Eureka Entertainment New releases:

Pasolini’s PIGSTY [PORCILE] and HAWKS AND SPARROWS [UCCELLACCI E UCCELLINI] are to be released in the UK on DVD as part of Eureka Entertainment’s MASTERS OF CINEMA Series on 23 July 2012

Continuing their tribute to the great Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini (following releases earlier in the year of The Gospel according to Matthew & Accattone), Eureka Entertainment have announced they will be releasing two more typically provocative Pasolini films from the 1960s: HAWKS AND SPARROWS, a political comedy starring Italian popular actor Totò and a Marxist talking crow!, and PIGSTY, a portrayal of bestiality, degradation, and bourgeois life circa 1969. Both titles will join the Masters of Cinema series on DVD on 23 July 2012.

PIGSTY [PORCILE]

    

“Not only an exquisitely revolting satire, it is also Pasolini's most fascinating piece of cinema.” – Time Out Magazine

“One of Pasolini's most enigmatic films.” – Film 4

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TRAILER:

Original Italian theatrical trailer http://bit.ly/Jveraj

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SYNOPSIS:

Decades on from its release, and featuring an all-star cast that includes Jean-Pierre Léaud, Anne Wiazemsky, Franco Citti, Pierre Clémenti, and Marco Ferreri, Pigsty [Porcile] remains one of Pier Paolo Pasolini's most controversial and wilfully provocative works – a deranged parody of cinema as revolutionary act.

It comprises parallel stories: (1) Clémenti and Citti as cannibalistic savages who rampage a world outside of any distinct time or place, and who push against the boundaries of human morality; (2) Godard-regulars Léaud and Wiazemsky as a romantically engaged couple in a contemporary Germany painted as a morass of industrialisation, fascist impulse, and bestial instincts.

Rivalled only by the director's Salò in its obsession with the politics of bourgeois degradation, Pigsty continues to challenge and enlarge the notions of what makes for "a political film" and what is meant by "a Pasolini film". The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the nightmarish Pigsty in a special DVD edition from a new HD master, released in the UK on 23 July 2012.

Available to pre-order from:

Amazon (DVD) http://amzn.to/IONYBO

Play (DVD)  http://tidd.ly/891742f6

Hut (DVD)  http://tidd.ly/7e6d2ef6

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SPECIAL DVD EDITION:

• New high-definition transfer in the film's original aspect ratio

• Original Italian theatrical trailer 

• Newly translated optional English subtitles

• Illustrated booklet featuring rare archival imagery, the words of Pasolini, and more!

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FURTHER INFO.:

• Long-awaited DVD reissue (and the first ever standalone release in the UK) of this renowned work of late-1960s Italian cinema

• Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the legendary director of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom; The Gospel According to Matthew; The Decameron; Teorema; Mamma Roma; The Arabian Nights; Accattone; The Canterbury Tales;Oedipus Rex; etc.

• Stars some of European art cinema's most famous names of the era: Jean-Pierre Léaud (The 400 Blows; La Chinoise; Masculin féminin), Anne Wiazemsky (Au hasard Balthazar; La Chinoise; and Pasolini's Teorema), Franco Citti (The Godfather; and Pasolini's Accattone and The Decameron), Pierre Clémenti (Belle de Jour; The Leopard; The Conformist), and Marco Ferreri (Le vent d'est; and director of La grande bouffe and Tales of Ordinary Madness)

• Reviewed by renowned critic Jonathan Rosenbaum as the Pasolini film "that today best shows the warp and woof of its period" (Chicago Reader)

    

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DETAILS:

Label: Eureka Entertainment Ltd

DVD Cat. No: EKA40346

DVD Barcode: 5060000403466

DVD RRP: £16.34

Release Date: 23 July 2012

Certificate: 15

Run Time: 98 minutes

Format:  1.85 :1 OAR/ B&W

Genre:  World Cinema

Director: Pier Paolo PASOLINI

Year: 1969

Country:  Italy 

Language: Italian

Subtitles: English (Optional)

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HAWKS AND SPARROWS [UCCELLACCI E UCCELLINI]

 

• Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the legendary director of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom

• Widely acclaimed, including a nomination for the "Palme d'or" top prize at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival

• Included in renowned critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's list of "1000 Essential Films" (in his book Essential Cinema)

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TRAILER:

Original Italian theatrical trailer  http://bit.ly/KsDEkO

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SYNOPSIS:

One of the handful of films that found Pier Paolo Pasolini sustaining a merrier mode of cultural assault, Hawks and Sparrows [Uccellacci e uccellini] features Italy's popular comic actor Totò (known to cinephiles as the star of Roberto Rossellini's Dov'è la liberta…?) and Pasolini regular Ninetto Davoli in a picaresque fable that lampoons politics, religion, and the legacy of neorealism.

