealth of classics from around the world that includes Ingmar Bergman’s THE TOUCH and Norman Z. McLeod’s TOPPER, alongside Shadi Abdel Salam’s THE NIGHT OF COUNTING THE YEARS, restored by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation.
For the sixth year running, the Festival will host a free outdoor screening in Trafalgar Square. LONDON MOVES ME is an evening of more than 20 archive shorts that, in a link to the restoration of UNDERGROUND, celebrate transport in London – a whistle stop tour from 1896 to 2009 with live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand. Open to all, LONDON MOVES ME will screen on 22 October.
As always, complementing the screenings is a full programme of unique Special Events, with an outstanding line-up of directors, writers, actors and producers due to attend the Festival. ENVIRONMENTAL FILMMAKING: CAN CINEMA EVER BE TRULY GREEN? and IRANIAN CINEMA: POST-NEW WAVE, POST-ELECTION...WHERE NOW? promise to be provocative free events for audiences, whilst STYLISH BY DESIGN: THE PRODUCTION DESIGNER IN CINEMA will prove both interesting and informative, as designers discuss their different styles and experiences working with top directors.
Other guests expected to attend the Festival in October include: Clive Owen; Julianne Moore; Ray Winstone; Aaron Johnson; Nick Park; Catherine Breillat; Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Emma Thompson, Matthew Beard, Olivia Williams, Dominic Cooper; Nick Hornby; Lu Chan; Juno Temple; Alex Etel; Eliza May Bennett; Hugh Bonneville; Pauline Collins; Kwyedza Kureya; Federico León; Anurag Kashyap; Tarik Saleh; Josh Harris and James Schamus with many more still to be confirmed.
Commenting on the Festival line-up, Artistic Director Sandra Hebron said: “I'm delighted that we have such a strong and varied programme this year, presenting new work from some of the world's most renowned directors alongside films from exciting new talents, and showcasing creativity and imagination from around the world. We look forward to October when film-makers, industry and media guests and our public audiences will join us in London for what promises to be an exciting, stimulating and enjoyable two weeks.”
Shank - the Future of South London
Shank - the Future of south London
By Karla Williams
It’s a warm Monday afternoon and shooting is in full swing for the new UK action thriller Shank. Set in the future, and shot entirely on location in south London, the film depicts the life of one of London’s street gangs in a city where food has replaced drugs and guns as a priceless commodity.
The Paper Chaserz trade in ‘munchies’ but choose to stay away from the territory disputes and its violence. But when a tip off about a food delivery leads to the death of one of their own, their leader Junior must decide whether to stay true to his principles or drag them all into a quest for revenge that could get them killed.
“The moral is completely about non violence” said screenwriter Paul Carter who was inspired to write the script after conversations with production company Revolver. “A message for kids not to join gangs...but to find a good way out for your future.” The film stars whole host of young British talent including The Bill and Doctors actor Kedar Williams-Sterling, Kaya Scodelario from E4’s Skin, and MC turned actor Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas.
Making his feature film debut is urban music director Mo Ali, who appears unfazed at talking the helm of this youth orientated film “I’m not nervous. It’s a learning curve and a really good experience” said Ali. And when asked why he decided to get on board the project? “It’s about escapism...its semi reality with a little bit of costume that the kids can have fun with it.”
Playing one of the main members of the gang is household name and urban British film regular, Adam Deacon. “I like the fact that it’s set in the future. It’s a bit different,” replied Deacon when asked his reasons for joining the cast. “Also my character is quite different from the other characters I’ve played before; he’s more dopey and all over the place.” But what does he think will attract an audience to another UK street film? “There is a market for these types of films and I think some writers are very scared to write in this genre, so whenever films like this do come out its refreshing. Also with Shank, it’s not just another story about a kid with a gun that gets in trouble; it’s actually an action film as well.”
Shooting will continue for the rest of September and Shank is expected to hit cinemas in 2010.
13 Months of Sunshine on Demand
bfm news: Shawshank Redemption - The Stage Adaptation
Shawshank Redemption, the moving story of courage, friendship and hope inspired the 1994 award winning film (Morgan Freeman) based on the book by Stephen King. It was translated into 33 languages. It is now a play and opens today at the Wyndham’s Theatre and runs until 14 February, 2010. For more information, click here
13 Months of Sunshine on Demand
13 Months of Sunshine on Demand
13 Months of Sunshine is now available on www.amazon.com for a rental fee of $2.99 or a digital purchase price of $8.99. The DVD is also available as well for $16.99. This film is a popular bfm favourite comes highly recommended from Nadia Dention, director, bfm International Film Festival.
13 Months of Sunshine is the story of an Ethiopian man who marries a woman so she can get a green card and become a citizen of the United States. In exchange, her family pays him $20,000, enough to open up his own dream business--an authentic Ethiopian coffee house. During the year-long naturalization process, they must learn to live with each other, finding that the marriage of convenience becomes complicated through love, jealousy, and the clash of cultural values each must face in following their dreams.
Digital Film Archive Fund 2009/2010
Digital Film Archive Fund 2009/2010
Round 3 Application Deadline Announced
The Digital Film Archive Fund has been set up to increase public access to regional screen heritage. Projects could take a variety of forms including film-making/new commissions, exhibition, distribution, broadcast, online, education or participatory work.
Deadline: Wednesday 6 January 2010, 5pm
Digital Film Archive Fund Information Sessions
Two Digital Film Archive Fund Information Sessions have been scheduled for October 2009. These sessions will provide a general introduction to the Fund, outlining its aims, objectives and priorities, as well as providing general guidance on putting together an application. A time for Questions & Answers will also be provided. The two available dates for these sessions are:
* Thursday 1 October 2009 from 10:30 to 12:00
* Monday 26 October 2009 from 14:30 to 16:00.
Digital Film Archive Fund Surgery Day
This will take place on Wednesday 11 November 2009 at Film London and will consist of 30 minute face-to-face meetings with a Film London advisor. Slots are available at the following times:
10:30 - 11:00
12:30 - 13:00
15:00 - 15:30
11:00 - 11:30
LUNCH BREAK
15:30 - 16:00
11:30 - 12:00
14:00 - 14:30
16:00 - 16:30
12:00 - 12:30
14:30 - 15:30
16:30 - 17:00
To register for an information session and/or book a surgery appointment please email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, or alternatively you can telephone 0207 613 7697. Please provide your full name, the name of your organisation (where applicable), which information session you would like to attend, and/or which surgery time you would like.
About Film London’s Digital Film Archive Fund
Screen heritage is held in many different places including film archives, universities, record offices, production companies, galleries, museums and libraries. The Fund is about making content accessible in the digital age, regardless of where it is held. For the purposes of this Fund, Screen Heritage is defined as encompassing moving image media, from traditional film and television to artist’s film & video; animation (both traditional and digital) and digital material distributed via the Web together with contextual material including scripts, designs, marketing and publicity material and documents relating to production, distribution and consumption.
They are looking for projects that will work across two main objectives:
* Delivering wide spread public access to screen heritage: We want to ensure that as much screen heritage material as possible is available for the public to see. In order to achieve this, there must be a focus on programming archive content to ensure that access is provided to as many people as possible through a variety of platforms (i.e. through screenings, festivals, online, in public spaces) and through developing key strategic partnerships to offer maximum delivery.
* Creating wide spread public value from access to screen heritage and evidence supporting it: We want to ensure that the many public benefits of our screen heritage are recognised and evidenced. Demonstrating the public value that comes from using screen heritage content in different ways will help to encourage future investment and partnerships, in turn supporting the move towards longer term stability for film archives.
Documentary Campus Masterschool
Documentary Campus Masterschool
New Call for the 2010 Masterschool: for 2010, we are looking for European filmmakers who have fresh and new ideas for:
- documentary series
- documentary formats
- documentary cross-media projects
- classical one-offs in the non-fiction area
Application closes: 2 October 2009
Whilst we are open to every topic, the projects have to suit the international TV market.
