UK Film Network

Sundance London Film & Music Festival 2012

 

PRESS Highlights – Day 1

 

Finding North (Directors: Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush)

‘Features interviews with activists including Witness to Hunger’s Mariana Chilton, Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio and Academy Award®-winning actor Jeff Bridges, as well as original music by T Bone Burnett & The Civil Wars.’ 

 

The Opening Music by T Bone Burnett & The Civil Wars was a fitting accompaniment to  the scenic aerial shots of the surrounding landscape. The initial feeling is that we are about to see a feature length film, and not a documentary.  Was this the intention of the filmmaker as a ‘drawing-in process’?

 

Collbran, Colorado in the US is the film’s principal area of interest.  We are first introduced to Rosie, a Fifth Grader.  Her Grandmother, Dawn’s take on how individuals have survived in the community has been by them returning to their parents. Rosie’s mother, Trish, receives a pay cheque of $120 every two weeks.

There are seven in the family, and they have learnt to make the food stretch.

A sense of irony is obvious when you see that some of the family members are overweight.  Yet why is that when they struggle to eat?!

 

Location: Plateau Valley Assembly of God.  They,on realising the food shortage, have begun offering provisions out every Wednesday evening.

Actor & Founder of End Hunger Network, Jeff Bridges speaks of the misconceptions of Hunger, and how it is only thought to be seen at its most extreme in Africa, when, in actual fact, it is ever apparent in The United States too.

 

 

Young mother, Barbie, is adamant that she will not have herself fall into the ‘drop-out category’ like most other young mothers of her age, a lot of whom have also resorted to drugs.

 

Mississippi is said to have the highest rate of obesity due to a lack of variation in people’s diets.

 

An interview is conducted between Tremonica, a boy in Second Grade and an educational nurse, who makes up part of The Health Food Project.

The boy’s mother, Kimberley, makes decisions on the food, she buys in, by cost.  She will, for example, opt for fruit, if it’s found to be cheaper than a packet of cookies.

 

But the underlying issue is that the cost of processed foods in the last decade have fallen; and the price of fruit and vegetables has risen considerably due to farm policies not subsidising it.

 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) co-operates with mega farming associations and the best capitalised farms.

Therefore, people who live off the beaten track are forced to use up the money they have in fuel to travel to the more prominent areas, where fresh fruit and vegetables are available.  Not every person, however, has access to transportation.

 

What defines starving?

Food stamp eligibility is based on an entire household’s income; and $3 a day is the average price of a food stamp. Those who aren’t being sufficiently fed become tired and cranky.

Presently fifty million are said to be going hungry’ with The US ranking the worst in food insecurity.

We, at this point, return to Barbie, who tells us that when she was working she was classed as being $2 over the income limit. She is convinced that Aiden, the youngest of her two children, was affected, particularly during the early years of his life.  He has a  GK-6 deficiency, with a delay in his speech and inability to get on with others.

Nutritional deficiency affects the brain in a much deeper sense in your formative years.

 

Leslie Nichols, a Fifth Grade Teacher, makes reference to one of her students, Rosie. She could not at first put her finger on why the child wasn’t able to knuckle down in her classes but Leslie soon came to realise that  it was down to a griping stomach.

Author, Dr. J. Larry Brown says: ‘we’re weakening our nation’,as a result of not eating.

Tom Colicchio, whose mother was Italian and who, therefore, knew the importance of meal time, helped to set up the television show, Top Chef.

 

A Dinner Lady known as The Renegade Dinner Lady pays visits to schools, advertising the fact that a Starbucks coffee will set you back $5; yet only $1 is spent on each child’s school dinner.  Where’s the logic in that?!

A government spokesman argues that ‘a country is only as strong as its youth’, attaching it to The Military Service and there being no fresh, healthy blood to recruit.

 

In Congress, Dr Mariana Chilton felt legislation was really listening when it came to her putting forward relevant figures to them.

She, therefore, sets up The Witnesses to Hunger project (http://www.witnessestohunger.org), and an exhibition is put on at the Massachusetts State House.  The lingering message seems to be ‘This is unnecessary.  This isn’t about empowerment for the women. It’s about a change being made to the leglisation.’

The organisation, Bread for the World, is a collective Christian voice, whose role it is to promote the urgency to the nation’s leaders to end hunger.

*US President Obama signs the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010, a $4.5-billion measure that allocates more money to poor areas to subsidize free meals and schools are required to abide by health guidelines.  However, to do this, money has had to be deducted from the food stamps!

Jeff Bridges is of the view that ‘if another country were doing this to their kids, we would be at war.’

Man cannot survive without food. It is a basic human need.  Political will could turn the problem around.