A crow gifted with the power of speech accompanies wandering duo Totò and Ninetto on a trail that leads to their roles as Franciscan friars who preach to the literal "hawks and sparrows", before returning in time to gaze upon slum-dwellers, Danteist dentists, itinerant actor-hippies, and, ultimately, the state of the modern world.

Featuring a score by the legendary Ennio Morricone, Pasolini's anarchic comedy remains a time-capsule of the giddy tensions torqued by the dawn of the late Sixties. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Hawks and Sparrows in a special DVD edition from a new HD master, released on 23 July 2012.

Available to pre-order from:

Amazon (DVD) http://amzn.to/JMypw2

Play (DVD)  http://tidd.ly/dcb8b499

Hut (DVD)  http://tidd.ly/ceb9ecf0

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SPECIAL EDITION DVD FEATURES:

• New high-definition transfer in the film's original aspect ratio

• Original Italian theatrical trailer 

• Newly translated optional English subtitles

• Illustrated booklet featuring rare archival imagery, the words of Pasolini, and more!

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REVIEWS:

“An intriguing tragicomic fable that shows two delightful innocents caught, like many Italians at the time, between the Church and communism.” – Film 4

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FURTHER INFO.:

• Features a soundtrack by the legendary Ennio Morricone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Battle of Algiers; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; Once Upon a Time in the West; Days of Heaven; For a Few Dollars More; Once Upon a Time in America; The Mission; The Untouchables; Cinema Paradiso)

• Stars popular Italian comic actor Totò (1898–1967), nicknamed "The Prince of Laughter" [Il principe della risata], famed for his commedia dell'arte style and persona, an Italian equivalent of Buster Keaton, Charles Chaplin, etc.

• Praised by revered Italian director Roberto Rossellini as "a rare example of the long-sought 'new cinema', new in the substance of the times, which must also correspond to the essential needs of our times, namely the search for bearings in the turmoil of pressing progress. The film is the poignant expression of an author who good-naturedly peers at the vast ranges of a horizon stretching above and beyond incidental, shifting, and transitory events, in the hope of finding, as a man, intelligent bearings in the immensity of time and history."

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DETAILS:

Label: Eureka Entertainment Ltd

DVD Cat. No: EKA40347

DVD Barcode: 5060000403473

DVD RRP: £16.34

Release Date: 23 July 2012

Certificate: PG

Run Time: 89 minutes

Format:  1.85 :1 OAR/ B&W

Genre: World Cinema

Director: Pier Paolo PASOLINI

Year: 1966

Country:  Italy

Language: Italian

Subtitles: English

METROPOLIS

Giorgio Moroder Presents: METROPOLIS is to be released in the UK as a Limited Edition DVD Steelbook on 23 July 2012.

  

• First time on UK DVD for this legendary version of the blockbuster science-fiction classic

• Iconic, zeitgeist-defining soundtrack includes the music of Freddie Mercury, Adam Ant, Bonnie Tyler, and others

• Giorgio Moroder is credited with pioneering and helping to popularize the Eurodisco sound and has worked with Donna Summer, Sparks, Blondie, The Three Degrees, Japan & David Bowie

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TRAILER:

Giorgio Moroder Presents: METROPOLIS DVD Trailer http://bit.ly/Jm1DSN

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SYNOPSIS:

In the era when one could still but only dream of a comprehensive restoration of Fritz Lang's silent sci-fi epic Metropolis, esteemed pop artist/producer and pioneering electronic composer Giorgio Moroder followed his work on Brian De Palma's cult-classic Al Pacino vehicle Scarface by assembling his own version of Lang's 1920s classic. The result was a zeitgeist-infused, high-kitsch/high-art amalgam of some of the quintessential cinema images and then-contemporary 1980s pop-chart melodrama. 

For millions around the world, it is this version of Metropolis – featuring music by Moroder himself and artistes such as Adam Ant, Pat Benatar, Freddie Mercury, Bonnie Tyler, and Jon Anderson – which first comes to mind whenever mention is made of the Lang original or, indeed, the iconic imagery and power of silent cinema.

