> Simon Mayo
1-4pm BBC Radio Five Live
Paul and Jayne Walmsley - 2pm* Chris Guelff and Mike Ritz from Torture: The Guantanamo Guidebook -
From 1pm the sport panel discuss the latest news from the world of sport including the forthcoming round of Six Nations matches. Mark Kermode joins Simon from 3pm to discuss the weeks latest movie releases including Bewafaa, Casshern, Coach Carter, Hide and Seek, Hotel Rwanda, Spanglish and The Woodsman.
Listen to Five Live on AM, on digital and online.
Friday, February 25, 2005
No Oscar
After thousands of votes via text message and the web site, bbc.co.uk/fivelive, the final winner for the best film never to have won
Best Picture was announced just before 9am on Five Live this morning.
The audience voted overwhelmingly for "The Shawshank Redemption", the 1994 Frank Darabont tale of hope and humanity, which received 52% of the online votes and 68% of the text messages. The other two finalists, "Citizen Kane" and "A Matter of Life and Death" split the remaining votes roughly equally.
Five Live's resident film critic, Mark Kermode, said of the result: "The Shawshank Redemption is a classic choice for a 'people's favourite' Best Film. Having flopped in cinemas on its initial release (despite positive reviews and a brace of Oscar nominations) the movie was subsequently discovered on video by viewers who then recommended it to their friends, proving that there's no better publicity than word of mouth.
"Having written a book and made a documentary both of which attempted to uncover the secret of the film's universal appeal, I can only conclude that writer/director Frank Darabont was right when he said that 'The film touches people, and apparently it gives them hope -- hope to deal with whatever difficulties they face in their own lives.'
"I still think A Matter of Life And Death is a better film, though..."
Friday, February 18, 2005
Dariush Mehrjui's "Mama's Guest" makes debut in Wood Green, London
Following the launch of the project of screening Iranian films in the UK, which was coincided with the opening of The Duel with the presence of its director and a number of cast, Behnegar company in London is delighted to announce the release of Mama’s Guest (Mehman-e Maman) in Cineworld Wood Green to the North of London from Friday 18 February.
Mama’s Guest is another work of a great Iranian director, Dariush Mehrjui, who some critic believe that his first major film The Cow (or gav) has inspired many contemporary Iranian directors.
Mama’s Guest Synopsis:
The “mama” receives two dear guests: her recently married nephew and his wife are visiting her house for the first time. Her husband, who is a film buff and theatre movie projectionist, is coming home empty handed with no money while informing the rest of the family about the closing down of the theatre. Mama, who is suffering from a heart disease, is desperate because their financial situation is not allowing her to receive her guests properly and serve them in a traditional Iranian manner. The neighbours, in this old fashioned housing complex, who are even in worse financial stress, wholeheartedly come to rescue and help her to create a wonderful dinner feast.
Director: Dariush Mehrjui
Screenwriters: Dariush Mehrjui and Hooshang M Kermani and Vahideh Mohammadifar
35mm, Color, PG, 104mins, 2004, Persian with English subtitle
Cast:
Ms Golab Adineh
Mr. Amin Hayaee
Mr Parsa Piroozfar
Mr Hassan Poorshirazi
Producer: Dariush Mehrjui
Production: Cima Film Centre
Distributer: Behnegar
Director of photography: Tooraj Mansoori
Sound: Jahangir Mirshekari
Editor: Mehdi Hosseinivand
Music: Emad Bonakdar
Website: www.behnegar.com
Some reviews:
Washington City Paper
Iranian New Wave cinema icon Dariush Mehrjui crafts an apparently artless tale with beguiling skill and mastery. The arrival of her nephew and his new bride throws poor Mrs. Effat into a crisis. Her larder is too meagre to do them honour and she is too proud to lose face. Through self-pity and manipulation, she eventually involves her entire bickering apartment complex in her dilemma. But what begins as comedic farce evolves into something more compassionate: We come to understand each neighbour's struggle and means for coping. All may be poor and even wilfully self-deluded, but for one night at least, they create a small miracle of food and happiness on behalf of Mrs. Effat's guest.