In 2010 we will work with the best experts and commissioning editors in the fields mentioned above. Take the opportunity to apply for a unique programme which offers experienced European documentary filmmakers a chance to move outside their home markets. Within a ten-month period, you will develop your own cherished project and cover everything from storytelling to legal and budgetary issues. We will meet four times for one-week long workshops (February/May/ July/October).
NEW: during one of the workshops producers and authors/directors get individual trainings. Depending on their background they get either a management training in how to run a successful company in our days or a special training in storytelling and scriptwriting.
Up to 70% of all Masterschool films have been completed! Many of them won awards and have proved to be of vital importance to the careers of the filmmakers concerned. Take this opportunity and apply!
"Campus is a fantastic project and gives film makers invaluable exposure to the international documentary market. To have a film selected for their Masterschool programme provided us with opportunities that otherwise simply wouldn‘t have been possible.“ Mike Todd, Riverhorse Productions (Masterschool participant 2007)
The Documentary Campus Masterschool, a European masterclass in project development of documentary films for an international audience, forms the central core of our training initiative. It offers professionals and talented up-and-coming filmmakers a unique opportunity to find their way into the international non-fiction market. Under the aegis of the Documentary Campus Masterschool, which makes a call for submissions once a year, up to 15 European authors and directors develop their documentaries during a 10-month period.
Projects
The projects developed in the Masterschool appeal to viewers with different backgrounds from various cultures and are thus suitable for broadcasters in several countries. The range of genres encompasses all kinds of creative documentaries including wildlife and nature, foreign worlds, history, portraits and science. All non-fiction formats that are internationally distributed are supported.
What projects can be submitted?
* The topics should require research and be suitable for intensive script development
* Projects should have a strong storyline that does not only appeal to a small, special-interest audience but might attract viewers with varied backgrounds from different cultures and countries
* A project does not get “international” by simply setting it in several countries. Often a local story reflecting unique experiences or basic human emotions (love, hate, joy or fear) can be very powerful for viewers all over the world
* The range of genres to be developed in the Masterschool encompasses all kinds of creative documentaries including wildlife and nature, foreign worlds, history, portraits and science
* The following non-fiction projects that are internationally distributed are eligible: one-offs and feature-length documentaries, series or even formats. The projects should be suitable for broadcasters in more than one country
* The applicant has to hold the author’s rights of the entered project(s)
* The applicant should not submit an idea that needs to go into production before the end of the course
Workshops
The four one-week workshops, taking place in different European cities, provide good insights into the whole process of setting up international coproductions. Through first-class tuition and one-to-one access to renowned professionals, they offer creative and practical support for every phase in the development of a project for the international market:
* Story Development and Scriptwriting
* International Coproduction and Financing
* Distribution and Marketing
* Project Presentation and Pitching
Internship
In addition, Masterschool participants have the opportunity to complete an internship with an international production or distribution company in their field of interest. Through contact with current projects and productions, participants obtain an insight into the multinational strategies of enterprises, visit programme fairs and gain practical experience vital for their future work.
Between the workshop and internship phases, participants in the Masterschool pursue their regular work and research and write and plan their Masterschool project.
Tutors
Each participant is supported by two tutors during the project development phase. They are specially selected for each project to perfectly suit the needs of the respective participants: one is a production or distribution expert, the other is an experienced commissioning editor.
The tutors of the Documentary Campus Masterschool are some of the most distinguished producers and distributors in the international non-fiction sector as well as high-profile TV executives from broadcasters such as the ARD, ARTE, AVRO, BBC, Channel 4, Discovery Channel, France 5, HBO, Humanistische Omroep, ORF, Spiegel TV, SVT, TVOntario, VRT Canvas, WGBH International, YLE, TV2 and ZDF.
The Final Pitching Session
On completion of the Documentary Campus Masterschool, the documentary projects are fully developed and ready for production. The participants pitch their projects to an extraordinary range of international decision makers. More than 50 high-ranking commissioning editors and distributors are present during the Final Pitching Session. An impressive number of the Masterschool projects receive additional funding or full financing.
World Premiere of Fantastic Mr Fox to open the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival
World Premiere of Fantastic Mr Fox to open the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival
The Times BFI London Film Festival is proud to announce that this year’s Festival will open on Wednesday 14 October with the world premiere of FANTASTIC MR. FOX, from visionary director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited).
Anderson’s first animated film, which he co-wrote with Noah Baumbach, uses classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children’s book by British author Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach). The film features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jarvis Cocker and Helen McCrory. It is produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin and Allison Abbate.
Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Jason Schwartzman are expected to attend the opening night screening along with other members of the voice cast.
Mr and Mrs Fox (Clooney and Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristopherson (Eric Anderson). But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost.
The full programme for The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival will be announced on Wednesday 9 September.
The festival runs from 14-29 October 2009
Call for applications - Colour Heritage and Conservation training
Here's your chance to get into the mood for the launch of VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA on June 22nd by attending this special Free Fiesta courtesy of Cactus Language Training. Just follow the instructions on the invite below and enjoy...
Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Picture - Musical / Comedy, Woody Allen’s VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA features remarkable and much nominated performances by Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Hall. The latest film from the legendary director marks a return to the peak of his powers, as he skilfully crafts a hilarious and touching look at love and relationships.
Starring Rebecca Hall, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johannson
Out To Own On DVD & Blu-ray 22nd June 2009
Two friends (Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall) on a summer holiday in Spain become involved with the same painter (Javier Bardem), unaware that his fiery and volatile ex-wife (Penélope Cruz) is about to re-enter the picture.
Call for applications - Colour Heritage and Conservation training
Call for applications: CREATE postgraduate training course - Colour Heritage and Conservation
Marie Curie European project CREATE (Colour Research for European Technology Employment), are holding their fourth training event in Italy this October, looking at colour heritage and conservation. The application deadline is 30 June, and travel and accommodation grants are available to all successful applicants.
Further details on who is eligible to apply are on the website (www.create.uwe.ac.uk). The event will include a three day programme of lectures and practical workshops on a variety of subjects, with a real mix between the arts and sciences. All applications should be submitted to me by email or post. Download PDF here.
Mystery of Jerusalem Rapper Continues - Who is MC Nobody?
Mystery of Jerusalem Rapper Continues - Who is MC Nobody?
A masked rapper – known only as Nobody – is creating a huge buzz online with a track called Jerusalem. The track - which borrows from William Blake’s classic poem - is a satirical poke at contemporary British life, set against a funky electro melody and an infectious bassline.
Music chat rooms and blogs have been buzzing with speculation as to the true identity of the rapper, the names Dizzee Rascal, Skepta, Ty, Pyrelli, PNids, DPS and Sway have all been mentioned. Yesterday, in a new twist the mysterious rapper released an accompanying video to the track. In the hilarious video, Nobody and crew kidnap The Queen and take her on a tour of the real British way of life. Viewers follow Nobody (and Liz) on a side-splitting tour of his the local chip shop, his east London flat and the Prince of Wales ... the pub, that is.
LOS ANGELES – “The Princess and the Frog” does not open nationwide until December, but the buzz is already breathless: For the first time in Walt Disney animation history, the fairest of them all is black.
New York Times News Service:
– “The Princess and the Frog” does not open nationwide until December, but the buzz is already breathless: For the first time in Walt Disney animation history, the fairest of them all is black.
Princess Tiana, a hand-drawn throwback to classic Disney characters like Cinderella and Snow White, has a dazzling green gown, a classy upsweep hairdo and a diamond tiara. Like her predecessors, she is a strong-willed songbird (courtesy of the Tony-winning actress Anika Noni Rose) who finds her muscle-bound boyfriend against all odds.
“Finally, here is something that all little girls, especially young black girls, can embrace,” Cori Murray, an entertainment director at Essence magazine, recently told CNN.
To the dismay of Disney executives – along with the black bloggers and others who side with the company – the film is also attracting chatter of an uglier nature. Is “The Princess and the Frog,” set in New Orleans in the 1920s, about to vaporize stereotypes or promote them?