Eureka Entertainment are proud to present a new restoration of Giorgio Moroder's cult reworking of Fritz Lang's Metropolis for the very first time on DVD in the UK – a bizarre and beautiful retro-futurist timepiece which continues to speak of the past, present, and future…available as a limited edition DVD SteelBook from 23 July 2012.

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SPECIAL DVD EDITION:

• New high-definition restoration from rare original 35mm elements

• Original stereo and 5.1 surround audio options

• The Fading Image, a vintage documentary from 1984 detailing the creation of Moroder's reconstruction

    

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DETAILS:

Label: Eureka Entertainment Ltd

DVD Steelbook Cat. No: EKA40349

DVD Steelbook Barcode: 5060000403497

DVD Steelbook RRP: £20.42

Release Date: 23 July 2012

Certificate: PG

Run Time: 84 minutes

Format:  1.37:1 OAR, B&W/ Tinted

Genre: Sci-fi

Director: Fritz LANG

Year: 1984

Country:  Italy/ Germany

Language: Silent/ English Intertitles

NEW DIRECTION FOR 56th BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL in Partnership with American Express

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR CLARE STEWART INTRODUCES COMPETITION SECTIONS AND NEW PROGRAMMING APPROACH

New partnership with Nintendo announced 

The BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express today announced two significant changes to its programme sections in advance of the 56th edition in the world’s most creative city in October 2012. Under the new creative leadership of BFI’s Head of Exhibition and Festival Director, Clare Stewart, the Festival is boosting its competition and awards elements and introducing 7 new focused categories to its programme to reach new audiences. The Festival, which attracted audiences of 133,000 in 2011, also today announces a new partnership with Nintendo, which includes a Gala premiere screening and a short filmmaking competition using the 3D video recorder built in to the Nintendo 3DS.

Awards and Competitive Sections

BFI London Film Festival is re-positioning an existing element of the Festival – its high profile awards event – and enhancing the relevance for audiences, filmmakers, industry and festival partners by introducing competitive sections that are given much more prominence in the Festival campaign and programme.

The Best Film Award (since 2009) in partnership with American Express; first feature film prize the Sutherland Award (since 1958); and the documentary prize, the Grierson Award (since 2005) will now be presented to the winning films from three programme sections: Official Competition, First Feature Competition and Documentary Competition. Each selection will be open to international film, including British films, and 10-12 films will be chosen for each programme section.

Since they were introduced 3 years ago the BFI London Film Festival’s Awards have grown considerably in profile. Leading figures in the film world that have supported the event include previous award presenters Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott. The awards will continue to be presented at a stand-alone event at the end of the Festival along with the prize for Best British Newcomer and the BFI Fellowship. In 2011 Ralph Fiennes and David Cronenberg were both awarded this most prestigious of BFI accolades at the award ceremony.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival today, BFI Head of Exhibition and Festival Director of BFI London Film Festival Clare Stewart said:

This significant change to the way we present the films competing for the Festival’s awards will be a boost for both the film industry and UK cinema goers. London’s profile as both a dynamic global capital and a gateway to Europe combined with the Festival’s strategic, awards-season position in the international calendar together provide a great foundation for launching and cementing a film’s campaign.

Introducing the awards as audience-facing programmes also gives our Festival punters more to tweet, chat and shout about. This is essential to the festival experience and indeed to expanding our already thriving audience base.”

New Programme Categories

BFI London Film Festival will also change its broad festival sections and introduce seven new focused categories that are clustered around the themes of love, adrenalin, challenge, debate, cult, journeys and laughter, the titles of these sections will be announced in the lead-up to the festival in October. With over 200 features during the Festival this new approach will help film fans find the films that mean the most to them and open up possibilities to new audiences.  The new categories are based on research (see Notes to Editors) that show people choose which films to watch based primarily on story and genre. As well as guiding audiences smoothly through the programme, the new festival selection is also designed to support the films the festival champions for their transition into the marketplace.

Lisa Gregg, Vice President, Luxury Marketing, American Express said:

“American Express is thrilled to continue its support for the third year of the BFI London Film Festival and are excited to embrace the new energy Clare Stewart brings to the festival. We look forward to a festival of extraordinary film experiences.”

