‘TWIST’

A CONTEMPORARY RE-IMAGINING OF OLIVER TWIST IN 3D, WHERE FAGIN’S GANG USE PARKOUR TO CARRY OUT THE ULTIMATE HEIST. 

CHARACTERS IN ‘FAGIN’S GANG’ TO BE HAND PICKED FROM VIDEO ENTRIES 

 

In 2012 Oliver Twist will receive a modern day adaptation. Produced by Pure Grass Films and The Salt Company, ‘Twist’ is a 3D feature film that represents the coming of age of the timeless classic Dickens novel. It’s a modern day spin that will see Fagin’s gang attempt a series of audacious art thefts using Parkour , the phenomenon that’s been gripping streets around the globe for the past decade. 

Matthew Parkhill (THE CALLER starring Stephen Moyer from True Blood) will be Directing, and Sébastien Foucan, the founder of freerunning, will be masterminding the Parkour action sequences. Foucan is most famously known for shimmying up a sky high crane in the opening action sequence from James Bond - Casino Royale

Production on the 3D feature film will start in March, 2012 and YOU COULD BE PART OF FAGIN’S GANG!

Pure Grass Films and The Salt Company are looking for actors who are also practitioners of Parkour and Freerunning (or skateboarding, gymnastics or similar). We are looking for people aged 16-24, male and female, to play the key characters in Fagin’s Gang.  

With the help of social networking, candidates are asked to submit videos, no more than 2 minutes in length, introduce themselves and demonstrate their extreme sporting skills. 

Please submit videos to the Twitter page of the film: @twistthemovie using the hashtag #faginsgang. The Top 25 entrants selected by director Matthew Parkhill,Sébastien Foucan, the Producers and VHJ Casting will be invited to London for a final face-to-face audition at London’s brand new Parkour park, L.E.A.P,on Saturday 3^rd December 2011.. At least one lucky entrant will then be selected to appear in the film as part of Fagin’s gang!

The Story & The Characters:

Oliver Twist is propelled into present day London when 17 year old Oliver falls in with a street gang in London who use Parkour to carry out daring art heists for a shady stolen goods dealer - Fagin.

Spectacular Parkour set pieces - as well as skateboarding, car chases, bike chases and sheer unadulterated energy - in thrilling 3D, are seamlessly woven with the well-known story of a boy who learns a lesson and finds a family…with a few more twists along the way.

Oliver

Oliver is 17, an orphan who has learned to live off his wits, as well as his speed, there’s not many who can catch him. When he meets the gang and starts to learn Parkour just as fast, he’s going to become an invaluable asset to Fagin. 

Nancy

Nancy, a former gymnast, is a character chameleon (she can play anything from hippy art student to Russian art dealer).

Dodge

Dodge is streetwise, ambitious and handsome in a dangerous kind of way. He likes being in charge and is an artful freerunner. 

Batesy

Batesy may act tough but he’s the baby of the group and also the gang’s computer geek. His Parkour skills are efficient, if a little less flamboyant than Dodge, but he knows how to get from A to B.       

Tom “TC” Chitling

Bigger than Batsey, and twice as cocky, full of charm and humour, TC get teased because he doesn’t yet have a “thing”, a specialised skill, what that “thing” is may be up to you. 

‘Twist’ is now open for video submissions and the ‘Top 25’ shortlist casting event will take place at London’s new Parkour Park, the L.E.A.P. on Saturday 3^rd December. 

For more information on L.E.A.P please go to http://bit.ly/fJfXm2

For all Terms & Conditions please go to http://www.facebook.com/twistthemovie

Call For Entries: The 180 Microcinema Festival 2012

Can you show the world what you can do in only 180 seconds? Spin the System, and submit to the 180 Microcinema Festival.

180 Microcinema Festival is seeking submissions for its first International celebration of short films. The selected films will be available on the web starting January 7, 2011.

Founded in 2009, the 180 Microcinema Festival seeks to celebrate and reward filmmakers across the world who embrace unique and unorthodox approaches to filmmaking. The festival celebrates the range and diversity of filmmakers in an interconnected world, emphasizing emerging technologies such as mobile devices and digital media in film production and distribution.

"We wanted to create a virtual space for a film festival where geography and physical distance would not be a constraint," says founder Vicente Nakpil-Roxas. "The films are only three minutes long, so aside from tackling a creative challenge, these filmmakers sidestep the high costs inherent in creating a full-length feature." The Festival seeks to showcase both established and undiscovered filmmakers by utilizing social media to share these films with a worldwide audience.

Filmmakers are encouraged to embrace "transmedia," a style of filmmaking that encourages interaction with the audience, specifically through the internet, social media, and online venues.

Winners will be awarded a Transmedia Development Deal worth $30,000. Roxas stated that this deal, coupled with sponsorships and crowdsourcing campaigns initiated by the Festival, will allow a filmmaker to create more projects. "The Festival enables filmmakers to hone their craft, promote their work, and interact with a global audience."

The first cycle of the 180 Microcinema Festival is seeking submissions for the Narrative category. Filmmakers and students that are at least 18 years old from every country are eligible to participate. Complete rules and requirements can be found at www.180cinema.net.

Submissions must be delivered electronically by December 15, 2011. Submissions can be made through the website, and there is a fee of $10 per film.