Bridges identifies that it is a little difficult to advise another country on how to handle hunger, when we, as a country, aren’t handling it ourselves.

 

There are now 40,000 food banks in The US, with a huge reliance on charitable food programmes.  The Marshal of Collbran is only too quick to point out that the stereotype attached to food banks are the unemployed but stipulates, that sometimes others reach a stage in their lives where they need a little help.

‘You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to help support what you created.’

 

Leslie Nichols, Rosie’s teacher goes around dropping food bags off, as she is in a position to do so.  However she recognizes that, when she was growing up, she lived under a feeling of inferiority to other people, which could have been due to a lack in nutrition.  She did not excel at school.

She encourages Rosie to get involved in The Food Bag Programme, recognising her struggle but also acknowledging her persistent positivity.

Leslie says that in a perfect world she would make more of a conscious effort in what she included in each bag, to allow for a more balanced diet but you have to give what is made available.

Bridges says that ‘with all the help from the faith communities, we have not reduced hunger.’

 

The hunger insecurity situation in The US is costing it $167 and there is a rise in diabetes and congestive heart failure.

Odessa Cherry, a Second Grade Teacher, was adamant when she was diagnosed as having diabetes that she would not be put on the pill. Instead, she first needed a change in her diet.

Awareness in one’s early years is key.

Tears well up in my eyes when Rosie reveals the utility room/pantry she sleeps in with her sister, where the screwed up clothes on the floor act as their blankets.

There is a definite disconnection with those who are on the poverty line in the supposedly richest country in the world.

Odessa introduces healthy eating into her classroom by taking in a honeydew melon.

 

 

Liveable wages need to be introduced.  Barbie talks of her humiliation of being labeled as a ‘low incomer’, which instantly dictates which queue she must stand in.

After almost a year of looking, Barbie finds employment, which she describes as adding ‘a different pace to your walk’.

Ironically the poster in the background of where she works shows President Obama and breathes the words:’Look who got food stamps as a kid and look where he is now.’

But now that Barbie works, she no longer receives any kind of benefit; and she feels like she is back right where she started, except for when food stamps were made available to her, it was about stretching the food, not running out of it altogether!

The US is looked upon as having a kind of love/hate relationship with poverty.  It has the stigma of not eating together as a family but yet there’s no explanation of how that can be made possible, how one gets there and what will be on the table when you manage to .

It is Barbie’s belief that ‘you are where you come from’; and the film ends on the speech she gives in the Massachusetts State House, where she sends out the following message to the government: ‘Are you aware of my dreams?’ ‘My motivation?’ ‘Why, my very existence, and of those like me?’

A radical change needs to be brought about where governmental programmes place much more emphasis on the human being in its raw form; and agricultural policies need to be reclaimed and refocused.

 

 

 

© Writer: Tremayne

UK FILM DISTRIBUTORS UNVEIL ADVENTURE AND HUMOUR AT THE HEART OF THE EXHILARATING LINE-UP IN CINEMAS FOR SUMMER 2012
 
More than 160 new releases set for summer 2012, including the latest event films from Tim Burton, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Ken Loach, Scott Hicks, Todd Solondz, Wes Anderson and others
 
UK box-office currently running 4% ahead of 2011; passes £300m in year to date in record time

London, 26 April 2012 --- Film distributors today unveiled the line-up for UK cinema audiences in summer 2012. More than 160 titles will be released in the four-month season from May to August, during which time the trade body, Film Distributors’ Association (FDA), anticipates approximately 60 million cinema visits, equivalent to one visit per person in the UK population.

Lord (David) Puttnam CBE, FDA President, said:  “We in Britain are heading into what promises to be a truly exceptional summer, during which the power of media and spectacle to bring people together will never have been more apparent. The cinema is incredibly well placed to capitalize on the feel-good spirit The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics are bound to generate – the line-up of summer movie entertainment is packed with triumph over adversity, love and longing, grandeur and humour. It’s my most sincere hope that audiences throughout the UK will enjoy it to the full.”

Among the diverse highlights of the summer of cinema 2012 are:
The year’s greatest concentration of spectacular adventure films:  Marvel Avengers Assemble, launching the season this week after a European premiere in London last week; The Dark Knight Rises, concluding Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy; The Amazing Spider-Man pitting Andrew Garfield new in the title role against Rhys Ifans as The Lizard; Men in Black 3 starring Will Smith, his first summer blockbuster since Hancock in 2008; Total Recall with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Bill Nighy; The Bourne Legacy with new lead Jeremy Renner who also plays Hawkeye in Marvel Avengers Assemble; GI Joe: Retaliation, bringing together Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis; Gareth Evans’s inventive action thriller The Raid; plus Killer Joe, Red Tails and Red Lights.