The 56th BFI London Film Festival runs from 10-25th October and is now open for entries:
Short films deadline is 22 June
Features films deadline is 6 July
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/2104

ENGLISH HERITAGE BLUE PLAQUE

FOR J. ARTHUR RANK

- Commemoration for the saviour of the British film industry -

The film producer J. Arthur Rank (1888-1972) has been commemorated with an English Heritage blue plaque at 38 South Street, Mayfair, where he established the headquarters of the Rank Organisation, which financed films such as The Red Shoes (1948) and the Ealing comedies Passport to Pimlico, Whisky Galore and Kind Hearts and Coronets (all 1949).

Sir Christopher Frayling, member of the English Heritage Blue Plaques Panel, said: “For over a quarter of a century – between the 1940s and the 1960s – the name 'J. Arthur Rank' was virtually synonymous with the British film industry. His companies owned over half the British film studios and more than 1,000 cinemas. His corporate symbol of a bare-chested ex-boxer banging a huge gong was instantly recognisable the world over – on a par with the celebrated Hollywood studio logos. The films presented by the Rank Organisation were sometimes good, sometimes bad – but never ugly. And they turned British film into an industry, from the headquarters in Mayfair."

Rank is generally credited with saving the British film industry at a time when the government was willing to cede control to Hollywood. Without him, many of the greatest British films of the twentieth century may simply never have been made. Modest and extremely hard-working, his ardent Methodism influenced the moral tone of the films of his day. He became a powerful but popular figure who wanted the industry to be a force for good, and played a key role in the success of directors such as Carol Reed, Alexander Korda, David Lean, and Michael Powell. He was also a highly successful industrialist who transformed his family business into one of Britain’s biggest companies; renamed Rank Hovis McDougall in 1962, it survived until 2007, when it was taken over by Premier Foods.

Joseph Arthur Rank was born near Kingston upon Hull, the youngest son of a rich and successful miller, becoming director of the family business in 1915. Rank’s devout Methodist faith sparked his interest in film when he saw its potential as an effective medium for promoting the Christian message; after starting to show films to his Sunday School classes, he went on to found the Religious Film Society in 1933.

The family business continued to expand, and grew into an international food-processing concern. It was during this period that Rank built an empire in film production and distribution that would come to dominate the British film industry. In 1934, in association with Lady Yule, Rank formed the production company British National, and produced the film Turn of the Tide (1935). After Hollywood-dominated distributors declined the film, he became convinced that British films would only flourish once the Hollywood monopoly had been broken. In 1935 Rank formed the General Cinema Finance Corporation, holding a large stake in the American company Universal Pictures, and was Chairman from 1938; from 1937, he was also Chairman of General Film Distributors and in that year formed the Rank Organisation to consolidate his interests. In 1936, together with Lady Yule and John Corfield, he opened Pinewood Studios at Heatherden Hall, Buckinghamshire, and soon became Chairman; in 1938, Pinewood was merged with Alexanda Korda’s Denham Studios.

During the Second World War, cinema attendance reached a peak and the British film industry surged, thanks largely to Rank’s contribution. His empire continued to grow: in 1941, he took over the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, and the following year acquired Odeon Theatres. He thus controlled not only the Pinewood and Denham studios, but also those of Gaumont-British and Gainsborough, while Ealing Studios – run by Michael Balcon – became part of the Rank Organisation in 1944. During this period, Rank was responsible for producing a string of successes, including In Which We Serve (1942), Henry V (1944), The Wicked Lady(1945), A Matter of Life and Death (1946) and Great Expectations (1946). By 1946, Rank’s companies owned five studios and 650 cinemas; they employed a staff of 31,000, while the turnover was £45 million.

Late in 1947 Rank’s ambitious production programme ran into financial difficulties, yet he was still able to finance notable films including Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet, Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (both 1948), and Ealing Studio’s Passport to Pimlico and Kind Hearts and Coronets (both 1949). In 1953, following the death of his only surviving brother, Rank ceded his controlling interests in the Rank Organisation and founded a charitable trust (later known as the Rank Foundation) to distribute the profits to good causes. During Rank’s lifetime, it disbursed an estimated £100 million. For the rest of his life, he directed his energies principally towards Joseph Rank Ltd, and in 1962 retired as Chairman of the Rank Organisation. He remained a committed Methodist, greatly assisting the church financially, and was raised to the peerage in 1957 as Baron Rank of Sutton Scotney. Rank died at his country home, Sutton Manor, Hampshire, in 1972.

