Stranger Than Fiction 2010

The Documentary Film Festival, Stranger than Fiction, kicks off today in the IFI in Dublin, with the première of Pyjama Girls directed by Maya Derrington. The film was produced by Maya and Nicky Gogan for Still Films, who will both be in attendance for a Q&A session afterwards.

Filmbase is hosting a free panel session "The Honest Truth: Ethics in Documentary" in Cinema 3 at 11am Friday 16th April, about how documentary filmmakers deal with the conflicting responsibilities to their subjects, their viewers and their own artistic visions.

Alan Maher, IFB Production Executive will chair this panel which will include Maya Derrington (Pyjama Girls), Dr. Harvey O'Brien (UCD), Ciarín Scott (Waiting for the Light) and Ken O'Shea (RTÉ). The session is a free, ticketed event, and tickets can be collected from the IFI box office.

The discussion is the first of a day-long series of free panel events taking place as part of the festival.

The following two days will features screenings of Irish and International documentaries.

Done in 60 Seconds

The Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds Competition has returned:

The idea is, simply, to take any movie of your choice, grab a bunch of friends and remake it in no more than 60 seconds! It's your chance to show that the likes of Spielberg and Scorsese are really long-winded.

The top two Irish entrants (to be announced in February) will attend the Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds finalist's party in London on Friday 26th March, along with 18 other international entries. Their films will be judged by an expert panel of judges, with the top 5 nominees going on to attend the Jameson Empire Awards on Sunday 28th March, where the overall winner will be presented with their award. The prize includes flights and 3 nights accommodation for you and a guest in London & the opportunity to rub shoulders with the A-listers at the Jameson Empire Awards Wrap Party.

The deadline for entry is Friday 29 January 2010, and information on how to apply is available on the web site.

Storyland 2010

RTÉ has announced the six finalists for its new Storyland webisode competition. The first episode of each series will air on the 29 January, 2010.

There is no information on the Storyland web site about the writers and directors of these pieces, merely the names of production companies. I'll update this entry when I discover those facts.

Butchers
Written and directed by Jason Butler & Brendan Butler. Produced by Brothers Gonna Work it Out Ltd.
"Meat is Murder (But Also Delicious)"

Daily Strife
Written and directed by Cecilia McAllister. Produced by Poca Productions.
"All Glenn wants to do it change his life and leave his wife but daily strife keeps getting in the way."

Mariana
Written by Steven Stubbs and co-directed by Stubbs and Ray Sullivan. Produced by Eekreb Films Ltd.
"Mariana is a normal, happy, ambitious woman. She’s also a 400 year old vampire."

Star Feck!
Written by Gemma Creagh and directed by Kevin McCann. Produced by Maccana Teoranta.
"Feck it into Space. A Cavan Space crew (one half Monaghan) and a three foot alien called Romtox have a cargo to feck into Space..."

We Own The Streets
From Chutney Films Ltd
"There comes a time when you have to stop running."

Zombie Bashers
Written by Stephen Shields and directed by Conor McMahon. Produced by Tailored Films Ltd.
"Don’t get eaten; our prices can’t be beaten!"

DARE2BDRINKAWARE 09

Now in its third year, DARE2BDRINKAWARE.ie is a competition for third-level students, sponsored by drinkaware.ie and organised by the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA).

The aim of the competition is to highlight young people's attitudes to alcohol: through the use of digital media, students tell their stories and inform their peers about responsible drinking.

The competition is open to students of any discipline. Technical ability is just one element of the judging criteria.

To apply for this year’s competition please fill out the Online Application Form before Friday, 20th November 2009.

Last year’s winning film 'On The Cutting Room Floor' won all of the judges' categories, beating rival entries from colleges throughout Ireland and scooping a total of €4,000 in prize money.

To find out more details about the competition visit the web site.

Cork Festival Talks Industry

The 54th Corona Cork Film Festival takes place from November 1-8, and will offer a splendid array of premières, documentaries, film tributes, special guests, exhibitions, short films, animations, workshops, and courses.

In association with MEDIA Desk Ireland the festival will be coordinating a discussion about film production at the University College Cork, on Friday, November 6th from 2.30pm to 5pm.

"Having been impressed by the cultural and economic enquiry of the recent Global Irish Economic Forum, we invite those active in the Irish film, television and new media sector to attend the Cork forum to engage in reflection and debate," says Festival Director, Mick Hannigan.

