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.
RTÉ announced the short-list for the P.J. O'Connor Radio Drama awards this year:
The Irish Film Board (IFB) has announced a proposal for a new Irish television channel that will be dedicated to broadcasting the best of Irish, European and World Cinema. It has already been sent to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources for inclusion in the new Broadcasting Bill, which will be launched by Minister Eamonn Ryan next month.
The proposed new channel will provide Irish audiences with an opportunity to view award winning independent Irish, European and World Cinema in prime time TV slots. It is envisaged that the new channel will be a non commercial, free to air service, available to all Irish households and to be included as part of the new multi channel digital transmission system that will eventually replace the existing 4 channel system.
The channel will fill a gap by providing a platform for Irish films and for award-winning European and World cinema that Irish audiences rarely have the opportunity to see or know about. Irish films screening on the channel are likely to have completed their own commercial cycle through theatrical, DVD and mainstream TV outlets before appearing on the film channel.
The channel will also build key strategic relationships with Irish film festivals, local film societies, schools, third level colleges and universities. The morning schedules will introduce students to new Irish and European cinema and will screen a programme of films that will complement the national syllabus and third level studies.
The BBC's Writers Room has put a comedy radio script online: the first episode of Lenny Henry's new radio series Rudy's Rare Records, written by Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell.
Culture Northern Ireland has an article about writer/director Terry George's appearance at the recent Belfast Film Festival.
It includes an audio file of the Q&A session after the screening of his new film, Reservation Road.
The day before its official opening Dublin's Light House Cinema will host a charity premiere of The Waiting Room to benefit Threshold on Thursday, May 8th at 8pm.
Light House is delighted to support Threshold, the national housing agency, a near-neighbour, based in Stoneybatter, by hosting its charity premiere of The Waiting Room on Thursday, May 8.
A hugely entertaining debut from British writer/director Roger Goldby, The Waiting Room stars Anne-Marie Duff as a woman involved in a relationship with her married neighbour (Rupert Graves) and falling for caring man (Ralf Little), whose own life is less than perfect.
Tickets for the screening at 8:00 PM and a champagne reception on arrival at 7.30PM are €15. Tickets are available only from Threshold.
For booking details, phone 1890 929 777 or email mark@threshold.ie
4RFTV.co.uk reports that "The Wednesdays", a short film co-written by Luke Clancy and Conor Ferguson, and directed by Ferguson, won The Ellen Jury Special Recognition Prize at the Aspen Shortsfest in Colorado earlier this month.
The short, which tells the funny, poignant tale of an elderly couple who rediscover love and adventure with the help of some ecstasy tablets, has already picked up audience awards at the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival (1-9 February 2008) as well as the Chicago Film Festival.The short was funded by Irish Film Board, the Galway Film Centre, and RTÉ.
It has also been selected to screen at film festivals in Canada, Russia, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, the UK and New York; and is set to become part of the film study programme in Columbia University, New York.
The Dublin Gay Theatre Festival launches on Thursday, May 1st with a reception in the Front Lounge in Parliament Street, at 8.30pm.
The festival runs from 5th - 18th of May, and features exhibitions, readings, seminars, performances, opera, and theatre.
The latest edition of The Guardian's weekly podcast features a review of Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, as well as an interview with the writer/director.
The Athlone Drama Festival will take place in the city form May 2 - 10, 2008, and will feature dramatic productions from theatre companies from all over the country.
RTÉ plans to offer extensive coverage and reportage on radio and television from the festival.
The Irish Film Board has announced the deadline for its short film scheme Reality Bites as Friday, June 13th.
Reality Bites aims to encourage experimentation and a fresh approach to short non-fiction filmmaking. We are looking for something new in the use of the documentary form, whether the projects are journalistic or creative, observational or aesthetic, objective or personal. Documentaries can be produced in either the English or Irish language.Information on how to apply is available on the web site.
The successful short films will premiere at the Corona Cork Film Festival next year.
The winner of the Irish Film Board Best Film Script of the Year at the Student Media Awards was:
Conor O'Kelly from Trinity College Dublin for Fishy Tale.
Last week the Arts Council launched the report Digital cinema in Ireland (available from the web site), which was commissioned by the Cultural Cinema Consortium, the strategic partnership between the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board.
The Cultural Cinema Consortium commissioned Digital Cinema in Ireland, by Ron Inglis, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the digital cinema environment and to inform policy development in this area into the future. The report details the technological advancements in the distribution and exhibition of film and it outlines a number of options for the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board to consider in order to provide new opportunities for audiences of cultural cinema in Ireland.
The IFI in Dublin in conjunction with Horrothon are hosting the only Irish screenings of Grindhouse: the double bill of Robert Rodriguez's zombie flick Planet Terror with Quentin Tarantino's revenge b-movie Death Proof.
The decision to separate the two halves of Grindhouse for individual European release was a spectacularly misjudged one, essentially negating the purpose of the exercise while depriving audiences of a series of hysterical faux movie trailers buffering the main features (and worth the price of admission alone), courtesy of Rob (The Devil's Rejects) Zombie, Edgar (Hot Fuzz) Wright, Eli (Hostel) Roth and Rodriguez himself. The Heaven’s Gate of the Miramax generation? A natural born cult classic? Or both?You can watch Grindhouse on Saturday the 19th of April and Sunday the 20th of April in the IFI in Temple Bar, Dublin.
