the scottish screen industries magazine april - may 2009

Scottish 'Cinema of
Dreams' Projected to China
Some of Scotland's best work both behind
and in front of the cameras will be projected
to Chinese film lovers at Beijing's China Film
Archive in surroundings atmospheric of a
small Scottish community cinema.
The Scottish Cinema of Dreams in China,
organised by the Scottish Government and
the British Council, will transport Chinese
audiences to a recreated Scottish ballroom,
offering them a unique taste of Scotland's
cultural treasures. It will run from March
20-23 at the China Film Archive in Beijing,
with further screenings at the Beijing Film
Academy from March 25-27. The project is cocurated
by acclaimed actress Tilda Swinton
and writer, broadcaster and film critic Mark
Cousins.
It replicates their original and highly
successful Scottish Cinema of Dreams, which
took place in Nairn in August 2008.
Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the
Constitution. Michael Russell said:
"Scotland and China both have distinctive
and vibrant cultures with long traditions.
At the China Film Archive, we have the
news
opportunity to communicate across cultures,
reaching out to Chinese filmgoers and
providing an insight into our unique identity
and culture. That is why I am delighted that
the Scottish Government is working with
partners to support the Scottish Cinema of
Dreams."
Cinema of Dreams is supported by Scottish Screen.
Talent Identified for
Prestigious Short Film
Commissioning Opportunity
DigiCult has left no stone unturned in identifying a pool of new
writers and directors who will make films for the three strands
managed by DigiCult: Scottish Digital Shorts, 4mations Digital Shorts
and Digital Nation.
to
revolutionise
film fans' lives
Film fans' lives have just been revolutionised with the launch
of a ground-breaking new website by the UK Film Council -
FindAnyFilm.com.
A first-of-its-kind film search engine, like a Google for films, it
will find out when, where and how a film is available in the UK -
legally and across all formats and platforms - cinema, TV, DVD &
Blu-ray sale or rental, download and streaming.
FindAnyFilm.com is a major industry first and the first time that
anything like this has been delivered on the internet that indexes
all available films in the UK. It is totally free and easy to use.
Hours spent scanning newspapers, calling cinemas or scouring
retailers or online sites for a much-desired film will be a thing of
the past, solved by a few clicks and a matter of seconds.
FindAnyFilm.com contains over 30,000 unique film records -
which is about seven years' worth of film at your fingertips - and
is expanding on a daily basis as more films become available to
watch in the UK. There are 20 genres covering everything from
Action, Foreign and Classic to Thriller, Bollywood and Drama, and
people Hans Petter can even Moland search in conversation by inputting a with mood, Dr Alan a location Marcus or using
keywords like 'fairytale ending'. The site also contains films in
over 60 different languages ranging from English to Japanese,
Hindi, Arabic, French and Cantonese.
To find out more, please visit www.FindAnyFilm.com.
The pool includes past BAFTA Scotland award winners, successful
film programmers, recent graduates, experimental filmmakers,
television directors and those whose talent for filmmaking has lured
them from established careers.
An intensive 3-month training and development phase for the
pool was kick-started in January with a two day workshop held
in Sutherland, northwest Scotland. The filmmakers are now
working up their short drama or animation projects in one-to-one
development meetings with DigiCult producers. All this activity will
culminate in up to six projects being commissioned for production in
Spring/Summer 2009.
The Scottish Digital Shorts 2009 talent pool is:
Kate Burton Ever Here I Be (live action)
Stewart Comrie Battenberg (animation)
Omar Kholeif The Girl Who Knew Too Much (live action)
Gregor Johnstone I'll Be Right Here (live action)
Michael Keillor Bonding (live action)
Katyana Kozikowska A Heel on the Hill (live action)
Matt Lloyd The House-Sitters (live action)
Kenneth Macleod Untitled (live action)
Ruth Paxton Paris, Sexy (live action)
Matt Pinder The Hyakutake Express (live action)
Richard Smith Moses Bellahue (live action)
Jamie Stone Magpie (live action)
The 4mations Digital Shorts commission is:
Iain Gardner The Fox Who Lost His Fur (animation)
The Digital Nation talent pool is:
Joseph Briffa, Scott Graham, Sarah Tripp
Further details of the projects in development are available from the
DigiCult website www.digicult.co.uk.
Scottish Digital Shorts 2009 is funded by Scottish Screen, UK Film
Council, BBC Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enteprise with inkind
support from RSAMD and The Magic Lantern.
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