Speaking of the English Heritage blue plaque to J. Arthur Rank, his grandson, Joey Newton, said: “the Rank family are very proud that he has been honoured in this way.”

Grade II-listed 38 South Street is a substantial ‘Wrenaissance’ mansion built in 1920 for wealthy industrialist Henry McLaren, later Baron Aberconway. Its combination of nostalgic grandeur and twentieth-century solidity reflects the monumentality and modesty which characterised Rank and his career. When hard-working Rank was at the helm, the office day began at 8.30am, and executives arriving later were told that ‘these hours wouldn’t do inYorkshire’.

Calling all budding photographers! National Historic Ships UK encourages the nation to get snapping

Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant provides the perfect backdrop for maritime inspiration-

National Historic Ships UK (NHS-UK) is encouraging budding photographers to go down to the water and shoot some winning maritime images as it launches its 2012 Photography Competition. With a £1,000 overall prize up for grabs, to be spent by the winner on a registered historic vessel of their choice, NHS-UK is looking for entries that truly capture the spirit of the UK’s maritime heritage and with the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant just weeks away there couldn’t be a better time for the nation to get snapping.

With a range of categories for all ages, NHS-UK is also urging schools across the country to get involved in the search for the Young Photographer of the Year where winners will receive camera equipment for their school and a class visit to a historic vessel near them as well as having their winning photography published.

Entries will be judged by a team of experts who will be looking for imagination, creativity and unusual perspectives. This year’s judging panel includes Jock Wishart, one of the UK’s leading maritime and polar adventurers; author Philip Hoare; Yachting Journalists Association Pantaenius Yachtsman of the Year, Geoff Holt; Peter Mumford, professional photographer from Beken of Cowes; David Newberry, ex-Captain of HMS Warrior 1860; and editor of Classic Boat magazine, Dan Houston.

Commenting on the launch of the 2012 Photography Competition, Martyn Heighton, Director of National Historic Ships UK, said “We are delighted to be launching our annual photography competition in a year that will see our maritime heritage on display to the world. The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, which will bring together some thousand craft, will offer the perfect backdrop for all budding photographers looking for some maritime inspiration.

“In previous years we have been captivated by the entries from children and so this year we are also looking for the Young Photographer of the Year to encourage even more schools and young people to get involved and showcase their photography skills.”

Winning entries will follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Mike Garlick from Salisbury who wowed the judges with his photo ‘Maybird. Early morning Newton Creek’.

Photographers can enter their maritime inspired photos online at www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk and can submit up to two photographs per category. The competition is made up of five categories and all entries must be received by midnight on 31 August 2011. The competition is run in association with Classic Boat and winning entries will be published in the magazine, with all short-listed entrants invited to attend the prestigious National Awards Ceremony on board HMS Belfast in October 2012.


National Historic Ships UK Photography Competition – Categories:

A. Historic Vessels on the National Register or National Archive of Historic Vessels (entries by vessel owners or members of associated organisations only)

B. Traditional Maritime Skills in Action (open to all)

C. Classic Boat Favourite: The Maritime Enthusiast (open to all)

OVERALL WINNER: National Historic Ships UK’s Photographer 2012

D.1 Your local historic vessel or seascape (entries by primary school children only)

D.2 Your local historic vessel or seascape (entries by secondary school children only)

OVERALL WINNER: National Historic Ships UK’s Young Photographer 2012

COCAINE UNWRAPPED

 LAUNCHES WORLDWIDE ONLINE DISTRIBUTION VIA YOUTUBE AND JOURNEYMAN 

A new film which brings a unique spotlight onto the global war on drugs, and specifically the story of cocaine will now be available worldwide to download online via YouTube and Journeyman via www.cocaineunwrapped.com. COCAINE UNWRAPPED is the untold story of the human suffering and cost caused by the cocaine trade and the war against it and is Directed by Award winningRachel Seifert (Who Am I? The Found Children of Argentina) and Award winning Executive Producer Christopher Hird (The End of the Line, The War You Don’t See, Black Gold).