Selected films will be eligible for an award chosen by a jury headed by Academy Award winning producer Stefanie Walmsley ("God of Love.") Visitors to the online festival will be able to cast a vote for an audience award. Both will be presented on March 10, 2012.

Made in Prague; Film & Literature Czech Film Festival

10 – 27 November 2011

10 November 2011, Czech Cinema Gala Habermann, Prince Charles Cinema, London

11 – 13 November 2011, Riverside Studios

15 November 2011, UK Premiere of Vaclav Havel’s Leaving, The Gate Cinema

20 November 2011, silent movie Battalion + live music accompaniment, Barbican

With special guests – director Juraj Herz (Habermann, The Cremator), actor and writer Jiri Suchy (A Walk Worthwhile] and Dagmar Havlova, former first lady and actresss (Leaving)

see www.czechcentre.org.uk for details

Ø  The 15th annual festival of Czech cinema in the UK explores a rich vein of literary adaptations for the screen. Focusing on the best examples of strong literary sources matched with visionary film directors, the resulting selection offers exceptional films from the history of Czech cinema, celebrating the literary work of sixteen outstanding Czech writers.

Ø  The highlight of the festival will be the UK premiere of Leaving (2010). Vaclav Havel’s directorial debut with his own play. This intimate drama about the loss of power is full of humour and irony, and, to a certain extent, also reflects Havel’s own experience of leaving Czech presidential office.  The screening will be introduced by Dagmar Havlova, former first lady and the film’s lead actress.

Ø  A special tribute is paid to festival’s guest, director Juraj Herz whose 2010 film Habermann, (German/Austrian/Czech co-production), set in WWII and based on an actual story, addresses the taboo subject of the atrocities during the so called ‘wild transfer’ of Czechoslovakia’s German population.  Habermann is complemented by Juraj Herz’s 1968 masterpiece The Cremator, in which a professional cremator quotes the Tibetan Book of the Dead and offers deranged ideas for the salvation of the world. 

Ø  However the filmic journey through Czech film and literature starts with the silent film Battalion (1927) by Premysl Prazsky successfully evoking the life of the poor and drop-outs of Prague which will be accompanied live by Jiri Hradil’s piano music . On the other hand the art film and modernist gem Marijka the Unfaithful (1934) by Vladislav Vancura, with Bohuslav Martinu’s original score, is set in the authentic milieu of Subcarpathian Ruthenia and presents a ballad-style story of love, betrayal and guilt.

Ø  The fifties are represented by a 1959 adaptation of Jaroslav Hasek’s Good Soldier Svejk, a Czech literary treasure. This famous story of a certified idiot and compulsive teller of banal anecdotes caught up in WWI is directed by Karel Stekly. Jiri ‘Closely Observed Trains’ Menzel directed the delightful comedy Capricious Summer (1967) in which the stagnant lives of four friends are shaken by the arrival of a magician-acrobat (played by Menzel himself) and his beautiful assistant. Nobody Is Going to Laugh (1965), also representing the 60s Czech New Wave, is Hynek Bocan’s adaptation of Milan Kundera’s short story about a young university lecturer who avoids telling unpleasant truths at all costs.  The season also includes a new take by director Milos Forman (One Flew over the Cuckoo Nest, Blonde in Love) on Suchy & Slitr’s 1965 jazz operaA Walk Worthwhile (2010) as staged by the National Theatre, Prague, which will be introduced by actor and writer Jiri Suchy.

Ø  Contemporary literature will be represented by Vladimir Michalek’s Of Parents and Children (2008), the successful adaptation of Emil Hakl’s award winning novel in which a father and son provide an insight into contemporary Prague, pubs and family history.  In contrast Ondrej Trojan’s Identity Card (2010) is a retro film set in the 70s, based on the novel by popular Czech writer Petr Sabach (familiar from Jan Hrebejk’s filmsCosy Dens and Divided We Fall). The post-pubertal pranks of four boys are juxtaposed with the adult world as they deal with the totalitarian environment in their own way, sometimes with tragic consequences.

Organized in collaboration with the Riverside Studios, Prince Charles Cinema, Barbican Cinema, the UK Jewish Film Festival and The Gate Cinema.

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL ARCHIVE GALA SCREENING

WORLD PREMIERE OF

BFI NATIONAL ARCHIVE RESTORATION:

The First Born (1928) dir. Miles Mander

 

Rediscovery of a stunning late 1920s melodrama

 

The BFI National Archive’s gala presentation at the BFI 55^th London Film Festival, in partnership with American Express, is the world premiere of a new BFI restoration of The First Born (1928), directed by Miles Mander. This little known, but deeply satisfying, British drama will screen at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Thursday 20^th October 2011, 7.30pm.

 

Director Miles Mander, who wrote the original stage play and co-authored the screenplay, also stars as a badly behaved aristocrat opposite Madeleine Carroll as his wife. Mander’s co-writer on the screenplay was Alma Reville (Mrs Alfred Hitchcock). The story is a late twenties melodrama of great sophistication and offers a fascinating insight into the scandalous real-life exploits of the colourful Miles Mander.

 

There are moments strongly reminiscent of early Hitchcock, perhaps unsurprising as Alma Reville was heavily involved with the preparation of the scenario. Could it be that the famous ‘Hitchcock touch’ is as much to do with Mrs, as with Mr? Audiences must judge for themselves.

