Jewish comedy from Germany picks up script award

In a blitz that echoes that of Fatih Akin's "Head On" last year, Dani Levy's decidedly non-PC Jewish comedy "Go For Zucker! (Alles Auf Zucker)" picked up an armful of awards at this year's German Film Awards in Berlin's Philharmonie, held on July 8. The six Golden Lolas were for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Lead Actor (Henry Huebchen), Best Costume Design (Lucie Bates), Best Score (Niki Reiser) and last but not least Best Screenplay (Holger Franke and Dani Levy).

The film was produced by the "creative pool" X-filme, best known as the creators of "Goodbye Lenin" and "Run, Lola Run". Other winners on the night include "The Edukators" and "Sophie Scholl - The Final Days".

"Goodbye Lenin" on Amazon UK

Run, Lola Run on Amazon UK
Goodbye Lenin on Amazon US

Belgium: Call for short scripts in French

"In a relationship, you first get to know each other, and then trust and the desire to do something together begins to grow." Production house Chroma has started an initiative with a view to making these first steps in the long-term writer-producer relationship, the first of its kind in Belgium." Producer Nathan Zylbersztejn is actively looking for scripts for a short film. Rather than running a competition, they will select two stories that will then receive a comprehensive workover under the eye of Dominique Lohlé during a workshop in November. Given the chronic need for script development in Europe, this sounds like a good idea. Two films will then be made, with the specialised distribution house La Big Family handling sales. Deadline for submissions is August 30.

For details, visit Chroma.

"Hotel Rwanda" wins script award

Terry George and Keir Pearson won $25,000 for their script for the remarkable "Hotel Rwanda" last Wednesday. The Humanitas Prize goes to film and TV shows that "entertain, engage and enrich the viewing public". "Hotel Rwanda" was singled out as it was based on the true-life story of a hotel manager's attempts to save victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Quoted by Associated Press, Pearson said, "Everyone knew what was happening at the time, but all the great leaders of the world did nothing. This film was about an ordinary man, a hotel manger, that did something and did something great." Terry George is also known for his work on the Northern Ireland massacre "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Read the full story on Gainsville.com.

Hotel Rwanda on Amazon UK
Hotel Rwanda on Amazon US

Klapisch's "Poupées russes/Russian Dolls" overtakes Batman in France

The much-awaited follow-up to Cedric Klapisch's "Auberge espagnole", "Poupées russes/Russian Dolls" has opened in France to considerable success. According to a report on Cineuropa, it overtook "Batman Begins" in its first week boasting an average 1,204 tickets per print, compared to 588 for "Batman Begins".

The more-or-less sequel to "Auberge espagnole" continues the story of Xavier as he struggles with his attempts to write - and stay with one girl. It was released on June 15 in France and Switzerland, June 22 in Belgium, with Germany following on November 3. It stars Audrey Taoutou, Cécile de France and, needless to say, Romain Duris.

Cedric Klapisch on Amazon US
Cedric Klapisch on Amazon UK
Cedric Klapisch sur Amazon FR (a far longer list!)

Italian screenwriters' site revamped

Sceneggiatori.com, Italy's foremost website for scriptwriters, has been revamped in a clean, new PHP style. The site has been the best source of Italian screenwriting news for some time, with a lively message board (including a section in English), a section on writing contests, writing articles, some feature and short scripts and links. It's always interesting, of course, to get writers' opinions on Italian cinema - and the news isn't always that good. Italian cinema has been going through a very rough time recently. Concerning scriptwriting, it might come as no surprise that one of the main complaints is a lack of awareness about the craft - that and the lack of development. Sound familiar? Drop by here: http://www.sceneggiatori.com

In further Italian-related news, the Capalbio International Short Film festival will be kicking off July 6-10 in Rome. The festival this year will feature the Premio Mini Award, a section for video clips and a new award for animated shorts. Details will be announced on June 30 when you can find them on the Capalbio website.

"Layer Cake": a partial answer

A few days ago, I wondered why the Brit gangster film "Layer Cake" was not more successful upon its release. A partial answer came from the States, where the local distributor has been complaining that "parallel imports" killed the film's chances of a career. Put simply, rather than wait 12 months for the film to come out, a lot of people simply buy the DVD from the UK or France. Or local retailers import a bunch even before the DVD is released in the US. As it saps the core audience, this hurts the film's chances as a theatrical release.

The obvious answer is not to wait so long for a release. Why does it take up to a year for European films to reach the cinemas? Having said that, the distribution of non-US films in the US is a difficult subject with very low margins for the local distributor. So US readers, don't forget to support your local movie "theater"!