"In the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, we are delighted to partner with the MEDIA supported Cork Film Festival in this creative forum which will allow for blue sky thinking," Siobhan O'Donoghue, CEO of MEDIA Desk Ireland continues.

Screen Producers Ireland will host a networking reception for the event’s participants. For further information contact MEDIA Desk Ireland.

Hotel Darklight Selections

Hotel Darklight, a Darklight Festival filmmaking endeavour, is pleased to announce the successful applicants for the project:

• "Derval" written by Paul Markey, directed by Brian O'Toole
• "Heaven in a Wildflower" written by Sinead Fagan, directed by Dolores Rice
• "Hotel Training" written by Maura McHugh, directed by Conor McMahon
• "Lonely Hearts" written and directed by Ciaran Foy
• "My Regards to the Chef" written by Eilis Mernagh, directed by Kian Petit
• "Noughts and Crosses" written by Barry McLoughlin, diercted by Alan Brennan
• "Play Dead" written and directed by James Phelan
• "Prejudice" written and directed by Paul Walker
• "St Mary" written by Gerry Creechan & Paul Markey, and directed by Brian O'Toole

Producers Alan Keane and Declan Lynch received 80+ pitch documents for the available slots on the project. The entire slate of films was shot in a week, with the help of a coffee-fuelled production team, and on the strength of good-will and passion for new filmmaking. A fund-raiser to cover extra costs will be happening in the coming week.

The première of the Hotel Darklight anthology film will feature as the closing event of the Darklight Festival, on Saturday, 10th of October, at 9.30pm in the Light House Cinema, Dublin.

StoryLand II

RTÉ is seeking submissions for 6 new pilot drama series to go online via its StoryLand site from January to June 2010.

We don't mind if you've made dozens of TV series or have never made anything before, as long as you have a good idea that will engage our over 18 audience for 6 episodes and can convince us that you have a team behind you to pull it off, then we want to hear from you.

RTÉ is hosting an information session at 7pm, Wednesday 30th September 2009 about the competition, in RTÉ, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.

Places are limited, so please RSVP to storyland@rte.ie to guarantee your place.

The application form, and details on how to apply, are available online.

The closing date for submissions is 1 November 2009.

New Film Strategies Needed

The Washington Post has a long article analysing the current trends in the American box office, and what effect this might have on the production of new films in the coming years.

Two kinds of films are doing well: big budget blockbusters with visual impact (and often little else), and the low-budget indie film. One is making money by satisfying the desire in moviegoers for the visual spectacle, and the other is earning because of its low outlay.

The middle-range, well-made film with strong performances is suffering. One distributor in the USA is releasing such films in the theatres, and on its cable company simultaneously, so it can capitalise on the buzz of the film's launch and yet reach those viewers who don't want to leave their couches.

The usual Hollywood strategy of paying $20 million for a prominent actor and expecting that to translate into box office sales for a film is no longer working.

The marketing of the film is being deemed as critical:

Hollywood Reporter writer Carl DiOrio, who in April wrote about the struggles of adult-oriented dramas, says it all comes down to one thing: marketing. "It's less about whether there will be actual motion pictures and more about whether they're concepts that are easily marketed," he says. "You need to let the viewer understand what their moviegoing experience is going to be like in a very simple TV message, and that's not easily done unless you have something that can be boiled down to a [one-sentence synopsis]. And the [typical] modestly budgeted adult-oriented drama of the character-driven variety doesn't really lend itself to a convenient marketing hook."

(Last winter's "Taken" and the current "Julie & Julia," both adult-aimed movies that have done well, exemplify DiOrio's point. One is a fast-moving action thriller about a retired CIA agent who must rescue his abducted daughter. The other features a beloved actress playing an equally beloved American icon, in a story set in romantic postwar France and full of delicious shots of food and cooking. What's not to like?)

Bickford echoes DiOrio's observation. "As long as you can figure out a way to market these movies without spending your entire profit, they'll be made," she says.

"The last 18 months have been just devastating," she continues. "But in terms of audiences for these movies, they're there. Look at how many people want to see Meryl Streep play Julia Child."

NI Digital Shorts

Northern Ireland Screen's next four digital short films have gone into production. They are:

• Davy Jones - written and directed by Richard Parkin.
• Paint - written by Andrew and Ryan Tohill and directed by Andrew Tohill.
• Sundays - written and directed by Alanna Riddell.
• The Dinner Party - written by Mark Jordan and directed by Michael Lennox.