COCAINE UNWRAPPED brings us unprecedented access to the political leaders of Latin America. While Western demand for cocaine reaches record levels, so does the violence at every stage of the global trade in the drug. The film explores the international network of violence, imprisonment, poverty and addiction caused in its wake. With front line reportage from coca farmers in Bolivia, drugs mules in Ecuadorian prisons, cocaine factories in the Colombian jungle, dealers on the streets of Mexico and Baltimore - and consumers from the clubs and dinner tables of the West – Cocaine Unwrapped portrays a story of death, economic devastation and human suffering and brings the war on drugs into a completely new light.

The white carpet film premiere for COCAINE UNWRAPPED took place on Wednesday 16^th May at the Prince Charles Cinema Leicester Square followed by a discussion chaired by Sir Ian Kennedy, Chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and featuring a high profile panel including the Bolivian Ambassador H.E Roberto Calzadilla, Mike Trace, Chairman of the International Drug Policy Consortium and the former deputy UK drug tsar, Ariel Moutsatsos, Head of Public Affairs at the Mexican Embassy and Grace Livingstone, Latin American Bureau and author of 'Inside Colombia: Drugs, Democracy and War.' The rigorous panel discussion called for a much stronger awareness in the UK on the deadly cycle of the cocaine trade and a more open public and political debate on the future direction of drugs policy.

Leading advertising agency, Leo Burnett, also collaborated with Dartmouth Films to create a special campaign around the issues that Rachel Seifert’s film explores.  The work created by Leo Burnett includes sound design and two short films that introduce ‘Cocaine Unwrapped’, aiming to amplify the impact for Rachel’s film, promoted under the catch line: “You Can’t Ignore What’s Under Your Nose.”

Director Rachel Seifert said: “I hope that this film can engage the public in a debate and help to make a difference. The UK is one of the largest consumers of cocaine, and as a country has a hugely influential part to play in being able to affect change by reviewing our drugs policy. Let’s hope the recent House of Lords UK Drugs Policy Review will enable drugs policy to move forward in a more effective way.”

Christopher Hird, Executive Producer said: “Four years in the making,  on a very small budget,  Rachel Seifert has produced a film in the best traditions of what Dartmouth Films tries to do: make documentaries which have an impact – which raise public awareness, which change consumer behaviour and which force politicians to act. Watch this film and you will never think about drugs in the same way again.”

ENCOUNTERS STRIDES FORWARD

 FOR 18TH EDITION WITH SUPPORT FROM BFI AND MEDIA

Ahead of its 2012 edition, Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival has confirmed backing from the BFI as well as brand new support from the MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

Confirming such key strategic support is an affirmation of Encounters’ position as one of the most outstanding short film and animation events on the international film industry calendar. The festival is now taking place earlier in the year (18 - 23 September in 2012), a move which will also reinforce its status as the leading UK gateway for the world’s most prestigious short film awards, being a qualifying festival for the BAFTAs, Oscars®, European Film Awards and Cartoon d’Or.

Alongside continued grants from Creative England and Bristol City Council, the BFI and MEDIA support means that Encounters now has backing from local, regional, national and international organisations. This comes at a crucial moment, enabling the festival to stabilise a budget which - as for many other organisations - has recently been impacted by the reduction of private sponsorship opportunities.

This is a huge show of confidence in the festival in 2012, a key year for the film industry in the UK and Europe, with the BFI’s nationwide consultation of its Future Plan for Film 2012-2017 and MEDIA Programme plans for the years 2014-2020 currently being negotiated across Europe, with possible big changes on the way.

Tim Cagney, Deputy CEO of the BFI, said: “Not only does Encounters attract a strong public audience, enabling it to showcase the work of new and established talent to audiences who may not otherwise be able to access short films, but crucially it also provides a robust offer for industry, bringing together filmmakers, buyers, sales agents, distributors and others for networking opportunities, workshops, masterclasses, seminars and panel discussions. We’re delighted to be supporting this year’s festival.”

Agnieszka Moody, Director of MEDIA Desk UK said: “Festivals are a very important ingredient in MEDIA recipe for supporting audiovisual industry as they contribute to enhancing Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity, one of the main aims of the MEDIA Programme. It is fantastic to see Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival in the mix of MEDIA-funded European festivals.  We extend our best wishes to all of the festival goers for an enjoyable and stimulating event.”

Liz Harkman, Managing Director of Encounters Festival said: “We are very grateful to all of our supporters. Being awarded both BFI and MEDIA funding for this year is fantastic news and extremely important for Encounters. This is a clear recognition of our event’s relevance within the current film industry landscape and its dynamic contribution to supporting upcoming talent and broadening audiences for short film, both on national and European levels. We’re particularly excited to be widening our European connections in 2012, providing a high profile platform for new UK films and filmmaking talent to be positioned against their international peers.”