 

The film is a surprisingly adult account of Sir Hugo Boycott's (Mander) passionate but rocky marriage to Madeleine, his beautiful but somewhat naive wife. Failing to conceive the heir he craves, she resorts to desperate measures to tempt back her philandering husband. Set in the world of high society and the political classes, a world well known  to Mander, among whose distinguished family were several Liberal MP's, the film throws the hypocrisies and double standards of its members into sharp relief.   

 

There are other fascinating resonances between the plot and real life, as the first-born in the film is played by Mander’s own son, and it was fairly well known that Mander and his co-star were romantically involved. Mander was also married at one point to an Indian princess called Pretty (his brother married her sister). Mander had lived a life worthy of several films, losing a fortune as an over-enthusiastic gambler while a young man, and then working as a sheep hand in New Zealand when family pressures forced him to a more disciplined environment. He amused himself as a daredevil, pioneer aviator and later worked for the Air Auxiliary Corps during the First World War. Novelist, playwright, film director, actor – there seemed no end to his talents and his ability to take on whatever role he chose and succeed in it. His acting career led him to Hollywood where he became a mainstay as a popular character actor. He eventually ended up a radio host.

 

Heather Stewart, Creative Director, BFI said, “The BFI London Film Festival Archive Gala gives us an opportunity to showcase important restorations from the BFI National Archive. These enable us to highlight lesser known or previously unavailable works which deserve to be widely seen and The First-Born is a tour-de-force of late silent film-making. New restoration techniques and digital technology give us the chance to give a new lease of life to the rich heritage of British cinema.”

 

Technical background to the BFI restoration

 

The BFI National Archive acquired a nitrate positive of The First Born in 1939 as an example of the work of its writer, director and star, Miles Mander. The print, which we still have, is tinted and we have created a new print using a combination of new photochemical and digital restoration. 

 

The current running time of the BFI’s original material is 6942ft @22fps = 84 mins of 94 advertised at the original trade show in 1928. With no surviving script that we know of, and no records concerning the film with the heirs of the production company, we can’t tell what the missing footage may have contained and can only work with the prints that survive. Using a 16mm abridged version courtesy of our colleagues at the George Eastman House, we have found several missing shots and jump cuts.  Although this 16mm copy has been abridged, as is common for 16mm versions, it does in fact contains several short scenes and longer shots not in our 35mm material and has been invaluable as a guide to the correct sequencing of some scenes. Matching the 16mm material, which is of inferior picture quality, with the 35mm nitrate original has been a considerable challenge for the graders. We scanned the original nitrate and the dupe negative as well as the 16mm print and selected which shots should be taken from which source. Decisions were then made about tinting based directly from the evidence of the tinted nitrate print. The tinting is understated and subtle – amber for lit interiors and violet for evening shots.

 

Music

 

This world premiere screening will be accompanied by musician Stephen Horne who will be performing his newly commissioned score with Janey Mercer and Martin Pyne. Horne is one of a small but dedicated group of specialist accompanists to silent film. He works regularly at BFI Southbank and is much in demand at film festivals around the world.

 

Stephen Horne’s credits include scores and performance on a series of key BFI releases including: A Cottage on Dartmoor, Primitives and Pioneers, RW Paul: the Collected Films, Mitchell and Kenyon: Edwardian Sports, and Tales from the Shipyard.

 

www.stephenhorne.co.uk

 

Credits

 

Production Company: Gainsborough Studios

Producers: M Woolf, Michael Balcon

Director: Miles Mander

Scenario: Alma Reville, Miles Mander

Photography: Walter Blakeley

Editor: Arthur Tavares

 

Cast: Miles Mander (Sir Hugo Boycott, Bt.); Madeleine Carroll (Madeleine, his wife); John Loder (David, Lord Harborough); Margot Armand (Sylvia Finlay); Ella Atherton (Mme. Nina de Landé); Ivo Dawson (Derek Finlay)

 

Music composed and performed by Stephen Horne

Tinted print restored by BFI National Archive running time  88 mins

Restoration credits: BFI National Archive; Deluxe; with thanks to Simon Hessel, George Eastman House

 

“British cinema of the 1920s is a pleasure garden that has remained locked for eighty years. Some of its blooms have died of neglect. The rest remain as fresh as they were when British cinemagoers were first thrilled by their gorgeous spectacle.” Broadcaster, Matthew Sweet in his preface to the BFI’s groundbreaking Twenties season in 2004.

blinkbox coming soon to an Xbox 360 near you!

Now you’ll be able to enjoy the stunning blinkbox movie experience on your TV through the Xbox 360, bringing the latest releases direct to your living room

blinkbox, the UK’s leading online movie service, is coming to Xbox 360 later this year, giving Xbox LIVE subscribers across the country yet another way to access the incredible blinkbox library of movies. Users will now be able to watch the very best in films and TV shows, including the latest Hollywood releases, through their Xbox 360 console in addition to PC, Mac, and a whole range of connected TV and tablet devices where blinkbox is already available.

Adding the Kinect for Xbox 360 experience to blinkbox’s  impressive movie catalogue, users will be able to interact with their favourite entertainment in a more personal, seamless and effortless way. With Kinect for Xbox 360’s integrated motion control and voice command, voice search with Bing on Xbox, viewers can quickly find the content they want.

The new blinkbox app, brings the blinkbox library to Xbox 360 with more titles than any other UK movie streaming service. blinkbox’s growing catalogue of Hollywood blockbusters, classic titles and new releases available the same day as the DVD release, means users will be spoilt for choice.