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Florida Premiere
Iranian New Wave cinema icon Dariush Mehrjui crafts an apparently artless tale with beguiling skill and mastery. The arrival of her nephew and his new bride throws poor Mrs. Effat into a crisis. Her larder is too meager to do them honor and she is too proud to lose face. Through self-pity and manipulation, she eventually involves her entire bickering apartment complex in her dilemma. But what begins as comedic farce evolves into something more compassionate: We come to understand each neighbor's struggle and means for coping. All may be poor and even willfully self-deluded, but for one night at least, they create a small miracle of food and happiness on behalf of Mrs. Effat's guest.
Asia Society
Mama's Guest/Mehman-e-Maman
Veteran director Mehrjui (The Cow, Leila) proves to be a master of the ensemble comedy in this story of one of family's attempt to throw an impromptu banquet for a newly married nephew, which evolves into a chaotic operation involving the whole neighbourhood. The mother in question is anxious to receive her guests in a proper Iranian fashion, while her husband, a film buff who has recently been laid off from his work, raises mischief at every turn and almost bungles her plans. With its heart-warming slapstick and cast of charming characters.
FOCUS ON ASIA FUKUOKA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Receiving a visit from your newly wed, successful nephew and his bride must be a great joy, but it turns out to be a disaster if you do not have spare food plus your just laid-off, film buff husband and naughty son repeatedly raise mischief. Now, eccentric but kind neighbours come to the family's rescue to treat the guests!
Set in an old-fashioned housing complex, Iranian film master Dariush Mehrjui presents a heartwarming slapstick comedy full of charming characters.
Mama's Guest" has won the prize for `best film' in the 2004 Fajr Film Festival.
The film was presented in several festivals including The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Fukuoka International Film Festival and Freer Gallery of Art Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
About the director:
Dariush Mehrjui is born in Tehran in 1940 and graduated in philosophy and filmmaking from UCLA in 1964. His works have been awarded numerous prizes at local and international film festivals. His major works are:
The Cow (1970)
Mr Simpleton (1971)
Postman (1973)
The cycle (1976-79)
The School we went to (1981)
Journey to the land of Rimbaud (1984, france)
Lodgers (1987)
Shirak (1989)
Hamoon (1990)
Banoo (1992)
Sara (1993)
Pari (1995)
Leila (1996)
The Pear Tree (1998)
Mix (2000)
Bemani (2002)
Behnegar is one of the leading Iranian companies in the field of producing and distributing film. The UK representative of this company in co-operation with Cine-UK (the owner of Cineworld Cinemas) has started their new project to showcase Iranian films in the UK. In this scheme many Iranian films, for the first time, will be premiered in the UK soon after their first release in Iran The screening of the films in other cities that have mainly large number of Persian speaking population will then follow the scheme.
Following “Mama’s Guest”, “Girls Dormitory” (Khabgaheh Dokhtaran) a film currently on screens in Tehran.will then be showed in London.
In terms of quantity, Iranian cinema is quite productive, with its output in recent years standing at average annually 70 feature films. In terms of quality though, Iranian cinema has already shown its strength in many international film festivals. However, these festivals alongside few screenings of Iranian films in art house theatres have been the main windows to discover Iranian cinema outside Iran. Lack of a proper space for regular screening of Iranian films in mainstream cinemas in the West has resulted in art house and especially popular Iranian films stay concealed from the public view in countries like Britain.
The main challenge is to tackle this weakness while promoting better cultural understandings.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Telling Lies
Following the launch of the film Telling Lies late last year, the entire cast will be attending the film’s first ever photo call next week, where pop sensation come actress Melanie Brown will once again boast her acting talent, alongside promising actresses Jenna Harrison, Kelly Stables and acclaimed actor Jason Flemyng.
The talented New York Film Academy graduate Antara Bhardwaj, who made her mark in her assistant directorial efforts with films such as Edge of the World and Backwaters starring Tamzin Outhwaite, directs this taut, highly charged thriller.
Telling Lies is produced by Sunanda Murali Manohar who has a high profile roster of films to her name including Jungle Boy, Inferno, Tropical Heat, Indian Summer, Blood Stone, Backwaters and Private Moments a film that is posed as London’s answer to Sex and the City. Also at present, Sunanda Murali Manohar is working on the film adaptation of Rasheed Kidwai’s biography on Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Kelly Stables has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters The Ring (2002) and Spider-Man (2002) performing stunts and has just finished playing one of the lead parts in The Ring 2 (2005). She stars in the American version of Pride and Prejudice (2003) and most recently in State’s Evidence (2004), as well as appearing in the U.S television show General Hospital. Telling Lies sees Kelly in her debut role in a British production where she plays Eve Forrester: the school rebel, Goth and genuine troublemaker.
