Capital FX Awards

Capital FX awarded the five winners of its CFX Short Film Awards their 35mm prints.

The winning films were:

- Attack directed by Timothy Smith
- Pitch Perfect directed by J Blakeson
- Rabbit directed by Run Wrake
- Screen Kiss directed by Steven Sander
- The Little Thief directed by Adam Sharp.

There is no doubt that currently demand is not great enough for cinemas to gravitate towards showing short films without there being some outside encouragement. The CFX Short Film Award hopes to be part of this drive and looks forward to developing this with UK filmmakers.

The Winning Films and Filmmakers

Attack
Timothy Smith - Director

Synopsis:
Steve, the leader of a local gang apprehends a neo-Nazi skinhead because he has attacked two of his black teenage friends in a nearby alley. The police arrive and take statements from Steve and the two teenage boys. Malcolm, the skinhead, lies unconscious. As we're taken back through the story we realise that perhaps the boys aren't telling the whole truth and things may not be as black and white as they first appear.

Timothy's biography:
Timothy was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1972. Between 1994 and 1997 he studied film production and animation in Melbourne. Then from 1997 to 1998 he worked in the film industry in Sydney before relocating to London in 2002. Here he completed a Masters degree in Media at Westminster University. Timothy currently works as a freelance writer, director and camera operator.

Pitch Perfect
J Blakeson - Director

Synopsis:
Bob and Ellis are screenwriters with integrity, talent and the willingness to do absolutely anything to sell their movie. Over four frustrating meetings with film executives, they desperately rethink their pitch, ready to go to any lengths to make that elusive sale. But how far is too far?

J's biography:
Based on writer/director J Blakeson's real life experiences pitching feature ideas to executives, 'Pitch Perfect' was shot on DVcam and HD. The film was self funded by J and producer Sacha Guttenstein through production and then won Film Council completion funding. It premiered at the 2005 Edinburgh International Film Festival and has gone on to play at Brief Encounters Short Film Festival in Athens, and Ohio Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Short Film at the 2005 British Independent Film Awards.

Rabbit
Run Wrake - Director

Synopsis:
A selection of 1950s educational stickers, found in a provincial junkshop twenty years ago provide the ingredients for this adult fairytale. Once they were new, delivering a simple message to the young. Like us, however, they have grown older and now present a more complex meaning. The dark shade and casual violence of the story clash with the childhood connotations of the artwork to create an atmosphere of lost innocence, and tell a tale of greed and the random justice of nature.

Run's biography:
Since graduating from RCA in 1990 Run has worked as a freelance animation director and illustrator. He has worked on a wide variety of projects include short film, promos, television graphics, commercials, live visuals and illustration. Career highlights include working on a series of freeform promos, presenting storyboards to Roy Lichtenstein in his New York studio for U2's Popmart tour visuals and 'Rabbit'.

Screen Kiss
Steven Sander - Director

Synopsis:
In a mock documentary style, Screen Kiss explores the duplicity of two actors and their director. The actors kiss on screen but away from the camera they secretly hate each other.

Steven's biography:
Steve graduated with a History degree from Cambridge University in 1999. He started in the film industry as a runner at Union Commercials, Union Pictures and Natural Nylon in London. Since then he's gained a reputation as a TV commercials director with Quiet Storm Films, working for clients such as BT, Nokia, News International and BMW Mini Cooper. He is currently working on a short film and documentary project.

The Little Thief
Adam Sharp - Director

Synopsis:
After stealing a toy plane from a shop the little thief runs off to play with his prize in the woods, but the sun is setting and darkness soon comes. Unwittingly he is led to the grounds of a deserted mansion, where toys hang from the trees like overripe fruit.

Adams's biography:
A flair for the macabre and a strong artistic talent, singled Adam out as unusual from an early age. Adam Graduated in 1997 with a degree in Animation, and quickly found work as a freelance animator and illustrator. Initially working with more traditional forms of hand drawn animation Adam later began to use computers as his main tool. He has worked on numerous productions including pilots, children's series, idents for Channel 4, and TV ads, as well as the recent Gorillaz 'Feel Good Inc.' music video. Adam is now co-director of Itchy Pictures, a rapidly growing animation and VFX studio.

SING-A-LONG WIZARD OF OZ

In a special treat and to coincide with the launch of TCM 2 channel, audiences can
sing along to the catchy numbers of The Wizard of Oz (1939) from 2nd- 6th May.
The lyrics will be visible to all on the screen.

TCM 2 LAUNCH GUARANTEES GREAT MOVIES

On 2nd May, the red carpet rolls out for the premiere of TCM 2, a new channel to complement the original film channel TCM that promises to become a byword for the best examples of the original cinematic art. In a move giving viewers access to some of the most cherished films ever made, the channel will screen core titles from TCM’s vast archive. These are the movies with a genuine claim to the title “timeless”, from three-handkerchief weepies like Casablanca (1942), through epic dramas such as Gone with the Wind (1939) to the kind of family movies like The Philadelphia Story (1940). Great productions such as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and musicals like West Side Story, as well as top-rated thrillers of the calibre of The Maltese Falcon, are also on offer.

And sticking with one of the most popular features on TCM, viewers can enjoy originally-produced content including OFF SET interviews where present-day stars and acclaimed directors describe why Hollywood classics mean so much to them. TCM will continue broadcasting a wider range of material, including new documentaries, more contemporary classics and international films.

The launch of the complementary channel means more creative programming across two channels rather than one, TCM viewers will have an embarrassment of riches to tuck into. In a feast of viewing entertainment, TCM 2 will, for its first four months, show four movies at the same time every night for a week from 7pm, with the selection changing every Sunday evening to give viewers more opportunities to catch the all-time classics.

TCM 2 broadcasts from 7pm to 3am daily on channel 320 on SKY and is complementary to its sister channel TCM which draws on a library of 20th century movies from Hollywood’s golden age to contemporary classics. TCM 2 provides further choice by celebrating the original classics from Hollywood’s history and giving film heritage enthusiasts the chance to revel in universally loved films.

For information on TCM see www.tcmonline.co.uk

Local film stars support aspiring young filmmakers

in the North East

A group of budding young filmmakers from the North East had the experience of a lifetime yesterday when they attended a workshop with professionals from film and advertising industries to learn some ‘tricks of the trade’.

The workshops were conducted as part of the Futures in Motion film competition run by First Light, the UK Film Council’s youth initiative, in conjunction with The National Lottery, and which aims to showcase the creativity of young people across the region.

Part of Newcastle’s Centre for Life was transformed into a film set for the day with cameras and props, and local film star Peter Flannery, scriptwriter for films including Funny Bones and The One and Only, as well as BAFTA winning Newcastle television program Our Friends in the North dropped by to lend his support and share his experiences. Multiple Oscar® winning director Ridley Scott, who is responsible classic films such Alien and Gladiator, and who grew up in South Shields, has also lent his support to what he calls a “great initiative”.

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i-blink

Coventry’s film festival is about to go International and will be scouring Europe for fresh new writing talent

The former blink film festival is going to be i-blink and to celebrate; the organisers have created a wonderful opportunity for budding film-makers to get their films made.

i-blink 2007 is to give young film makers from all over Europe the chance to have their scripts made into 10-minute films and the best 10 scripts submitted will be made into films and screened at the festival next January.

The innovative international scriptwriting competition is a key part of the film festival and is open budding directors, screenwriters and producers living or working in Europe.

Pete Woodbridge, one of the organisers of the i-blink film festival and a lecturer at Coventry University, said:

“We want the i-blink festival to become one of the fixtures and fittings of the international film festival scene and by launching the scriptwriting competition with the prize of having the script made into a film is a way of getting the film-makers to take notice.

“Coventry is a city a reputation for excellence in so many areas and an international film festival is the next logical step.

“We are looking for scripts about any subject of about 10 minutes in duration. There is no age limit and it’s open to everyone.”

Scripts are now being accepted and short-listed screenwriters will be identified later in the year. Film production will take place over the summer to produce the final 10 films by the end of November 2006.

The films will have their debut screening at the i-blink film festival which will form part of the internationally renowned MeCCSA and AMPE* conference which Coventry is hosting in 2007.

Pete Woodbridge added:

“Who knows, we could discover some rare talent who could go on to become the next Spielberg, Hitchcock or Lean. It is a wonderful opportunity for someone to see their work come to life and I hope it will fire peoples’ imagination.”

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IAFT ONE-YEAR IMMERSION PROGRAM GAINING MOMENTUM

2nd Session Continues To Attract Aspiring Filmmakers From Philippines and Around The Globe

CEBU, PHILIPPINES (April 27, 2006) – Upon successful completion of its inaugural session, the International Academy of Film and Television’s (IAFT) One-Year Immersion program rolls into its next batch of classes poised for another great session.

In addition to an influx of promising new students from as far the United Kingdom, the IAFT proudly announces the addition of three esteemed new mentors:

* Mark Gary, has worked as both director and Director of Photography for television commercials, with corporate clients such as Sprite, Wrigley, Sara Lee and Unilever;
* Roberto Minervini, Italian-born filmmaker and photographer who gained international recognition in 2001 for the experimental short film To Be A Woman; and
* Fred Straughen, who has worked in television production for over 20 years with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as well as throughout Asia and Indonesia.

These new members will join highly regarded resident mentors Timothy Doolen and Fritz Kohle. Doolen has provided valuable instruction to students through IAFT’s short-term workshops and its first session.

Even with the stellar line-up of film industry veterans, unique beachside campus and state-of-the-art facilities, the cost of the One-Year Immersion Program will remain comparatively low at US$8,000 for international students and US$5,000 for local Filipino students.

The admissions department of IAFT notes that, given these favorable factors, there is an increasing amount of enquiries about the program from countries as far away as Australia and the United States.

To encourage budding filmmakers, IAFT has previously established a Scholarship Fund for students who wish to attend its courses. The Fund comprises three assistance programs: one need-based award, CineLikha Young Filmmaker Scholarship, and two merit-based awards, IAFT Lumière Fellowship and Emergent Artists Award.

Awards will be granted based on student’s annual income (for the need-based award) or prior creative history and demonstrated potential (for merit-based awards). For the second session, the Emergent Artists Award was granted to Filipino Joe Siclot, a Fine Arts graduate who demonstrated exceptional talent and would like to further his creative pursuits in the realm of filmmaking.


“We look forward to offering aspiring filmmakers from all corners of the world the opportunity to practice their craft at a world-class media facility,” says Kacy Andrews, CEO of Bigfoot Entertainment, the fully-integrated parent company of IAFT. “For many students, it’s their first exposure to the rigors and rewards of a career in the entertainment industry.”

The One-Year Immersion program, which consists of five 9-week courses, includes courses on cinematography, editing, directing, screenwriting, producing, filmmaking, sound design and other electives. Students will also get to work closely with the faculty members to for their final project which can be part of their professional reel.

IAFT accepts a new student intake every two months so subsequent terms will begin on June 5, August 14 and October 23. Housing is available for students at the 68-room Casablanca Gardens, which is a two-minute walk on campus.

For more information, please call +63-32-342-8889 or 1-866-300-7207 (toll-free from U.S.). Alternatively, you can visit www.filmschool.ph

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SHOOTLIVE TO CAPTURE CRIMINALS IN 11 SECONDS

Worldwide launch of revolutionary new technology at International Police Expo Conference 2006

ShootLive, www.shootlive.com a patent pending photography delivery process developed by the world renowned photography agency EMPICS, is to be unveiled for the first time at the International Police Expo Conference 2006 in Birmingham on 9 – 11 May.

ShootLive enables police photographers to take high resolution pictures in real-time and then send the images to a central hub over a wireless internet connection within 11 seconds of the camera click.

Breaking into film and TV is tough if you're young and black

The need to have a vast array of personal contacts and to be able to work for months without pay is making it difficult for many young black and Asian media students to break into the film and broadcasting industry in London, according to new research published today.