The film, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, two of the men behind “The Little Mermaid,” unfolds against a raucous backdrop of voodoo and jazz. Tiana, a waitress and budding chef who dreams of owning a restaurant, is persuaded to kiss a frog who is really a prince.
The spell backfires and – poof! – she is also an amphibian. Accompanied by a Cajun firefly and a folksy alligator, the couple search for a cure.
After viewing some photographs of merchandise tied to the movie, which is still unfinished, Black Voices, a Web site on AOL dedicated to African-American culture, faulted the prince’s relatively light skin color. Prince Naveen hails from the fictional land of Maldonia and is voiced by a Brazilian actor; Disney says that he is not white.
“Disney obviously doesn’t think a black man is worthy of the title of prince,” Angela Bronner Helm wrote March 19 on the site. “His hair and features are decidedly non-black. This has left many in the community shaking their head in befuddlement and even rage.”
Others see insensitivity in the locale.
“Disney should be ashamed,” William Blackburn, a former columnist at The Charlotte Observer, told London’s Daily Telegraph. “This princess story is set in New Orleans, the setting of one of the most devastating tragedies to beset a black community.”
ALSO under scrutiny is Ray the firefly, performed by Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Yosemite Sam). Some people think Ray sounds too much like the stereotype of an uneducated Southerner in an early trailer.
Of course, armchair critics have also been complaining about the princess. Disney originally called her Maddy (short for Madeleine). Too much like Mammy and thus racist. A rumor surfaced on the Internet that an early script called for her to be a chambermaid to a white woman, a historically correct profession. Too much like slavery.
And wait: We finally get a black princess and she spends the majority of her time on screen as a frog?
“Because of Disney’s history of stereotyping,” said Michael D. Baran, a cognitive psychologist and anthropologist who teaches at Harvard and specializes in how children learn about race, “people are really excited to see how Disney will handle her language, her culture, her physical attributes.”
Baran is reserving judgment and encourages others to do the same. But he added that the issue warrants scrutiny because of Disney’s outsize impact on children.
“People think that kids don’t catch subtle messages about race and gender in movies, but it’s quite the opposite,” he said.
Donna Farmer, a Los Angeles Web designer who is black and has two children, applauded Disney’s efforts to add diversity.
“I don’t know how important having a black princess is to little girls – my daughter loves Ariel and I see nothing wrong with that – but I think it’s important to moms,” she said.
“Who knows if Disney will get it right,” she added. “They haven’t always in the past, but the idea that Disney is not bending over backward to be sensitive is laughable. It wants to sell a whole lot of Tiana dolls and some Tiana paper plates and make people line up to see Tiana at Disney World.”
Few people outside the company have seen footage of the movie. Among them are consultants like Oprah Winfrey, whom Disney asked for input on the racial aspects of the film and was cast as Tiana’s mother. (Movie theater owners and members of the NAACP have also been shown scenes, and the reactions, according to a Disney spokeswoman, were “extremely positive.”)
Fueling the debate are photos of related merchandise taken from a toy industry event, a one-minute teaser trailer and Disney’s enormous cultural impact.
The company wants to vanquish once and for all the whispers of racism that linger from stumbles in the past. Yes, “Dumbo” traded in black stereotypes in 1941 with its band of uneducated, pimp-hat-wearing crows. All the animals in “The Jungle Book” from 1967 speak in proper British accents except for the jive-talking monkeys who desperately want to become “real people.”
More recently, “Aladdin” ran into trouble in 1993. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee labeled certain song lyrics defamatory (“Where they cut off your ear/If they don’t like your face/It’s barbaric, but, hey, it’s home”).
The company responds that criticism of such well-worn examples – particularly of films from the ‘60s and earlier – applies a 21st-century morality to movies made in sharply different times. The United States barely had a Civil Rights Act in 1967, much less a black president.
Disney executives think people should stop jumping to conclusions about “The Princess and the Frog.”
A producer of the film, Peter Del Vecho, said: “We feel a great responsibility to get this right. Every artistic decision is being carefully thought out.”
Rose, familiar to movie audiences for her role in “Dreamgirls,” has also defended Disney.
“There is no reason to get up in arms,” she told reporters at a recent Los Angeles Urban League dinner. “If there was something that I thought was disrespectful to me or to my heritage, I would certainly not be a part of it.”
Winfrey declined to comment. A spokesman for the NAACP said the organization had no immediate comment.
Disney is often criticized no matter how carefully it strives to put together its television shows, theme-park attractions and movies. For years, Disney has been lambasted by some parents for not having a black princess. Now, some of those same voices are taking aim at the company without seeing the finished product. (Officially, the princesses are Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel of “The Little Mermaid,” Belle of “Beauty and the Beast” and Jasmine of “Aladdin” – all white except for Jasmine, who is Arabian. The leads from “Mulan” and “Pocahontas” are sometimes sold with the Princess merchandising line.)
Del Vecho said the idea for a black princess came about organically. The producers wanted to create a fairy tale set in the United States and centered on New Orleans, with its colorful past and deep musical history.
“As we spent time in New Orleans, we realized how truly it is a melting pot, which is how the idea of strongly multicultural characters came about,” Del Vecho said.
He described Tiana as “a resourceful and talented person” and the rare fairy tale heroine “who is not saved by a prince.” Once the decision was made to make the lead black, he added, “We wanted her to bear the traits of African-American women and be truly beautiful.”
Getting “The Princess and the Frog” right is of enormous importance to Disney. The company needs hits, as evidenced by a recently announced 97 percent drop in quarterly profit. The Disney Princess merchandising line is a $4 billion annual business and the company has plans for Tiana to be everywhere. Get ready for Tiana dresses, elaborate dolls and Halloween costumes.
The movie also marks a return by Disney to traditional hand-drawn animation. A failure could be the final nail in the coffin of an art form pioneered by Walt Disney himself.
In the last 20 years, Disney has made huge strides in depicting race. In 1997, the company’s television division presented a live-action version of “Cinderella” with a black actress, the singer Brandy, playing the lead. In 1998, “Mulan” was celebrated as a rare animated feature that depicted Chinese characters with realistic-looking slanted eyes; most animated films (even those from Japan) had Westernized versions of Asian people until that time.
The debate surrounding “The Princess and the Frog” illustrates how difficult it is to deal with race in animation, experts say. Cartoons by their nature trade in caricatures.
Mainstream producers have largely avoided characters of color for fear of offending minority groups, although black producers have been creating cartoons featuring stereotyped characters since the days of “Fat Albert.”
Disney can take some comfort in a backlash to the backlash.
“This is one of those situations where I am ashamed of the black community,” Levi Roberts said in a YouTube video. “Are we being racist ourselves by saying this movie shouldn’t have a white prince?”
Perhaps the final word – for now – should come from somebody who is black and a former Disney animator.
“Overly sensitive people see racial or ethnic slights in every image,” wrote Floyd Norman, whose credits span from “Sleeping Beauty” to “Mulan,” in a 2007 essay on the Web site Jim Hill Media. “And in their zeal to sanitize and pasteurize everything, they’ve taken all the fun out of cartoon making.”
Lights, Camera, Download
Websites like Spotify and Last.fm allow us to discover new music and enjoy our favourite tunes for free. So why can’t we watch movies the same way? Tim Walker discovers why Hollywood is dragging its heels.
After years of delay, the internet has finally been allowed to revolutionise my music consumption. I can discover new artists using Last.FM, seek out their back catalogue via Spotify and, if I have to own a song, I can buy it from iTunes.
The same services are readily available for movies. I can add an application to my internet browser that will tell me, every time I visit Amazon or IMDB, where to find the relevant film online. I can stream it straight through my laptop. And if I have to own it, then I can download the whole thing in high-definition, for free. There’s one problem – it’s illegal.
So when am I going to get a Spotify for films? An ad-supported free streaming service with a big back catalogue – maybe with a paid subscription version offering new releases or extra content like extra features on a DVD? If the music industry can get its act together, how long is it going to take the movies?
Most of the millions of people that downloaded illicit copies of Wolverine didn’t do it because they want to stick it to the man; they did it because it’s the easiest way to access the movies they love. If there was a way they could do that without jeopardising the future of film, and without risking the wrath of the copyright police, they would.