Layer Cake on Amazon US

London group to discuss script development

In the aftermath of all the changes to the tax regimes, and the high price of sterling, British film makers have to look to areas of the creative process to develop films that will compete globally, which means writers have to think carefully about what scripts and stories to develop. So the Lunch Club has brought together a panel with top development people - two from the UK Film Council, Lucy Scher from the Script Factory and Julian Friedmann from ScriptWriter Magazine and Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, together with top producer Michael Kuhn of Qwerty and Frank Graves, a writer, to discuss how we can improve on the development of British scripts and films. After the Q&A there will be a fantastic hot 2 course buffet dinner with half a bottle of wine each, where participants will have a chance to meet the speakers.

June 29th 7pm to 10pm Central London £5 Lunch Club Members. £15 if you are a member of the One-List. £17.50 others. Call Gareth Owen, The Lunch Club 01753 650733 www.lunch-club.org.uk

French script contest criticises the "mal français"

In terms of overall production and impact, France has been the motor of European cinema for a good number of years. Although Germany has seen a major increase in production recently, and the UK continues to survive due to co-productions with the US, the state of French cinema directly affects many partners across Europe.

The industry has been kept alive by a very vocal lobby that has kept its interests on the political agenda, while judiciously re-investing cinema levies back into production. It has also insisted that French TV – once seen as a threat – plays a role as an investor. This has effectively turned the channels into major players in the movie business. But although there are exceptions, such as Annaud's “Two Brothers/Deux frères”, Moix's “Podium” and Jeunet's “Un long dimanche de fiançailles”, France is no longer the producer of international hits that it once was.

"Le mal français"

For Philippe Maynial, co-organiser of France's prestigious Sopadin scriptwriting awards, this is partly due to what he calls the “mal français” (French ill). “The system as it now exists favours production, but forces the major channels into the role of banker,” he says. “They have little say in the actual creative process. The result is that a large number of films are going into production with scripts that should have received more work, and the channels can do nothing about it. So what you get is Franco-French films that don't export well.” In his previous career, he worked with Gaumont. “We had major Italian and Polish directors working on French subjects,” he remembers. “People like Ettore Scola and Wajda. We were already thinking in terms of Europe rather than just France.” So why don't more companies spend more time on the development? Despite lip service paid to the notion of a great script, the vast majority of French - and indeed European - companies simply don't have the budget. Inevitably, there is talk about looking for public funding. As one insider put it at last year's ScriptForum in Venice, "60% of the European Commission's Media budget is going towards promoting films that have not been developed enough".

Sopadin is well placed to talk about scripts, as they run 4 major annual competitions. “It provides an absolutely unique opportunity for writers to be read by the major producers and TV channels. These people just do not read unsolicited material – ever.” Maynial's partner Barbara Vassiliev pointed out that many of the scripts actually end up being produced, “Nuit Noire” being a recent example. Sopadin also runs the Ré-écrire script workshops on the aptly-named Ile de Ré.

The Belgian touch

Talking to the Belgian Association of Audiovisual Scriptwriters, they were enthusiastic about the critical success of Belgian films. “There is a creativity you can feel as you walk around Brussels already,” said Vassiliev. “People are looking for new ways to do things.” Concerning the so-called “Belgian touch” that has seen films such as “Quand la mer monte” and “L'enfant” pick up major awards, Maynial repeated the old advice about writing what you know about. “It seems like the more Belgian you are in your writing, the more interest it generates. The more specific the touch you bring to it, the more it appeals to people. These are the sort of scripts that are being bought for the moment,” he said.

For details about Sopadin's competitions and the Ré-écrire workshops, visit www.prix-scenariste.org.

Rewind: What wasn't "Layer Cake" bigger?

With a considerable delay, I just caught "Layer Cake" in a local cinema. Based on a popular novel by John J. Connolly (and adapted to the screen by the man himself), the film is a successful attempt at bringing new life to the British gangster genre. Stylish, well directed (by the producer of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"), it boasts an enigmatic lead (Daniel Craig), a strong support cast, an intricately-woven plot and overall a great feel to it. Reviews have averaged at 7/10, which can't be bad (I'd go for an 8). So why didn't it do better? Although there are some plot points that stretch the disbelief at times and Colm Meaney is not half as mean as he should be, I might suggest that a major reason is the name itself. What the flick is a Layer Cake? Reference is made to it in the film, but it's hardly a phrase that is known in the UK. So how about Europe - which I think should have lapped up a chance to indulge in some masterful UK story-telling? Could a title really be that important? In this case, I'd say so. It might seem a bit on-the-nose, but even something as obvious as "White Lines" would have been far easier for people to grasp. The film is also done a dreadful dis-service by the trailer, that seems to have been produced using all the factory pre-sets - unike the film. Ultimately, I think it failed as not enough people were drawn into the cinema to see it, which sounds glaringly obvious. But early word of mouth would surely have brought "Layer Cake" much further. It's a shame to see such an engaging film actually being undersold.