Jenna Harrison plays Faith who has recently lost her mother to suicide and returns to school to find that her boyfriend has gone off with her best friend. Vulnerable and disenchanted she gets led astray by bad girl Eve Forrester and a sinister series of events evolves. Jenna made her television debut in My Brother Tom (2001). Since then she has appeared in several TV shows and films such as Submerged (2001), Stranded (2002), the Cambridge Spies (2003) and most recently in 12 Days of Terror (2004).
Film Synopsis:
Seventeen year-old Faith Munro had everything a young girl could want: loving parents, a great boyfriend, and life as the most popular girl at exclusive St. Matthew’s Private School on the outskirts of London. Her perfect life is thrown into disarray by the sudden, inexplicable suicide of her mother.
Unable to move past the grief of her mother’s death, Faith shuts everyone who really cares for her out of her life, including her father Jack and boyfriend Derek. She returns to school from sabbatical to discover her popularity has waned, and Derek has taken up with her former best friend Portia.
Friendless and lonely, Faith quickly falls under the spell of Eve Forrester. Just transferred in from a private school in the States, Eve is loud, brash, and completely fearless--- everything that Faith desperately wants to be. The two girls become fast friends. Together they plot to win back Derek by making him jealous of Faith’s new boyfriend, ‘Vincent.’ Only Faith and Eve know that ‘Vincent’ does not exist, he’s simply a made up person with a handsome face they acquired from an Internet site.
The ruse works beautifully at first, but things take a dark turn when the police discover a body in the Kensington Square Hotel identified as Vincent Craig, alongside Faith’s fingerprints and personal items. Unable to convince the authorities that it was all a harmless prank, Faith goes on the run in an attempt to find the real killer. But with Detective Inspector Maggie Thomas hot on her heels, will she be able to find the proof she needs in time?
The Film will be released later this year.
Following the launch of the film Telling Lies late last year, the entire cast will be attending the film’s first ever photo call next week, where pop sensation come actress Melanie Brown will once again boast her acting talent, alongside promising actresses Jenna Harrison, Kelly Stables and acclaimed actor Jason Flemyng.
The talented New York Film Academy graduate Antara Bhardwaj, who made her mark in her assistant directorial efforts with films such as Edge of the World and Backwaters starring Tamzin Outhwaite, directs this taut, highly charged thriller.
Telling Lies is produced by Sunanda Murali Manohar who has a high profile roster of films to her name including Jungle Boy, Inferno, Tropical Heat, Indian Summer, Blood Stone, Backwaters and Private Moments a film that is posed as London’s answer to Sex and the City. Also at present, Sunanda Murali Manohar is working on the film adaptation of Rasheed Kidwai’s biography on Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Kelly Stables has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters The Ring (2002) and Spider-Man (2002) performing stunts and has just finished playing one of the lead parts in The Ring 2 (2005). She stars in the American version of Pride and Prejudice (2003) and most recently in State’s Evidence (2004), as well as appearing in the U.S television show General Hospital. Telling Lies sees Kelly in her debut role in a British production where she plays Eve Forrester: the school rebel, Goth and genuine troublemaker.
Jenna Harrison plays Faith who has recently lost her mother to suicide and returns to school to find that her boyfriend has gone off with her best friend. Vulnerable and disenchanted she gets led astray by bad girl Eve Forrester and a sinister series of events evolves. Jenna made her television debut in My Brother Tom (2001). Since then she has appeared in several TV shows and films such as Submerged (2001), Stranded (2002), the Cambridge Spies (2003) and most recently in 12 Days of Terror (2004).
Film Synopsis:
Seventeen year-old Faith Munro had everything a young girl could want: loving parents, a great boyfriend, and life as the most popular girl at exclusive St. Matthew’s Private School on the outskirts of London. Her perfect life is thrown into disarray by the sudden, inexplicable suicide of her mother.
Unable to move past the grief of her mother’s death, Faith shuts everyone who really cares for her out of her life, including her father Jack and boyfriend Derek. She returns to school from sabbatical to discover her popularity has waned, and Derek has taken up with her former best friend Portia.