The festival expects to receive 2,000 submissions from over 60 countries this year, selecting over 180 works for its competitive screening programmes within the Brief (live action) and Animated (animation) strands. Two international juries will present 16 internationally renowned awards with cash prizes up to £12,000.

Industry presence at the event is strong, providing networking opportunities for over 700 filmmakers, buyers, sales agents, distributors and other professionals. Workshops, masterclasses, seminars and panel discussions on future trends aim to create a hotbed of talent development, alongside a Shorts2Features section for first and second features and the Future Encounters strand for 10 selected upcoming film talents.

Encounters Festival attracts a public audience of around 8,500, presenting a dynamic and inspiring range of work which is showcased well beyond the cinemas, at pop-up screenings, music festivals, schools, a Big Top Circus Tent and an outdoor Solar Cinema Tour in local parks. In 2012 there will be a Focus on Finland and ground breaking stereoscopic discoveries from 1930s Russia amongst a programme full of events that will cross all creative forms such as film, art, animation, performance, gaming and music.

The Encounters 18th Short Film and Animation Festival Call for Entries is open until 6 June 2012 for live action and animated shorts of all genres up to 30 minutes in length. DepicT!, Watershed’s super-short filmmaking competition as part of Encounters, is accepting submissions until 9 July 2012 (depict.org).

Damages

Starring Academy Award^® Nominee and Emmy^® Winner
Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, John Goodman and Dylan Baker 


DAMAGES: THE

COMPLETE FOURTH

SEASON 


Returns to DVD July 16^th

Special Features Include All-New Featurettes, a Blooper Reel and More

 

 

London, UK. 15/5/2012– The compelling legal thriller is back in session when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases DAMAGES: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASONon DVD July 16^th.  Glenn Close, six-time Academy Award^® nominee and winner of two Best Actress Emmys^® for her role as Patty Hewes, the country’s most revered high-stakes litigator, stars with Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids, 28 Weeks Later) as estranged protégé Ellen Parsons. The critically acclaimed series brings Patty and Ellen together embroiled in a wrongful death suit against a private military contractor.The fourth season also stars Emmy^® and Golden Globe^® winner John Goodman (TV’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and “Roseanne”) and Dylan Baker (TV’s “The West Wing” and “The Good Wife”).
 
Arriving on DVD in a three-disc set, DAMAGES: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON will include all 10 episodes, deleted scenes and a blooper reel.  The set will also come with two new featurettes – A Case for War, a behind-the-scenes discussion of the fourth season with the cast and crew, and The Evolution of Patty Hewes, in which Glenn Close looks back over four seasons to examine and discuss the growth of her character.
 
DAMAGES was created and is executive produced by Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Glenn Kessler, and co-executive produced by Mark A. Baker. The show is produced by KZK Productions and FX Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television.

SYNOPSIS
For brilliant attorney Patty Hewes (three-time Emmy® winner Glenn Close), the stakes have never been higher, professionally or personally, in the riveting Fourth Season of the hit legal thriller. When Patty joins former charge Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) to expose a corrupt security firm in Afghanistan, they unravel a cover-up at the highest levels involving an inscrutable mercenary agent (Dylan Baker), a key witness taken hostage (Chris Messina) and the powerful CEO (double Emmy® winner John Goodman) with his own explosive secrets. It all comes down to one final, fatal double-cross.
 
DAMAGES: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON episodes include:
There’s Only One Way to Try a Case
I’ve Done Way Too Much for This Girl
I’d Prefer My Old Office
Next One’s on Me, Blondie
We’ll Just Have to Find Another Way to Cut the Balls Off This Thing
Add That Little Hopper to Your Stew
I’m Worried About My Dog
The War Will Go On Forever
There’s A Whole Slew of Ladies With Bad Things To Say About The Taliban
Failure is Lonely
 
DVD Special Features Include:
·         Deleted Scenes
·         Two All-New Featurettes
o   A Case for War: The Cast and Crew Discuss the Fourth Season
o   The Evolution of Patty Hewes
·         Blooper Reel
  
DAMAGES: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON has a run time of approximately 480 minutes and is rated 15.