A huge spread of comedies:  The Dictator starring Sacha Baron Cohen; A Fantastic Fear of Everything starring Simon Pegg; Ted starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis; American Pie: Reunion reuniting Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott; The Five-Year Engagement, from producer Judd Apatow, with Jason Segel and Emily Blunt; Neighborhood Watch with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Richard Ayoade; Casa Di Mi Padre starring Will Ferrell; musical comedy Rock of Ages featuring Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Brand; plus Think Like A Man, A Few Best Men and the Farrelly brothers’ The Three Stooges. Ken Loach directs a spirited comedy drama, The Angels’ Share, starring Roger Allam, while the comedy horror, Piranha 3D (2010) has spawned a summer 2012 follow-up, Piranha 3DD.
The range of romances takes in:  Now is Good starring Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine; Scott Hicks’ The Lucky One with Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling; and Step Up 4: Miami Heat, a fresh entry in the popular franchise.

Stunning new worlds of fantasy:  Prometheus with Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron; Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron; Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green; Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter with Dominic Cooper and Rufus Sewell; and a brace of ghost stories, The Innkeeper and The Pact.

Cult director, Wes Anderson returns with the quirky Moonrise Kingdom starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Bill Murray. Moonrise Kingdom launches the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May, and opens in UK cinemas the following week. From El Bulli to Hari Kiri, The Turin Horse to Polise, and Bol Bachchan to Kosmos, films from all
Family choices include:  Brave, the latest Pixar animation, about a Scottish Princess voiced by Kelly Macdonald; Top Cat – The Movie; Dr Seuss’ The Lorax, voiced by Danny DeVito; a third entry in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Dog Days; and a fourth digitally animated Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Classic films digitally remastered for a new release in cinemas this summer include:  Hugh Hudson’s Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire (including a re-creation of the 1924 Olympics); Steven Spielberg’s Jaws; Beauty and the Beast in 3D; Powell and Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp; and Billy Wilder’s The Apartment.
British locations, and filmmaking facilities and expertise, continue to be much in demand. Films shot in the UK being launched this summer include:  Fast Girls starring Bradley James and Noel Clarke, who also scripted; Storage 24, a sci-fi adventure also written by and starring Noel Clarke, with Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Laura Haddock (from The Inbetweeners Movie); Ol Parker’s Now is Good; Nigel Cole’s All in Good Time, a comedy about British family strife with Reece Ritchie and Meera Syal; Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows; Ridley Scott’s Prometheus; and Rupert Sanders’ action-packed feature directorial debut, Snow White and the Huntsman. Crispian Mills’s A Fantastic Fear of Everything was also shot in London, while Glasgow played host to Ken Loach’s The Angels’ Share.

With the summer season fast approaching, FDA also released new statistics today showing that the cinema experience retains its saliency and popularity with UK audiences:
In the first 15 weeks of 2012 (the year through to mid-April), the UK cinema box-office is running 4% ahead of the same period of 2011 (£312.9 million box-office receipts to 19 April, up from £301.7 million in 2011).
This follows a very strong Easter for cinema visits: the UK box-office topped £20 million over the four days of the Easter weekend, Friday 6 – Monday 9 April 2012. On bank holiday Monday, 9 April alone, 1 million people went to the cinema. This was the best performing day of the busy weekend, thanks to cloudy/rainy weather and the widely appealing line-up of films on release, including Titanic 3D, The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists! and The Hunger Games.

British films and stories continue to be highly appealing: The Woman in Black (UK box-office £21.1 million, the top grossing release of the first quarter of 2012), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (£18.9 million to date), War Horse (£18.4 million), The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists (£14.1 million to date) and The Iron Lady (£9.1 million) are five of the top ten titles of the year to date. In 2011, British films achieved an overall high market share of 36.2%.

By way of international context, in 2012 to date, the UK has accounted for one-fifth of the cinema box-office in Europe and 7% of global box-office receipts.

In promoting the summer of cinema, FDA is seeking to engage audiences with a varied new campaign including:
A season-taster trailer featuring a montage of clips from 51 summer releases;
A new series of vodcasts and podcasts with prizes and updates throughout the season;
A special event, The Ultimate Summer Film Quiz, for hundreds of film bloggers, taking place this evening (26 April) with grand prizes including “The FDA Cup”;
A summertime edition of the generic editorial supplement, Movie Preview Guide, offered free to print and online publications around the UK;
A new website, www.movies-coming-soon.com, to set out the forthcoming line-up for audiences.
Mark Batey, FDA Chief Executive, said:  “Escapist entertainment ranks highly among the mainstream tastes of modern Britain and at the cinema, audiences get to share the most immersive experience of all. For this special summer, film distributors are releasing a huge array of stories from all over the world, with plenty of choice day by day for families, couples, friends’ nights – or afternoons – out, and thrill seekers craving the latest generation of visual effects.”

