In the Irish Times Michael Dwyer reports on the Babelgum Online Film Festival's first awards ceremony in Cannes, which was presided over by jury chairman Spike Lee.
Writer/director Brian Deane, from Cork, and a recent graduate of Galway's Huston School of Media and Digital Media, won the Babelgum Social/Environment Award for his short "Without Words". Without Words
The Irish Film Board reports on the Irish Reception at Cannes, which includes a mention of the launch of the new Irish screenwriting award, Write Here, Write Now.
The DIFF website offers the following information:
The Dublin International Film Festival in association with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Ireland) have come together to recognise the centrality of the writer to the filmmaking process in a brand new screenwriting award, Write Here, Write Now.The prestigious jury includes John Hurt, Lenny Abrahamson, Trish Long (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Ireland), Sue Bruce Smith (Film Four) and US Agent David Flynn.
"Ireland is rightly famed world wide for its storytelling ability - and for its love of cinema.The Dublin International Film Festival's innovative work is vital to the growth and development of writers and filmmakers in Ireland. The Walt Disney Studios have shot many fine films in Ireland. We have also acquired and distributed many Irish-originated films, which gives us particular pleasure in the Irish office. In teaming with DIFF, WDSMP Ireland is happy to have found a new and exciting way to further encourage quality Irish screenwriting and filmmaking with this award".
Trish Long, Vice President & General Manager. WDSMP
This substantial award will acknowledge and support the creation of original and innovative scripts, through a combination of development funding, as well as extensive promotion withinthe film industry.
The winning script will receive a cash prize of €7,500 / $12,000.
The deadline for application to the Galway Film Fleadh's Film Fair (10 - 12 July) is Friday 6th June.
The fair co-ordinates pre-scheduled meetings between filmmakers with projects in development and invited Film Financiers, Distributors and Major Producers. Last year, the Galway Film Fair organised 560 meetings over the course of two days where 80 Irish and European producers pitched their projects to the 63 financiers who attended the Fair.Based on the success of last year's Real Deal, the Fleadh will be running the one-day film financing seminar on Thursday, July 10th. The deadline for entry to this event is Friday 20th June. Details and application forms are available from the web site.
With the Cannes Film Festival running with its usual splendid glory, over on the Guardian web site actor Peter Capaldi discusses pitching to producers during Cannes, in "So here's the story...".
The BBC has launched a new screenwriting talent search called Sharps.
To apply, send us an original 30-minute TV script exploring 'the nation's health'. It doesn’t need to be a hospital precinct drama – you can explore 'health' in its broadest possible senses.Details about the application process are on the web site, and the deadline for entries is noon, 16 June 2008.
Twenty writers will be selected for a workshop, which will involve writing exercises as part of the selection process.
Eight final writers will be selected for a week-long residential, with an intensive focus on developing their work, craft, and writer’s 'toolbox', with input from BBC Drama Production and professional writers.
Each of the eight writers will also receive a £500 bursary, mentoring from in-house development teams at the BBC, and a showcase rehearsed reading with professional actors.
According to the Sunday Business Post RTÉ aims to launch a third television channel - provisionally titled RTE 3 - as part of a free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) service which should be broadcasting by 2012.
The new channel will run material from the RTE archive and other material that is in RTE's possession but is not being aired on either RTE 1 or RTE 2. The public service broadcaster is also planning to offer a fourth television service that transmits RTE 1 programming with an hour's delay, to facilitate anyone who has missed a particular show.
The four channels will be part of a package that will also feature the new Oireachtas TV channel and an Irish film channel, both of which are government-backed initiatives. The eight-channel service will also include TG4 and TV3, as well as all RTE's radio output and an upgraded interactive text facility.
All households will be able to access these channels by buying, or renting, a set-top box, which is expected to cost less than €100, according to RTE. Payment of the licence fee (€160) will also be required.
Conor Hayes, chief financial officer of RTE, said that the broadcaster's plans remained somewhat tentative pending the enactment of the Broadcasting Bill, which was launched last week by communications minister Eamon Ryan.
The bill provides for the switching off of analogue television and the launch of the two new government-backed digital channels.
The timing and precise detail of RTE's digital television strategy depends on the outcome of the competition to win the licence to manage commercial DTT services. RTE has made a bid to operate these services, in tandem with Liberty Global.
TV3 is part of a rival consortium, and plans to launch digital entertainment and news channels if it is successful.
The Stage reports that the The Gate Theatre in Dublin will celebrate its 80th anniversary with a production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Walter Asmus, which will tour 40 towns and cities on both sides of the border.
First seen in 1987 and revived on several occasions, the production was last seen in Dublin and London in 2006 as part of the Gate’s Beckett Festival. Its latest incarnation has been made possible with funding from the Irish Arts Council, the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism and longtime sponsors Ulster Bank.
The cast of the original production have been reassembled for the tour and includes Stephen Brennan as Lucky, Barry McGovern as Vladimir, Johnny Murphy as Estragon and Alan Stanford as Pozzo.