Michael Comish, CEO and co-founder of blinkbox said, “The launch of blinkbox on Xbox 360 means that we can bring our huge library of blockbuster movies to even more people across the UK, giving them yet another way access their favourite entertainment. Whether on PC, connected TV or console, our customers are now even closer to an amazing entertainment experience.”

Stephen McGill, Director of Xbox and Entertainment for Microsoft UK, said: “We are really excited to be able to bring the blinkbox movie experience to our Xbox LIVE members and give them access to the incredible library of movies that blinkbox offers through Xbox 360 in their living rooms.”

You can already enjoy blinkbox on a number of other devices including PC, Mac, PS3, tablet devices and both LG and Samsung internet connected TVs, making entertainment enjoyable wherever and whenever you like, you are in total control of your viewing.

So Scottish! Focus on Scottish cinema at the Dinard British Film Festival in 2011.

Five Scottish feature films and six Scottish short documentary films are set to wow audiences at The British Film Festival in France, Festival du Film Britannique de Dinard.

Dinard Festival takes place over five days (05 – 09 October) and is attended by over 24,000 film fans. It attracts key producers and industry personnel from both France and the UK, allowingdistributors to discover films and giving film-makers an opportunity to conquer the European Market.

This year's programme will have a So Scottish focus highlighting some of the best new and original work coming from Scotland. 

Critically acclaimed Scottish director Lynne Ramsey will screen her feature We Need to Talk about Kevin, alongside David Mackenzie’s two features: Perfect Sense and You Instead. Award-winning filmmaker Sue Bourne’s documentary Jig, about the 40th Irish Dancing World Championships will also show. 

Amy Hardie’s documentary Edge of Dreaming which sees her disturbing dream manifest itself in real life, will screen alongside a selection of short documentaries s from the Scottish Documentary Institute including Ben Wigley’s P.S.Your Mystery Sender- winner of the Rushes Soho Best Short Doc award. Ben’s short received investment through the ‘Bridging the Gap’ initiative, supported by Creative Scotland through the National Lottery, as did Twinset, The Worm Inside and ThePerfect Fit. The Scottish BAFTA winning and Sundance attending Ma Bar ensures a very Scottish flavour to the festival.

Caroline Parkinson, Director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, said; ‘The festival presents a fantastic opportunity for our creative talent to get their work noticed and screened by international distributors, allowing them to make connections and secure deals. Creative Scotland’s investment in many of the Scottish films screening reinforces our commitment to the strength of Scottish film-making.’

Finlay Pretsell from Scottish Documentary Institute, said; ‘In Scotland there is such a strong tradition of documentary going back to pioneers like John Grierson and more recently Kevin McDonald. It really is an achievement for documentary to be recognized in a feature film orientated film festival like Dinard which continues to champion work from the British Isles. It is a very proud moment to have so much strong work made in Scotland to show. We make films that happen to be documentaries and we want to shake the stigma that is often related to documentary film – we are just telling stories that happen to be real life. This kind of exposure will really help get a foot inside the typically tricky French market.’

The Scottish films showing include: 

5 Scottish feature films:

·         The Edge of Dreaming by Amy Hardie*

·         Jig by Sue Bourne*

·         Perfect Sense by David Mackenzie*

·         You Instead by David Mackenzie*

·         We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lynne Ramsay

6 Scottish shorts:

·         The Right to Privacy by Alice Nelson*

·         Twinset by Amy Rose*

·         P.S Your Mystery Sender by Ben Wigley*

·         The Worm Inside by Sam Firth*

·         The Perfect Fit by Tali Yankelevich*

·         Ma Bar by Adrian McDowall / Finlay Pretsell

*(these films have all received Creative Scotland investment)  

Cosmoetica Website is a Big Hit

Dan Schneider writes:


A little over 10.5 years, but Cosmo has hit a quarter billion hits on its main page: 250 million, and is on track for its biggest year yet, prob 50+ mill hits on the main page in a year. Yes, Amazon or Google does that in a few hours, but this is an arts website devoted to quality.

On my 1600 or more pages overall, the site has about 10 billion hits, but since people pinball around, searching for pages I've always felt that the main page's hits are a de facto barometer and equivalence to the actual # of people who have visited. The problem with advanced statistics is that they often get info cloaked from them and one site meter might detect only 10% of your hits while another gets 15% and they are TOTALLY unrelated. Then there are sites like Alexa, Ranking.com and others, which are useless, since they only track what their bots pick up, if you use their services. Then, indy sites are no better, as they only pick up a fraction of what they can sniff off Alexa.

Thus, I have always preferred the often derided simple old hits meter. Yes, how long someone is on a page may be missed, and while knowing 47 Nepalese looked at Cosmo last week might be interesting, it really matters not who looks at it but that it's out there. I have gotten hundreds of emails from college kids thanking me for essays they've plagiarized for good grades, dozens of emails from teachers who use essays as teaching guides, emails from sight-impaired folks who love that, unlike most commercial sites, my essays are easily scanned by their devices, I've gotten tens of thousands of Fuck Yous from deluded trolls and idiots, thousands of grateful emails, thousands of submissions of fiction and essays and literally 100s of 1000s of poem submissions, of only which the best of the best have made it. I've been stalked and sent viruses, I've been impersonated by people online for years, but Cosmo still keeps going, Hopefully, someday soon, someone will notice it's an Internet phenomenon. No porno, no Lowest Common Denominator crap, the best and most well read interviews in Internet history, an online radio show, and I could go on.