Broadcaster, Alex Zane, who will host some of FDA’s initiatives for this summer of cinema, said:  “Summer 2012 at the cinema is set to be a scorcher with the release of some of this year’s most anticipated films. There’s something for everyone – whatever your choice of movie, you can enjoy a truly impressive line-up heading to your local cinema, a place where films look, sound and feel their absolute best. Don’t just take my word for it – get your friends, family, or just find a movie-loving stranger – and go enjoy the big screen experience!”

The summer of cinema 2012 compilation trailer (BBFC certificate ‘U’) is available via FDA for UK media use. Film assets are available from individual distributor sources.

Top 12 summer films of all time in UK cinemas
Chart as at 26 April 2012, showing May–August releases    

Chart as at 26 April 2012, showing May–August releases
     Film    UK cinema release date    UK cinema box-office
1    Toy Story 3 -  23 July 2010   -  £73.8m
2    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2   - 15 July 2011  -   £73.1m
3    Mamma Mia! The Movie  -  10 July 2008  -  £68.5m
4    Pirate of the Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest   - 7 July 2006 -   £52.5m
5    The Full Monty  -  29 August 1997  -  £52.2m
6    Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace  -  16 July 1999   -  £51.1m
7    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -    17 July 2009   -  £50.7m
8    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  -  13 July 2007  -   £49.8m
9    The Dark Knight  -  25 July 2008  -   £49.1m
10    Shrek 2   - 2 July 2004  -  £48.2m
11    Jurassic Park  -  16 July 1993   - £47.9m
12    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakban  -  4 June 2004    £46.1m



The UK’s overall highest grossing film remains Avatar, released in December 2009.

More of the UK’s top grossing films have been released in July than in any other month

Out of the UK’s 250 highest grossing films of all time – a list dating back to 1988 – 44 were released in July. This is more than any other month, and over 17% of the total, indicating how July is prime time for cinemagoing in the UK. 
Ten of the top 20 films of 2011 were launched in the summer months (May–August), including the biggest grossing film of the year, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which was released on 15 July 2011.

 Premier Beer Importer and Trailblazing Film Institute Join Forces to Establish a New $20,000 Award for One Rising African-American Filmmaker

(New York, NY) APRIL 24, 2012 – Today, Heineken USA, the world’s leading international brewer, and the Tribeca Film Institute announced their partnership to establish and launch the Heineken Affinity Award. The award, which aims to empower and recognize a working generation of African American filmmakers and encourage them to continue to craft stories that share their experiences and visions, will launch during this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Heineken USA will host a private launch event on April 27^th to raise awareness about the program. The winner of the Heineken Affinity Award, a rising African-American filmmaker (age 21 and over) will be honored with a $20,000 cash award and year round project support and professional development from the Tribeca Film Institute.

“Heineken is ecstatic to launch the first-ever Affinity Award with the prestigious Tribeca Film Institute,” said Carolyn Concepcion, Brand Manager of Heineken. “Heineken prides itself as a brand that opens the world to our consumers through unique and unexpected experiences. We hope to use the first-ever Affinity Award as a platform to further expose the work of talented African-American filmmakers.”

Heineken and the Tribeca Film Institute will survey a wide range of industry executives to nominate an African-American filmmaker who exhibits great creative potential and will benefit from extra exposure and resources for their next creative project. Based on the nominations, the Tribeca Film Institute will invite filmmakers over the age of 21 to apply for the award.

“The Tribeca Film Institute is excited to partner with Heineken on the Affinity Award and continue to provide support for working filmmakers from communities that are underrepresented in the film industry,” said Tamir Muhammad, Feature Programming Director of Tribeca Film Institute. “We look forward to seeing the submissions for the Affinity Award and announcing the winner in 2013 alongside Heineken.”

Submissions will be judged on how well it fulfills the mission of the Tribeca Film Institute, the quality and strength of the proposal, the potential for international and US distribution, as well as the filmmakers’ previous body of work. The Affinity Award winner will be announced during the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.

Filmmaking for Theatre - 2012 Russia
International Shakespeare Project for Filmmakers

International practical course for film and video makers the opportunity to create a film of a performance project in a Russian repertory theatre.
The introductory course will take place in Tuscany, Italy in May.