Northern Ireland Screen and The UK Film Council's Digital Shorts scheme is a year long programme which aims to seek out and develop new filmmaking talent and enable them to make innovative short films using digital technology.

Finger Puppet Film Competition

Popular snack food Hula Hoops is running a competition for people to create a finger puppet film in under two minutes using your fingers, Hula Hoops and whatever props stimulate your imagination.

Films will be judged in the following categories: The People's Choice Award (the top-rated film), Best film, Best costume design, Best actor/actress, and Best use of sound.

All films will be uploaded to the web site and voted on by the public. The closing date is 22 November 2009, but the earlier the film is online the earlier people can vote for it. No copyrighted music or material may be used in the film.

The top prize is a trip to Hollywood.

All details about the competition are available from the web site.

Touch Film Festival

BlackBerry and Vodafone have launched the Touch Film Festival, which will showcase recreated scenes from famous films shot on mobile phone cameras.

Entrants are encouraged to be as creative as possible, and the scenes can be from 10 seconds to 3 minutes maximum in duration. The public will rate the top 30 films, and they will be put forward to a judging panel led by host, writer and TV and radio broadcaster, John Kelly. Judging will be based on originality and creativity.

Three nominees will be selected from each genre: horror; comedy; science fiction; gangster; romance and action. These eighteen finalists will be invited to see their films screened at the Touch Film Festival Awards Ceremony in The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin on the 30th September 2009.

A winner from each category will be chosen, as well as an overall winner who will win a trip to Hollywood with 3 friends and spending money.

The closing date for entries is 6 September 2009, and further information on the application process is available from the web site.

Hotel Darklight

As part of the Darklight Festival (8-11 October, 2009) this year a lo-no budget filmmaking project will be taking place called 'Hotel Darklight'

The Brief

In Smithfield, Dublin there exists a mysterious hotel. Think of it as Dublin's very own Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, where the magical, the impossible and the terrifying all co-exist alongside one another.

The producers are looking for story outlines for 3 - 7 minute short films that revolve around Hotel Darklight.

Successful participants will be short-listed to develop their ideas into short films that will be shown at the upcoming Darklight Festival.

The writers who are selected will collaborate with producers and directors to work their creative vision into a portmanteau narrative that will feature several other short films with the same uniting vein: some or all of the story must take place in this mysterious location. If the story does not take place directly in the hotel it should have a strong link to the hotel.

Genre Suggestions

Mystery, sci-fi, horror, thriller, fantasy, supernatural or a combination of one of the above with other more traditional genres such as comedy, romance, etc. Anything weird, imaginative, or terrifying is welcome. Challenge your imagination and prepare to take your audience on a roller coaster ride into the unknown.

Submission requirements

The producers do not want finished scripts. Please send a one-page outline of the story. Each applicant can submit a maximum of three ideas.

Please remember to supply your contact details - email and mobile phone number - with your application.

Email submissions to: hoteldarklight@gmail.com

Update: please note the submission date has been moved back.

The deadline for submissions: Midnight on Friday 21st August 2009.

Storyland Finalists

The last two projects in the RTÉ Storyland webisode competition have been announced:

• Hardy Bucks
• Rental Boys

Both of them will be making a fifth webisode, and the final vote in the competition will begin at 5pm on the 31st August.

Online Short Film Competition

The European Commission in conjunction with the Darklight Festival are running a Democracy & Dialogue Short Online Film Competition.

What does democracy mean to you? When did you last vote? In a general election? The referendum? Or was it last Saturday night, choosing a pub with your mates?

The European Commission Representation in Ireland and the Darklight Film Festival invite you to make a short online film on the theme of 'Democracy & Dialogue' - and what it means to you.

Twenty years ago, the Berlin Wall fell and the people of Eastern Europe finally got to enjoy greater democracy and freedom of speech. With this in mind, we are holding this competition as a celebration of democracy.

2009 is also the European Year of Creativity and Innovation - a celebration of how ideas can change society. Online media is a powerful force in the 21st Century: using the internet as a forum for debate, individuals can bypass the established press, TV and radio, and let the power of their ideas make change.

Entries must be submitted by email by the 11th of September. Information on how to apply is available on the web site.

To support the event there will be a free workshop on viral video making and distribution on Saturday 8th August. Attendees must register for a place via the web site.