I think the next quarter billion can be hit by 2015 or sooner.

Something Alien is hatching at Everyman….

Alien’s Associate Producer Ivor Powell, and Special Effects Supervisor Brian Johnson (TBC), together with Empire magazine’s Ian Nathan – author of new book Alien Vault –  will discuss the making of Ridley Scott’s classic space horror at a special event in Winchester on October 20^th. A talk and audience q & a will be followed by a showing of the film, a chance to see one of Hollywood’s most groundbreaking movies on the big screen.

For over thirty years, audiences have been captivated and appalled as the spaceship Nostromo is invaded and its crew stalked by a terrifying parasitic creature. Now Alien Vault and Everyman open a portal into this legendary film, tracing its path from embryonic concept to fully-fledged box office phenomenon.

Published by Aurum Press, Alien Vault is a lavish hardback book - a fully endorsed, illustrated celebration of the film featuring never-before-published set photos and concept artwork, exclusive interviews and amazing removable memorabilia such as facsimile script pages, promo posters, and ship schematics.

The book will be on sale at Everyman on the night, and Ivor, Brian and Ian will all be available to sign copies.

Ticket prices:

£11.50 – Standard Adult

£9 – Standard Senior and Standard Student

Tickets are available at: http://www.everymancinema.com/alien-vault-evening, by calling 0871 906 9060, or in person from the cinema - Everyman Winchester, Southgate Street, Winchester, SO23 9EG.

National Media Museum announces three-year Virgin Media partnership deal

The National Media Museum today announced Virgin Media as the title sponsor of the Bradford International Film Festival for the next three years.

The festival, one of the most anticipated events in the UK film calendar, will become the Bradford International Film Festival in partnership with Virgin Media following the agreement between the festival organisers, the NationalMedia Museum, and the leading multimedia provider which specialises in ultrafast broadband, television, mobile phone and home phone services.

The sponsorship covers the 18^th edition of the Bradford International Film Festival, which runs from April 19 – 29, 2012, and continues until 2014. Since 1995 the festival has been a showcase for new and classic films from around the world and has welcomed guests such as John Hurt, Malcolm McDowell, Imelda Staunton, Ken Loach, Fernando Meirelles, Jack Cardiff, Chris Morris, Michael Palin and, most recently, Terry Gilliam.

Director of the National Media Museum, Colin Philpott said: “This fantastic partnership comes at a time when the Museum is looking forward to some very exciting projects which will extend the scope and reach of our programme and collections. With Virgin Media’s expertise in multimedia technology and our dedication to inspiring people to learn about and get involved in the world of media I think it is a perfect fit for the Museum’s ambitions.”

Jeff Dodds, Executive Director of Brand & Marketing Communications at Virgin Media said: “We’re incredibly excited about working with the National Media Museum and helping to support and raise the profile of the Bradford International Film Festival.   We care passionately about the positive impact that media, whether it's watching films or using the internet, has on peoples' lives and this partnership perfectly embodies our ambitions.  For the past four years, Virgin Media Shorts has fostered the talent of up and coming film makers from all across the UK and we are particularly pleased that Bradford will now become the northern home of our short film competition.”

Head of Development at the National Media Museum, Rob Shaw, said: “This is a match made in heaven. The National Media Museum’s and Virgin Media’s values are almost identical. We both believe in being challenging, being creative and bringing media to life. We are delighted to be partnering with them and look forward to bringing our combined passion for film, television and the internet to the next three Bradford International Film Festivals and a number of other projects.”

In addition to the film festivals, the three-year deal will see Virgin Media involved in a number of other high profile new developments at the National Media Museum in Bradford, which is dedicated to inspiring people to learn about, engage with, and create media.

The company is also a corporate supporter of Life Online, the world’s first gallery to explore the technological, social and cultural impact of the internet and the worldwide web, which is due to open at the Museum in March 2012.

In October, the National Media Museum will screen shortlisted films from the Virgin Media Shorts competition, and details of further events and involvement will follow in the coming months.

The 2012 Bradford International Film Festival in partnership with Virgin Media is now open for submissions from film makers who would like their films to be considered for this major UK festival. 

Visit www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/film/bradfordinternationalfilmfestival for further details.

VARIETY ACTS AND TURNS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

Release Date: 26th September 2011                  Suggested Retail Price:
£14.99

Making its first ever appearance on DVD - courtesy of social history and
nostalgia specialist, Strike Force Entertainment - is the release of VARIETY
ACTS AND TURNS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

Featuring over two and a half hours of the performances and songs sung by the
morale boasting variety acts and singers of the Second World War, this DVD gives
the opportunity to see some of the artists who helped the frontline troops and
home front civilians alike to 'Keep Smiling Through' the dark days of war.

Featuring balancing acts, strongmen and comedians, VARIETY ACTS AND TURNS OF THE
SECOND WORLD WAR also features some of the nation's favourite singers of their
time entertaining the troops in the midst of air raids, including Flanagan &
Allen, Gracie Fields, Robb Wilton, Sydney Burchall, Tommy Trinder, Peter
Sinclair, Vera Lynn, Max Wall, Joe Loss, Cyril Fletcher, Tommy Handley and
Mantovani among many more!