If you would like to find out more: http://www.iugte.com/projects/shakespearefilm

	© RR
	THE JURY OF THE 65th FESTIVAL DE CANNES
	The Jury of the Competition presided over by Nanni Moretti (Italian director, actor and producer) welcomes to its ranks: Hiam ABBASS (Palestinian director and actress), Andrea ARNOLD (British director and scriptwriter), Emmanuelle DEVOS (French actress), Diane KRUGER (German actress), Jean Paul GAULTIER (French designer), Ewan MC GREGOR (British actor), Alexander PAYNE (American director, scriptwriter and producer) et Raoul PECK (Haitian director, scriptwriter and producer).

SUNDANCE LONDON: CINEMA CAFÉ AND MUSIC CAFÉ EVENTS AND PERFORMANCES ANNOUNCED INDIVIDUAL TICKETS FOR FILMS AND PANELS ON SALE TODAY

Award winning documentary MAKING IT IN HOLLYWOOD is now only $10 for UKFilmNetwork members.

When I was setting UKFilmNetwork.com, I wanted to help filmmakers and performers find out more about what it takes to be successful in the film business. I plucked up the courage to apply for press accreditation for the Oscars in order to go straight to the heart of the business and perhaps do a blog direct from Hollywood. After I was accepted, I realised this was the opportunity to take a camera to record the journey and perhaps do some video blogs.

On the first day, I managed to interview some indie filmmakers before one of them invited me to an exclusive party where Clint Eastwood unexpectedly turned up. The atmosphere changed and a heightened energy took over the room. I managed to keep calm enough to get some great footage of the legend himself meeting composer Ennio Morricone for the first time in 40 years. It was this meeting that inspired me to continue to create a short film to take to Cannes.

In Cannes, the short film was screened and received good reviews, so I started to turn it into a feature length. I joined the throng of paparazzi and managed to get up close and personal with Leonardo Di Caprio, Jude Law and Jessica Simpson while jostling with experienced paps trying to get a better shot in front of me. It was fascinating seeing how Hollywood promotes their talent in front of the world's press and I got a feel for how ruthless the paparazzi can be to get that picture.

Sunny snowbound Sundance was next with Ewan McGregor and Sharon Stone offering sage advice on their experiences in Hollywood. Jackie Chan's son Jaycee spent some time chatting about how his family connections have influenced his career. I also filmed outside the legendary Egyptian Theatre where Robert Redford first handed out flyers at the opening of the first Sundance.

The next stop was at the BAFTA film awards, where I was fortunate enough to get a media box next to autograph hunting fans who attracted all the top actors close enough for me to ask them a question or two. I managed to chat with Ricky Gervais, Eddie Izzard, Tilda Swinton and the lovely Kate Hudson to find out more about what it takes to make it in Hollywood.

The end product is a film which is an inspiration to filmmakers and performers, and I'm hoping you will get some additional advice, guidance and ideas to help your next project become a success.

It's available on Amazon at this link:-

http://tinyurl.com/hollywoodfilm

Douglas McFarlane
Producer/Director
MAKING IT IN HOLLYWOOD
www.ukfilmnetwork.com

 

A Showcase of five new short films screened by RGPM (Rob Groves Personal Management), all of which included an Actor/Actress he represented. Also, a great opportunity to meet fellow industry professionals, i.e. casting directors, film directors, film producers and investors in an informal setting.
 
  1 Etiquette
 
Written by        Dan Collier
Directed by      Andrew Carslaw
Produced by     Sherilee Wedderburn
A Baby Oak Production

Principal Cast:
Trevor – Alex Babic, represented by RGPM
Joanna – Natalie Hughes

Trevor is completely unaware of what suitable etiquette would be when it comes to meeting and greeting people for the first time.
Joanna runs through some suggestions with him but I remain uncertain, as to the kind of relationship that is held between them.  Are they boyfriend and girlfriend? Or do they simply share a house together?
The first person, who makes up part of a small gathering they invite round, who Trevor has, in advance been told about, has recently separated from her husband, and yet, when it comes to shaking hands, he continues to shake it; Denise, who has discovered she is a Lesbian, he has no idea how to react to; the next guest, a female, he, in an attempt to leave her a kiss on her cheek, misses her face, and instead gives her a head butt!; the final guest is male, and French, therefore at the very idea of kissing someone of the same sex, immediately has him darting for the front door, exiting the house and running, as fast as his legs will take him down the lane.
I found the Acting overall not to be that believable, with the outcome of my focus being immediately switched off.
A simple story can work well if thought and care has been taken in to how it will come to unfold itself.  There were no apparent signs of that here.
  2 Dogme Stride
 