4iP Launches Funding

Channel 4's Innovation for the Public fund - 4iP - has joined forces with UnLtd to announce a package of funding and support to champion fresh ideas from new talent across the UK.

Our joint scheme is aimed at individuals looking for up to £5,000 to get their socially motivated digital media idea off the ground. It targets those who need mentoring and support to take those first steps.

From its launch, 4iP has set out to support innovation at all levels. Ideas that are early and risky, small and focused or big and crunchy. This means working with both talented and promising individuals producing their first ever digital media idea to large organisations delivering flagship projects.

UnLtd's experience of supporting and developing social entrepreneurs as a force for change in the UK combined with 4iP's focus on innovation in public service digital media will:

• help individuals develop early stage ideas and prototypes; and
• build the skills, capabilities and partnerships to turn prototypes into businesses.

This partnership is a fantastic opportunity for 4iP to reach a rich vein of untapped potential. Using UnLtd’s pan-UK infrastructure to support talented individuals, 4iP will share its digital media expertise to maximise the potential of their projects.

Please read the terms and conditions carefully. Information on how to apply is on the web site.

Fringe Fleadh

This year the Galway Film Fleadh is having a Fringe Fleadh event organised by FilmmakersNetwork.ie entitled "The Ones That Got Away". It will showcase short films that slipped through the Fleadh net.

The FilmmakersNetwork.ie Fringe Fleadh is at 7pm on Friday 10th July in the Town Hall Theatre Small, Courthouse Square, Galway.

Admission is €5 and tickets will be available at the door.

Filmbase/RTE Short Film Award

Filmbase and RTÉ have announced the winners of the first round of the 2009 Filmbase/RTÉ Short film award scheme.

This round was the most competitive yet with over 340 applications being submitted. Each of the three winning teams will receive &Euro;10,000 along with matching equipment and/or post-production facilities at Filmbase to realize their individual projects.

Cold Turkey is written and to be directed by Gavin Keane with producer Ruth Coady on board from Parallel Films. Cold Turkey concerns the misadventures of a frustrated Foley artist, curious children and petrified poultry.

Cured, an unconventional love story with a meaty twist, was written by Louise Ní Fhiannachta and will be directed by Mary Redmond and produced by Laura Ní Cheallaigh.

Windows, which is written and to be directed by Ken Walshe, is the story of a local misfit whose attempts to save a beautiful girl from a ruthless criminal ends in tragedy. Windows will be produced by John Wallace of Blacksheep Productions.

Virtual Cinema 2009

Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board has announced the new deadline of the short film scheme Virtual Cinema. Applications will be accepted until Friday 14th August

Virtual Cinema aims to encourage the exploration of fresh filmmaking ground with no creative holds barred. We are looking for creative ideas which will exploit interesting, new and traditional filmmaking techniques but can hold the attention of the YouTube audience.

The scheme is dedicated to the making of high-quality short films that are suited to the new forms of digital video consumption. Films made under the scheme can be live-action or can use any kind of animation technique and can be fiction or non-fiction. We are looking for new, imaginative, quirky and original ideas.

Films may be made in Irish or English with Irish language applications actively encouraged.

The first round of Virtual Cinema shorts, which premiered last summer can be viewed on a number of websites including the IFB website and YouTube with a number of the shorts receiving a huge number of hits due to viral marketing.

This round the IFB are funding up to 10 films with a duration of approximately 2 minutes and a maximum budget of €2,000.

More information and the application form can be obtained from the web site.

Storyland 3

The order of the finalists in the third round of the RTÉ web series Storyland are:

1. Hardy Bucks
2. Rental Boys
3. Psych Ward
4. Happy Slapper

New episodes from the the final three web series will go online at 5pm, Friday 17 July.

FmN.ie Fringe

The FilmmakersNetwork.ie forum is proposing to host a Fleadh Fringe screening in Galway on the evening of Friday 10th July of the Galway Film Fleadh.

What we need are short films. The theme of the mini-festival is "The ones that got away" - that is films that were entered in the Galway Film Fleadh this year but for some unexplainable oversight weren't including the the main festival.

I will ask everyone to send me a DVD with their film (Quicktime files preferred) and if they have it a copy of their rejection letter.

We aren't closing it off to only "rejected" films so if you have a gem that should be seen send it in. Rejection letters from other festivals will also be accepted.

More information on where to send the films, and other details about the fringe event, are available on the forum boards.