"Layer Cake" on Amazon UK
Layer Cake on Amazon US

"Adam & Paul" premiere in London June 4

STOP PRESS:
"Adam & Paul" has just been announced in the line-up of the Brussels Film Festival on July 2. Other films to look out for include "Demi Tarif", "Guernsey" (poster of the year), "Czech Dream" and Douche Froide". See the programme line-up here.

Guerilla Films in association with the London Script Consultancy and the New Producers Alliance are hosting a premiere screening of "Adam & Paul", Ireland's surprise box office hit of 2004. Written by Mark O'Halloran and produced for just less than €400,000, it grossed over €700,000 in Ireland alone, where it is currently in the top five rental DVDs. "Adam & Paul" is a stylized, downbeat comedy about two hapless junkies, tied together by habit and necessity. It has been called "Laurel & Hardy on smack in Dublin and waiting for Godot."

"Funny, sad and thought-provoking... skilfully structured and superbly performed." (Evening Herald)

"Bleak, yet side-splitting; savage, yet heart-felt ... this is, quite simple, great stuff." (In Dublin)

"Mordantly funny and unexpectedly poignant" (Time Out)

The London Premiere will take place on Saturday 4 June, 11.00 am at the UGC Shaftesbury Avenue, followed by a Q&A with debut director Lenny Abrahamson (although it's a shame the award-winning O'Halloran is not even mentioned in the blurb). Discover how the filmmakers took their idea from the page to the big screen, with all the inevitable lucky breaks, mistakes, and pitfalls along the way.

Go to the website now for more information http://www.adamandpaul.com

Saturday 4 June, 11.00 am
UGC Shaftesbury Avenue
13 Coventry Street, Piccadilly, London, W1D 7DH
UK Pounds 4.00
Tel for reservations: 0871 200 2000

Belgian writers' group to look at the Belgian touch

After the Belgian victory at Cannes for "L'enfant/The Child", as well as the César for "Quand la mer monte" a few months back, it might seem like there is currently a Belgian touch in cinema. But is there really? The Belgian writers' group ASA will ask the big question at a special meeting that features representatives of the Sopadin screenwriting competitions in France. As all Belgian films are co-productions - most often with France - outsiders' opinions are very important. Perhaps coincidentally, the Belgian writer Bernard Bellefroid won the Sopadin's junior award some time back. So there will be plenty to debate.

There is no website for ASA. The talk will take place on June 7. For details, contact ASA (Association des Scénaristes de l’Audiovisuel asbl), Rue du Prince Royal 87-1050 Bruxelles Tel.: 02/551.03.20. E-mail : asa@sacd.be


"Quand la mer monte" on Amazon FR (release date: June 6, 2005)

Cannes 2005: Young film-makers get break

You've probably already heard that the Dardenne brothers picked up their second Palme d'Or for "L'enfant/The Child". If not, check the articles in La Libre Belgique and Bloomberg. The French and British media are passing on the story, preferring to run headlines about "Star Wars" and Jim Jarmusch. Could their noses be out of joint (no British films were in the running, although several films were being shown at Cannes and the Brits remain a significant and very active presence through the UK Film Centre)?

Stepping behind the headlines for a second, Cannes is also a major film market. Several major projects were supporting future film-makers and writers. At one of these, the "Atelier" (workshop), nine out of 18 projects found funding. Budgeted between €700,000 and €1.73 million, the films are: Ulrike von Ribbeck’s "Sooner Or Later" from Germany, Joachim Lafosse’s "Revolte Intime" from Belgium, American Ryan Eslinger’s ""When A Man Falls In The Forest", Leon Ivanga’s "L'Ombre De Liberty" from Gabon, Narinam Turebayev’s "Sunny Day" from Kazakhstan, Som Ock Southiphonh’s "Les Amis" from Laos, Gerardo Naranjo "I'm Gonna Explode" from Mexico, Paraguayan Paz Encina’s "Hamaca Paraguaya" and Serbian Vladimir Perisic’s "The Ordinary People".