Written, directed and produced by Genia Sophie Krassnig
 
Principal Cast:
Wife – Melissa Hartzel, represented by RGPM
Husband – Thomas Sidali
It is only upon reading the film programme criteria I discover the man and woman are, in fact, husband and wife, and not simply on a date.The reason for the tension between them is not made clear to the viewer.
They are sat at opposite ends of a dining table.  The man strikes up a conversation by asking her how her meat is, clearly struggling to find anything interesting to say.  Erupting, she rises from her chair, shouting  back : “You just don’t get it, do you?!  Then she storms out.  She returns, half naked, takes hold of his hand and places it on one of her breasts, demanding he explain to her why he no longer touches her.  And as the  film becomes ever more, increasingly distorted, I ask myself ‘Is it worthy of being given a David Lynch reference?!’ 
The Acting lacks ‘light and shade’, an Artist’s palette, whose brush is only being dipped into one colour.
I was always told by my ‘Acting for the camera’ tutor, whose approach was ‘The Method’, that if you started up at the top, with your voice at its peak, then it would have nowhere to venture.
A meatier, and more explorative performance, would be one where you, the Actor, respond differently to how the audience expects. 
 
*Think of the Actress Meryl Streep when she takes on the role of  Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, who is loosely based on the editor of U.S.Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour.
You are never able to pre-predict from which angle she might come.
The contents of the film are made clearer by the end, when we learn it is the wife’s inner conscience playing out, inside her mind, the behaviour she would like to, given half the chance, to follow through on in her real life. Far from a new concept but still a plausible one if meticulous care is taken.
 
3 Cucumber
 
Written, directed and produced by Edward Andrews
 
Principal Cast:
Grace – Francesca Cherrault
Tony – William Nash, represented by RGPM
In the programme given to me the opening line to the film’s synopsis reads ‘A woman prepares to enjoy an undisturbed lunch break on a park bench’.  Hmm.. I feel a story coming on, don’t you?!  Now this would be what I would refer to as a prime example where a simplistic story works.
I have stooped upon many a park bench, and wondered who might come to perch them self beside me, as I lift my gaze to eye level.  And I am sure I won’t be the first either!
In Cucumber, a guy sits down on a park bench next to a girl whom we can only assume to be French, from the inscription on the front cover of the novel she is reading.
It would be an understatement to say that the guy is a little less than animated.  From the geezer-type language he is using, we gather is speaking to another male.
He attempts to impress on noticing the book is in French when he lets the odd misused word  fall from his mouth.
Far from impressed,the girl looks up briefly and then sighs.
A particularly funny moment in the film follows when a tramp sits down in between them but, he manages to get rid of him by throwing a pebble amongst the pigeons, which his eyes seem fixated on.  He comes across as completely off his face, even high as a kite, I might say; not a trait I would think is easy to take on as an Actor.  Therefore, I take my hat off to the Actor who was cast in this role, who sinfully is not credited in the programme.  And yet, his was the role that I’ll remember the most!
The girl, don’t ask me how, then manages to ring his phone, which only proves that he has been talking to himself all the time
Tell me something,’how has she been able to contact him?’  This was not made overly clear to me.  The only conclusion I can draw is, that they are perhaps work colleagues, who, at some stage exchanged numbers but then surely they would be more talkative in each other’s company?
As she gets up to go she makes a point to say that in his attempt to effectively throw in some French words into the fictional phone call conversation he is having, that the word he should have used was ‘comprendre’ (to understand), and not ‘concombre’, which means ‘cucumber’.  Hence the short’s title!  A clever play on ‘the false friends we come across when we convert one language into another.
 
*A short intermission follows Cucumber, an opportunity for a short presentation to be given on behalf of charity partners DDP (Disability and Development Partners), who place their main focus on the lack of education made available to the deaf community in both Africa and Asia.
To find out more, go to www.ddpuk.org
 
 
4 Unconditional 24/7
 
Written, directed and produced by Jasminka Letza
 
Principal Cast:
Cleo – Eva Gray, represented by RGPM
The Actress’ stark emerald green eye shadow and Moulin Rouge lipstick link to yet another David Lynch reference inside my head.  I am not sure whether this was the intention of the Director?  And the fact she uses a particularly large sized landline, which does not look dissimilar to the heel of a wedge shoe, in cosmic silver.
I think of every role played in each of the films this would be the most difficult as the Actor had the task of playing off a second person, who was imaginary. The piece, therefore, is a monologue.
Her voice is set at the same level, and there is no rise or fall, which acts as a deterrent to the Viewer.
This is the least enticing storyline of all those I have seen so far.
The various monologues  relate to Cleo, in one way or another.  Predictions and anguish over a prospective lover?  Why, we’ve all been there!
The period of time to lapse is shown through the different outfits she bequeaths.
There is a slight uplift in the tone of the piece when, conscious of not guzzling down too much alcohol, she is quick to correct that when she sees a close to empty bottle in front of her, and utters, ‘I best polish it off!’  Then, in the next shot, as she applies her eyeliner she barely reaches her face! 
5 Unremembered
 