This release also celebrates the wartime work of ENSA - the 'Entertainments
National Service Association' which was set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie
Henson to provide entertainment for British armed service personnel during World
War Two.

With something for everyone, VARIETY ACTS AND TURNS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR is
another winning title from the best selling Second World War Collection from
Strike Force Entertainment.

VARIETY ACTS AND TURNS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR is available from all good
retailers, priced at £14.99.  For more information visit www.strikeforcetv.com
<http://www.strikeforcetv.com> or follow Strike Force Entertainment on
www.fbook.me/SFE <http://www.fbook.me/SFE>.

Oscar-winner assembles UCA crew for film

A Hollywood filmmaker is enlisting the help of students and alumni from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) for his latest project.

Oscar-winning director Arnold Schwartzman OBE RDI, who is a graduate of UCA Canterbury, is making a documentary about Margate - the town he grew up in.

Arnold Schwartzman said: “Margate Paradiso will be a nostalgic love letter to Margate, but it will also look to the future.

“I have a deep desire to offer a personal salute to the Margate of my youth and have collected film clips and photographs to show why it was such a popular holiday destination for 200 years and that despite the decline in tourism it can still be a town to be proud of.

“I also want to try to put down all of the horrible aspects of Margate that some people have been highlighting in recent years and help put Margate back on the map.”

Arnold gave a talk to the public talk about his plans at the Walpole Bay Hotel on Sunday 25 September 2011. The Mayor of Margate and numerous council members were in attendance.

“Inspired by Cinema Paradiso, a film by an Italian filmmaker who returned to his hometown as a successful filmmaker, I will tell the story from a cinema projection booth which is where my career in film also began,” he added.

"The town is picking up rapidly, with the Turner Contemporary gallery and the development of Dreamland and so on. So I think my planned documentary is quite timely.”

Filming for Margate Paradiso will begin early next year and will be crewed by students and graduates from UCA’s different campuses.

“I’m not looking for a cheap crew, I wanted to give something back to UCA and I think it’s a great opportunity for students and graduates to get professional experience and learn,” explained Arnold.

“My cameraman is cinematographer Davide Cinzi from UCA Farnham, whose film was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year. I love working with younger people and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Uwe Derksen, co- producer and fellow governor at UCA, said: “This project is not only inspirational to the local people of Margate but also to UCA’s students and staff who will see many of their famous alumni involved.

“It is a real pleasure and honour to work with an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker and I’m sure all of the UCA students and graduates who work on the film will be very grateful to Arnold for giving them the opportunity to learn from him and boost their showreels and CVs.”

Last week, Arnold treated the public to a free talk at UCA Farnham (22 September) as part of the university’s “An Evening With…” series.

He spoke about his 52-year career in film, television, graphics and illustration with stories about his work with The Rolling Stones, Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor. He complemented these and other anecdotes with photos and film clips of him and the Hollywood elite, including Steven Spielberg, John Travolta and George Clooney.

Margate Paradiso is due to be released Summer 2012.

Visit www.margateparadiso.com for more information.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Sony Ericsson is adding to its ever growing ecosystem of over 150 optimised titles for Xperia™ PLAY with a partnership with world renowned Square Enix®. Revealed today the partnership will bring much loved titles such as “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light™” exclusively to Android on Xperia PLAY in November 2011. More established hits from Square Enix will then follow in the coming months.

“With a unique control pad and immersive graphics that enable an enriched gaming experience, Xperia™ PLAY is bringing a unique and exciting dimension to smartphone gaming,” said Ben Cusack, Head of Mobile for Square Enix Europe. “This is just the start of what we plan to do together, but right now, we are delighted to be able to show off the full potential of our games with this innovative smartphone, bringing them to life as our creators intended.”  

“Xperia™ PLAY continues to redefine smartphone gaming. By bringing some of the world’s most popular console games to the Xperia™ PLAY we’re delivering an unrivalled smartphone gaming experience,” said Tim Harrison, Head of Content & Marketing Strategy for Sony Ericsson. “And this is still really only just the beginning - we will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with new games and new experiences optimized for Xperia PLAY, ensuring that consumers have the best gaming possible experience on a smartphone, whatever games they are in to.”

Sony Ericsson continues to make Xperia™ PLAY available to more consumers in more markets around the world. The smartphone has recently gone on sale in the US on the AT&T network and on the 14^th September, the company announced that Xperia™ PLAY will launch in Japan with NTT DOCOMO in October 2011.

Check out the Sony Ericsson Product Blog and follow us on Twitter for the information on Xperia™ PLAY:

http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products

Twitter: @XperiaGames

Harry Hill Is Back on ITV

The four-time BAFTA winning Harry Hill’s TV Burp is back with a brand new series of top-notch telly send-ups this autumn.  HARRY will rummage through our favourite TV to offer his acclaimed comic spin on the goings-on in soapland, reality TV and drama.  Just when you think you‘ve seen it all, expect to be taken completely by surprise with inspired quips and skits in another run that sees the big-collared comedian wring out laughs from the biggest shows on the box. 

With the return of talent shows The X Factor and the ever popular Strictly Come Dancing, expect a gag-packed, not to be missed, silly half hour from the multi-award-winning comic.  While we obviously can't predict what will feature in this totally topical show, it’s safe to bank on hilarious moments from the week’s TV that you probably missed first time around.