Edgar Wright, Tommy Lee Edwards, and Internet Explorer release

Episode Two of  The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator

Ground breaking Internet Explorer production clocks up over 3,000 audience submissions in the first episode 

Today Internet Explorer announces the release of episode two of The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator, the interactive animated series directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards (Marvel and Lucas Films) that puts the audience in the driving seat by allowing them to submit story lines, characters and prose. 

The second episode of the noir inspired series, which has been optimised for Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), is now available to watch by visiting www.brandongenerator.com and those who have submitted ideas may find their characters, prose or creatures incorporated into the story.

The online animated story, which follows Brandon as he struggles to explain the changing world around him following a caffeine fuelled blackout, has had over 3000 audience submissions since episode one launched in April. The overwhelming interest in the series and high level of audience participation highlights an appetite for this new storytelling experience which combines film, comics, and computer games into a unique new genre.

Narrated by Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) with music by David Holmes' new project 'Unloved' (a collaboration between David Holmes, Keefus Green and Jade Vincent) the second episode sees Brandon come face to face with his caffeine addiction as the world around him begins to unravel. Brandon is left wondering whether a mysterious girl is the heroine he’s been hoping for and the audience are asked to help decide his fate by uploading a photo of themselves at the end of the episode for a chance to be illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards and penned into the adventure in later episodes.

Viewers are transported to the driving seat of Brandon’s car where they have more power than ever to affect the story.  A misty windscreen invites the audience to help Brandon, drawing him out of trouble by sketching his escape route to the next scene. A trapped piece of paper on the windscreen encourages viewers to suggest what happens next by writing storyline ideas, while the phone and business card allows users to leave voice or Skype messages for Brandon. Audiences can view all the images, plotlines and messages left for Brandon andIE9 users also benefit from exclusive content, notifications and instant access to social feeds via the unique Pinning and Jump List functionality.

Harnessing the power of HTML5 web standards and IE9, the story is designed to be one of the most visually rich and immersive experience on the web. World class story telling combined with the power of IE9’s hardware-accelerated graphics give a smooth and engaging experience that allows the user to lean back and enjoy or lean forward and get involved.

Edgar Wright says, “I am very pleased by how well Brandon has been received, especially since it is a something of a personal cry for help that I drink too much coffee. 24 hours after the first episode launched we had several hundreds of content submissions and tens of thousands of people were watching it. The level of creativity and imagination has been incredibly impressive and people seem to have adopted Brandon’s world and carved characters and plotlines around it. We’ve had people of all abilities getting involved from school children to Hollywood scriptwriters who’ve been inspired by the story. I think people are going to love the second episode, because we have managed to weave in the work of some 69 contributors, none of which I have ever met. It’s exciting because this is where the action really starts and the audience see their ideas brought to life by Tommy and myself.”

The visuals have been an exciting challenge, as we never know what's going to inspire Edgar while going through loads of submissions," says Tommy Lee Edwards.  "Episode two features elements from nearly 70 different pieces of submitted artwork, voice messages, and prose.  We're adding more layers to the user content by asking people to submit an image of themselves for the chance to be illustrated into Brandon’s world.  I'm personally most excited about the way we will need help from all the artists out there at the end of #2.  Brandon's fate in #3 truly depends on the creativity of the users." 

Gabby Hegerty, Internet Explorer UK says, “We couldn’t have hoped for a better reaction from people who have watched the first episode through IE9 and taken advantage of the hardware acceleration and unique graphics processing. We’re also starting to see some great content possibilities through the Jump Lists and Pinning functionality. I encourage everyone to see how beautiful the web can be by checking out Episode 2 of Brandon Generator.”

 To watch Episode Two and get involved, visit www.brandongenerator.com. There will be four episodes in total between April and June. Use Internet Explorer 9 and pin to your taskbar for the best experience and exclusive updates and content.

Designers, illustrators, and people of all shapes and sizes are invited to feature in an instalment of Brandon Generator. Internet Explorer’s Facebook page recently launched a competition asking the audience to send in their suggestion of ‘which comic book character’ they would be, with the winner being illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards onto the cover of a comic book in the final episode of The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator.

 Find out more about the project by following Internet Explorer on Facebook.com/InternetExplorerUK and Twitter.com/IE_UK and Brandon Generator on Facebook.com/BrandonGenerator and Twitter.com/Brandon_gen.