Undertaken for the Southern and Eastern Region of the TUC (SERTUC), Skillset and BECTU by the Working Lives Research Institute at London Metropolitan University, the research says that whilst black and Asian employees make up 32 per cent of the capital's workforce, only 8 per cent of the people working in film and TV in London are from ethnic minorities.

According to the report, 'Making the transition from college to work: Experiences of media, film and television students in London's audio-visual industries', around a quarter of the UK's audio visual companies are based in London, employing a workforce of some 125,000. Given that every year around 25,000 students nationally graduate from media related courses, it's not easy for young people to get a foot in the door.

One of the key findings of the study which questioned almost 250 final-year and recently graduated students was that the freelance nature of the industry - over two-thirds (65 per cent) of the 21-30 year olds working in film and TV in London do so on a freelance basis - meant that an address book of contacts was key to finding work.

The report also refers to a recent survey which found that three-quarters of youngsters aged 20-23 had found it necessary to work for free for up to three months before finding permanent paid work. Some had put in up to six months unpaid work experience. And those fortunate enough to be able to take up work placement opportunities complained that they were often ignored, or seemed to spend their whole time delivering parcels or making tea and sandwiches.

'Making the transition' says that working as an unpaid runner for months on end is simply out of reach of the overwhelming majority of black and Asian students who tend to come from lower income backgrounds. Leaving college with student debts, combined with the high cost of living in London, meant that working for nothing - especially as the salary for those starting out in the audio visual industry can be as little as £12,000 - was simply not an option for most of the students surveyed.

The black and Asian students questioned by the researchers were also often critical of their colleges for not making the courses practical enough and for not helping them be prepared enough to enter the world of work. It was felt that better and earlier careers advice would help, as would the forging of stronger links with industry and the setting up of more work placements.

SERTUC Regional Secretary Mick Connolly said: "With so many film and TV wanabees leaving college every year desperate to work in film and TV, it's never going to be possible for everyone to land their dream job. But with the dice clearly loaded against students from lower income families, many of whom will be from ethnic minority backgrounds, they are going to find it much tougher than friends from more privileged backgrounds."

Dinah Caine, Chief Executive of Skillset, said: "Research such as this is critical if we are to support making sure that diversity is at the top of the agenda. Our workforce must be representative of our society if the content we produce is to reach the widest audience and be successful economically and culturally. Skillset has been working with the industry to address the issue but there is still more to be done, by every party involved."

Janice Turner, diversity officer at BECTU, said: "This research proves
what we'd known anecdotally for a long time ­ that to get a foot in the door
and build a career you need contacts or money and preferably both, and
many newly qualified black and Asian youngsters have neither. The fact that there is such appalling under-representation of workers from ethnic minorities in the industry shows that real action needs to be taken. This is why BECTU has undertaken its two-year Move on Up initiative, aiming to bring together industry executives and young black and Asian professionals keen to get on in film and broadcast."

The research is to be presented later today to a seminar at SERTUC's offices in Congress House, attended by senior executives from film and TV companies in the capital.

Boost For Capital’s Film Festivals

Lottery Funding provides greater choice of film for Londoners

Next round of applications now open

12 film festivals and education projects across London are set to receive funding and support from Film London’s Audience Development Fund, designed to increase the range of film available in the capital.

Over the next six months London will host film festivals on Spanish, Bangladeshi, African, Brazilian, and Black cinema, with venues across the capital participating in a wide range of screenings, talks and workshops.

The fund supports a varied calendar of events including the first-ever Fashion in Film Festival run by The Central Martin’s College of Art and Design in May, which will explore subjects as diverse as wartime fashion and wardrobe emergencies; Birds Eye View which will celebrate women’s film-making with a programme of shorts, features and silent films from May to September; and the London International Animation Festival which takes place in August.

Other projects to benefit include the forthcoming East End Film Festival which reflects the many communities in the area, whilst West London’s Portobello Film Festival will train unemployed people in event management alongside screenings of new films. The Curzon Soho Cinema is running a Short Film Summer School and Youth Animation Media will offer digital film-making and animation workshops for young people in Peckham.

Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London said:

“Film is a great way to celebrate the diversity of the capital and these projects are all testament to London’s cultural vitality. We hope these festivals will also attract new audiences, increase the range of cinema available to local communities and inspire new film-makers.”

Applications are now invited for the new round of the Film London Audience Development Fund from cinema projects and film festivals taking place in the capital between 1 October 2006 and 31 March 2007.

The deadline for the new round of applications for the Film London Audience Development Fund is 12 noon, Friday 30 June 2006. Free information sessions will be held on 18 May, 11am-1pm and 7 June, 4-6pm at Film London, Suite 6.10, The Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ. To attend, please contact: morinade.akinbobola@filmlondon.org.uk.

The Film London Audience Development Fund is the result of RIFE (Regional Investment Fund of England) Lottery Funds, distributed by Film London on behalf of the UK Film Council.

The following projects have received funding in the latest round of awards:

BLACK FILMMAKERS’ MAGAZINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

£5,000

BFM International Film Festival will run over seven days at the ICA and Prince Charles Cinema in Central London from 8-16 September. This annual event showcases black world cinema and aims to create new audiences for this work. This year’s programme has a special focus on the Nigerian film industry (‘Nollywood’) and will also include a black film retrospective, screening some of the most important films that have shaped British black film-making.

In addition to screenings, the festival provides a platform for the work of UK black film-makers across genre; introduces new film-makers to mainstream audiences through its Short Film Awards; and provides opportunities for black individuals and businesses to network with industry professionals through workshops run in partnership with ITV, BBC and London Film Academy.

BIRDS EYE VIEW

£7,500

Birds Eye View runs special events, festivals and educational programmes to promote the work of women film-makers. This season extends from March to September, and comprises a documentary season at the ICA (11-13 May); a shorts and features strand at Apollo, Regent Street (1-4 May) with screenings, master-classes and Q&As with women filmmakers with new films; a City Screenings and Education Programme with daytime workshops for teenagers at Rio Dalston, Phoenix East Finchley, David Lean Croydon and Watermans in Brent (May-July); and Sound & Silents, with live music accompaniment to screenings of archive and contemporary shorts (September). Highlights of the programme will also tour nationally.

FASHION IN FILM FESTIVAL

£4,000

Central St Martins College of Art and Design will run the first Fashion in Film Festival from 12-21 May 2006. The festival will take place at the ICA, Cine Lumiere and The Horse Hospital as well as at venues in the London Boroughs of Camden, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea. Partners include the Imperial War Museum, Italian Cultural Institute and a range of other organisations and individuals. There will be 11 screenings and several talks and events. Films to be screened include Vertigo, The Gay Shoe Clerk, Paris is Burning and Chop Suey.


SHORT FILM SUMMER SCHOOL

£3,000

The Short Film Summer School will run from 12-15 July 2006 at the Curzon Soho and will showcase recent and archive shorts and host panel discussions, Q&As, workshops and networking sessions. This year will have a focus on young people, HD-produced shorts and Behind the Scenes workshops. This project is also to be funded via Film London’s Skills and Training budget.


EDMONTON AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL

£2,000

Run by Enfield Arts Partnership, the Edmonton African Film Festival will take place at the ArtsZone, Enfield from 30 May-4 June 2006, showing films from South Africa, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal.

THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL

£8,000

The London International Animation Film Festival 2006 will run from April-November 2006, including over 200 short and feature animated films, several satellite events and open air screenings as well as animation workshops for children and young adults.

PORTOBELLO FILM FESTIVAL

£8,000

The Portobello Film Festival 2006 runs from 3-22 August in West London. The festival will screen over 500 new films in different strands. The programme will include a family circus tent and an award ceremony at The Electric Cinema.

THE 2nd UK BRAZILIAN FILM FESTIVAL

£ 3,000

The 2nd UK Brazilian Film Festival programme will include features, medium-length films and shorts covering documentary, fiction, animation and experimental formats as well as debates, Q&As and a retrospective of director Domingos de Oliveira. The Festival will work alongside the University of London to run a workshop combined with talks from film scholars and will also host a photography exhibition by Brazilian Fernando Barbera and a retrospective of Brazilian video art at the Tate Modern.

Screenings will take place at the Genesis Cinema and at other venues in West and South London. As well as the main festival, a monthly night of shorts will run from March to August at the Corbet Place Bar, Old Truman Brewery.

THE EAST END FILM FESTIVAL

£7,500

The East End Film Festival, 27 April-4 May 2006, will run a week long programme of films, special events and workshops in venues across East London including Genesis Cinema, Mile End; The Rio, Dalston; The Rich Mix, Bethnal Green; Stratford Circus; Picture House, Newham; and the UGC West India Quay.

The Festival has eight main strands, ranging from the main screening programmes, to education and professional development events, and provides opportunities for emerging and established film-makers living in the region, as well as programmes of high-quality films from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, chosen to reflect one of the core communities of the East End. In addition, Eastern European, East Asian and African and Caribbean strands further represents the increasing diversity of the region. The Professional Development strand, comprising workshops, panel discussions, competitions, networking events and master classes is a new development for 2006.

THE SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL

£ 5,000

The 2006 Spanish Film Festival will take place at Cine Lumiere from 22-28 September 2006. There will be a selection of around 15 Spanish films with Q&As, directors’ talks, a schools’ screening, and a seminar at the Institute Cervantes.

YOUTH ANIMATION AND MEDIA

£2,000

Based in Peckham, Youth Animation Media will run digital film-making and animation workshops for young people during the school mid-term break from 29 May-2 June 2006. Completed films will be screened at the centre alongside a retrospective of previous films and the audience choice will be shown on 18 June at Peckham Multiplex.

THE BANGLADESHI FILM FESTIVAL

£3,000

The 7th Bangladeshi Film Festival in East London, 4-11 June 2006, will include seminars and workshops. The festival coincides with the 50th year of Bangladeshi cinema and extra activities around the festival including programming from the last 50 years, a photo/poster exhibition and the publication of a special book on 50 years of Bangladeshi Film are also planned. Bangladeshi films will be screened in at least 10 schools in Tower Hamlets.

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Film London is the capital’s film and media agency. Film London sustains, promotes and develops London as a major international film-making and film cultural capital. This includes all the screen industries based in London – film, television, video, commercials and new interactive media. Film London is supported by the UK Film Council and the London Development Agency through Creative London. Film London also receives significant support from Arts Council England London, the European Regional Development Fund, the Mayor of London and Skillset.

www.filmlondon.org.uk

CUT! HORROR COMPETITION

THE HORROR CHANNEL PRESENTS
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR ASPIRING DIRECTORS

Bloodthirsty budding directors with a passion for horror are being offered a unique opportunity to have
their work judged by experts in the movie industry.

The Horror Channel, in association with Ghost House Mobile, is running a unique short film competition
and has secured a panel of elite judges including US producer Rob Tapert (The Grudge and
The Evil Dead), New York director Lloyd Kaufman (Toxic Avenger, Tromeo & Juliet and the upcoming
Poultrygeist) and internationally renowned film critic Alan Jones.

The aptly-titled competition CUT!, launches in the UK on April 17 and entrants are encouraged to send
in a two-minute horror film. The winners will get the chance to see their names in lights and their films
on the big screen. The films will also be edited for mobile and made available on an exclusive Horror
Channel WAP site launching in mid-April and on Ghost House Mobile.

The winner of the Short Film Competition will receive £5000 and the top three winning films will be
shown to a packed public theatre at the next prestigious Frightfest at The Odeon in Leicester Square.

There are also excellent cash prizes for runner ups.

“The movie industry can be a cut-throat business and we are delighted to be able to provide a platform
for a filmmaker to showcase their work from,” says Zone Vision’s Chief Business Development and
New Media Officer Tanya Gugenheim. “Zone Vision, which owns The Horror Channel, continues to be
at the forefront of new media trends, and working with some of the industry’s top talent such as
Rob Tapert and Lloyd Kaufman, also helps us to reach new audiences.”

“I think this is a great way to find new, exciting talent. The CUT! competition is open to anyone with
a camera, an idea and the desire to shoot something cool and scary. I'm really looking forward to
seeing what the filmmakers of tomorrow create,” says Rob Tapert.