FindAnyFilm.com is a new website, funded by the UK Film Council, which points users to viewing options for a catalogue of 30,000 films, be it a television screening, a DVD outlet like Amazon or Lovefilm, or a legal download and streaming source. If the desired film isn’t available in the right format, users can request an email alert for when it does become available. FindAnyFilm was launched in January and took just 10 weeks to get its first million visits. It has proven beyond doubt the public’s huge appetite for film downloads.
A third of the 30,000 films catalogued on the site aren’t legally available in the UK in any format. Only around 1,000 of them are legally available online, from Sky, iTunes or sites like Coolroom and Blinkbox. Yet 60 per cent of the 55,000 email alerts requested by the site’s users are for downloads or streaming. The most popular search on the site is for the vampire flick Twilight. Every single alert request for that film is for a download or streaming source.
The film industry has learned from the mistakes of the music industry, and knows that the web is where the future lies. But getting there will be a struggle. Turning to lower-profit business models such as Spotify is more plausible for musicians than for filmmakers; the inherent costs of making a film are significantly greater than those of producing an LP. Then there are the funding structures that allow a film’s production to get off the ground. To generate a budget, filmmakers often have to sell the rights to a number of different companies in various global territories: one chunk to a cinema distributor in the US, for instance, and another to a TV channel for first broadcast rights in New Zealand. Switch to a globalised market, in which all those films are suddenly available via the internet, and those rights deals become worthless.
Moreover, this complicated financing structure means that licensing old films for inclusion on a service resembling Spotify or Last.FM is nigh-on impossible. “If you’ve got one company that’s the sole financier of the movie and has cleared the rights, then you could do it,” says Peter Buckingham, head of distribution and exhibition at the UK Film Council, and the man in charge of FindAnyFilm. “But if you’ve got a film that was financed by quite a few sources, a few years back, and you’re trying to figure out who’s got the rights, then it’s very difficult. Everyone balks at it, so films get left on the analogue shelf.”
Even if the industry could overcome this red tape, would an ad-supported service be sustainable? Advertising revenues have collapsed in the recession. Hulu, a US website launched in 2007, offers ad-supported free content – including a decent array of movies – streamed from 130 major content providers, including NBC, Fox and Comedy Central. Its creators are said to be considering a UK launch.
But perhaps the more attractive element of Spotify – to content providers, at least – is its premium service. Its unlimited access to content for a monthly subscription is similar to the service offered by DVD rental websites such as Lovefilm, which has a catalogue of around 65,000 titles. In 2005, Lovefilm became the first site to offer legal movie downloads in the UK, starting with pay-per-view rentals and, later, pay-to-own downloads. The service was halted earlier this year for redevelopment, and a relaunch is planned for later in 2009. Lovefilm are keeping shtum, but it’s not a vast stretch of the imagination to wonder whether the new, improved service will offer streamed films.
“The film industry has an advantage over music,” says Andy Frost, director of media at technology consultancy Detica. “Film has a well-understood rental market, which will translate easily to the internet. As long as a decent catalogue is available online for a fair price, it will work, because consumers get what rental is – in terms of films, they don’t really understand the notion of ‘free’.”
iTunes now offers a film rental and purchase service. New films, however, cost considerably more to download than they might at the cinema, and sometimes even more than on DVD. Take Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies. To rent it on iTunes costs £3.49, more than the cost of a basic monthly subscription to Lovefilm. To buy it would cost £10.99, just shy of the Amazon DVD price, and considerably more than I’m prepared to pay for a download of a poorly-reviewed film – especially when I could find it quickly and simply elsewhere online, for free.
The UK film and TV industry estimates that it’s losing almost £500m a year to piracy. Cinema profits remain buoyant, but home entertainment revenues are at rock bottom. Liz Bales is Director-General of the Industry Trust, a copyright protection organisation. “The lion’s share of the British film industry’s revenue comes from home entertainment,” she explains. “About one in 30 British films break even at the cinema, and about one in 10 break even through the whole life cycle. The other films are all funded by those few.”
Even a legal download culture would probably be unable to generate the necessary profits to maintain such a system. “The number of people that would consume any one film for, say, £1, would never be sufficient to support the current level of investment in films,” Bales continues. “In future, risky productions won’t get funding: the films that are socially and culturally significant, like Kidulthood. You can’t guarantee you’ll get much box office for them, and if you can’t sell them on DVD, where are you going to get the revenue? We’ll see a contraction of investment.”
That will be sad for film fans as well as filmmakers. While the industry fights piracy, the internet is also allowing it to interact more directly with audiences. Director Jon Favreau has been Twittering regularly from the set of his blockbuster sequel, Iron Man 2. Actress Natalie Portman has just launched Makingof.com, a social networking site for anyone interested in movies. Couldn’t the goodwill of fans be harnessed to fund film production via the internet?
When Radiohead released their seventh album In Rainbows in 2007, they used a “tip-jar” system, encouraging people to pay what they liked to download it. The Sellaband site asks fans of unsigned acts to contribute to the cost of producing an album. Donors receive a copy of the record and a small share of any profits. Since 2006, 30 bands have reached the $50,000 target needed to start work on their records. Could the same thing work for films?
FindAnyFilm’s results suggest that there’s an audience appetite for the sort of films that Bales says are under threat. Of the 55,000 alerts requested for films on the site, only 6,000 are for the blockbusters in its top 10. The rest, says Buckingham, are niche titles.“For the first time,” he says, “we have data that we can put back into the industry and say, ‘There may be a market here that’s bigger than we thought, and even movies that we thought weren’t worth anything anymore, could find a commercial market.’”
The industry is keeping a close watch on music’s new business models. But experts aren’t convinced that even the music industry’s innovations are viable in the long run. “Will there be a Spotify for films?” says Frost. “We don’t even know if there’ll be a Spotify for music in six months. And Last.FM is on its last legs – it’s started charging non-UK users. It’s a wonderful service, but it can’t get the business model right.”
“There’s no single model,” agrees Frost’s colleague, Dan Klein. “We’ll have a range of services and prices. Some people call it the Coca-Cola model: you’ll pay £3 for a small can of Coke in your hotel room, £1 from a vending machine, £5 with a Bacardi in a bar. It all depends on where you are and how much you’re prepared to pay to consume it. It’s the difference between free tracks with ads on Spotify and paying £100 for a Madonna ticket.”
East by South East Comedy Search
EWAV Works have teamed up to promote the East by South East Comedy Search are you between ages 16 - 25 years or no any young person’s between this age group, the East by South East Comedy Search is looking for up-coming talented Writers, Comedians, Filmmakers or do would you like an opportunity to showcase your abilities to the world.
Are you entertaining, creative and funny? Are you 16 to 25? Got a funny idea to share? We want to hear from you!
East By South East, the new five borough comedy festival brought to you by Hackney Empire, is searching for new talent. Anything from stand up, sketches, dance, circus, photos, graffiti art, film, short stories or poetry - anything funny and entertaining you can think of. To enter, you must live, work or study in one of the Five Host Boroughs for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Greenwich, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest.
You could be in with the chance to be part of a masterclass with top artists and industry professionals, perform live at Hackney Empire, get published in a book, exhibited in a gallery or shown on a big screen as part of Play the Empire.
Live Performance
Stand-up, sketch, music, dance or even circus - if it's entertaining, we want to see it. Register by Monday June 15 and we'll contact you with an audition date and time. Auditions will be held between June 30 and July 5 in each of the five boroughs and you could perform live in the Play the Empire variety show, Hackney Empire, Wednesday July 15, 2009. Masterclasses will be held with former Hackney Empire directors and founders of New Act of the Year, Roland and Claire Muldoon.
Creative Writing
Dubplate Drama is looking for anything from short stories or scenes, a poem, or a few jokes - make it funny and five pages max. Register and send in your work by post or online and you could be published in the Play The Empire book, Wednesday July 15, 2009.