Friendless and lonely, Faith quickly falls under the spell of Eve Forrester. Just transferred in from a private school in the States, Eve is loud, brash, and completely fearless--- everything that Faith desperately wants to be. The two girls become fast friends. Together they plot to win back Derek by making him jealous of Faith’s new boyfriend, ‘Vincent.’ Only Faith and Eve know that ‘Vincent’ does not exist, he’s simply a made up person with a handsome face they acquired from an Internet site.
The ruse works beautifully at first, but things take a dark turn when the police discover a body in the Kensington Square Hotel identified as Vincent Craig, alongside Faith’s fingerprints and personal items. Unable to convince the authorities that it was all a harmless prank, Faith goes on the run in an attempt to find the real killer. But with Detective Inspector Maggie Thomas hot on her heels, will she be able to find the proof she needs in time?
The Film will be released later this year.
PRIVATE MOMENTS
London’s answer to Sex and the City
The first ever photo call with the cast from new movie Private Moments, billed as London’s answer to Sex and the City, took place on Monday 13th December at the Apart Gallery, Portobello Road. The cast, which included Jason Connery, Luke Goss, Catalina Guirado, Judi Shekoni, Natasha Vermeer and Aruna Shields, gleamed and glittered for the cameras and the paparazzi, proving that we Londoners are as sexy and sassy as our New York counterparts.
Veteran director Jag Mundra in speaking about the film commented, ‘’Private Moments is a sexy and sassy yet humorous film with influences from Sex and the City and the Red Shoe Diaries. Living in America and watching Sex and the City made me realise that the ideal city to set these hot topics would be London. It is so much more multi-cultural, and truly cosmopolitan. People of all ethnicities co-exist in a completely different way here. Sex and the City is very New York-centric and doesn’t represent all of America’s ethnic cultures, and uses almost exclusively Caucasian actors. That’s where Private Moments differs.’’
Film Synopsis:
Serena Call (Judi Shekoni) is having a bad day. She’s just turned a year older, her love life is non-existent, and her job as host for London’s lowest-rated night time talk show is in serious jeopardy. Serena’s got one week to come up with an idea to boost the stations sagging ratings, or it’s off to the unemployment line.
What’s a girl to do? Why, turn to her friends, of course! An impromptu birthday party and several bottles of wine lead to a night of sinful confessions for these four funny, sexy ladies. From titillating talk in a corner phone booth to a sensual rendezvous on a moving underground train, these ladies share their sexiest, most private moments.
It turns out that they are not alone in this desire. Serena returns to the air with a new style, new sense of purpose, and a new direction for the show. Re-dubbed “Private Moments, Public Places”, she finds that there are as many sexy stories in the city after dark, as there are women who want to tell them.
Cast:
Jason Connery; son of actors Sean Connery and Diane Cilento, London-born Jason inaugurated his own film career in 1982 with The Lords of Discipline. His next film was The Boy Who Had Everything (1983), which was critically acclaimed. He also starred in Robin of Sherwood, a well-distributed BBC television series of the late 1980s. In 1990, Jason Connery was wittily cast in the title role in the made-for-cable The Secret Life of Ian Fleming, a fanciful biography of the author/adventurer whose "James Bond" novels had helped catapult Sean Connery to fame. also regarded by many as the greatest living theatre practitioner.
Luke Goss; as part of the pop duo Bros, Luke received the Brit award for best newcomer and has now established a successful acting career and appeared in a number of TV productions and films including Frankenstein.
Catalina Guirado; British model first found fame on "TFI Friday" as Chris Evan's gorgeous sidekick. She has since been highly in demand as a model and appeared on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Series 2. Filming work has included a highly publicised appearance on the Osbournes and a Channel 4 documentary Summer In St Tropez.
Natasja Vermeer; a French actress who has played Emmanuelle a record seven times in the internationally successful series.
Judi Shekoni; a gorgeous model, TV presenter and actress who has appeared in Eastenders and Casualty.
Aruna Shields; sassy new British Asian actress who has starred in an array of Bollywood movies.
London’s answer to Sex and the City
The first ever photo call with the cast from new movie Private Moments, billed as London’s answer to Sex and the City, took place on Monday 13th December at the Apart Gallery, Portobello Road. The cast, which included Jason Connery, Luke Goss, Catalina Guirado, Judi Shekoni, Natasha Vermeer and Aruna Shields, gleamed and glittered for the cameras and the paparazzi, proving that we Londoners are as sexy and sassy as our New York counterparts.