Lloyd Kaufman says: “This competition is more exciting than the Commonwealth Games!”

The closing date for CUT! is June 16
For more information about how to enter, log onto www.thehorrorchannel.tv

HORROR CHANNEL WAP SITE:
http://horror.zonemobile.tv or text the word HORROR to 83239

GHOST HOUSE MOBILE WAP SITE:
www.wap.ghosthousemobile.com or text the word: GHOST to 86222

Vividas launches landmark video streaming suite

Vivcast Encoding Suite solves complexity of publishing large quantities
of video content online

London 25 April, 2006: Vividas, one of the world's leading developers and providers of full-screen video streaming technology, today announces the launch of its Vivcast Encoding Suite. This new range provides an all-in-one digital encoder for any organisation that wishes to publish large quantities of video content on the Internet.

The Vivcast units are a simple, cost-effective means for organisations or resellers to deliver platform independent, full-screen, broadcast-quality video content instantly to an unlimited global audience. Whether it's a broadcaster wanting to stream the latest TV programme, or a company making its annual CEO announcement, Vivcast has been specially designed to stream video content quickly and conveniently, without users needing to download software before viewing.

In the past, companies had to rely on a number of different suppliers to provide the hardware, software and hosting services to make large-scale video communications possible. This caused logistical nightmares, compounded by the management of encoding to a range of different formats. Vivcast technology offers the whole package in one box and one universal format, with a simple pricing structure and product support. Companies will be charged for the box rental, as well as pay per view charge for each user.

Vivcast has a broad market base, developed to cater for the video requirements of anyone from advertising agencies and those looking to set-up an internet TV station, to video resellers and the big internet players like Google and AOL. The unit is simply rented for a monthly flat fee, rather than users being charged confusing tariffs based on gigabytes per month or set-up fees. Vividas uses a standard web server to deliver the video, so it can easily be integrated into existing companies infrastructure.

Vivcast offers the additional benefit of security, allowing organisations to produce, encode and distribute videos with sensitive company data internally, rather than relying on an outside supplier, and with Full Digital Rights Management support (DRM).
Vivcast also provides video that can be viewed by anyone with internet access, from a dial-up connection to high-speed broadband.

Richard Collins, CEO of Vividas, commented: "Until now, large-scale video communications have been complicated to set-up and expensive to maintain. We are offering corporates a one-stop-shop for their video requirements with a simple pricing structure and unlimited number of streams. Quite simply, Vividas is making full-screen, mass video streaming affordable and simple for the first time. We're looking forward to rapid expansion over the next few months as the product suite really takes off."

TCM 2 TO LAUNCH ON SKY ON MAY 2ND

London, 24th April, 2006: TCM (Turner Classic Movies) On Tuesday 2nd May 2006 TCM 2 launches exclusively in the UK on Sky channel 320, next to TCM on 319 on the SKY Guide. The new channel will broadcasts from 7pm to 3am daily and is set to complement its sister channel TCM, which draws on a library of the 20th century movies from Hollywood’s golden age to contemporary classics.

TCM 2 provides further choice for the existing movie-loving audience by celebrating the original classics from Hollywood’s history. It also gives film heritage enthusiasts the chance to revel in universally loved films such as The Wizard of Oz, North By Northwest, The Maltese Falcon, Dr Zhivago and Casablanca. Helping to enrich the cinematic experience, audiences will also be given the chance to sing-a-long with some of the most magical musicals ever made. TCM 2’s schedule will also include originally produced content like its OFF SET interviews where current movie stars and directors talk about their love of original Hollywood.

TCM 2 introduces a bold new approach to scheduling for the first four months showing the same 3 or 4 movies every night for a week. The movies start from 7pm, with the prime time movie being shown at either 9pm or 9.30pm and the late night movie at either 11.30 pm or midnight. The selection of films will change on Sundays. This means that TCM 2 viewers get every possible opportunity to enjoy their favourite movies on a day that is convenient for them. Moreover, it will also attract new audiences who have yet to experience the original glamour of Hollywood’s golden era. During the first week of its life on air, between 2-6th May, TCM 2 is broadcasting a sing-a-long version of the Wizard of Oz.

An individual new look campaign for TCM 2, building on the existing TCM brand, is being created for the new channel. TCM is working with a US-based design agency, Fuel, to produce a 60” launch promo and cut downs to give TCM 2 a clear identity of its own but with a definite link to TCM. By taking the back-projected light boxes, which are integral to the TCM brand, Fuel has developed a bright, new look for TCM 2. This exciting approach works with the central theme of natural light and combines it with fascinating imagery of natural phenomena. Light is woven through, and explodes around, a series of classic film clips culminating in a swirl that reveals the number two and ends with TCM 2 displayed in a light box.

Alan Musa TCM VP and Channel Manager commented: ‘By creating a new home for our original classics, TCM 2 gives us a great opportunity to celebrate the wonderful movies in our vast library. TCM will continue to show some of these classic favourites but we can now expand and develop. By introducing new documentaries, more contemporary classics and international films we can ensure that there is always something new for our viewers to experience on TCM while they can find a guaranteed favourite on TCM 2.’

Nicola Bamford, Director of Channels and Operations at Sky said:

‘The launch of TCM 2 on Sky reinforces our platform’s position as the number one entertainment choice, offering the widest range of movie channels in the UK and Ireland.’

TAB HUNTER IN PERSON

In addition to the May 1 visit of Isabella Rossellini, considerable star wattage will be generated on Saturday, May 13, when actor and American screen icon Tab Hunter joins us to present a newly restored 35mm print of director Phil Karlson’s overlooked psychological Western, Gunman’s Walk (1958).

Gunman’s Walk is a personal favorite of Hunter’s films, and, post-screening, he will discuss his career, answer audience questions, and sign copies of his tell-all autobiography. The book, Tab Hunter Confidential, reveals Hunter’s secret life as a gay man within the Hollywood star system. Hunter’s considerable charm, blond hair, and athletic good looks made him one of the most popular leading men of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

His motion picture career spans more than five decades and covers such gems as Damn Yankees (1958) and John Waters’s Polyester (1981). His co-stars include Natalie Wood, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Sophia Loren, and Gary Cooper, and he was directed by such legendary figures as Raoul Walsh, Stanley Donen, William Wellman, and Sidney Lumet. He is also a veteran of stage and television. In Gunman’s Walk, Hunter offers his most riveting performance as the violent and hotheaded Ed Hackett, the son of gunslinger-turned-land-baron Lee Hackett (Van Heflin). The elder Hackett encourages Ed’s disturbing behavior, while virtually ignoring his law-abiding younger son Davy (Hunter’s fellow teen idol James Darren). Inevitably, Ed goes one step too far, forcing Lee to make a devastating decision. Veteran director Karlson’s inventive use of CinemaScope is just one reason to discover this powerful drama on the Dryden’s big screen.

Tickets are $10, $8 members and students. Advance tickets are available at the Dryden box office, the Museum’s admissions desk, by Credit Card Online, or by calling (585) 271-3361 ext. 218. No Take-10 tickets or passes will be accepted for this event.

Programs/Events: http://www.eastmanhouse.org/inc/programs_events/film.php

Credit Card Online: http://shop-eastmanhouse.org/index.html#tickets

Buy Tab's Book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1565124669/ref=ase_tabhuntercom-20/104-8778789-4247124?s=books&v=glance&n=283155&tagActionCode=tabhuntercom-20

THE CULT INDIE HORROR-COMEDY NOW ON DVD FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

Set to do for serial killer genre what "Shaun Of The Dead" did for zombie flicks, the cult indie horror-comedy, FREAK OUT, comes to DVD in May as an extras-packed, two-disc edition courtesy of Anchor Bay UK. Already a massive hit on the independent film festival circuit and winner of both the Best Genre Cross Over Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Commendation Award at Manchester's International Festival of Fantastic Films, FREAK OUT has been hailed by acclaimed horror director Mick Garris (Masters Of Horror; The Shining) as "a wild, woolly sledgehammer to the face of Hollywood conformity."

Geeky horror movie fan Merv Doody (James Heathcote) receives the ultimate reality check when he unexpectedly discovers an inept and potentially homicidal lunatic hiding in his shower. Instead of following the time-honoured horror tradition of screaming like a girl and running for his life, Merv decides upon a less conventional option ? turning his would-be attacker into the ultimate masked maniac. With the help of his best friend Onkey (Dan Palmer), Merv sets about training Looney in the ways of the silver screen's most unstoppable killing machines ? Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers. But Looney learns his lessons too well and, armed with his deadly cooking spatula, goes on an uncontrollable rampage carving his way through the residents of the previously quiet island town of Redwater Cove. Among those in Looney's psychotic sights are a gang of hard-drinking lesbians, a horde of crazed Larry Hagman fans and US ska-punk legends, Less Than Jake. The question is: can Merv and Onkey stop their monster before it's too late?

Four years in the making, FREAK OUT is a hilarious and irreverent parody of the slasher genre, packed with juvenile double-entendres, witty pop-culture references and knowing nods to numerous horror classics. A treat for horror aficionados who don't take their terror too seriously, it is a must-see for splatter fans and comedy buffs alike.

The two-disc edition of FREAK OUT (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (?16.99) by Anchor Bay UK on 29th May 2006.

Special Features

Disc One
Audio commentary by director Christian James, actor/writer Dan Palmer and actor/producer Yazz Fetto; audio commentary by director Christian James, actor/writer Dan Palmer and cast members James Heathcote, Nicola Connell and Chilli Gold moderated by BBC Radio 1 movie critic James King; stereo 2.0; optional Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS; optional English subtitles for the hard of hearing; scene selection.

Disc Two
Making Out ? behind the scenes of the four-year shoot of the film; Bum Feeling 101; Geek Out ? internet movie critics express their opinions; Zaniac music video; 5 Minute Film School ? tips for wannabe filmmakers; Honey I Blew Up The Looney; deleted scenes; The Video Store.

GWENDOLINE

"EMMANUELLE" MEETS "RAIDERS OF THE LOST IN ARK" IN THE GUILTY PLEASURE MOVIE TO END THEM ALL!

Freely adapted from John Willie's celebrated erotic comic strip, which appeared in his bondage and fetish magazine "Bizarre" during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and directed by acclaimed master of erotica Just Jaeckin (Lady Chatterley's Lover; The Story Of O; Emmanuelle), the much sought after fantastical comedy-adventure GWENDOLINE is without a doubt one of the greatest "guilty pleasure" movies of all time. Now, this cult classic is finally coming to DVD, uncut for the first time in the UK and loaded with extra features.

Combining the sensual imagery of "Emmanuelle" with the tongue-in-cheek heroics of the Indiana Jones movies, GWENDOLINE stars Brent Huff (Glass Trap; Submerged; Beautiful), French model and actress Zabou (La crise; C'est la vie) and, as the eponymous heroine, Tawny Kitaen (Hercules:The Legendary Journeys; Witchboard; Bachelor
Party), the former Mrs. David Coverdale best known for her appearances in the now legendary "trilogy" of Whitesnake music videos.

In search of her father who has mysteriously disappeared while on a mission to find a mythical species of butterfly, Gwendoline (Tawny Kitaen)and her sexy sidekick Beth (Zabou) travel as stowaways on a ship bound for the Far East. On arrival, the cute companions are abducted and imprisoned by a gang of lecherous seamen with
extremely dishonourable intentions. Luckily, the two heroines are rescued by a hunky but mercenary adventurer, Willard (Brent Huff), a man for whom money means more than anything. Quickly realizing that Willard could be of some assistance,Gwendoline blackmails him into joining her and Beth on their quest and soon the trio are
embarking on a daring and deadly journey into the Land of the Yik Yak, a country ruled by a diabolical dominant Amazon queen and her army of scantily-clad, fetishistic female warriors. There, Gwendoline must defeat the evil queen and
prevent Willard from being forced to spawn a new race of female warriors before facing certain death.

