Written by Branchage School | 06 September 2010 | in news - Training

Written by Laurence Boyce | 23 August 2010

Cor blimey governor, Special Edition # 42 is a massive one. Laurence Boyce has been watching a multitude of DVDs and the column includes numerous feature debuts, some great British features and THAT sci-fi show that is always mentioned in this column. Given it’s so big, better stop waffling on and get straight to it!

Whilst the phrase “A comedy about suicide bombers” would seem to be an exercise in Daily Mail baiting, it’s worth noting that Four Lions (Optimum Releasing) is satirical, poignant and timely. It’s also bloody funny. Chris Morris, in his feature film debut, knows that comedy can arise when you have a great group dynamic. It just so happens that this group dynamic comes from a bunch of people who want to be terrorists. In following the motley bunch of wannabe Northern jihadists, there are a group of excellently staged set-pieces (including a section at a Pakistani training camp in which our leads manage to do everything spectacularly wrong), a number of stand- out performances from the likes of Riz Ahmed and Nigel Lindsay who manage to make us sympathise with the group despite the terrible nature of their plans and line after line of tremendously funny material. Morris and crew have done meticulous research into the subject and the film never comes across as glib; indeed, the climax of the film is both disturbing and powerful and it provides much food for thought about the nature of fanaticism and the lengths that people will go to in order to belong. An example of brave and daring British filmmaking. The extras on the disc are notable as well: the deleted scenes throw up many treats whilst some of the behind-the-scenes stuff is fascinating when you get to see Morris at work. It’s just a shame that he ultimately decided that he didn’t want to put commentaries on there...

Written by Compass Presents a Festival Of Lunacy | 17 August 2010 | in news - Contests

Calling all creative and expressive film producers, flamboyant cultivators of the moving image!

Five Minutes of Madness challenges you to create and submit short films around the theme of Lunacy. Part of "The Festival of Lunacy" Presented by Compass this year. Five Minutes of Madness will bring together film-makers from far and wide to exhibit their work in Bristol.

We are exploring the realms of Lunacy in the broadest possible sense. Use as your muse anything inspired by this theme: notions of reality, the world of dreams, deviations from the quotidian, whether physical, psychological, or social; from filmic interpretations including experimental film, to mythical or historical interpretations.

Judged by a panel of industry professionals, awards will be given for Best Film, Audience Award, Local Film-maker and Youth Award.

Entries must be no longer than five minutes in length. Submissions will be accepted in the following formats: DVD, Mini DV or as full quality DV QuickTime files.

Written by Suchandrika Chakrabarti | 06 August 2010 | in news - Festivals

The 54th BFI London Film Festival, in partnership with American Express, is proud to announce that this year's Festival will open on Wednesday 13 October with the European premiere of Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo), based on the highly acclaimed, bestselling novel by Kazuo Ishiguro and adapted for the screen by Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later).

The stars of the film are expected to attend the opening night screening, including Oscar nominee Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement), BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (An Education) and BAFTA TV award winner Andrew Garfield (Boy A, Red Riding).

Written by FIlmLab Festival | 03 August 2010 | in news - Festivals

Submitted by FilmLab Festival

FilmLab is a new festival for short films made by students and recent graduates. We are currently seeking submissions for the festival which will take place in London in November.

A bit about us:

We believe that experimental and world cinema should be available for all, and that some of the most innovative, fresh and exciting films around are being made by students. With so much pressure on students to compete against professional and established film makers, we wanted to create a festival which would showcase the high standard of student work currently being produced around the world.

FilmLab was born out of dissatisfaction with the diversity in UK cinema and the opportunities for new film-makers. With recent news about the UK film council’s closure, the debate over its long time suppression or support of British cinema has began. FilmLab festival is proud to be independent and non-profit. Run entirely by volunteers, we aim to give film-makers new exposure and most importantly to help people see good films.

Please visit our website at www.filmlabfestival.co.uk for more information and to download an application form.

Written by Marek Steven | 29 July 2010 | in news - Distribution

from Indie Movies Online's publicist / SEO guru

The UK based movie-on-demand website Indie Movies Online is now online offering a new way to watch new and classic and new free movies. It offers  hundreds of great films to watch at high quality online legally. Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, James Rowley-Ashwood says “We are creating a site that focused on newer independent films from around the world, as well as classics, short films and documentaries. The idea is to help filmmakers reach a new audience and provide film fans with a genuine and free alternative.”

All types of movie are represented including thrillers, sci-fi, comedies and slick US horrors and more. New and classic films are added all the time. Expect to find titles like; Allegro, Baise Moi, The Boss of it All, Brothers, Chopper, Choking Man, Dark Star, Evil Aliens, Funny Ha Ha, George Washington, HurlyBurly, King of New York, Kontakt, Love is the Devil, Millennium, Mirror Maze, Mutual Appreciation, My Left Foot, Old Joy, The Pleasure of Being Robbed and Reprise.

There are also quality documentaries including:  A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese, Crass:  there’s no Authority but Yourself, Sympathy for the Devil, Word Wars, The Cutting Edge, Room 2017 and many more. You will also find some of the best Animation and classic shorts like; Adam, Creature Comforts, The Quay Brothers Collection, I Am Bob, Where’s the Money Ronnie? and The Traffic Warden.

Since launching in June 2009, indiemoviesonline.com has attracted over 2.5m unique users with its unique blend of free movies. Indie Movies Online also has quality and regularly updated bespoke movie editorial on the site and a forum for film discussions. Content providers that license films include The British Film Institute, Aardman, East West, Soda Pictures, Hanway Films, ITV, Spolight, Screen Media, Cinetic, Content Films/Fireworks and Content Republic.