Veteran director Jag Mundra in speaking about the film commented, ‘’Private Moments is a sexy and sassy yet humorous film with influences from Sex and the City and the Red Shoe Diaries. Living in America and watching Sex and the City made me realise that the ideal city to set these hot topics would be London. It is so much more multi-cultural, and truly cosmopolitan. People of all ethnicities co-exist in a completely different way here. Sex and the City is very New York-centric and doesn’t represent all of America’s ethnic cultures, and uses almost exclusively Caucasian actors. That’s where Private Moments differs.’’
Film Synopsis:
Serena Call (Judi Shekoni) is having a bad day. She’s just turned a year older, her love life is non-existent, and her job as host for London’s lowest-rated night time talk show is in serious jeopardy. Serena’s got one week to come up with an idea to boost the stations sagging ratings, or it’s off to the unemployment line.
What’s a girl to do? Why, turn to her friends, of course! An impromptu birthday party and several bottles of wine lead to a night of sinful confessions for these four funny, sexy ladies. From titillating talk in a corner phone booth to a sensual rendezvous on a moving underground train, these ladies share their sexiest, most private moments.
It turns out that they are not alone in this desire. Serena returns to the air with a new style, new sense of purpose, and a new direction for the show. Re-dubbed “Private Moments, Public Places”, she finds that there are as many sexy stories in the city after dark, as there are women who want to tell them.
Cast:
Jason Connery; son of actors Sean Connery and Diane Cilento, London-born Jason inaugurated his own film career in 1982 with The Lords of Discipline. His next film was The Boy Who Had Everything (1983), which was critically acclaimed. He also starred in Robin of Sherwood, a well-distributed BBC television series of the late 1980s. In 1990, Jason Connery was wittily cast in the title role in the made-for-cable The Secret Life of Ian Fleming, a fanciful biography of the author/adventurer whose "James Bond" novels had helped catapult Sean Connery to fame. also regarded by many as the greatest living theatre practitioner.
Luke Goss; as part of the pop duo Bros, Luke received the Brit award for best newcomer and has now established a successful acting career and appeared in a number of TV productions and films including Frankenstein.
Catalina Guirado; British model first found fame on "TFI Friday" as Chris Evan's gorgeous sidekick. She has since been highly in demand as a model and appeared on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Series 2. Filming work has included a highly publicised appearance on the Osbournes and a Channel 4 documentary Summer In St Tropez.
Natasja Vermeer; a French actress who has played Emmanuelle a record seven times in the internationally successful series.
Judi Shekoni; a gorgeous model, TV presenter and actress who has appeared in Eastenders and Casualty.
Aruna Shields; sassy new British Asian actress who has starred in an array of Bollywood movies.
Norfilms 2004 Webcinema Indie Movie Maker Awards Announced.
Norfilms.com have announced the annual Norfilms Webcinema Web Site Design Awards for 2004 to independent film-makers around the world.
The awards recognize the work of independent film-makers in promoting their movie projects and talent through the use of the internet and their web site designs, to give visitors and investors the best possible experience. Sites are assessed on the basis of style and the quality of visitors' experience.
This year's winners were: "Shoot And Slice", a British company dedicated to indie shorts and music videos, who won best HTML for the clarity of their design and speed of the underlying coding, and "kbroFILMS" a US independent production company who won the Flash site award for the quality of interactive experience offered to visitors. This year's runner-up was the L.A. talent agency Emission-Control, for the greatest improvement since last year.
The founder of Norfilms, Michael Bond says: "The intention behind the awards is to draw attention to the need of good web site design to promote any film project. This is an important concern for small independent producers who lack the huge marketing resources of Hollywood studios. The Webcinema members are encouraged to look as much at their web presentation as they do at their mainstream production efforts. As the web offers the most cost-effective way to promote a low budget movie all producers should be aware of the issues and opportunities on the net to attract the widest audience to their work."
All contestants to the awards are drawn from the Webcinema network of independent producers, production companies, film-makers and others around the world. Through the network members exchange news, information and support across borders via a moderated mailing list server, which posts announcements, opportunities, questions, etc., to the whole membership within minutes of posting.