A fun-filled voyeuristic voyage into a fantasy world of flesh-baring fetishists, GWENDOLINE is an unmissable adventure guaranteed to delight fans of off-the-wall cult cinema.

GWENDOLINE (cert. 18) will be released on DVD by Nucleus Films on 5th June 2006. Special Features include: widescreen (2.35:1) presentation enhanced for widescreen TVs; audio commentary by director Just Jaeckin and Frédéric Albert Levy,
moderated by Tony Crawley; The Perils of Just - an all new interview with director Just Jaeckin; Gwendoline and the BBFC (the BBFC cuts lists for the original UK 1984 cinema and video releases); Tawny Kitaen's Lui Magazine Glamour Shoot;
theatrical trailer; UK promo trailer; American opening credits; image gallery (posters, stills, press books, poster art, video art); double-sided
sleeve; English Stereo 2.0; English Stereo 5.1; French Stereo 2.0 (with English subtitles); French Stereo 5.1 (with English subtitles).

Toto The Hero

Second Sight is delighted to announce the long awaited release of the multi-award winning world cinema classic Toto The Hero. It will be released for the first time ever on DVD on 15 May 2006.

Former circus performer Jaco Van Dormael’s first feature proved a sweeping hit at film festivals and box office alike, garnering the prestigious Camera D’Or at Cannes Film Festival and a BAFTA nomination.

Convinced that a nursery fire lead to them being mixed up as babies, Thomas has been consumed with jealous hatred for his wealthy and successful neighbour Alfred, the man he believes stole the life that should have been his. And now, an old man, he reflects on the past, the tragedies of his own life and his thoughts turn to vengeance.

The film switches between the three ages of Thomas: the youngster (Thomas Godet), the adult (Jo De Backer) and the bitter old man (Michel Bouquet). The song Boum by famed French singer Charles Trenet continually recurs as an anthem to his nostalgia.

Skilfully cutting between past and present, comedy and tragedy, Van Dormael’s poignant, dream-like film has been hailed as a true original.

Extras include 52 minute ‘making of’.

Title: Toto The Hero

Release Date: 15 May 2006

RRP: £19.99

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Monsieur Hire

This stylish psychological drama from one of France’s most acclaimed directors, Patrice Leconte, will be released for the first time ever on DVD courtesy of Second Sight on 15 May 2006.

Starring Sandrine Bonnairre (La Ceremonie) one of the most esteemed actresses in her homeland and Michel Blanc, (Tenue De Soiree) one of France’s most popular and prolific funny men, who has also turned his hand to acting and directing with great aplomb.

A young girl is found murdered and the police are led to the reclusive Monsieur Hire (Blanc). Living a mundane existence his greatest pleasure is to watch Alice (Bonnaire) who lives in the opposite apartment. One night she catches sight of his pallid face at the window, illuminated momentarily by a flash of lightning. Her initial fear gives way to seemingly seductive intentions as they are drawn into each other”s lives.

Patrice Leconte’s highly acclaimed film is an enigmatic tale of love and obsession played with haunting subtlety.

With such films as The Hairdresser's Husband and The Girl On the Bridge, Leconte has built a reputation as one of the most respected and versatile French directors.

Title: Monsiur Hire

Release Date: 15 May 2006
RRP: £19.99

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THE GAME – SPECIAL EDITION DVD

“Extremely stylish”
The Times

Universal Pictures is delighted to announce the release of the Special Edition of David Fincher’s stylish psychological thriller The Game.

Available on DVD from 8 May 2006 this Special Edition DVD includes:

* Alternate ending
* Director’s Commentary
* 30 mins On Location Footage
* CGI Test Footage

Starring Michael Douglas (Wonder Boys, Falling Down) alongside Sean Penn (Mystic River, 21 Grams) and Deborah Kara Unger (Crash, White Noise).

Nicholas Van Orton (Douglas), a wealthy San Francisco investment banker, appears to have everything a man could desire - huge house, expensive clothes, executive car.

On his 48th birthday, however, his younger brother Conrad (Penn) buys him an invite to take part in an exclusive, elaborate live-action game - a game which soon turns into Van Orton’s worst nightmare. Thrown into a world where the line between reality and fiction is dangerously blurred Van Orton loses the one thing most important to him - his ability to be in control.

From the visionary director David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en), The Game is a grippingly dark and imaginative thriller played out against a sinister backdrop of dim and dirty city streets.

“Clever and unsettling…those who dare to play will enjoy the intriguing ride.”

The Mirror

Title: The Game Special Edition Release Date: 8 May 2006
RRP (recommended retail price): £15.99

Christ Stopped At Eboli

‘great, haunting film’
The Sunday Telegraph

Infinity Arthouse is delighted to announce the release of the multi award-winning masterpiece Christ Stopped At Eboli from renowned Italian director Francesco Rosi. It will be available for the first time as a double DVD set on 15 May 2006.

Winner of the BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film, Christ Stopped At Eboli tells the story of the life-changing exile of anti-Fascist intellectual Carlo Levi to a remote village in Southern Italy.

The triumph of the human spirit is the theme of Rosi’s epic film, in which Carlo Levi is exiled in 1935 by the ruling Fascist dictatorship to a poverty-stricken village in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Levi finds himself in a stark world, in which the peasants scratch a meagre living from the land, a world little changed since the Middle Ages. But, as Levi grapples with this new environment, it is the peasants’ wisdom, humanity and spirit that help him cope with his sense of helplessness and isolation.

Renowned for his political thrillers, Palme d’Or-winning director Francesco Rosi’s many credits include Salvatore Giuliano, Hands over the City, The Mattei Affair, Three Brothers, Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. An accomplished screenwriter, Rosi also wrote the screenplay for Christ Stopped At Eboli based on Carlo Levi’s autobiographical novel.

The film’s distinguished cast features Gian Maria Volonté (Carlo Levi) best known to UK audiences for the Spaghetti Westerns’ A Fistful of Dollars, and For a Few Dollars More, alongside Paolo Bonacelli (Midnight Express), Alain Cuny (La Dolce Vita) and Irene Papas (Zorba the Greek).

Extras: Italian Portraits - Francesco Rosi
Title: Christ Stopped At Eboli

Release Date: 15 May 2006 RRP: £19.99 Running Time: 2hrs 25mins

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The Harem

‘one of Italy’s most impeccable films’
Variety

Infinity Arthouse is delighted to announce the release of this erotic masterpiece from one of Italian cinema’s most controversial directors, Marco Ferreri. It will be available for the first time ever on DVD on 15 May 2006.

Originally released in 1967, The Harem is a sumptuously sensual, darkly satiric drama starring screen siren and Academy Award nominee Carroll Baker (Baby Doll, Giant) as a seductive woman who deceitfully lures the three men she desires to her villa, pushing them to their limits by toying with their sexual needs and male egos.

Dubbed ‘the master of bad taste’ by the Sunday Times, Marco Ferreri established a reputation as a maker of blackly humorous satires on middle-class life and attitudes. He provoked a scandal at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival with his film La Grande Bouffe, a reworking of the Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom, which won the Grand Jury Prize and entertained and disgusted in equal measure. Ferreri’s many other pungently original features include The House of Smiles, La Carne and Tales of Ordinary Madness.

The film features a wonderful soundtrack by the legendary Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morriocone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Mission, Cinema Paradiso.

An erotic masterpiece from one of Italy’s most controversial directors
Title: The Harem Release Date: 15 May 2006 RRP: £15.99

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God is Great, I’m Not

Universal Pictures is delighted to announce the release of the heartwarming romantic comedy God is Great, I’m Not, featuring the enchanting Audrey Tautou, star of the Oscar nominated Amélie and A Very Long Engagement.

In a captivating performance overflowing with gamine charm and gallic exuberance, Tautou plays 20 year old Michelle – a fashion model whose life is at an all time low. She’s broken up with her boyfriend and is having a crisis of faith – if only she could find something to believe in.

Trying and rejecting Christianity and Buddhism (“All this positive energy is exhausting!”) as the cure for her spiritual malaise, an answer seems to present itself in the form of the handsome François (Edouard Baer), a vet and non-practicing Jew. When Michelle decides to convert to Judaism, however, it has disastrous consequences for their relationship…

Directed with quirky élan by Pascale Bailly, God is Great, I’m Not is a light-hearted comedy of existential manners that explores the modern day quest for spiritual enlightenment and the myriad ways in which men and women fail to communicate.

Bonus features include: Making of, Deleted Scenes, Photo Gallery, Trailer and Filmographies.

Title: God is Great, I’m Not Release Date: 8 May 2006

RRP (recommended retail price): £9.99

Universal is delighted to announce the release of three great DVDs in May:

The Night We Called It A Day – 22 May
Dennis Hopper and Melanie Griffith star in this hilarious award-winning comedy based on the true story of Frank Sinatra’s comeback tour of Australia.

Scorched – 15 May
Three disgruntled small town bank tellers decide to rob their local branch in this quirky, multi-stranded comedy crime caper featuring an all star cast including Woody Harrelson, John Cleese, Alicia Silverstone and Rachel Leigh Cook.

Undertow – 15 May
The critically acclaimed David Gordon Green directs this dramatic thriller starring the talented Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot fame.

Stuart Sutcliffe – The Lost Beatle.

He was the first to sport a Beatles haircut and appeared on the sleeve of Sergeant Pepper, but Stuart Sutcliffe has been dubbed by many as the lost Beatle, who left the band before they broke into the big time and died soon after.

The tragic tale of one of the earliest members of the world’s most popular band, a man who was John Lennon’s best pal and credited with giving them their distinctive style, but died within a year of quitting the band, is chronicled in Stuart Sutcliffe – The Lost Beatle.

Released by Digital Classics for the first time ever on DVD on 6 March 2006, this is the definitive documentary of his life and times and his role in the early days of the Beatles.

Featuring some of his closest friends and colleagues, including Beatles associates and former fiancée Astrid Kircherr, who first gave him the distinctive moptop haircut that the rest of the band – and later teenagers everywhere – adopted, the documentary charts Sutcliffe’s story. This unique production blends archive footage, interviews, along with Sutcliffe’s own words and art, to paint a truly remarkable picture of this influential man.

Sutcliffe was instrumental in the early days of the Beatles, when they travelled to sleazy Hamburg, experimented with drugs, women and honed their craft in front of tough crowds on the notorious Reeperbahn. But, after becoming engaged to German artist Kircherr, he realised his true calling was as an artist, quitting the band and leaving his best pal Lennon. But as acclaim for his paintings grew, his health failed and Sutcliffe tragically died from a brain haemorrhage. All that remains of his legacy is his paintings and his photograph lurking at the back of his old mates’ seminal album, Sergeant Pepper. Stuart Sutcliffe – The Lost Beatle tells his story.

Release Date: 6 March 2006 RRP: £12.99 Catalogue No.: DC10008

ELVIS ‘56

“Before Elvis there was nothing”
John Lennon

Featuring his early performances of some of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time.

Elvis needs no introduction. It was 50 years ago that The King made his breakthrough to superstardom. Elvis ’56, released on DVD courtesy of Wienerworld on March 13, 2006, is the definitive account of the rise of Elvis Presley during that great year.

From the moment Elvis burst onto TV screens in the Dorsey Brothers Show and the Ed Sullivan Show, music was never the same again. Both these shows, along with fantastic rare clips can be found on this DVD, which features Elvis giving amazing performances of some of the greatest rock and roll songs ever recorded, including Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Blue Moon and Love Me Tender.

Elvis was not only a star but one of the most influential artists of all time. He racked up 149 songs on Billboard magazine’s top 100 chart, 114 of which achieved top 10 status and a staggering 18 reaching number one.

This is a true account of the beginning of the reign of The King. It certainly shows just how important his impact was on society at that time and that it still influences today.