The eight-week-long tour will assume a “hub-and-spoke format”, with the company travelling on a nightly basis to individual venues from a central location where it will stay for one week at a time. It is believed this is the first time this touring model has been employed in Ireland.
The tour will begin on September 2 in the Co Wexford town of Enniscorthy, where the Gate’s founders, Micheal MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards, first conceived the idea of the company, and end in Enniskillen, where Beckett attended school from 1920-23, in Co Fermanagh on October 26.
RTÉ reports that the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar, Dublin and Irish Aid will host an Africa Day Film Festival on the 25th of May.
Four feature length films, 'Daratt (Dry Season)', 'Waiting for Happiness (Heremakono)', 'Africa Unite' and 'Bunny Chow', make up the festival programme.
The National Film School at IADT is holding a free, one-day Interactive Screenwriting Workshop at the MediaCube on Tuesday the 27th of May.
The aim of the workshop is to introduce writers to interactive narrative scriptwriting principles, with a special emphasis on Internet series, such as the popular Sofia's Diary. Campbell Ryan Film Productions, the team behind Sofia's Diary, will be speaking about the creation of the series and the scripting process. The workshop will enable participants to create a sample of their own interactive script. Following the workshop, there will be an opportunity to win a commission on an interactive script project.
Interested applicants are invited to send an email to Helen Doherty at helen.doherty@iadt.ie, with the subject line 'Interactive Scripting, and with the following information:
RTÉ reports that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has published the 2008 Broadcasting Bill.
This new piece of legislation will see the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland take over the functions of the RTÉ Authority, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and the Broadcasting Complaints CommissionThose who want to read the document in its entirety can download it as a .pdf document from the government web site.
The legislation - which runs to well over 300 pages - is also expected to provide for a new, low cost and accessible method whereby members of the public can make complaints about broadcast material and it will allow for the setting up of a new Irish film channel and Oireachtas TV.
The Galway Film Centre has announced the 2008 winners of the RTÉ/GFC Short Script Awards:
FilmBase reports that the Arts Service of Kildare County Council will host "In Focus", a forum for film industry exchange, discussion, and screenings on Thursday 22nd May at 8.00pm in the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge.
The lineup includes director Aisling Walsh, whose film Song for a Raggy Boy will be screened at the Riverbank at 5pm, prior to the evening discussion. Local filmmaker David Freyne will show his short musical "The Man in 301". There will be an opportunity to meet and network with members of the Kildare Screenwriters Guild.
Northern Ireland Screen is running a 3-day course (June 9-11) called "Bridging the Gap in the Market", which aims to aid screenwriters who already possess a feature script to market it.
The course covers:
FilmmakersNetwork.ie is holding an AGM on Saturday 17th May from 14:00 - 17:30 in Filmbase in Temple Bar, Dublin. All those who are members of the online forum are welcome to attend.
The shortlist for the January Round of the Filmbase/RTÉ Short Film Award has been announced. Eight teams have been chosen for interview from over 220 entries.
The shortlisted projects are as follows:
Today, after an absence of twelve years, Dublin's Light House Cinema opens its doors to the public again.
The Light House Cinema at Smithfield is a four-screen, 600-seat commercially operated cultural cinema which presents a diverse and individual programme of the best Irish, independent, foreign-language, arthouse and classic cinema.
RTÉ has announced the winners of this year's P.J. O'Connor Radio Drama Awards.
The overall winner was Kevin Gildea from Dun Laoghaire in Dublin with 10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10! a black comedy in which the caller at the door could be a visitor or a visitant! Kevin is a comedian, writer and actor. Last year Kevin came second in the PJ O'Connor Awards with his play Story which was broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 last September. Kevin received a cheque for €3,000.
Last night's second prize winner was The Lottery by Shay Linehan also from Dun Laoghaire in Co. Dublin. Misfortune is a lottery but when an Alzheimer's patient scoops the jackpot fate seems to favour her. Shay Linehan, based for many years in Zambia, has written and produced a number of stage plays that have toured southern Africa.
Thinking Ahead by Jack Olohan from Rathfarnham in Dublin was the third prize winner at last night's ceremony. Thinking Ahead is a comedy in which a hypochondriac ruminates on all his possible ills. Jack started work in theatre while still at school as a production assistant in The Gate and The Abbey
Ana Leddy, Head of RTÉ Radio 1 said:
"The RTÉ Radio 1 Drama Awards are a fantastic opportunity for us to tap into the wealth of creative talent amongst our listeners.10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10! by Kevin Gildea is a fascinating black comedy with unexpected twists, he is a well deserved winner. Reading Kevin's work is both entertaining and inspiring, qualities that are at the heart of RTÉ Radio 1 programming."
Theatre Forum's 2008 Annual Conference will take place from June 12 - 13 at Cork's UCC.
The focus of the conference is the question "Is it worth it?", curated by Ronan Smith, and will feature an array of high profile Irish and international speakers.
The 18-day contract negotiations between Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the AMPTP have not been fruitful. Today the Associatied Press reports that the AMPTP has broken off the talks stating that SAG's demands in relation to DVD sales and online content was "unreasonable". For anyone that followed the negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP six months ago this is a familiar scenario.