Founded in the late 1990s the work of the network was subsequently sponsored by British production company Norfilms (Northern Filmmakers Ltd) who now support the members of the network through a dedicated section of advice and support on their own web site.
Membership to the Webcinema network is freely open to any interested producer and media production talent. Full details are available on the Norfilms.com web site where designers and producers will find a review of the awards and list of all current registered sites.
Norfilms are currently known for their efforts to produce "Dustbingate - The Movie" comedy feature based on the property dealing scandal surrounding Britain's Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. With the British General Election looming they expect greater interest to come their way for the project in forthcoming months.
Norfilms.com have announced the annual Norfilms Webcinema Web Site Design Awards for 2004 to independent film-makers around the world.
The awards recognize the work of independent film-makers in promoting their movie projects and talent through the use of the internet and their web site designs, to give visitors and investors the best possible experience. Sites are assessed on the basis of style and the quality of visitors' experience.
This year's winners were: "Shoot And Slice", a British company dedicated to indie shorts and music videos, who won best HTML for the clarity of their design and speed of the underlying coding, and "kbroFILMS" a US independent production company who won the Flash site award for the quality of interactive experience offered to visitors. This year's runner-up was the L.A. talent agency Emission-Control, for the greatest improvement since last year.
The founder of Norfilms, Michael Bond says: "The intention behind the awards is to draw attention to the need of good web site design to promote any film project. This is an important concern for small independent producers who lack the huge marketing resources of Hollywood studios. The Webcinema members are encouraged to look as much at their web presentation as they do at their mainstream production efforts. As the web offers the most cost-effective way to promote a low budget movie all producers should be aware of the issues and opportunities on the net to attract the widest audience to their work."
All contestants to the awards are drawn from the Webcinema network of independent producers, production companies, film-makers and others around the world. Through the network members exchange news, information and support across borders via a moderated mailing list server, which posts announcements, opportunities, questions, etc., to the whole membership within minutes of posting.
Founded in the late 1990s the work of the network was subsequently sponsored by British production company Norfilms (Northern Filmmakers Ltd) who now support the members of the network through a dedicated section of advice and support on their own web site.
Membership to the Webcinema network is freely open to any interested producer and media production talent. Full details are available on the Norfilms.com web site where designers and producers will find a review of the awards and list of all current registered sites.
Norfilms are currently known for their efforts to produce "Dustbingate - The Movie" comedy feature based on the property dealing scandal surrounding Britain's Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. With the British General Election looming they expect greater interest to come their way for the project in forthcoming months.
DARE IN SCOTLAND
Organisers of Dare to be Digital 2005 are on the hunt for Scotland’s brightest games talent this week, to see who’s got what it takes to make it into the unique games competition, hailed as having a major impact on the industry.
Talented students from across Tayside, hoping to enter the highly competitive games sector, are being asked to head to a special event at Dundee Contemporary Arts, 152 Nethergate, on Wednesday 9th February at 15:00hrs, where they will hear members of the industry talk about the benefits of Dare to the games sector.
Wednesday marks the launch of Dare to be Digital 2005 in Scotland, with further events taking place at the Lighthouse, in Glasgow on Wednesday 23rd February, and a week later at Edinburgh’s, The Hub, on Wednesday 2nd March 2005.
Dare is a competition open to students from Universities and Art Colleges and is based at the University of Abertay Dundee, which runs the competition in partnership with Scottish Enterprise Tayside and Dundee City Council.
Due to Dare’s rising profile in the industry over the last four years and with its growing reputation for producing some of the most promising talent entering the games sector, the competition receives invaluable support from sponsors, Microsoft, NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), BBC Scotland Interactive and NCR – all of whom remain as sponsors for 2005.
Judged by a panel of leading industry experts, Dare provides a unique working experience and is hailed by games industry bible, Develop Magazine, as “the closest you can get to commercial game development.”
"When I was judging the (2004) teams, I judged them against what we produce in-house at Electronic Arts”, said Richard Leinfellner, VP of Production, Electronic Arts “The teams were very focussed and really thought about their products. The actual demos were mind-blowing given the time they've had on them. I'm really impressed."
Supported by some of the biggest names in the games industry, Dare goes global for 2005, with teams from across the UK entering for the first time. With additional support from the Scottish Executive, eight scholarship places will be awarded to talented programming or computer art graduates from Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.