Visual Art
Funny photos, cartoons or even graffiti art! Show us your sense of humour or your unique take on life in the five boroughs. Register and send in your work by post or online and you could be part of the Play the Empire exhibition, opening at the Hackney Empire on Wednesday July 15, 2009. Masterclasses will be held by Millie Law and the Hackney Arts Club.
Film
Send in your short film, animation or mobile upload and you could be part of a master class with the producers of Dubplate Drama. Maximum length three minutes. Register by post or online and either send in your DVD, upload your video to the website or include a link to your film. You could then be screened around the five boroughs in July 2009.
The East by South East Comedy Festival is produced by Hackney Empire Limited and runs throughout June and July. It showcases artists and comedians that have connections with the Five Host Boroughs for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and this year features Stephen K Amos, Jo Brand, Stewart Lee, Simon Amstell and Kat B. For more information on the festival and the Talent Search visit www.eastbysoutheast.co.uk.
CHRIS ROCK'S 'HAIR'
CHRIS ROCK'S 'HAIR' documentary set for US theatrical release.
The HBO Films documentary Good Hair, co-written and produced by Chris Rock, is set for US theatrical release after world rights were picked up by Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment. The documentary Good Hair looks at how hair affects the lives, relationships and mentality of African Americans. Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné and Ice-T are just some of the celebrities that share their stories in the film.
The documentary also features Rock as he shares hair recollections with Maya Angelou, Ice-T and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Stories of how hairstyles impacted their lives and self-esteem helped Rock formulate an answer to a question posed by his daughter who asked "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?"
Roadside will release the film in US theatres during autumn 2009, whilst Lionsgate will handle home video and other domestic ancillary rights. US broadcaster HBO will take the cable rights as a Pay TV offering,
Good Hair was directed by Jeff Stilson,a writer and co-producer of HBO's The Chris Rock Show.
New Channel Brings Africa and the Caribbean together in the UK
All programmes on AILTV are either made by people of African heritage, about people of African heritage or reflect the interests and culture of people with African heritage. Content includes fashion, beauty, music and entertainment, business and current affairs, films, documentaries, cultural and community features.
Adamson decided to develop a full television channel which would spotlight the skills and talents of people with African heritage. His aim is to make a connection between all people of African descent, he explains: “It all started with an idea I had in 2000 which was to create a simple TV programme called ‘Post Card from London’, which would tell stories about how Africans and people of African heritage go about their business in London. The objective was to create awareness by being broadcast over the internet; the programme could also help educate people in Africa.”
The specification of this channel has drawn the attention of Brand Design Agency (BDA), a London based agency recognised for its work in the fashion and beauty industry. Sophie White, CEO of BDA says “Brand Design Agency is proud to be in partnership with AILTV. Our prospective companies have joined forces to deliver fresh ideas and concepts to businesses and communities through branding and television programmes. I believe we can help AILTV bring African communities together in order to market the AILTV name and products to a global audience.”
Africans in London TV (AILTV) launched on the 17 April 2009 in Brighton, UK on the Global Digital Broadcast (GDBTV) IPTV platform.
ANGER GROWS OVER TIANA'S NON-BLACK SUITOR
The studio has already had to make several changes to its film The Princess and the Frog after complaints of racial insensitivity. Princess Tiana, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, was originally named Maddy until folks complained that it was too similar to the popular female slave name, "Mammy."
A second wave of controversy arose after it was revealed that Tiana would find love with a prince described as "olive-toned" and voiced by Bruno Campos, a Brazilian actor.
“What? No black prince? What’s up with this?” blogged James Collier on Acting White, an anti-racism Web site, in a posting typical of the general disbelief among the film’s most vocal black critics. “Perhaps Disney doesn’t want the future mothers of dwindling white America being imprinted so early in their lives with the notion of a black suitor.”
Another blogger, Angela Helm, attracted nearly 3,000 comments on the Black Voices Web site when she complained that “even though there is a real-life black man in the highest office in the land with a black wife, Disney obviously doesn’t think a black man is worthy of the title of prince.”
According to leaked details of the film's storyline reported by London's Times Online, the princess is transformed into a frog after kissing one and has to venture into the mystical bayous of Louisiana to find a cure from a voodoo queen.
bfm news: YOUTUBE MOVIES DEAL
The move puts YouTube in direct competition with News Corp and NBC Universal joint venture Hulu in the United States as it looks to beef up revenue from the free ad supported videos.
YouTube has previously avoided professional content in favour of user generated content, but this move highlights the company's ambition to move into this field. The company has struck deals with Sony Pictures Television, Lionsgate, MGM and CBS Paramount for series including CBS's latest murder mystery drama Harper's Island, BBC Worldwide's Life of Birds, MGM's The Addams Family and Sony's classic sitcom Married With Children.
The move will also see movies including Richard Linklater's Slacker, horror film Carrie and documentary Mayor of Sunset Strip available on the site.
Studios including Disney and Warner Bros have not yet inked deals with the site but YouTube says that it is in talks with a number of parties to expand the new venture.
bfm news: BBC's Statements of Programme Policy Published
These statements outline the commitments and editorial priorities across BBC services and explain how each service will deliver the requirements of their Service Licence and Purpose Remit. They also demonstrate the BBC's ongoing commitment to meeting audience needs and to delivering excellence and value across all of its services.
The BBC's commitment to international, national and local journalism remains at the heart of the corporation's offering, while strengthening its performance in the nations and regions of the UK will continue to be a key priority.
Distinctive drama, comedy and entertainment programmes with fresh new ideas will remain a hallmark of BBC's output. New distinctive series include a BBC One drama called Occupation, which tells of the lives of soldiers returning from Iraq, as well as a new BBC Two series which will attempt to tell the story of the collapse of the Lehman Brothers bank. BBC Three will continue to cement its reputation as the UK's leading digital channel for new comedy talent with new studio comedy from We Are Klang and a new narrative comedy called The Gemma Factor.
Arts and culture programming will be further enhanced in the year ahead across BBC services. Among a plethora of additional series and formats that will exclusively focus on the arts and culture genres, the most ambitious season on poetry, in the history of BBC will roll out across BBC Two, BBC Four and CBeebies, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and online.
Factual output will remain at the core of BBC's TV schedules with new commissions such as The Science Show (working title) on BBC One, bringing science to a family audience. BBC Two will also play a role in strengthening our factual offering with new programmes such as South Pacific, a six-part natural history series, and Recession Britain, a documentary series which tackles different areas of the UK's changing economy. BBC Three will feature a range of programmes in The Grown-Up Season examining at what age one should be treated as a grown-up.
Highlights in radio programming include a series of social action campaigns focusing on issues such as drugs and bullying which will be developed in a partnership between BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and BBC Switch. Radio 4 is also set to feature landmark factual series and a partnership with the British Museum will be rolled out. New programming on Radio 2, 3 and 4 will also explore the impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Following the recent BBC Trust review of BBC Online, the corporation will become better connected to sites and services outside of the BBC. There are also plans to make the successful BBC iPlayer available on a wide range of platforms and devices.
The diversity of Britain's communities will be represented through the range of genres and formats.
BFM comment
Many of us will be a little cynical about the BBC’s statements when we see so little diversity and so few black writers and directors having their say. We encourage programme makers and audiences alike to let the BBC know that you exist.
Scratched Out including Gala performance
Scratched Out is about six young people from an inner-city estate, all with ambitions of making it in the music industry. Only Adam has given up this dream to pursue his education, leaving his younger brother Luke behind. All the action takes place in one night at a pirate radio station and a club, the drama unfolds as the records spin the soundtrack to a night that will change everything for every one of these six characters. This production is supported by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
Running Time: approximately 75 minutes with no interval.
AGE SUITABILITY
Suitable for ages 14+.
Further information
Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, Studio 3
Monday 6 to Thursday 30 April at 7.30pm
Matinees on Tuesday 28, Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 April at 2.30pm Tickets: £12 (£6 concs.)
A Timeline of Black Actors in British Cinema
Historian Stephen Bourne has produced a timeline of black actors in British cinema from the Edwardian era to 2009 for the UK Film Council's Diversity in Film pages.