Track Listing

My Way Blue Moon

Baby What You Want Me To Do He’s Only A Prayer Away

Blue Suede Shoes Lawdy Miss Clawdy

Good Rockin’ Tonight Don’t Be Cruel

Heartbreak Hotel Trying To Get To You

Shake Rattle and Roll Anyway You Want Me

Baby Let’s Play House Ready Teddy

Tutti Frutti Love Me Tender

My Baby Left Me Peace In The Valley

Love Me

Retail Price £5.99 • Duration 61 minutes • Catalogue No. WNRD 7020 • Barcode 50 18755 7020 51

Release Date - 13 March 2006

JU-ON: THE GRUDGE 2 (Contender Entertainment Group). Opens at UK cinemas 7th July 2006

Writer-director Takashi Shimizu's "The Grudge" proved to be the horror sensation of 2004, subsequently spawning a box office-smashing US remake, again directed by Shimizu and produced by Sam Raimi. Now, Shimizu ramps up the fear factor even further in the long-awaited and highly anticipated sequel, JU-ON: THE GRUDGE 2.

Driving home one night, pregnant "scream queen" actress Kyoko Harase (Noriko Sakai) and her fiancé are involved in a terrifying encounter with the ghostly child, Toshio, causing their car to crash and leaving Kyoko's boyfriend in a coma. Returning to work, Kyoko is invited to be the celebrity guest on a horror-themed TV show, investigating the legends behind a supposedly haunted house. But on arrival at the location, members of the crew soon begin eto disappear under mysterious circumstancesŠ Is it possible that the legends are true and the infamous "curse" has been reawakened?

An intensely unsettling ghost story full of nail-biting suspense and terror, JU-ON: THE GRUDGE 2 is a worthy successor to Takashi Shimizu's original Japanese shocker.

http://www.the-associates.co.uk/directfilm.php?id=2031

Ju-On 2 Clip (trailer)

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INITIAL D: DRIFTRACER

THE LATEST BOX OFFICE SMASH FROM THE CREATIVE TEAM BEHIND THE "INFERNAL AFFAIRS" TRILOGY

with specially composed music by street bass and auto styling experts 'Fuel'.
Based on the hugely popular Manga comic by Shuichi Shigeno, adapted by Felix Chong and directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak - together the filmmaking trio responsible for the phenomenally successful Infernal Affairs trilogy - INITIAL D: DRIFTRACER finally hits UK cinemas on 12th May 2006. Already a massive box office success in Hong Kong, where it grossed more than War Of The Worlds and Batman Begins combined, INITIAL D: DRIFTRACER is one of the most highly anticipated Asian films to be released in recent years.

The "D" in the title stands for 'drifting', a motor racing technique of putting a car into a controlled slide around bends without losing any speed. It is a technique used to great effect by the Night Kids, an illegal street racing team who are keen to pit their skills against the mysterious "Akina Racing God", a driver who has unwittingly perfected the art of drifting around the notorious and deadly hairpin bends of Mount Akina.
Super-stylish, super-slick and packed with edge-of-the-seat racing sequences, where real drift racers were employed to make the stunts as realistic as possible INITIAL D: DRIFTRACER is a highly entertaining thrill-ride action movie guaranteed to enthrall car enthusiasts, petrolheads and Asian cinema aficionados alike with specially composed music by street bass and auto styling experts 'Fuel'.

INITIAL D: DRIFTRACER is released by Contender Entertainment Group and opens at UK cinemas on 12th May 2006.

http://www.the-associates.co.uk/directfilm.php?id=2029

Initial D Clip (trailer)

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AIRPORT – TERMINAL PACK

Get ready for takeoff!

Universal Pictures is delighted to announce the release of a special box set celebrating the timeless appeal of the hugely popular, thrillingly entertaining Airport film franchise.

Airport – Terminal Pack is available on DVD from 24 April 2006. The 4-disc box set includes the original Airport (1970) as well as the DVD premieres of its three sequels Airport ‘75, Airport ’77 and The Concorde - Airport ’79.

Based on Arthur Hailey’s bestselling novel, the Oscar®-winning first Airport movie was one of the most successful films of its time, grossing more than $100 million at the box office and spawning a whole new genre – the disaster movie.

With a truly stellar cast including Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset and Jean Seberg, Airport provided Hollywood glamour and high-flying, masterful suspense in equal measure and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards®.

The original’s trailblazing success and winning formula was repeated in the other films in the series, with a roster of movie megastars including James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston and Gloria Swanson all queuing up to take their seats on the flight of their lives.

Take your seats and buckle up for Airport – Terminal Pack; first class entertainment.
Title: Airport - Terminal Pack Release Date: 24 April 2006
RRP (recommended retail price): £19.99

JAPANESE HORROR IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!

From the people who brought you the original Ring trilogy, the Ju-On movies, Dark Water and the re-make of The Grudge, comes an exciting new wave of films that will once again re-invigorate the horror genre and prove that Japanese cinema has lost none of its ability to scare the living sushi out of audiences.

Takashige “Taka” Ichise, the producer of these hugely successful movies, all of which have spawned Hollywood remakes, is currently producing a new ongoing series of six horror films under the banner of J-Horror. Three films have already been completed.

“I found myself inundated with emails from distributors around the world asking, ‘What are you doing next and how can we get a piece of it? It was very tiring having to answer all of these, so I hit on the idea of J-Horror Theatre. I spread the word that I had six highly respected directors and would make one movie with each…fortunately they all said they’d be glad to take part.”

Tartan’s Asia Extreme label has introduced audiences to many of the cult favourites from Japan, including the Ring trilogy, Dark Water, and Audition. Taking the genre back to its roots these new Japanese chillers will shock to the core and remind us how great Japanese horror can be. Premonition is the first released in June, followed by Infection in July and Reincarnation in August.
PREMONITION - RELEASE DATE: 26 JUNE RRP: £19.99

Premonition sees director Norio Tsuruta (Ring 0) weave a chilling tale of a man who can foresee the future. When Hideki picks up a newspaper he knows what he will see...death. Foreseeing the fate of everything from slayings to train crashes, there is nothing Hideki can do to stop the event... or is there? When the paper predicts the demise of his daughter in a car crash, Hideki seeks out others like himself, searching for a way to change the future. Atmospheric suspense with shades of Don’t Look Now.

Special Features: Making of Documentary, Japanese Press Conference,

Visual FX Exposed

INFECTION - RELEASE DATE: 24 JULY RRP: £19.99

A patient in a hospital dies due to malpractice. In a panic, the doctors responsible stage a cover-up. Shortly thereafter, another patient is left at the hospital doors dying of bizarre symptoms. When the patient dies, the doctors involved in the cover-up begin acting strangely…then one by one develop the same mysterious and deadly symptoms.
Anamorphic presentation
DTS Digital Surround 5.1; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround; Dolby 2.0 Digital Stereo

R.L Rasmus announces special PBS Network Equipment Auction (Internet Auction On Steroids)

PBS to use “Internet Auction On Steroids” to liquidate former technical operations center.

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) April 16, 2006 -- PBS, amongst the first broadcasters to implement cutting edge digital technology has taken another cyber step in the liquidation process. The entire PBS operations recently relocated to new facilities. The remaining 2500 items of excess broadcast, video, audio and technology assets will be liquidated next week in an online only “super auction”.

john_glenda.jpgSimilar to an old fashion auction, flyers were sent out, and a catalog was prepared for the three day onsite inspection. But instead of a fast talking auctioneer, the bidding is online only.

The photo catalog is fully searchable and accepts multiple types of bids. Auctioneer Chris Rasmus explains “It’s like ebay on steroids; we have 1000’s of items selling in one special event.”

The auction begins closing online at 3 PM this Thursday April 20th, ten items close every minute.

“It’s way more exciting than a live auction. You are bidding on 10 items closing simultaneously. The smart buyers utilize our MAXbid feature and let the computer do all the work for them.”

Unlike ebay, Rasmus does not ship to buyers. Assets are available for a three day pickup and individual movers and shippers are available to deal directly with the buyer.

Rasmus says this method of sale is the logical next step for traditional auctioneers. “Buyers are too busy to attend live auctions. These sales allow bidders worldwide to participate from the comfort of their home or office.” The process has been good for business too. Last year Rasmus conducted 220 internet only auctions. Next year he is shooting for 400.

The online auction of tons of video gear can be viewed at:

http://www.maxanet.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?rasmus29/category/ALL

CHADHA CONFIRMED TO DIRECT DALLAS THE MOVIE


Gurinder Chadha has today confirmed that she will be taking up the role as director for the forthcoming film, Dallas, starring John Travolta as JR Ewing.

Rumours have been rife over the past two weeks, but Chadha today announced that the deal has finally been confirmed with 20th Century Fox.

Chadha says of her appointment: “I am obviously delighted that the deal has been confirmed after so much enthusiastic speculation. Directing a film with stars like John Travolta and J-Lo is fantastic, and shows that the market of Brit-Asian films that both Paul and I have become synonymous with, has huge credibility and respect in Hollywood.”

Gurinder Chadha first shot to fame over 10 years ago, with the release of what was seen as the first Brit-Asian movie, ‘Bhaji on the Beach’, which was followed by the massive box office smash ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. As well as achieving unprecedented commercial and critical success, ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ also launched the careers of stars Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

In 2005, Chadha’s love affair with Brit-Asian cinema continued, with the release of ‘Bride & Prejudice’, which again broke Box Office records, and saw the start of a superb working relationship with Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai.

Chadha, is currently promoting the film ‘Mistress of Spices’, which she has co-written and produced with her husband Paul Mayeda Berges. Berges’ directorial debut releases nationwide across the UK on Friday 21st April and again stars former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, in the lead role alongside Dylan McDermott.

Filming is scheduled to start on Dallas in October, with the remainder of the cast to be finalised in the coming weeks, and the film set for release in late 2007. Stars confirmed to date are John Travolta as the infamous JR and J-Lo as Sue Ellen, with final negotiations with Luke Wilson as Bobby and Shirley Maclaine as Miss Ellie.

Chadha, who was also rumoured to be working on a remake of the classic 60’s show ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ says of her other projects: “Jeannie is still in the pipeline, but there is still some way to go on the script. Paul and I are also working on another film that maintains the path that we have set in terms of the ‘cross-cultural’ themes that we address in our films. We will certainly not stop creating more movies about cultural experiences and issues, and we are still determined to carry on working in the UK, making British movies for an international audience. This was my starting point and will always be a critical part of my career as I move forward.”
Chadha’s current production Mistress of Spices releases nationwide on Friday 21st April.

Rainforest Action Network heats up Hollywood this Thursday
Veteran activist Michael Brune invites A-list to take action

Los Angeles – Rainforest Action Network, the San Francisco-based group dubbed “some of the most savvy environmental agitators in the business” by The Wall Street Journal, will host a private reception at Ashes and Snow this Thursday to present a new way forward to break America’s oil addiction and save the last of Earth’s remaining old growth forests.

The invitation-only event is being co-hosted by actor and activist Ed Begley, Jr., Emmy-nominated actress Barbara Bosson, The Doors drummer John Densmore, musician Freebo, producer and political activist Robert Greenwald, actress and activist Daryl Hannah, former California State Senator and author Tom Hayden, Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman, actress Q’Orianka Kilcher, actress Mia Kirshner, actress Sharon Lawrence, actor Esai Morales, actress and electric-vehicle advocate Alexandra Paul, Crash and Mission Impossible 3 star Bahar Soomekh, visionary musician and activist John Trudell, and actress and musician Barbara Williams.

Imperial War Museum London Film Events

SPECIAL PREVIEW SCREENING
Fateless

Tuesday 25 April, 7.00pm

A preview screening Fateless, a moving tale of a Hungarian Jewish boy and his quest for the meaning of his past.Based on the 2002 Nobel prize-winning novel by Imre Kertesz, Fateless chronicles the attempts of 14-year-old Gyuri Koves to reconcile the treatment he received in German concentration camps. The directorial debut of acclaimed cinematographer Koltai, this drama offers a new perspective on one of modern history's darkest junctures. Vast in scale, Fateless shows remarkable historical detail, this is a work of compassion, beauty and shattering power.