Written and directed by Kelly Parslow
 
Principal Cast:
Reverend Smith – David Manson, represented by RGPM
 
 
Think The League of Gentleman meets The Vicar of Dibley, although I would say it veers closer to The League of Gentleman, a British dark comedy, whose writers: Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, performed in 1995.  Although the television programme was officially referred to as a sitcom, it was in the beginning more sketch-based, linked with its common setting, the fictional village of Royston Vasey, set somewhere non specific in the north  of England.
The opening scene shows a group of women huddled together in a graveyard.
Reverend Smith (David Manson) is the new Reverend in the village and he is keen to find out the details of a unmarked headstone brought to his attention by the ladies who are being shown round by a guide.  
After extensive research he discovers nothing.  The grave does not even feature on the map of the graveyard itself; and when the new Reverend broaches the subject with the guide, it is insinuated that perhaps the map was simply not updated and he should pay better care and focus on looking after the living!
We establish that the short is shot in Hampstead.
The Reverend goes to visit the previous Reverend, Reverend McKeith who has been put in a Nursing Home under the name of ‘Nursing Home for clergymen suffering from Dementia’.
There is, principally down to polished comic timing, a funny moment where Reverend McKeith glares directly into Reverend Smith’s eyes and says: ‘Are you a homosexual?’.  He then has a freak-out and demands that ‘the bitch nurse’ be sent in; but leaves him with the thought of, ‘oblivion is where we’re all headed, get used to it son!’
This acts as a final trigger to begin to dig up the grave and, after an enticingly gripping build-up, it turns out that all that lies underneath is a hot water pipe!  Brilliant!  A cleverly written piece with the capability of being stretched into a feature length film, and the best Acting, in all five films, from David Manson, and the Actor who was to play Reverend McKeith whose name unbelievably was not marked down in the programme.
*If you like the sound of any of the films I have described to you , please refer to the Contact details below for more:
 
rob@robgroves.co.uk
0203 174 0501
33 Glasshouse Street, London W1B 5DG
www.robgroves.co.uk
 
 
ddp
(Disability and Development Partners) – Working with disabled people and their organisationsin developing countries www.ddpuk.org
 
and
 
Youth Research Forum
www.youthresearchforum.com

SUNDANCE LONDON: SPECIAL EVENTS AND PANELS ANNOUNCED Rufus and Martha Wainwright to perform and participate in Q&A following World Premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, a film by Lian Lunson Worldwide Theatrical Premiere screening of documentary about global-selling rock act Placebo Robert Redford to introduce film about the environmental work of HRH The Prince of Wales

London, 20 March 2012 — Sundance Institute and The O2 announced today the programme of Special Events and panels that will take place at the inaugural Sundance London film and music festival, from 26-29 April at The O2. These events and panels were programmed by Sundance Institute, which annually hosts the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah – the premier independent film festival in the United States.

Among the Special Events announced today are: ‘Rufus and Martha Wainwright sing Kate McGarrigle,’ an intimate performance by Rufus and Martha Wainwright following the world premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, Lian Lunson’s film about the music of their mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle; The debut theatrical screening of Coming Up For Air, a documentary about Placebo, which will be followed by an extended Q&A with the band and filmmaker Charlie Targett-Adams; Robert Redford will introduce a screening of Harmony, a documentary about the three decades of work by HRH The Prince of Wales to combat climate change and the global environmental crisis, which will be followed by an extended Q&A; the 25th anniversary screening of River’s Edge, which first premiered at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival; and multiple panels on the creative process of independent filmmaking, reflecting the year-round work of Sundance Institute.

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, "In programming the Special Events and panels for the first-ever Sundance London, we were afforded total creative freedom, and what resulted are a number of unique events that we hope will broaden the experience of attending the festival for all to enjoy. The common element highlighted throughout the festival is a celebration of those who think creatively and independently about something in their lives."

Previously announced events and performances for Sundance London include the Opening Night event An Evening With Robert Redford And T Bone Burnett, Placebo perform a rare intimate concert and Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird performing Maxinquaye.

Programme information and ticket packages are available at www.sundance-london.com. Individual film tickets will be on general sale from 4 April.