Kind of Blue Media offer free support for Independent Filmmakers
Kind of Blue Media offer free support for Independent Filmmakers
Kind of Blue Media marketing communication company, works with many of the leading and emerging companies and Organisations within the Film and Creative Sector including; ilabuk, bfm International Film Festival, East End Film Festival and Ebonywood Studios and have recently launched support network ‘100
A free of charge resource, supports filmmakers to understand and access relevant and up-to-date information about the importance of distribution and best ways to monetise their films. The network includes:
• Live Case Studies
• Networking Events
• Best offers
• Seminars
The network is currently seeking businesses that have services and products to support Independent filmmakers.
For more information about 100 PRINTS and discuss your services and products
Contact:
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Congratulations to Deola Folarin
Congratulations to Deola Folarin
Deola Folarin won a Northern Lights Film Festival script Development Award.
She has written a blog about her experience developing the project.
The Tate Gallery and Smoking Dogs Films present Black Audio Film Collective's
The Tate Gallery and Smoking Dogs Films present Black Audio Film Collective's
Black Audio Film Collective was founded in 1982 by a group of sociology, psychology and fine art students: John Akomfrah, Reece Auguiste, Edward George, Lina Gopaul, Avril Johnson and Trevor Mathison. In 1985 David Lawson joined the collective. It was dissolved in 1998.
Central to reclaiming black representation in both cultural and political terms, the group used the ‘figuration of ethnicity’ as a recurrent motif in its work that would reflect real and imagined black experience of the early 1980s in Britain.
Karla Williams caught up with Kolton Lee and Noel Clarke at the Freestyle auditions. The search is over. Published Wednesday, 11 February 2009
It’s a cold and crisp Saturday morning in North London and the final auditions for forthcoming British film Freestyle are taking place. For the past month director Kolton Lee and his team have been scouring the UK in search of a basketball star and today is the culmination of that search.
Freestyle tells the story 17-year-old Ondene, a beautiful and talented young woman who plans to study law at Oxford. However when she falls for Leon, a charming and charismatic freestyle basketball player, whose rough council estate background is worlds away from Ondene’s posh private school, her plans soon begin to change. When Hyacinth (her domineering mother) finds out, Ondene is forced to make some tough decisions about her family, her future, and the man she loves.
The producers are looking to cast three of the main parts as the lead has already been cast to rising star, Arinze Kene and Kolton is clear on what he’s looking for, “It’s a tough ask, but were looking for a mixture of things. We’re looking for good actors, good ball players and people who can express themselves through basketball. So being a good basketball player is not good enough you need to be able to express your creativity through that”. And does he think he’ll be able to find that from the applicants here today? “We’ve found it! We are going to do the acting this afternoon but in terms of the physical stuff we’ve seen some talented people today.”
Assisting with the judging at today’s audition is BAFTA winner Noel Clarke who, as a friend of the director, was keen to get on board and help with the casting. He said: “I have come to evaluate some of the talent here today that Kolton and his team have picked. I’m a person who believes in helping young people achieve what they want to achieve by giving them opportunities”.
Freestyle begins shooting in April and is expected to hit cinemas in October 2009.
2009 BAFTA ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
bfm would like to say congratulations to Noel Clarke for winning the 2009 BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award.
Published: Tuesday, 10 February, 2009
Noel Clarke is a multi-talented actor, writer and director, known for his role as Mickey Smith in Doctor Who and for his award-winning screenplay Kidulthood. He recently directed, starred in and wrote the film’s follow up, Adulthood.
This award recognises an international actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and has begun to be recognised as a film star in the making. This award, now in its fourth year, was created in honour of Mary Selway, the highly respected casting director, who died in 2004
The Orange Rising Star Award is the only audience award presented at the Orange British Academy Film Awards. Noel was one of five international actors and actresses nominated for their exceptional talent and recognised as a star in the making. The other nominees shortlisted for the award were: Michael Cera, Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Hall and Toby Kebbell.
Noel began his acting career by winning a Laurence Olivier Theatre award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2002. As a TV star he became well-known for his role as Mickey Smith in Doctor Who. Noel then wrote and starred in the critically-acclaimed Kidulthood, followed by writing, directing and starring in its sequel Adulthood, one of the highest grossing British films in 2008. Noel will next star in the feature film Heartless, alongside Jim Sturgess and Timothy Spall.
Unlike any other award at the Orange British Academy Film Awards, the Orange Rising Star Award was voted for by the British public via text message or on the Orange website.
Congratulations to Steve McQueen for scooping Bafta's Carl Foreman Award at the 2009 awards
Published: Tuesday, 10 February, 2009
Director/writer Steve McQueen received The Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film for Hunger.
Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire won seven awards at the event held on Sunday, 8th February, held at the Royal Opera House for the second year running.
Hollywood, Meet Tyler-wood
Hollywood, Meet Tyler-wood: Tyler Perry Studios Opens in Atlanta By Rieanna Wilkinson Published: Wednesday, 4 February, 2009
Time to give Tyler Perry his due: After continually stealing number one at the box office, nudging his show House of Payne into syndication and continuing to adapt his original plays into movie gold, Perry put the cash together to open up his very own movie studio.
Tyler Perry has opened a new multimillion-dollar TV and film studio on 30 acres in southwest Atlanta, Georgia.
The Studios opening ceremony took place with R&B singer Mary J Blige and Patti LaBelle performing, entertaining the audience, which included celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Whitney Houston, Sidney Poitier, Hank Aaron and Forest Whitaker.
The new multimillion-dollar studio is housed, contains over 200,000 square feet of studio and office space. It is located in an area, which was once home to Delta Airlines finance, reservation and computer centre.
Perry had considered leaving Atlanta after neighbours complained about the noise and traffic in his old studio location near downtown.
“I was thinking about leaving at one point, but this is home for me,” Perry told reporters.
Perry will shoot his TBS sitcoms House of Payne and Meet the Browns at the new Tyler Perry Studios along with many other new film project’s to come.
Urban Youth “Freestyle” Their Way To Stardom
Revolver Entertainment (distributors of Kidulthood) has now teamed up with the social networking site Bebo and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in a unique initiative to search for talented individuals who can not only act but also bust some moves on the dance floor and master a ball on the basketball court.
The winning contestants will go on to take the lead roles in “Freestyle”, a British urban drama set in the competitive world of freestyle basketball. Regional auditions will be held throughout January in London (10th), Manchester (17th) and Birmingham (18th), and lucky contestants who impress the judges will be invited to compete in the grand finals, which take place in London on the 24th January.
The “Search For A Star” competition will be judged by a panel of experts that includes Kolton Lee (FREESTYLE director and ex-professional basketball player), Kenrick “H20” Sandy (ace choreographer who has worked with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Misteeq, Sugababes, Big Brovas and Fergie) and a special celebrity guest.
All entrants must register for their audition spot via the film’s Bebo profile: www.bebo.com/FreestyleMovie
Freestyle "Search for a Star"
Urban British smash-hits like Kidulthood and Adulthood have created stars out of ordinary street kids. Revolver Entertainment (distributor of Kidulthood) has now teamed up with the social networking site Bebo and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in a unique initiative to search for talented individuals who can not only act but also bust some moves on the dance floor and master a ball on the basketball court. The winning contestants will go on to take the lead roles in Freestyle, a British urban drama set in the competitive world of freestyle basketball.
Regional auditions will be held throughout January in London (10th), Manchester (17th) and Birmingham (18th), and lucky contestants who impress the judges will be invited to compete in the grand finals, which take place in London on the 24th January.
The “Search For A Star” competition will be judged by a panel of experts that includes Kolton Lee (Freestyle director and ex-professional basketball player), Kenrick “H20” Sandy (ace choreographer who has worked with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Misteeq, Sugababes, Big Brovas and Fergie) and a special celebrity guest.
The NBA, which has made a long-term commitment to grow the game of basketball in the UK, will support “Search for a Star” by providing audition venues, talent scouts and basketball product for participants.