Adults £7.00 Concessions and FIWM £6

ANZAC Weekend at Imperial War Museum London: The Digger and the Larrikin Live On 22, 23 April, 10.00am-5.00pm

Films, talks and readings marking the involvement of Australians and New Zealanders in the two world wars, and examining the impact military conflict has had on political and cultural identity. Organised with the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies. www.kcl.ac.uk/menzies

Admission free, but pre-booking is advised. 020 7416 5439 or email boxoffice@iwm.org.uk

A Screen Between Two Islands: British and Irish Relations in Film and Video, 1916-2006

24 April-30 June

From the Easter uprising to the Good Friday Agreement and beyond, British and Irish relations as depicted in newsreels, animated films and features.

Please see www.iwm.org.uk for full details of film programmes.

Admission free.

Humphrey Jennings: Poet, Artist, Filmmaker (1907 – 1950)
8-28 May

To coincide with the unveiling of a blue Plaque to Jennings, by English Heritage, a short season of films made by this multi-talented figure from the worlds of surrealism and documentary.

Please see www.iwm.org.uk for full details of film programmes.

Admission free.

Boys: Triumph over Adversity

Tuesday 16 May, 4.00pm

The Imperial War Museum’s cinema will screen this documentary with an introduction from the film’s narrator Sir Martin Gilbert.

An RAF film crew documented ‘the boys’ departure from Prague on the 14 August 1945 to begin new lives in Carlisle, Britain. The young survivors from Prague were the first of a group of boys and girls – all of them, orphans from Nazi concentration camps – brought to Britain. The then Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, was prepared to allow 1,000 young survivors of the Holocaust to come to Britain for rehabilitation but only 732 could be found. The film explores how ‘The Boys’, as the group came to be known, rebuilt their lives in this country.

Free entry, however pre-booking is required. To book call 020 7416 5439 or email boxoffice@iwm.org.uk.


Nuremberg Trials

June and July

To mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Trials, a season of films and newsreels recording the proceedings

Please see www.iwm.org.uk for full details of film programmes.

Admission free.


Imperial War Museum London, Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ

General Enquiries 020 7416 5320 or visit www.iwm.org.uk

Open daily 10.00am - 6.00pm

EXILE ON MAIN STREET - FILM SEASON

1 July-19 August 2006

Exile on Main Street, a season of features and short films, accompanies the National Gallery (London, UK)exhibition Rebels and Martyrs: The Image of the Artist in the Nineteenth Century (26 June-3 September 2006). The films look at characters and directors who stood outside of the ‘system’ and have protagonists who feature as rebels or martyrs – from Bresson’s Mouchette (1967) to Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky (1938). The season brings together a wide variety of European directors, who, like the artists in Rebels and Martyrs, sought to express their personal vision without compromise. Through their work they pioneered technologies and artistic strategies that influenced mainstream fictional cinema.

The directors featured in Exile on Main Street. selfconsciously worked towards a new cinematic language which enabled them to deal poetically with pressing problems of their times. They created ‘new waves’ and ‘young cinemas’ that were formally experimental and thematically challenging. This was notably in conflict with a production system which did not want to relinquish control to the director.

Some of the directors made a move away from both traditional and dramatic cinematic conventions and used non-professional actors or documentary effects. They were committed to shaking up and invigorating film culture through realistic representations of the contemporary working classes. This can be seen in the work of Rossellini, Truffaut, Bresson and Richardson. These directors took to the streets to film, aided by the technical developments of lightweight cameras. The location filming in Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) was rarely seen in German films at that time. Within this film Murnau created some of the most vivid images in German expressionist cinema.

The shorts programme explores a similar drive for creative freedom. Coal Face (1935) is representative of a unique decade of British film-making when social idealism led to documentarists making artistic strides to realise their vision. Here Alberto Cavalcanti collaborates with W. H. Auden and Benjamin Britten to bring a powerful portrait of the coal industry. Ridley Scott is known for striking visual imagery and this is evident from his very first steps in film-making. In Boy and Bicycle (1965) Scott captures that heady teenage mix of innocence, frustration and rebellion as we follow his younger brother Tony playing truant for the day.

Tim Burton’s early short Vincent (1982) about a young boy who fantasises that he is Vincent Price, is one of four animated films in the season. Each uses a very different style and technique: from Burton’s puppet-boy to Caroline Leaf’s elegant sand animation in The Metamorphosis of Mr Samsa (1977; and from Jonathan Hodgson’s mix of word and simply drawn image to interpret Charles Bukowski’s The Man with the Beautiful Eyes (1999) – a rebel poet’s homage to the outsider – to Andrei Khrjanovsky’s densely drawn animation Glass Harmonica (1968), in which the artist is pitched against an uncompromising, profit-fixated state – a film that was banned in Russia until after perestroika. To end the season, Peter Capaldi turns the myth of the artist as poor, suffering loner on its head in the light-hearted Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1993).

PIXAR: 20 YEARS OF ANIMATION AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM
PRESENTATIONS FROM FILM INDUSTRY ARTISTS

CHILDREN’S WORKSHOPS TRACING HISTORY OF ANIMATION

To accompany the major exhibition Pixar: 20 Years of Animation, the Science Museum will run a series of events for a range of audiences, from workshops for 7-14 year olds to talks with animators, directors, producers, Oscar winners and nominees, revealing the details and secrets of their work.

Pixar: 20 Years of Animation will show the art and technology behind the studio’s cutting edge animation films. Running from 1 April-10 June, the exhibition will provide artistic and technological insight into the studio’s hugely successful movies Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, each of which are revolutionary films in animation. The exhibition brings together 250 drawings and paintings, 50 sculptures plus computer generated multimedia artworks.
Talk Animation! Students and adults

To complement the exhibition, a series of evening presentations by film industry insiders, ranging from visual effects experts to animation character developers. These events will give visitors a deeper understanding of the creativity and technology involved in animation and film production and show the human artistry behind the most technically advanced films. The exhibition will stay open late (last admission 9pm) on each of these dates.

Dates:
1 April: Details to be confirmed

3 April

Loren Carpenter, Pixar Animation Studios. Loren began working with the founders of Pixar in 1981, while at Lucasfilm. Loren’s main role is to research image synthesis and provide solutions to scientific, technical and engineering challenges for the studio’s creative team. Loren served as Technical Lead on the zoetrope produced for the exhibition, a three-dimensional ‘spinning wheel of life’, which, when viewed via focused strobe light, creates the illusion of motion for nearly 180 3D characters attached to a circular disk spinning at 25 mph. Loren will invite visitors to explore how this zoetrope was created, with a look at the challenges and triumphs of her work at Pixar.

4 April

18:15 – Dan Mason. Dan joined Pixar in 1996 as an animator on the studio’s second feature film, A Bug’s Life. He continued as an animator on each of Pixar’s subsequent feature films including Toy Story 2, Monster’s Inc., Finding Nemo. Dan recently completed work on the studio’s upcoming film, Cars, a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film. Dan will give visitors an insight into the inner workings at Pixar, revealing the process of developing memorable characters and stories.

6 April

18:15 – Tia Kratter. Tia will talk about her varied career at Pixar, with special emphasis on her role as an Art Director on Monsters Inc, A Bug’s Life and lead CGI painter on Toy Story.
13 April

18:15 - Oscar winner Daniel Greaves talks about his work as director, animator and producer, showing how he turns award-winning ideas into reality

19:15 - Fresh from the Oscars, nominee Sharon Coleman reveals how she went from student to the red carpet with critically acclaimed short, 'Badgered'.
14 April: Details to be confirmed

5 May

18:15 - Professor Paul Wells, Director of Animation at Loughborough University, with an engaging retrospective of computer animation and an examination of how Pixar is continually shifting boundaries.

19:15 - Directors Smith and Foulkes from Nexus Productions, fresh from winning a host of awards at the British Animation Awards, talk about their cutting edge work.

18 May: Details to be confirmed

25 May

18:15 - Martyn Pick from Bermuda Shorts reveals the creative process involved in his work, with an emphasis on his BBC World Cup 2004 adverts.

19:15 - BAFTA Award Winner Philip Hunt, Studio AKA's Creative Director, reveals the studio’s approach to character design in commercials. His directing work includes the multi-award winning short film Ah Pook is Here, and an eclectic range of commercials.

26 May

18:15 - Directors from Framestore CFC, the largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe, with over 20 years of experience in groundbreaking digital film and video technology, show how they create big and small screen magic.

2 June

18:15 - Jerry Hibbert, founder of multi award winning Ralph Hibbert Animation, talks about animation in advertising, with a special emphasis on the importance of creating memorable characters.

8 June: Details to be confirmed

9 June

18:15 – Animation director and producer, Tim Searle on how to survive in the animation industry. In 2001, Tim formed 2DTV to make the topical sketch show '2DTV' for ITV1, winning acclaim and numerous awards. 2DTV also made the controversial music promo for George Michael's 'Shoot the Dog'. Tim also formed Baby Cow Animation with Steve Coogan & Henry Normal, co-producing 'Brain Candy', 'Whine Gums' & 'From Bard to Verse' for BBC3.

19:15 - Oscar nominated animator Barry Purves with an insight into his work and career, from Wind In The Willows to Peter Jackson's King Kong. His name is synonymous with the pinnacle of the discipline of stop-frame puppet animation; his films are lauded for their meticulous attention to detail, faultless technique, sheer theatricality and sublime art direction.

For latest additions to the programme: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/pixar.

Tickets: £4 if purchasing an exhibition ticket, £6 if not.

Tickets can be reserved in advance from www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/pixar or 0870 870 4868.

Spaces are strictly limited.

You're The Animator! Children's Workshop 7-14 year olds

A hands-on workshop for booked educational groups, this session explores the history and evolution of animation in addition to making zoetrope strips

that bring hand drawn creations to life. Supporting teachers' notes on how

to carry on this learning experience in the classroom are included.

Dates: Weekdays during school term throughout the run of the exhibition.

Price: £2 a pupil who is booked in to see the exhibition, teachers free

More details: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/pixar.

Tickets: Visitors and school groups can reserve tickets in advance from

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/pixar or on 0870 870 4868
EXHIBITION VISITOR INFORMATION

Pixar: 20 years of Animation runs at the Science Museum for 10 weeks only – 1 April – 10 June 2006

Admission prices:

Adult: £9; Child/ student: £7; Educational groups £4 per person

Family: 2 adults + 1 child £20; 2 adults + 2 children £27

Tickets can be pre-booked on 0870 870 4868 or www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/pixar

The Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD

Open 10am – 6pm every day; Nearest Tube: South Kensington

SCI-FI-LONDON the UK’s only dedicated SF and Fantastic film festival, 26 – 30 April 2006

Over the last 4 years SCI-FI-LONDON has proved to be a hit with its audience bringing exciting, challenging and interesting premieres to the UK along with a programme of rarely screened classics. Our website now attracts over 60,000 unique visitors a month and festival attendance is set to top 10,000.

The festival takes place at the fantastic new APOLLO WEST END cinema in Lower Regent Street, central London. This five-screen state-of-the-art venue is fully licensed and the audience can take their drinks in with them, so expect some champagne screenings!

MOVIES ALREADY CONFIRMED INCLUDE:

FIRST ON THE MOON (Russia 2005, Dir: Aleksey Fedortschenko)

THE PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS (Japan 2005, Dir: Makoto Shinkai)

SUBJECT TWO (USA 2005, Dir: Philip Chidel, 93mins, Colour)

SURVIVE STYLE 5 (Japan 2003, Dir: Gen Sekiguchi, 120mins, Colour)

CSA: THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA (USA 2005, Dir: Kevin Wilmott)

TETSUJIN 28 (Japan 2004, Dir: Shin Togashi, 105mins, Colour)

DIE YOU ZOMBIE BASTARDS (USA 2004, Dir: Caleb Emerson, 97mins, Colour)

LOGAN’S RUN (USA 1976, Dir: Michael Anderson, 120mins, Colour)

SEKSMISJA (Sex Mission) (Poland 1984, Dir: Juliusz Machulski, 117mins, Colour)

ALL NIGHT:

The first SCI-FI-LONDON saw us bring the all-nighter back to London screens, and they have proved popular at every festival. With 8 hours of movies, free Redbull, coffee, ice cream and breakfast, it challenges the mind, body and spirit. As part of our FIFTH BIRTHDAY celebration we will be holding the notorious ANIMÉ ALL-NIGHTER (Featuring the UK Premier of KARAS:THE PROPHECY) along with a night of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (featuring an exclusive “making of TIME CHASERS”) and our BLOODLUST ALL-NIGHTER, which features Guillermo Del Toro’s CRONOS and the amazing Russian epic NIGHT WATCH.