Colin Macdonald, Studio Manager of leading Scottish games company, Real Time Worlds, who is speaking at today’s event, comments: “With the industry's impending move to next-generation technology, and the huge increase in team sizes needed to make that leap, the experience that new graduates get from Dare can only be to our benefit. Dare offers a unique opportunity for people to experience a real game development lifecycle - something that in the industry today often takes years, and millions of pounds.
“Although the games industry always seems to be crying out for more talent, it's a notoriously difficult industry to get into and in the eyes of many, the Dare competition dramatically increases graduates chances of success in games - whether under their own steam, or with more established companies.”
Eight teams made up of five students are asked to submit a concept for a new and original computer game or educational entertainment product. Judges will be looking for the most creative ideas and those that fulfil the greatest market potential. Receiving help from industry specialists and a project fee of £1700, teams who make it through will have only 10 weeks to present a finished digital prototype and business sales document which can be pitched to investors.
Dare to be Digital has produced a long line of graduates who are now working for some of the top names in the electronic entertainment industry, including EA, Lionhead Studios, Visual Sciences and Real Time Worlds.
The closing date for applications is Monday 18th April 2005. Interviews will be held Wednesday 4th May 2005. The competition takes place from June 13th to August 19th at the University of Abertay Dundee.
Organisers of Dare to be Digital 2005 are on the hunt for Scotland’s brightest games talent this week, to see who’s got what it takes to make it into the unique games competition, hailed as having a major impact on the industry.
Talented students from across Tayside, hoping to enter the highly competitive games sector, are being asked to head to a special event at Dundee Contemporary Arts, 152 Nethergate, on Wednesday 9th February at 15:00hrs, where they will hear members of the industry talk about the benefits of Dare to the games sector.
Wednesday marks the launch of Dare to be Digital 2005 in Scotland, with further events taking place at the Lighthouse, in Glasgow on Wednesday 23rd February, and a week later at Edinburgh’s, The Hub, on Wednesday 2nd March 2005.
Dare is a competition open to students from Universities and Art Colleges and is based at the University of Abertay Dundee, which runs the competition in partnership with Scottish Enterprise Tayside and Dundee City Council.
Due to Dare’s rising profile in the industry over the last four years and with its growing reputation for producing some of the most promising talent entering the games sector, the competition receives invaluable support from sponsors, Microsoft, NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), BBC Scotland Interactive and NCR – all of whom remain as sponsors for 2005.
Judged by a panel of leading industry experts, Dare provides a unique working experience and is hailed by games industry bible, Develop Magazine, as “the closest you can get to commercial game development.”
"When I was judging the (2004) teams, I judged them against what we produce in-house at Electronic Arts”, said Richard Leinfellner, VP of Production, Electronic Arts “The teams were very focussed and really thought about their products. The actual demos were mind-blowing given the time they've had on them. I'm really impressed."
Supported by some of the biggest names in the games industry, Dare goes global for 2005, with teams from across the UK entering for the first time. With additional support from the Scottish Executive, eight scholarship places will be awarded to talented programming or computer art graduates from Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.
Colin Macdonald, Studio Manager of leading Scottish games company, Real Time Worlds, who is speaking at today’s event, comments: “With the industry's impending move to next-generation technology, and the huge increase in team sizes needed to make that leap, the experience that new graduates get from Dare can only be to our benefit. Dare offers a unique opportunity for people to experience a real game development lifecycle - something that in the industry today often takes years, and millions of pounds.
“Although the games industry always seems to be crying out for more talent, it's a notoriously difficult industry to get into and in the eyes of many, the Dare competition dramatically increases graduates chances of success in games - whether under their own steam, or with more established companies.”
Eight teams made up of five students are asked to submit a concept for a new and original computer game or educational entertainment product. Judges will be looking for the most creative ideas and those that fulfil the greatest market potential. Receiving help from industry specialists and a project fee of £1700, teams who make it through will have only 10 weeks to present a finished digital prototype and business sales document which can be pitched to investors.
Dare to be Digital has produced a long line of graduates who are now working for some of the top names in the electronic entertainment industry, including EA, Lionhead Studios, Visual Sciences and Real Time Worlds.
The closing date for applications is Monday 18th April 2005. Interviews will be held Wednesday 4th May 2005. The competition takes place from June 13th to August 19th at the University of Abertay Dundee.
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