"With SAG's continued adherence to unreasonable demands in both new and traditional media, continuing negotiations at this time does not make sense," the producers said in a statement.In the meantime, the Los Angeles Times reports that the AMPTP will open negotiations immediately with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Both AFTRA and SAG's contracts run out on June 30th.
The guild responded in a statement by saying the producers' decision to end talks after 18 days was unfortunate.
Both sides have said they sought to avoid a repeat of the 100-day writers strike that ended in February. The union's contract for films and prime-time TV shows expires June 30.
"We made significant moves in their direction," Doug Allen, the guild's executive director, told The Associated Press. "We're trying to get the deal done and we're not the ones who walked away."
The Writers Guild of Great Britain has produced guidelines for its members who are writing online drama:
The Writers' Guild is aware that its members are increasingly being commissioned to write online drama and other literary content for 'new' or 'non-traditional' media, particularly as part of initiatives like the BBC's 'Multi-platform Commissioning' drive.
This content may be developed to compliment existing radio or television programming or as standalone new media content. It can be almost anything ranging from fixed diary entries, interactive blogs, daily character blogs, biographies, single voice 'vox pops', audio diaries, in-vision blogs, online games and a myriad of other types of short-form audio, audio-visual or literary content intended as existing programme support material or as standalone on-line only propositions.
We hope that these guidelines will give members some idea of how they might be approached, contracted and paid for this kind of work. As with all our rates, these are minimums and members may be able to negotiate upwards of these. As with any commission, the writer is at liberty to accept the fee and terms offered, or not. If you are a Guild member and you need further advice as to a particular commission or deal you are offered, please contact the Guild office.
The Irish Film Board reports that the short film "New Boy", written and directed by Stephanie Green, has won Best Narrative Short Film at the Tribeca Film Festival, and a $5,000 cash prize.
Commenting on the film the jury said that "New Boy took us on a complete emotional journey. It was moving, funny, and powerful."
The Galway African Film Festival will take place from June 1 - 2 in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway.
Galway One World Centre, Galway Film Society and The Huston School of Film are delighted to announce a new free festival; Galway African Film Festival. It will take place on June 1st and 2nd in the Town Hall Theatre in Galway. Our film festival will screen a selection of films from various countries in Africa. We hope they will showcase the wealth of talent the African film industry contains. Our programme will demonstrate the rich complexity and diversity of the contemporary African cultural landscape. All the screenings will be free and open to the public. The programme will include feature films, children's animation, and documentaries.
Pygmalion Plus is a MEDIA-funded European programme for professional writers to develop a project, be it feature film, animated or live-action TV series, or interactive/cross platform.
Applicants for Pygmalion Plus may be screenwriters and also people accomplished in an allied field, including theatre or fiction, wishing to write for the screen for the first time. The programme will also consider applications from directors or producers developing projects in close collaboration with a writer, and from animators with animation or interactive projects.
There are four places for team support participants who are usually producers, script editors or readers. They are attached to a specific group (ie feature film, animated TV series, interactive media etc) and work with the writers, and the mentor offering support and assistance. This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience of the development process and a greater understanding of the writer's task.
Participation in Pygmalion Plus also results in building networks of potential colleagues and collaborators from amongst fellow participants and programme mentors. There are also opportunities to participate in the Cinekid Festival and BUFF film festival pitching forum.
Dates and Sessions:
Filmbase has announced that the deadline for the next round of the Filmbase/RTÉ Short Films Awards is 5pm Friday 28th June 2008.
Applications will only be accepted 2 weeks prior to the deadline, which means that submissions sent into Filmbase before the 13th June will not be accepted.
Details about the Award and the application process are available on the web site.
FÁS Screentraining Ireland is organising a masterclass with director, producer, and singer-songwriter Daniel Lanois on Saturday the 31st of May, 2008.
Called "the most important record producer to emerge in the Eighties" by Rolling Stone, Daniel Lanois has garnered praise for his work with U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan. Like his sometime collaborator Brian Eno, Lanois has shown a flair for delicate, atmospheric touches, both in producing material for other musicians and in his own projects as a composer and recording artist. Stressing emotional vibrancy over the technical aspects of making albums, Lanois has recorded in such unlikely settings as castles and dairy barns in his efforts to elicit honest, spontaneous performances. The results of this visceral approach have ranged from the soaring intensity of his Grammy-winning coproduction (with Eno) of U2's The Joshua Tree to the moody, understated passion of Lanois' solo efforts.The day will begin at 12pm with a screening of Lanois' documentary, Here Is What Is, followed by the masterclass with Lanois, and it will cost €50.
He has worked in the film industry as a producer and composer working on Dune (1984), Birdy (1984), Last of the Mohicans (1992), Sling Blade (1996), and Sweet Angel Mine (1996) before underscoring Million Dollar Hotel (2000), and the 2006 Pixies documentary LoudQUIETloud. He has had original master recordings featured in numerous film and TV soundtracks including Philadephia, Trainspotting, Sopranos, and The Jacket.