NOT JUST MOVIES:

First and foremost we are an international film festival but we also understand the value of a great atmosphere.

We are honoured to be the official home of the Douglas Adams Memorial Debate, which takes a serious yet wry look at a variety of topics. These have included SF film vs literature, predicting the future, and sex with robots! For 2006 the INSTITUTE OF IDEAS will curate this event, the topic; POSTHUMANISM

We are very proud to announce that ‘the Booker of the SF world’; the Arthur C Clarke Award for Literature comes to SCI-FI-LONDON. This award is one of the most prestigious book awards in the world and we are honoured to be asked to host the award ceremony. Shortlist available at www.sci-fi-london.com.

About the Awards:
The SCI-FI-LONDON Awards have been in place since the first festival back in 2002. Originally just awards for Best Feature and Best Short, they have grown to include over 20 awards and the coveted AUDIENCE AWARD. Previous movie winners have included: Mamoru Oshii’s AVALON and Shane Caruth’s PRIMER. Previous personalities include: VINNIE JONES for Best Newcomer to SF in the movie, SLIPSTREAM.

The SCI-FI-LONDON Audience Awards presented by Rogue TrooperTM will be announced after the festival. Full details of all the awards are available at www.sci-fi-london.com.

More information on the festival can be obtained from www.sci-fi-london.com

SCI-FI-LONDON movie list

UK PREMIERES:

SUBJECT TWO (USA 2005, Dir: Philip Chidel, 93mins, Colour)

High atop the world in his remote mountain cabin, Dr. Franklin Vick is engaged in highly unethical medical research. His field of expertise: resurrection. His test subject: Adam Schmidt - a troubled medical student who volunteers to be killed again and again in the name of science. Together, the doctor and his new assistant work in snowbound isolation, perfecting their death tactics before unleashing their discovery to the world. But there's a problem: Death has side effects...

Shot entirely on location in Aspen, Colorado, SUBJECT TWO is beautifully shot and looks fantastic. Something of a re-working of the classic Frankenstein tale, the movie has great tension and suspense – no excessive goryness or over the top effects, the movie is very claustrophobic and posses some big questions on what it means to be alive and should we use technology to tamper with nature. Reminiscent of FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY, with Michael Sarrazan, SUBJECT TWO is a smart monster-movie – and long overdue.

PUZZLEHEAD (USA 2005, Dir: James Bai, 81mins, Colour)

Set sometime “after the decline”, in a dreary, depopulated world where technology has been outlawed, a reclusive scientist named Walter secretly creates a self-aware android in his own image, affectionately calling him Puzzlehead. Walter finds him useful - as a project, a companion, a housekeeper, and his connection to the outside world.

Like a child, Puzzlehead develops his own personality and self-awareness through his experiences, ultimately leading to a curious love triangle when Puzzlehead meets Julia, a woman whom Walter has yearned for but never dared to approach. When Walter impersonates Puzzlehead to pursue Julia himself, the android and his maker are drawn into a sinister spiral of passion and betrayal. Does creating something in our own image mean transmitting intrinsically violent and emotional human flaws?

PUZZLEHEAD is to robot movies what PRIMER is to time travel – a sci-fi movie for grown ups that explores the uneasy relations between man and machine.

SURVIVE STYLE 5 (Japan 2003, Dir: Gen Sekiguchi, 120mins, Colour)

Five fantastical tales of crime and mayhem intersect in this absurdist Japanese comedy that has more inventive storytelling and surreal imagery than a dozen Miike movies. From the lunatics who bought us ELECTRIC DRAGON 80,000v and ICHI THE KILLER comes a fabulously eccentric movie.

This is neo avant-garde cinema at its finest and nothing like you have ever seen before. Starring SONNY CHIBA and VINNIE JONES the movie twists, turns and leaps between five different stories; the businessman and his family, the stage hypnotist, the murderer, the burglars and the advertising executive – whose lives are all eventually touched by the assassins.

If you thought there were clever cuts in PULP FICTION and MEMENTO, forget it. SS5 offers something fresh, funny, ultra-violent, sexy and completely riveting This is what film was made for, cool, funny, meticulously designed and with an impeccable soundtrack.

CSA: THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA (USA 2005, Dir: Kevin Wilmott, 89mins)

Sci-Fi isn’t just about space travel and aliens, it’s about ideas and hypothesising alternative realities or possibilities, and if it has a strong political, social, philosophical or religious message behind it, so much the better. Confederate States of America has no spaceships but the ‘reality’ it portrays seems quite alien. What the film does is to take the classic starting point of “what if” and present it as a documentary. While some may call it a mockumentary, it is a serious, and powerful, piece of satire that uses the documentary format to give it credence.

The conceit behind this film is that the Confederates won the American Civil War and that not only is slavery correct and proper but the Negroes are better off because of it. The film is presented as an entire television programme created by the British Broadcasting Service, complete with a warning to viewers of its controversial nature, and commercial breaks for products such as Darky toothpaste and slave insurance. Although the director makes a joke out of the broadcast being of a banned foreign film, “unsuitable for children or servants”, the BBC4 documentary series, “The Power of Nightmares” by Adam Curtis, which exposes the US government as the inventors of Al Quaeda, and of having a long history of creating a state of fear (or terror if you like) in the US, has been completely banned from broadcast there, and that is no joke.

Apart from the fact that the racist attitudes alluded to still prevail in many areas of the US, it is the cleverly scripted voiceover and believable authority of the talking heads, similar to those that appear in ‘real’ documentaries, which give it its power. Coupled with the use of actual historical footage, photographs and paintings, whose meaning are completely altered by the accompanying dialogue, you are left wondering what is real and what is invented. Even the ‘historical’ scenes and public information films that have been recreated are made to look as if they were contemporary with faded colours and film scratches, further adding to the illusion.

Like any good satire, it does make you laugh, cautiously, because it is outrageous in every sense of the word, but its impact comes from its message. And, given recent events in the US (i.e. New Orleans), this is a timely reminder of US human rights issues and the fact that they are not the great democracy they claim to be.

This is the stuff of the most thought-provoking Sci-Fi.

FIRST ON THE MOON (Perviyje na lune) (Russia 2005, Dir: Aleksey Fedorchenko, 75mins Colour & b/w)

A wonderful “alternative history” told with style, this "mockumentary" mixes facts and fantasy, vintage footage, and fake footage to show the successes and failures, the injustices and contradictions in Stalinist Russia, using the space program as the basis.

The film begins in the spring of 1938, in the mountains of northern Chile, where a flying object fell, in flames. Investigation by a film crew uncovers a secret space program developed in the Soviet Union before World War II. Scientists and military authorities, the film would have you believe, had developed a spaceship 23 years before Yuri Gagarin ever went to space.

The perfect timing of each scene, the meticulous attention to detail, the amazing amateur cast (none of the actors have appeared in a film before) the deadpan voice-over, the humour, and even the surprisingly moving tragic scenes - if you know anything at all about Russia, there's everything to guarantee that you'll love this film.


TETSUJIN 28 (Japan 2004, Dir: Shin Togashi, 105mins, Colour)

Just as Godzilla was the first of Japan's giant monsters, Tetsujin-28 was the first of Japan's giant robots – though he is better known in the west as GIGANTOR. Tetsujin-28 is a breath of fresh air: a movie with optimism and great scenes of giant robots slugging it out in the heart of downtown Tokyo. A throwback to a time when families stuck together, and giant robots just needed their fists and a 12 year-old kid is our only hope.

Invented during World War II to defeat the Allied forces, the mighty mechanical warrior, Tetsujin-28, was bombed into oblivion before he could be unleashed, but was found unharmed years later by the son of his inventor, Shotaro Kaneda (Shosuke Ikematsu).

The live-action movie version of Tetsujin-28 kicks off when the mysterious Black Ox, a giant robot with detachable limbs and a bad attitude, begins to terrorize Tokyo. No one can stop him...except maybe Tetsujin-28. But the poor robot has been trapped underground, rusting away into nothingness ever since his inventor, and Shotaro's father, disappeared.

Now, Shotaro's grandfather brings the kid to the underground lab and forces the remote control into his hand telling him he must pilot the robot. This might be the chance for Shotaro to get his on back on the school bullies as well as save Tokyo.

Unconventional and surprising, this brightly-coloured comic book of a movie reminds us of what it was like when we believed in the future. Intoxicating nostalgia, taken shaken not stirred.

AINOA (Austria 2005, Dir: Marco Kalantari, 95mins, Colour)

The year is 2078 and a female android, Ainoa, developed to maintain the balance actually starts ‘the great nuclear war’. The members of a resistance group believe in a prophecy that ‘one’ among them will find Ainoa and reprogramme her so she can send a message to her creator – telling of the global devastation the war brings. It is said she knows how to find the Oracle and send messages into the past. The resistance steal Ainoa and Yuri, their leader, takes her on a journey to find the Oracle – along the way the two are drawn to each other and Ainoa starts to develop human feelings. If they change events in the past will they still be together in the present?

Ainoa is an interesting and beautiful science fiction fairy tale and love story, which questions how we actually affect each other, in the past and in the future. Epic in its visual style, with just a few naff Star Wars rippoffs, it is a well delivered movie from a country little known for producing sci-fi.

PLACES PROMISED IN OUR EARLY YEARS (Japan 2005, Dir: Makoto Shinkai, 90mins)

In an alternative reality, the end of World War II sees Japan is split into separate states; the Union and the Alliance. Two science students, Takuya and Hiroki, spend their time building a jet that they will take them to a mysterious tower that appeared on an island on the Union side of the border.

One of the stars of PLACES is the backgrounds. An incredible amount of care and detail is in every location. From sweeping grassy plains with epic cloud formations to the light and shadow falling across the baggage rack in a train, Shinkai grounds you in his world where the everyday is simply beautiful. By lingering on these places, Shinkai seeks to draw an emotional response from the viewer.

PLACES is ultimately a tale of friendship and loyalty, with overtones which reassure that what is lost can be regained. Shinkai meshes landscapes, characters and emotions with such elegant craft that places his work as some of the finest coming out of Japan. This is proof that MIYAZAKI is not the only animé director capable of producing truly majestic visions.

INSECTICIDAL (Canada 2005, Dir: Jeffery Lando, 85mins, Colour)

Cami, an unpopular science student living in a sorority house, accidentally loses one of her genetically altered insects, her housemates spray them with bug-spray to kill them, only to find they grow to human size!

Insecticidal is cheesy and low-tech and it’s not afraid to admit it. It’s a hilarious film that doesn’t take itself seriously, and flaunts its exploitative low-grade science fiction your face almost non-stop at every possible occasion… not that we’re complaining, mind you.

This is a true schlock movie - boobs, bugs, blood, guts, knives, a Jacuzzi and pizza! The B-movie is back and as great as ever!

LONDON PREMIERES:

DIE YOU ZOMBIE BASTARDS (USA 2004, Dir: Caleb Emerson, 97mins, Colour)

Red Toole is a lovable serial killer whose wife is captured by evil Baron Nefarious, who is of course planning to take over the world. Our hero dons his cape of human-flesh (from his own victims) to rescue the love of his life… Awwww.

On his quest he encounters mad dog-men, giant mosquitoes from space, robots, ninjas, porn stars and rockabilly guitarist Hasil Adkins – did we leave anything out? Oh yeah, we forgot the white hot molten cheese and the half-naked zombiechicks.