A busy time for HARRY sees him: release Harry Hill’s TV Burp: Best Bits featuring the greatest moments from previous series on November 14^th (ITV Studios Home Entertainment DVD); as well executive produce two pilots, one of which with ALISTAIR MCGOWAN called, You Cannot Be Serious!, a topical sports entertainment show for ITV1 mixing clips, sketches and impressions, and The End Of The Week As We Know It, a comedy news-review hosted by AL MURRAY (both for Avalon Television with TV Burp Execs RICHARD ALLEN-TURNER and JON THODAY); and continue to sell his successful range of Fairtrade nuts 'Harry's Nuts!' and Harry's Nuts! Crunchy Peanut Butter in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and other outlets to support farmers in Malawi and other countries (which he receives no money from).

17th Encounters Bristol International Film Festival

Bristol Encounters International Film Festival returns to Watershed and the Arnolfini this November (16^th to 20^th) to showcase the best short film and animation talent from around the world. The UK’s only gateway to the Academy Awards®, BAFTAs, Cartoon d’Or and European Film Awards. The festival will showcase 180 new films from emerging and established talent from 31 countries in competition across strands Animated and Brief Encounters.

Highlights in this year’s competitive programme include: A Gun for George, directed by, and starring Matthew Holness of Garth Marenghi fame; A new work An History of Civilisation by esteemed experimental filmmaker Andrew Kotting (Gallivant, This Filthy Earth); Luminaris by the award winning Argentinian animator Juan Pablo Zaramella; Ella, the South West Digital Short by Screen International’s Star of Tomorrow Dan Gitsham; Long Distance Information, the debut drama from Douglas Hart, previously of The Jesus and Mary Chain starring Peter Mullan (Neds); Apele Tac by upcoming German filmmaker Anca Miruna Lazarescu; Pitch Black Heist, featuring recent Venice Film Festival winning actor Michael Fassbender and cinematographer Robbie Ryan; Bertie Crisp by recent NFTS animation Graduate Francesca Adams starring Kathy Burke (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Tamsin Greig (Tamara Drewe); Tony Grisoni, screenwriter of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, presents his new short film The Pizza Miracle.

For the past 12 years Mark Cosgrove, Head of Programme at Watershed has had the challenging responsibility of selecting the Brief Encounters competition programme from the 1,800 submissions received every year. From 2012 Mark will be passing the programming baton on to work as the Artistic Director of the Festival. This opens up an exciting new opportunity for a Short Film Programmer which will be advertised by the festival shortly. Alongside the board and Managing Director, Liz Harkman, Mark will focus on the overarching creative vision for Encounters as it moves into a future of exciting technological and creative opportunities. More news on these developments to be unveiled in 2012.

Mark Cosgrove says “Programming Encounters has been a great source of inspiration and perspiration: Inspiration because it never ceases to amaze me that each year such brilliant new filmmaking talent appear, perspiration because I never want to say no to a film. From next year I will be relinquishing the perspiration but will be soaking up the inspiration as I work to develop the scope of the festival in my new capacity as Artistic Director.”

To accompany the competitive programme and to celebrate all things brief and animated the Festival hosting a series of gala events, industry symposiums, workshops, special guests, free activities, live music and much more;

Big Ideas, Big Screen with Francine Stock, presenter of Radio Four’s The Film Programme, presented in association with the Festival of Ideas;

Directors UK present a special focus on Bruce Robinson, the man behind the definitive vision of British hedonism Withnail and I, will discuss his 40 year career and his new film The Rum Diary;

Studio AKA, the animation company behind the acclaimed Lloyd’s TSB campaigns, present a studio profile of their recent work;

Laurent Million, from the International Animation Film Festival of Annecy, presents his personal playlist of animated love songs;

The National Film and Television School will be delving into the mind of a cinematographer with Brian Tufano (Trainspotting, Adulthood) and Stuart Harris;

Festival favourites Desert Island Flicks return with a champion of animation to discuss their favourite and most influential films;  BAFTA Masterclass present an intimate insight into the life and workings of a celebrated figure from the British screen.

The headline events continue with film and music fusions from the Bird Man of Alkijazz Tony Orrell and Scissor Sister’s Musical Director and Keyboard player John (JJ) Garden, who will perform an exclusive live accompaniment to a selection of silent and experimental films and animations. The Cube Cinema with be offering a slice of Bristol’s eccentric and electrifying arts scene and hosting a series of dynamic events including The Magical Misery Tour, a live VJ set inspired by cult horror classics from People Like Us.

Taking short film out of the cinema and onto the streets, the festival presents a series of unusual short film experiences free to the public, including the fabulous Vintage Movie Bus screening archive shorts, and a boutique pop up cinema on Bristol’s trendiest high-street, screening daily shorts by talent from across the city.

The full festival programme, Delegate registration and online tickets sales will be available from 4 October. For more information visit www.encounters-festival.org.uk. Join the discussion and find us on Facebook and Twitter @EncountersSFF #ENC2011

Speedy Singhs

THE CRÈME OF INTERNATIONAL TALENT DESCEND UPON THE UK TO ANNOUNCE THE CROSSOVER FILM OF 2011 ‘SPEEDY SINGHS’

Comedy Sensation Russell Peters and Screen Debutant Vinay Virmani alongside fellow

Cast and Crew Members at London Press Conference

Friday 23^rd of September, London:  Today saw some of the most lauded and iconic stars from American, Canadian and Indian cinema and entertainment take to the stage in London to promote one of the most exciting Hollywood crossover films to emerge in recent times, ‘Speedy Singhs’, releasing in the UK on Friday 30^th September 2011. International comedy sensation, Russell Peters, and rising star of cinema, Vinay Virmani, joined fellow cast and crew members including much adored comedian/actor Gurpreet “Ghuggi” Singh and co-producer Ajay Virmani as they addressed the audience and conducted a Q&A session with media in attendance.