 

SPECIAL EVENTS

Coming Up For Air / UK (Director: Charlie Targett-Adams) — This candid and intrusive film follows Placebo through different continents and cultures with footage compiled from many of the countries, shows and travels which the band undertook throughout the Battle For The Sun tour campaign 2009-2011. This Worldwide Theatrical Premiere screening will include an extended Q&A with the band and filmmaker Charlie Targett-Adams. It will be immediately followed by Placebo in concert.

HARMONY: A New Way of Looking at Our World, Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales / U.S.A. (Directors: Stuart Sender, Julie Bergman Sender) — For more than three decades, The Prince of Wales has worked side by side with a surprising and dynamic array of environmental activists, government and business leaders, artists, architects and visionaries. HARMONY tells the story of how they are working to transform the world, address the global environmental and economic crisis and find ways toward a more sustainable, spiritual and harmonious relationship with the planet. HARMONY is narrated by HRH The Prince of Wales and produced and directed by a team of filmmakers with Academy Award and Directors Guild nominations to their credit. Introduced by Robert Redford, this screening will be followed by an extended Q&A with the filmmakers and Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly, authors of the book that inspired the film. They will discuss the making of the film and the environmental issues it addresses.

River’s Edge / USA (Director: Tim Hunter, Screenwriter: Neal Jiminez) — A high school slacker kills his girlfriend and shows off her dead body to friends. Their reaction is almost as ambiguous and perplexing as the crime itself. Cast: Crispin Glover, Daniel Roebuck, Dennis Hopper, Ione Skye Leitch, Joshua Miller, Keanu Reeves. The film celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, after premiering at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival. This screening is made possible by MGMHD. Screening followed by Q&A with actor Crispin Glover.

Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle / USA, Canada (Director: Lian Lunson) — In May 2011 family and friends gathered together at the Town Hall Theater in New York City to pay tribute to the late, great singer, songwriter Kate McGarrigle. This documentary is part concert, and partly an intimate look at a family coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. The screening will be followed by an intimate performance of their mother’s work by Rufus and Martha Wainwright. World Premiere

 

PANELS

DOCUMENTARY FLASH LAB

This two hour immersion, fresh from Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, will cut right to the edge of the new global documentary movement. Like Sundance’s signature Labs in Utah, leading doc artists from the US and beyond will challenge, inspire and present on all things non-fiction. Expect special guests, special treatment and special clips. A not-to-be-missed opportunity to co-create a trans-Atlantic doc community. Make a day of it and see the latest doc premieres.

Hear from leading American filmmakers Lauren Greenfield (The Queen of Versailles), Eugene Jarecki (The House I Live In) and Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Ice). Then join innovators Jess Search (CEO, Channel Four BritDoc Foundation) and other special guests as they dive into cutting edge funding and distribution possibilities. Come as you are, and leave with something more.

This Flash Lab will be hosted by Cara Mertes, Director Sundance Institute Documentary Program and Fund.

 

FILM MUSIC FROM THE COMPOSER’S POINT OF VIEW: An Afternoon with Harry Gregson-Williams

Peter Golub, Director of the Sundance Institute Film Music Program, will lead us on a journey exploring the creative evolution of one of the most successful and prolific film composers working today. Join world renowned composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia, Kingdom of Heaven, Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason, Team America, Life in a Day and so many others) as he shares his process from that first spark of musical conception through to its culmination in the final delivery of a film score.

Experience a live demonstration by electric violinist Hugh Marsh and a not-to-be-missed discussion with members of the Abby Road team. Participants will examine scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia, Veronica Guerin, Unstoppable, and Gone Baby Gone and learn how the music for each of these films was conceived and realized and ultimately discover first hand how music shapes and enhances the lifeblood of a film and the experience of the viewer.

This panel is co-presented with BAFTA.

 

THINKING INDEPENDENTLY – UK versus US

Independent film has become synonymous with original storytelling and a breed of cinema that comes from courage and personal vision. For over 30 years Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival have supported emerging filmmakers from around the world. At the same time Britain has a long history of being a leader in cinematic innovation and has launched some of the most exciting talent working today. In this panel we will hear from filmmakers from both sides of the pond as US filmmakers face off with counterparts from the UK. How are we alike and how are we different?

John Cooper (Director, Sundance Film Festival) and Clare Stewart (BFI Head of Exhibition and Festival Director BFI London Film Festival) will be team captains. Representing the US will be visiting filmmakers Josh Radnor (Liberal Arts), So Young Kim (For Ellen) and Ry Russo-Young (Nobody Walks) and from the UK will be local indie heroes James Marsh (Shadow Dancer, Project Nim, Man on Wire), Gurinder Chada (Bend it Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice) and other panelist to be announced.

This panel is co-presented with BFI.