On 14th July the remarkable British documentary Isolation will begin a limited theatrical run at Picturehouse Cinemas across the UK.

The film, which received a rapturous reception when it screened at last year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2009, deals with the scandalous statistic that a quarter of British ex-soldiers sleep rough after they return home. An impressionistic portrait of the emotional and physical aftermath of war, the film follows photographer and ex-soldier Stuart Griffiths as he travels across England uncovering the stories behind the military statistics. This bold documentary explores the personal demons and uncertain futures faced by soldiers leaving the army.  Griffiths now photographs the 25% of British soldiers who find themselves on the streets after they leave active service.

article submitted by Philips Cinema publicist

Philips has launched an exciting global contest giving aspiring filmmakers the chance to have an original work judged by one of the world’s greatest film directors - Sir Ridley Scott, director of Hollywood blockbusters including Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982) and Gladiator (2000).

The contest, called ’Tell It Your Way’, will also give one lucky winner the chance to gain a week’s work experience at Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) offices in Los Angeles, New York, London or Hong Kong.

The contest involves creating an original short film to accompany Philips’ ground-breaking Parallel Lines series of short films, directed by RSA talents, Greg Fay, Johnny Hardstaff, Carl Erik Rinsch, Jake Scott and Hi-Sim. The five short films, released on the Philips website are part of a cinematic project whereby each director created a film in a different genre, with a different storyline, but all following the same dialogue.

From Red Bull publicist

Make a video mash-up for Red Bull X-Fighters and win a trip to Rome!

Red Bull and Dave TV are calling on the UK’s aspiring editors and filmmakers to take Red Bull’s archive of X-Fighters footage, images and sounds to create a high-energy mash-up that gets the adrenaline pumping for the Red Bull X-Fighters event in London.

The coming of age drama is the Short Film Palme D’Or nominee’s first feature length film.

Shooting is underway on British director Ben Crowe’s debut feature Verity’s Summer, a coming of age drama set in the North East of England.

Crowe, who was nominated for the Cannes Short Film Palme D’Or for The Man Who Met Himself in 2005, also wrote the script for the feature about a young woman’s journey from the security of childhood to the compromises of adulthood.

The film, which is shooting for four weeks on the UK’s Northumberland Coast, stars newcomer Indea Barbe-Willson (pictured) as Verity.

Emma Biggins of Portsmouth based Multistory Films is producing the film, which is being financed by private equity. Christine Hartland, who produced 2009 thriller W.M.D, is executive producing through her London based company Patchwork Productions.

Once in a while comes a film that has me looking fearfully at the clock, worried it will end soon, not wanting to leave the world it creates. With the word on the street that the team behind Skeletons - Britain's answer to Being John Malkovich - have a number of sequels in the back of the closet, I have a little hope that this might not be the end of Bennett and Davis. Indeed today's news that the team have picked up the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature at the Edinburgh International Film Festival today is most promising. By far the freshest, funnest and best looking British film I've seen in a very long time*, perhaps since Ben Hopkin's cult and rarely-seen Nine Lives of Thomas Katz and I really hope it gets a better release than that film so we can see the psychic Kim and Aggie return to the trenches. Allegedly.

[*Four Lions and In The Loop are obvious candidates as well, but neither have such cinematic production design, photography and locations]

The Film Festival press release follows the trailer and a brief scene from the opening of the movie.

from Encounters

Encounters International Film Festival - 2 WEEKS TO GO

Here’s a gentle reminder that Encounters International Film Festival’s call for entries closes in 2 weeks, and we have some great multiple entry deals.

from Salon Des Refusés 

Salon des Refusés is a new opportunity for filmmakers frustrated by rejection from festivals.

Taking place for the first time at Cinephelia West in London this September, Salon des Refusés has a simple philosophy: we only screens films that have been rejected by other festivals. Why? Less than 10% of the programme at most major film festivals is generated from submissions, leaving emerging talent overlooked in favour of established names and bankable titles.

The 90% of short films that are rejected are not necessarily bad films. In fact, in many cases, these ‘Refusés ’ fall outside the remit of the festival programme for arbitrary reasons: perhaps they are the wrong length, the wrong genre or the wrong nationality; perhaps they’re too similar to, or different from, the rest of the programme.

from Nozstock festival team

NOZSTOCK FESTIVAL'S CINETENT IS CALLING FOR SUBMISSIONS...

Deadline: 11 June 2010

Nozstock’s resident cinetent showcases a collection of eclectic short films varying  through documentaries, live-action narrative tales, music videos, animations and experimental works. This year the homegrown programme will screen alongside work from BBC Film Network, onedotzero, locals Rural Media among others. Contributors to Nozstock’s homegrown programme range from professional filmmakers to first attempt amateurs, the only specific criteria for qualification being that films are based around a strong original concept. The cinetent offers opportunity for up and coming filmmakers to be screened alongside established auteurs and programmes by ground-breaking visual distributors.

Arriving at last year's Open Video Conference, after a decade of writing mostly outside of the tech sector about how the web is shaping film, was like walking into a bar after walking across a desert with little water. The excitement of meeting so many similar (and more talented and inspiring) people lasted long into the year.

The inaugural OVC in New York was the first attempt to bring together web pioneers, indie film and videomakers and Open Source and free speech activists. It was a chance to listen to and meet the people who make Wikipedia, Firefox, VLC, Miro and Creative Commons, along with the likes of Xeni Jardin, Ted Hope, Jonathan Zittrain and Nina Paley.

The second coming will run October 1-2 and one of the organisers tells me they are aiming to get 1400 delegates this time round. If you have something to present or discuss, there's seven days to get a proposal submitted to the conference organisers - if accepted they may be able to assist with travel expenses.

More information about the conference here, and the submission details here.

from Lancaster Children's Film Festival

Lancaster Children’s Film Festival (LancsCFF) is issuing a call for entries for the upcoming 2010 festival, to take place from October 23^rd-October 30^th.  Screenings will take place in Lancaster’s Dukes Cinema.  For entry form and requirements go to: http://www.lancasterchildrensfilmfestival.co.uk/submissions