Russell Peters entertained the media with his witty comments and perfect comic timing as he spoke about his experience of working in the film. He commented, “I always worry about what people will think of my films but I actually LOL’d (laughed out loud) when I saw this. I actually got teary eye when I saw the film at the Toronto International Film Festival where it premiered. The film is shot, directed and cut extremely well.”

Indian comedy king  Gurpreet “Ghuggi” Singh added, “I have never seen or experienced anything like Speedy Singhs before with its combination of Hollywood and Bollywood. It was great to work and share a screen space with Russell.”

Debutant star Vinay Virmani has received rave reviews from journalists and critics alike for his performance as Rajveer Singh. In commenting on the mass appeal the film will have crossing cultural and generational boundaries, he said, “Everyone can relate to the film, it is something everyone, of all ages, can enjoy. Every time I look at the Speedy Singhs poster, it shows that people have come from all over to be in this film from all industries, not confided by any boundaries. To sum, Speedy Singhs is about love, life and laughter.”

Speedy Singhs tells the story of Rajveer Singh essayed by Vinay Virmani caught between two cultures and two sets of ideals. The film speaks of the sports genre underdog, but in this case, the underdog reflects issues of assimilation that immigrants deal with daily as they strive for acceptance in their new home country. The entire cast highlighted the backdrop of the script as it explores the issues of race relations, migration and cross-cultural tensions while superbly balancing both tenderness and humour for the silver screen. Vinay Virmani and Russell Peters both reflected on their own experiences growing up in suburban Canada when Vinay mentioned “there are elements in the film that are from my experience”.

Co-producer Ajay Virmani echoed this saying, “Speedy Singhs is a very simple movie made from the heart and carries a message of all the struggles families from India go through. The story is based on personal experiences, about coming of age and trying to find a balance between being Indian and Canadian.”

As a surprise treat for the audiences and to highlight the success of the film’s music, in true hearty Punjabi style, “Ghuggi” and Vinay shared a musical moment as they Bhangra’d to the hit song Ne Aaja Ve. 

Directed by Hollywood filmmaker Robert Lieberman (‘D3: The Mighty Ducks’, ‘Table for Five’) and produced by First Take Entertainment and Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar’s Hari Om Entertainment, ‘Speedy Singhs’ is a gripping, cross-cultural hockey drama set in the Indo-Canadian community of suburban Toronto, Canada. Other stars in the film include Hollywood heartthrob, Rob Lowe; the demure Camilla Belle (‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’, ‘10,000 BC’); and veteran of Indian cinema Anupam Kher (‘Bend it like Beckham’). A galaxy of other exciting cameos are provided by the likes of recording artist and actor Aubrey “Drake” Graham and Grammy Award winning rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Ludacris added his vocals to the cross-urban music track of the year, “Shera Di Kaum”, the promotional song for ‘Speedy Singhs’, where he also features in the video.

‘Speedy Singhs’ releases in cinemas across UK and worldwide on 30^th September 2011. 

 

PROFOUND DESIRES OF THE GODS

 [Masters of Cinema] Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition released on 24 October 2011

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SYNOPSIS:

The culmination of Imamura’s extraordinary examinations of the fringes of Japanese society throughout the 1960s, Profound Desires of the Gods was an 18-month super-production which failed to make an impression at the time of its release, but has since risen in stature to become one of the most legendary — albeit least seen — Japanese films of recent decades.

Presenting a vast chronicle of life on the remote Kurage Island, the film centres on the disgraced, superstitious, interbred Futori family and the Tokyo engineer sent to supervise the creation of a new well — an encounter which leads to both conflict and complicity in strange and powerful ways.

A tragic view of a passing epoch that teeters on the edge of grotesque farce, Imamura’s merciless gaze combines with spectacular colour ’Scope photography to create a mythic saga convulsing with earthly impulses.

The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this unforgettable work in an exclusively restored high-definition transfer, available as a Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition from 24 October 2011.

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SPECIAL DUAL FORMAT EDITION

• Spectacular new HD transfer in the film’s original 2.35:1 aspect ratio

• New and improved optional English subtitle translation

• New video introduction by film scholar Tony Rayns

• Original Japanese theatrical trailer (in 1080p on Blu-ray)

• 44-PAGE BOOKLET with a new essay by Tony Rayns (to accompany his introduction); rare stills; two statements from Imamura; and a transcript of Imamura’s introduction and Q&A session at the 1994 Edinburgh International Film Festival’s screening of the film

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DETAILS:

Label: Eureka Entertainment Ltd

Catalogue No: EKA70055 (RETAIL ONLY)

Barcode: 5060000700558

RRP: £23.48

Release Date: 24 October 2011

Certificate: 15

Run Time: 173 min. approx.

Format:  2.35 :1 OAR

Genre: World Cinema

Director: Shohei IMAMURA

Year: 1968

Country:  Japan

Language: English

Subtitles: English (Optional)