Sound The Horn and Beat The Drum
I haven’t got much to say about this article, apart from that it’s an interesting profile of Hollywood producer Ryan Kavanaugh. Is he a new breed of producer, or just the modern equivalent of the movie moguls of the past?
It was EAVE in Wales week last week, and thanks to Anne-Marie at the Film Agency for Wales, as I was able to sit in on a few sessions. The most interesting thing I learned is that many European producers see the UK as a difficult co-production partner because of the amount of red tape and hoops you have to jump through in order to unlock the finance for your project, and that one of the stumbling blocks are the huge legal fees incurred because of this. If Wales is to develop a real feature film culture, something that we’re told is actually happening, then perhaps we need to consider how we can break down some of these barriers, even if it means lobbying government for change.
It was good to meet other like-minded people from Wales at EAVE, and also some from overseas. I loved seeing how passionate people are about both crunching the numbers and telling stories they truly care about. After all, even Ryan Kavanaugh cares about having a good script. Maybe.
Chosen From Among The People
17 will screen as part of the young people’s strand at the Salford Film Festival this weekend – I’m particularly happy about this as it’s been selected by a panel of young people who are programming the strand of the festival themselves. What I hope this means is that the film deals with issues that they relate to, and that it’s relevant to those who are growing up here and now. Of course, they might just like it because it’s got swearing, violence and a banging drum n’ bass soundtrack, but I’d like to think that it’s more than that.
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, the film doesn’t offer any answers or solutions to the problems it deals with, but I honestly believe it raises issues that lots of people growing up in Britain today have to face, and I hope that the young people of Salford are interested in the film because of this.
Thank you to the festival for selecting the film.
Love is a Doing Word
Another new microbudget scheme has been launched, this time just over the border. iFeatures, a partnership between South West Screen and BBC Films, is looking for projects that have a Bristolian vibe and can be made for around £300k. The web site is actually very informative and is definitely one of the most comprehensive I’ve seen for a scheme like this – but somehow I missed the roadshow in Cardiff when it came around. I actually have a couple of projects that could really work for this, so I’ll be putting an application together for 85 Films.
What Can a Slumdog Possibly Know?
The Cardiff film festival that successfully picks the Best Picture winner at the Oscars every year is back for a, er, second year, and they’ve announced the full programme here. Last year’s inaugural festival beat the hype with an early screening of Slumdog Millionaire, while this year’s closing film will be Bunny & The Bull. Probably not an Oscar contender, but a film that features a lot of stars of British TV comedy from Mighty Boosh director Paul King, so hopefully worth a look. There’s also a programme of workshops and masterclasses, and other events. Its focus is on the role of music within film, hence the festival’s title.
If you’re interested in how the festival came about, here’s the original call out for ideas for the festival from the Film Agency for Wales, though to be honest, it doesn’t give too much away. Apart from how much money was on offer.