Kolton Lee, director of Freestyle said: "Basketball is the fastest growing sport in the UK and extremely popular with urban youths. Freestyle shows urban youth culture in the UK as it really is and we are keen for the cast of the film to reflect this. We are not just looking for actors but for young people who can relate to the subject matter, and we hope that Freestyle will provide a unique opportunity for their voices to be heard."
All entrants must register for their audition spot via the film’s Bebo profile:
Freestyle has been financed by Film London, BBC Films and the UK Film Council, and will be released in the UK in autumn 2009 by Revolver Entertainment.
The London auditions take place on SATURDAY 10th JAN at the LILIAN BAYLIS OLD SCHOOL, Lollard St, London, SE11 6PY from 10am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm.
All contestants will be asked to perform a short freestyle routine, a streetdance routine and read an extract from the script.
AVAILABLE ROLES:
ONDENE MARCHANT - female lead
Role requirements: Mixed race girl, playing age 17. Good basketball skills essential, freestyle and dance skills preferred.
PRUNELLA
Role requirements: Afro-Caribbean girl, playing age 18. Good freestyle skills essential.
MAN-MAN
Role requirements: Afro-Caribbean male, playing age 18. Must be over 6ft, athletic build and have strong freestyle skills.
EXTRAS and SUPPORTING ROLES
Anyone and everyone who can bounce a ball!
Hollywood embraces Britain's black film talent
Britain's most talented black and ethnic minority actors, writers,
producers and directors have been picked to meet the most powerful
studio executives in the American film industry.
Kwame Kwei-Armah, the first black Briton to have a play staged in
the West End and whose credits include the award-winning Elmina's
Kitchen, was among 12 talents selected by a UK Film Council panel for
his role as a writer and producer. The group also includes Noel Clarke,
the writer of the cult film Kidulthood and Adulthood and Florence
Ayisi, the award-winning documentary writer.
The group will leave at the end of the month to attend a gala night
in Los Angeles. They will be showcased in front of an audience of
American film executives who are hungry to discover new talent from
across the Atlantic. They will also be guests of the Hollywood black
film festival, which attracts some of the industry's most prominent
agents and producers, as part of an initiative called Breakthrough
Brits.
A similar programme designed to introduce female British talent to
Hollywood two years ago included Emily Blunt, who starred in the
Hollywood blockbuster The Devil Wears Prada, and Mary Nighy, the
daughter of the actor Bill Nighy, who featured in Sofia Coppola's Marie
Antoinette.
It has been said that The feedback from executives in America is
that Britain is a goldmine for up-and-comers. 'Our talent pool is
small, but there is extraordinary depth, Adam Goodman, the head of
production at the DreamWorks studio who has just finished making a film
with the British director Sam Mendes, said: "We are totally Anglophiles
right now."
Donna Langley, the president of production for Universal Pictures,
was recently quoted as saying: "There certainly seems to be a certain
brand of honest, bracing talent coming from the UK."
NEW DIRECTION
Hip Hop Rap stars trade in their Grammy’s for Oscars.
The three-time Grammy winner Chris Bridges aka Ludicrous sees himself as a full-time future actor.
He quotes ‘MAYBE IT goes without saying, but it's hard to get taken seriously if your name is Ludacris’.
That's why the rap star has now decided to following the path of the Rock, Andre 3000 and 50 Cent, in separating him self from his stage name and leaving it at the door as he pursues a career as a Hollywood actor.
Bridges was one of the stars of John Singleton's "2 Fast 2 Furious," a 2003 film that was hardly embraced by critics but the acting newcomer got noticed for his easy grace in front of the camera. And captured more attention for a memorable turn as a car thief in "Crash" (which went on to win the Oscar for best picture) and as the aloof rapper Skinny Black in the acclaimed "Hustle & Flow." Next came a role in "Fred Claus" and a two-episode appearance on "Law & Order."
This is a different business and I do want to be taken seriously, so it's back to being Chris Bridges," said the 30-year-old whose name appears in the credits of two films in October, the video-game adaptation “Max Payne” and Guy Ritchie's latest London crime spree, “RocknRolla.”
Bridges also has a sci-fi film called "The Game" due next year, which also stars Butler.
Bow wow
Bow Wow aka Shad Moss also wants to be a full-time actor and take a rest from the music scene?
The young rapper has already begun to build an impressive acting resume, boasting roles in past films such as "Roll Bounce," "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," "Johnson Family Vacation" and "All About the Benjamins." And has recently wrapped the indie "Driving Lessons.
Moss has joined the upcoming fifth season of HBO’s “Entourage” in a recurring role, playing Charlie, a new stand-up comic client of E (Kevin Connolly).
Additionally, he has landed a role opposite Forest Whitaker, rapper Lil Wayne and Isaiah Washington in the Weinstein Co.’s sports drama “Patriots,” about a high school basketball team in post-Katrina Louisiana.
Moss said. “I’m going to try to be the next Will Smith.” Like Moss, Will Smith started off as a rapper before segueing into acting in Film which has certainly paid off.
Will Smith Is Hollywood's Top Paid Actor
After Forbes magazine revealed this years top ten paid actors. They revelad that will smith is Hollywoods top piad Actor. He has raked in $80 million this year after appearing in critically acclaimed sc-fi thriller ‘I Am Legend’ and disappointingly review low-rated Super hero action film ‘Hancock’.
The rapper-turned TV actor-turned Hollywood hero, who is often cited as Hollywood's hardest working actor is the first to have had eight straight box office smashes raking in over $100 million each.
Eddie Murphy managed to rank joint number three with Mike Myers, despite appearing in some of Hollywood's unfuniest comedies.
Here's the full list:
Will Smith $80 million
Johnny Depp $72 million
Eddie Murphy $55 million
Mike Myers $55 million
Leonardo DiCaprio $45 million
Bruce Willis $41 million
Ben Stiller $40 million
Nicolas Cage $38 million
Will Ferrell $31 million
Adam Sandler $30 million
THE FESTIVAL
The European Independent Film Festival has proved to be a true breakthrough for Indie Filmmakers in Europe. European independent filmmakers have the chance to screen their films to an audience hungry for high-quality independent films, they now have a forum to exchange ideas with other filmmakers and exposes them to other independent filmmakers from around the World.” Says Scott Hillier, Executive Director of The European Independent Film Festival..
Is Held in the prestigious Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, France and is calling independent filmmaking talent for submission of their films.
The festival offers filmmakers the opportunity to have their films screened in a highly esteemed competition. During the festival filmmakers have the opportunity to attend editing workshops and screenwriting labs, to discuss their projects with fellow independent filmmakers and network with producers, talent spotters and agents.
Founded in 2006, The European Independent Film Festival broke onto the film festival circuit and straight away established itself as the place for both European and non-European independent filmmakers to show their films to large public and professional audiences.
The ÉCU Film Festival 2009 will be an excellent place for networking with other independent filmmakers as well as distributors, producers, agents and talent spotters. To make this a rewarding film festival experience, all festival attendees will be able to attend editing workshops and screenwriting labs, join in on discussion panels and get hands on experience with the latest filmmaking technology. With interest from large sections of European and International press this is a great opportunity to get the word out about your films.
The final submission deadline is December 15th, with a late deadline at January 15th 2009
For more info email:
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To submit your film entry visit: www.ecufilmfestival.com
BFMattends The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival launch
September 10th saw the official launch to this year’s hotly anticipated London film Festival, the Capital’s very own foray onto the big screen. With a line-up that includes a number of films from the UK and well as abroad and a surprising number of stars and filmmakers that bfm readers will be familiar with, here’s our look at some of the highlights. Opening with Frost/Nixon on October 15th the festival closes 15 days later with Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire the life affirming story of a young boy from the slums of Mumbai competing on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? In-between we have a number of notable films including Tyson, a documentary featuring candid footage of the former heavyweight champion. In addition, British director Steve McQueen will be bringing the award-winning Hunger which is a difficult to watch but ultimately rewarding story set during the IRA hunger strikes.