Tagged as “The world's first serial killer superhero rock'n'roll zombie road movie romance!” DYZB is funny, gory, and outrageous. It also has a superb soundtrack featuring THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, COUNT SMOKULA and THE PHOTON TORPEDOES.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions (Spain 2005, Dir: Carlos Atanes, 82mins, Colour)

In the future, Europe is ruled by an oppressive matriarchal society, The Sisterhood of Metacontrol, who forbid any kind of physical contact between the sexes on the grounds of hygiene. Angeline is inducted into the Sisterhood. Nono, her ‘houseboy’ and a servant to the Sisterhood spends much of his time in cyberspace viewing forbidden images of sensuality. The two of them travel together to one of the few remaining fertile areas in the North Pyrenees. But on the way back Nono stumbles into one of the illegal sexual broadcasts being taped by insurgents and they are arrested.

Atanes has an eye for unusual imagery - Anne-Céline Auché being inducted into the Sisterhood where the other women then put on rubber gloves and masking tape across their mouths before kissing her; the militant feminist sisterhood decide to blow up the Eiffel Tower because it is a phallic symbol; or where the hero comes across the revolutionaries making porn movies in the desert, with the lead actor (Antonio Vladimir) demanding motivation for his character.

Imagine Goddard’s ALPHAVILLE (1965) in high-colour or Lucas's THX 1138 (1971) conducted as a French art-house movie. FAQ is a cold dystopian film.

WHITE SKIN (Canada 2005, Dir: Daniel Roby, 92mins, Colour)

Thierry – a white, student from rural Quebec and Henri – a black, urban musician are roommates in Montreal. Out for a night on the town Henri purchases ‘intimate services’ for the pair of them.

Thierry hears screams of pain coming from Henri’s room down the hall and, kicking the door in, finds Henri fighting off his knife-wielding escort and bleeding profusely from a gash across his neck.

Soon after, Thierry meets Claire. He is fixated by the red headed musician and they begin an passionate relationship. Thierry is ecstatically happy until he meets Claire’s family and recognises her sister as Henri’s attacker. Thierry starts to understand how little he knows about Claire and her mysterious blood ties.

Beautifully shot and well performed this film is fresh and unique genre movie. Starting as a chilly meditation on race and skin colour, White Skin twists into something very unexpected.

CLASSICS:

LOGAN’S RUN (USA 1976, Dir: Michael Anderson, 120mins, Colour)

It is the 23rd Century. People live lives of languid pleasure in vast domed cities - the only catch no one is allowed to live beyond thirty. But there are those who refuse to accept death and become ‘Runners’, seeking the mythical place of asylum known as Sanctuary. An elite force, known as Sandmen, has been created to hunt the Runners. The city's controlling computer accelerates the lifeclock of 26 year old Sandman Logan and sends him to find Sanctuary. With the help of Jessica, he runs. While being pursued by his best friend and comrade Francis, Logan escapes outside the city, and soon they realise the true nature of their world.

This was a major studio movie when it was released and anyone who loves classic 70’s sci-fi should see this movie on the big screen.

SEKSMISJA (Sex Mission) (Poland 1984, Dir: Juliusz Machulski, 117mins, Colour)

Two scientists are placed in cryogenic hibernation planned to last three years. However, whilst in suspension World War III breaks out and life have been wiped out of the surface of the Earth. They wake up 50 years later to find they are the only living males in a new, underground society run exclusively of women. Their fate is to be decided.

The leaders, thorough system of propaganda, human control and changed history, focus on how "males" were evil - at one point the two are told that "Einstein was a woman" and "one man named Cain invented murder and tested it on his sister Abel". However, they manage to instil doubt in one woman and with her help discover that not everything is as it seems.

One needs to get beyond the comedy and excessive nudity in this movie to see it is a perfect satire of all totalitarian regimes and blind fanaticism.

AMERICAN ASTRONAUT (USA 2001, Dir: Cory McAbee, 91mins, B/W)

Imagine Laurel and Hardy in a western directed by Jim Jarmusch and you will still not be able to fully describe this movie. A pure example of how great independent cinema can be, and one of the most cinematically luscious films shot in B&W and on 35mm.

Space is a lonely town. Samuel Curtis, an interplanetary trader, sets forth through a rustic and remote solar system, unaware that his old friend Professor Hess is trying to kill him.

An avant-rock musical staged on the set of a Poverty Row noir, Cory McAbee's debut film (with music by his band the Billy Nayer Show) is an utterly unique experience and possibly the most delightfully idiosyncratic science fiction movie since John Carpenter's Dark Star.

The was the first movie screened at the first SCI-FI-LONDON – “didn’t I tell you…it’s my birthday”

ALL-NIGHTERS

ANIMÉ-ALLNIGHT:

An infamous part of London’s nightlife, the annual animé all-nighter is again set to be a sell-out event. A feast for the eyes we bring some amazing movies. Come on the journey from midnight to morning, along the way we can travel underwater, into the future and to the farthest galaxies.

PLACES PROMISED IN OUR EARLY YEARS (as above)

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE
(Japan 2004, Dir: Mamoru Oshii, 100mins, Colour)
A classic sequel to a classic film. Innocence is a film of extraordinary beauty and hauntingly meditative reflection on the nature of humanity and the artificial. Sit back and let your eyes enjoy.

KARAS: THE PROPHECY
(Japan/USA 2006, Dir: ,80mins, Colour) – UK PREMIERE

Karas, (The Crow) is best described as Batman with a Samurai Sword or a Cyber-punk version of The Crow. Karas takes place in Tokyo, a city populated by both humans and ghostly beings. They exist in two dimensions; seen and unseen- spirits, apparitions and demons. Karas is the city’s guardian, and Tokyo is thrown into disarray as a former Karas named Eko attempts to seize power and bring order to the streets through force. An entity named Yurine, who represents the will of the people, stands in Eko’s way with her newly risen Karas. Now two Karas emerge to destroy either all of the demons or destroy all humanity. Which Karas will prevail?

This movie raises the bar even higher for Animé – a mix of 2D/3D styles this is amazing eye-candy. Remember how everyone bragged about seeing AKIRA at the cinema – Karas is surely the next “must-see”

This dubbed version is voiced by Jay Hernandez (Hostel, Crazy/Beautiful), Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby Doo 2) and Piper Perabo (Cheaper by the Dozen, Coyote Ugly)

FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN
(Japan 2005, Dir: TETSUYA NOMURA, 100mins, Colour) - UK PREMIERE
Based on the hugely popular gaming franchise, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is an epic animated adventure set against the backdrop of a world dominated by the corrupt Shinra Inc.

Set two years after the events of the Final Fantasy VII computer game, Cloud Strife, a former soldier for Shinra, now leads a solitary life travelling the Planet as a transporter, still burdened with emotional scars from his last battle. Weighed down by memories of loved ones he has lost, he is devoid of hope as he ventures to save the children struck down with the deadly disease Geostigma. We follow Cloud on his journey to uncover the truth about the origins of this plague. As destruction reigns in the city and our heroes are locked in battle, a familiar face returns – Sephiroth.

This is truly breathtaking animation.

THE MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 – ALLNIGHTER

MST3K, ran from 1988 – 1999 in the USA and became a cult comedy classic. The format basically features a man and his robot sidekicks who are trapped on a satellite in space and forced to watch particularly bad movies. During its eleven years and 198 episodes (including one feature film), MST3K attained a fiercely loyal fan base, and much critical acclaim.

Try to explain what MST3K is and you either confuse them or start to sound like a weirdo. Truth is those that get it love it. This is the stuff of a perfect all-nighter! Join us for some classic movies and some brilliantly funny dialogue. The four movies we have selected are:

THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE (USA 1962, Dir: Joseph Green, 82mins, B&W)
When a brilliant surgeon crashes his car and his fiancée is decapitated, his research with rejuvenation - far from complete - is put to the test. Managing to keep her head alive, his focus becomes finding an appropriate donor body to make his fiancée whole. His quest takes him deep into the world of seedy nightclubs and artists models.

SPACE MUTINY (USA 1988, Dir: David Winters, 93mins, Colour)
The starship "Southern Sun," is looking for a new planet to colonise, but the ship's security crew, lead by the evil Kalgan, are growing restless, not wanting to live out their lives in space. They plan a mutiny; it’s up to pilot Dave Ryder, Doctor Lea, and the rest of the crew to stop Kalgan. Plenty of railing deaths and the slowest vehicle chase on film!

PRINCE OF SPACE (Japan 1959, Dir: Eijiro Wakabayashi, 121mins, B&W)
Spacemen from the planet Krankor (who look chickens with antennas on their heads) are led by their leader, Phantom, to invade Earth. They kidnap the world’s best (but most boring) scientists and hold them hostage. Prince of Space arrives and with the help of three kids, who were formerly boot-blacks, tries to save the day. One of the worst Japanese movies ever it is completely endearing – a classic MST3K episode “We like it very much”

TIME CHASERS (Canada 1994, Dir: David Giancola, 89mins, Colour)

Plucky Nick Miller is a physics expert and invents a way to make his ultra-light plane travel through time – the future looks bright. He invites TransCorp to a demonstration of the device and signs over the plans. He gets romantically involved with Bonnie, a local journalist and takes her on a trip into the future only to find it has changed into something from Mad Max. Later he discovers that TransCorp’s CEO is using the machine for, you guessed it, evil.

This is a brilliant MST3K episode and we are delighted to be able to screen an exclusive “Making of TIME CHASERS” from the movie’s Director, David Giancola.


BLOODLUST ALLNIGHTER
what would an all-nighter line-up be without a little something to scare your rigid? Remember to bring silver bullets, garlic, crosses and holy water – you never know who will be sitting next to you?

INNOCENT BLOOD (USA 1992, Dir: John Landis, 112mins, Colour)

Marie (Anne Parillaud, LA FEMME NIKITA), a sexy vampire only kills the scum of the city and controls vampire overpopulation by blowing the heads off her victims with a shotgun after feeding!

One night she “fancies an Italian” and attacks a gang of mobsters accidentally turning mob moss Sal 'The Shark' (Robert Loggia, INDEPENDENCE DAY) into a vampire. Sal realises his new power and creates a gang of bloodsucking gangsters. It's up to Marie and cop Joe Gennaro (Anthony LaPaglia, WITHOUT A TRACE) to stop them.

Funny, scary, sexy and the best use of handcuffs in a movie – ever!

PRINCE OF DARKNESS (USA 1987, Dir: John Carpenter, 102mins, Colour)

A sinister secret has been kept in the basement of an abandoned Los Angeles church for many years. With the death of a priest belonging to a mysterious sect, another priest opens the door to the basement and discovers a vat of green liquid. The priest contacts a group of physics graduate students to investigate it. Unfortunately, they discover that the liquid contains the essence of Satan himself, intent of returning to Earth. Will they be able to stop him? One of Carpenter’s finest and a really scary movie to boot.

NIGHTWATCH (Nochnoi Dozor) (Russia 2004, Dir: Timur Bekmambetov, 114mins, Colour)

Among us live the "Others", beings with supernatural powers, some good and evil. Several centuries ago, after a devastating battle, a truce was called. With the ‘forces of light’ governing the day while the night belongs to their ‘dark’ opponents. In modern day Moscow the dark “Others” roam the night as vampires while a "Night Watch" makes sure they don’t get too out of hand. Anton is no-angel and a new recruit to the Night Watch, will his past be his undoing and will it upset the balance?

If you missed this on its limited theatrical run then here is your last chance for a while, and this movie HAS to be seen on the big screen. Stylish and visually stunning.

CRONOS (Mexico 1993, Dir: Guillermo del Toro, 94mins, Colour)

In 1535, an alchemist builds an extraordinary mechanism encapsulated into a small golden scarab. The device gives eternal life to its owner but the youthful vigour it brings is countered by a vampire's need for blood. However, the promise of eternal life has become an obsession to old and sick Mr. De la Guardia. He and his nephew (Perlman) will do anything to get the "Chronos Invention".

A winner of over 20 awards including a special award at Cannes in ’93 - Del Toro delivers a stylish and inventive reinvention of the vampire legend.