Thandie does Condi
Whereas Hunger merely hints at the political players onscreen, W concentrates only on them. Josh Brolin is cast as George W Bush in Oliver Stone’s already controversial take on the formative years of the US president and his years as the ‘leader’ of the free-world. If that wasn’t enough to get your mind racing we have the incredible casting of Thandie Newton as Condeleeza Rice to looks forward to. International films will be well represented with a number of features and shorts from Africa on the schedule. Notably there will be a chance to see a restored print of the classic Senegalese film Touki Bouki as well as the best of modern African cinema. The tent pole film looks set to be the new Bond film Quantum of Solace but away from that a sleeper hit could be the adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd novel The Secret Life of Bees. The all star cast including Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo and Jennifer Hudson will be under the expert guidance of writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood (who also made Love and Basketball).
Be sure to log on to our website to see exclusive content and reviews throughout the festival, the London Film Festival is from 15th to 30th October. www.bfi.org.uk/lff
48 Hour Film Project – London
Would you like to see your own film shown at the Renoir Cinema? How about the chance to compete at Cannes?
Filmmakers with drive, originality and a touch of insomnia are invited to take part in a hectic weekend of non-stop lights, camera and action when the world's largest timed film contest comes to London.
The 48 Hour Film Project takes place in 70 cities worldwide and in September it's coming here. Your team will be given a prop, character, a line of dialogue and a genre. Teams will compete to see who can make the best short film in 48 hours.
A panel of industry judges will choose winners, with the best in show going on to compete in the winner's festival in the US and for a chance of a place in Cannes.
Prizes include Avid Media Composer software (worth up to £2,000), film club memberships and more. The competition takes place on the weekend of 26 -28 September, with exclusive screenings of the films at the Renoir Cinema on 30 September and 1 October. Interested? Registration starts on 30 July and there are places for 24 teams. Space is limited! Find out how you could see your name on the silver screen at www.48hourfilm.com/london or email -
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Zzizzl, a new short film portal launched
zzizzl is portable entertainment for lovers of short film. They support indie filmmakers by providing an alternative way to connect with a worldwide audience. Their content is made by talented creators who profit directly from every sale. zzizzl is where creativity meets commerce. The site already boasts the following films by African-Caribbean filmmakers, One Plus One and Bruised To Be Used by George Amponsah and Woman’s Scar by Kamwa Anthony.
Cost of films and videos: 1 single film costs £1.49 - less than a latte! You save more money with credit bundles 50 credits cost £5.99 = 5 films (£1.20ea) 100 credits cost £9.99 = 10 films (£0.99ea). You can buy films in any currency. www.zzizzl.com
King of the Beats film competition
As part of the King of the Beats Movement and in partnership with Akai, four artists can win a place in the next ³King Of The Beats² film competition . If you are about digging and real Hip Hop music then hit www.myspace.com/kingofthebeatsthemovies and upload your beats to see if you have what it takes to be the next King of the Beats. Four London-based Producers will get picked and just make sure you¹re available for filming September 27th and 28th.
UK filmmaker, Dami Akinnusi is a busy bee
This year Academy Award-nominated actress Queen Latifah will serve as Honorary Chair of The Urbanworld Film Festival presented by BET Networks. Malcolm’s Echo: The Legacy of Malcolm X is part of the official selection for the largest international competitive festival of its kind. She will be attending the festival being held at the Tribeca Film Center, New York for a Q and A.
"Time 2 Blow' is the explosive debut album by talented mixture of MCs, rappers and producers
between 13 and 19 who collaborated and recorded this original composition.
Created, mixed and recorded at rising tide based in ocean music venue, this album provides a window into the world of these young artist, as they tell you their stories as you share in their in many journey and heart felt truths.
This collective mix of talented artist was borough together through a young offenders programme where they vountarily signed up to join the hackney resettlement and aftercare provision (R.A.P) music programme based at rising tide in ocean music venue.
For further information, please contact heather samuels at rising tide on
bfm Networking and Exchange Project -
2010 Summer Movie Preview
Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson in the UK - 
Black Actors and the BAFTAs
Lena Horne: Singer and actress who fought prejudice throughout a career that lasted more than 60 years 
SUS the Movie out this Friday
FD4W International Film Festival
2010 Oscar Recap
The Images of Black Women (IBW) Festival is postponed to:
Precious gives Avatar a run for its screen average at UK box office
Tiger Aspect Productions Presents "Tinga Tinga Tales" 
bfm news: 2010 Oscar Nominations
by Kam Williams
The Hurt Locker and Avatar Land 9 Nominations 
bfm news: Shawshank Redemption - The Stage Adaptation
13 Months of Sunshine is now available on 
Digital Film Archive Fund 2009/2010
Call for applications: CREATE postgraduate training course - Colour Heritage and Conservation
LOS ANGELES – “The Princess and the Frog” does not open nationwide until December, but the buzz is already breathless: For the first time in Walt Disney animation history, the fairest of them all is black.
Websites like Spotify and Last.fm allow us to discover new music and enjoy our favourite tunes for free. So why can’t we watch movies the same way? Tim Walker discovers why Hollywood is dragging its heels.
EWAV Works have teamed up to promote the East by South East Comedy Search are you between ages 16 - 25 years or no any young person’s between this age group, the East by South East Comedy Search is looking for up-coming talented Writers, Comedians, Filmmakers or do would you like an opportunity to showcase your abilities to the world. 
CHRIS ROCK'S 'HAIR' documentary set for US theatrical release. 
The studio has already had to make several changes to its film The Princess and the Frog after complaints of racial insensitivity. Princess Tiana, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, was originally named Maddy until folks complained that it was too similar to the popular female slave name, "Mammy."
The move puts YouTube in direct competition with News Corp and NBC Universal joint venture Hulu in the United States as it looks to beef up revenue from the free ad supported videos.
These statements outline the commitments and editorial priorities across BBC services and explain how each service will deliver the requirements of their Service Licence and Purpose Remit. They also demonstrate the BBC's ongoing commitment to meeting audience needs and to delivering excellence and value across all of its services.
Congratulations to Deola Folarin
Black Audio Film Collective was founded in 1982 by a group of sociology, psychology and fine art students: John Akomfrah, Reece Auguiste, Edward George, Lina Gopaul, Avril Johnson and Trevor Mathison. In 1985 David Lawson joined the collective. It was dissolved in 1998.
The producers are looking to cast three of the main parts as the lead has already been cast to rising star, Arinze Kene and Kolton is clear on what he’s looking for, “It’s a tough ask, but were looking for a mixture of things. We’re looking for good actors, good ball players and people who can express themselves through basketball. So being a good basketball player is not good enough you need to be able to express your creativity through that”. And does he think he’ll be able to find that from the applicants here today? “We’ve found it! We are going to do the acting this afternoon but in terms of the physical stuff we’ve seen some talented people today.”
bfm would like to say congratulations to Noel Clarke for winning the 2009 BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award.
Congratulations to Steve McQueen for scooping Bafta's Carl Foreman Award at the 2009 awards 
Hollywood, Meet Tyler-wood: Tyler Perry Studios Opens in Atlanta
September 10th saw the official launch to this year’s hotly anticipated London film Festival, the Capital’s very own foray onto the big screen. With a line-up that includes a number of films from the UK and well as abroad and a surprising number of stars and filmmakers that bfm readers will be familiar with, here’s our look at some of the highlights. Opening with Frost/Nixon on October 15th the festival closes 15 days later with Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire the life affirming story of a young boy from the slums of Mumbai competing on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? In-between we have a number of notable films including Tyson, a documentary featuring candid footage of the former heavyweight champion. In addition, British director Steve McQueen will be bringing the award-winning Hunger which is a difficult to watch but ultimately rewarding story set during the IRA hunger strikes. 
zzizzl is portable entertainment for lovers of short film. They support indie filmmakers by providing an alternative way to connect with a worldwide audience. Their content is made by talented creators who profit directly from every sale. zzizzl is where creativity meets commerce. The site already boasts the following films by African-Caribbean filmmakers, One Plus One and Bruised To Be Used by George Amponsah and Woman’s Scar by Kamwa Anthony.