The winner of the London Script Consultancy and Panasonic's Big Pitch (featured below) was Brit writer/director Ed Blum.

Irish screenplay wins second award at Cannes

After winning the Irish Film Institute's fourth Tiernan MacBride Award for Screenwriting this year, Brian O'Malley and Terry McMahon have won the Hartley-Merrill Prize for International Screenwriting at Cannes. "Sisk", a tale set in the Chinese mafia in Dublin, was up against over 2000 entries from 23 countries and is the first Irish screenplay to win the award. Chairman of the prize, Ted Hartley, called 'Sisk' "a skilfully written piece". Previously, producer and MacBride jury chairman Ned Dowd has said: "In the four years that I have been involved with Tiernan MacBride Award, this is a script that stands out as a film I would personally like to make. It is almost ready to shoot in terms of the way it is written; a credit to the writers.”

Information about the Tiernan MacBride Award and "Sisk".

Cannes 2005: Look out for 101 Scriptwriters

For the first time this year, scriptwriters will be massively present at Cannes through a series of initiatives. Not the least of these (but the closest to home for Screenplay Europe) is the new revue "101 Scénaristes/101 Scriptwriters" - over 100 pages of pitches in English and French from writers in 10 countries. The brainchild of French writer Jacques Gumbau, it will be available in the major hotels, beach venues and the numerous writer events that are taking place this year.

Find out more in Cineuropa.

Writer events this year include The Big Pitch from the London Script Consultancy, conferences from Script Factory, the Equinoxe workshop, the second script market from The European Producers' Club, Speed Dating from Adami and more.

This year's Cannes is being called the "year of the auteur". Just in case you are missing the obvious, that means the year of the writer!

TASTE: Developing scripts for European audiences

It is widely recognised that not enough European movies get distributed outside their home country. So a number of bodies have come together to creat TASTE, a programme specifically about developing scripts for European audiences. "TASTE offers a close look at the development process of European films that have been successful in recent years. Screenwriters and producers of films such as "Good Bye Lenin!", "Italian for beginners", "Le goût des autres" and "My Life Without Me" will be present to explain the first development stages of their films."

The TASTE seminar takes place from the 15 to 17th of July 2005 in Valencia. Registration deadline is 30th of May. Before you ask, the programme costs €500 and Valencia can be reached by low-cost airlines. For more information and applications, visit Taste.

"Goodbye Lenin" on Amazon UK

"Italian for Beginners" (REGION 1) (NTSC)

"Le goût des autres/The Taste of Others" on Amazon FR

Rewind: DVD release for "Totos le héros"

Rightly hailed as a landmark movie, Jaco Van Dormael's 1991 "Toto le héros" set the tone for a series of films in Europe with its quirky, colourful and retro style, the most noted perhaps being Jeunet's "Amélie Poulain" (although viewers of "Dannie Darko" would recognise more than a passing resemblance). Wacky and charming but with a slightly tragic tone, it has been described as "a kids film directed by Lars Von Trier".

After subsequently making the highly-rated "Huitième jour/Eighth Day" in 1996, Van Dormael dropped off the radar. But according to this report in La Libre Belgique (in French), he is working on a 3-hour project called "Mr. Nobody" about "the multitude of lives we could have. Apparently, they would be different. But deep down, they would be the same... Parts will take place on Mars, others in pre-history.... There will be one main character, but lots of decors, scenes and genres". Gulp! Shooting will start in the autumn. The DVD of "Toto le héros" is now available from Amazon France.


Jaco Van Dormael on Amazon FR

Cannes 2005: Speed-dating for writers, actors,composers and directors

France's Adami are holding a fun event at Cannes: the second "Speed Dating" for writers, directors, actors and composers. Adami showcase young talent every year, with Audrey Tautou and Sami Naceri amongst the actors they championed (in '98 and '94 respectively). The Speed Dating is simply a way of getting actors, writers, directors and composers to meet up and perhaps swap cards on Monday May 16 from 2.30pm at the Adami pavilion. We'll be there! For details, check the Adami's Speed dating page.

CANNES 2005: YOUR CHANCE TO PITCH TO THE WORLD'S TOP PRODUCERS!

With the presence of "101 Scénaristes/101 Scriptwriters", Equinoxe and le Club des producteurs, Cannes 2005 was already promising to throw a major spotlight on scriptwriters. Now the London Script Consultancy and Panasonic are coming together to provide another major event: The Big Pitch. "In a once in a lifetime opportunity, filmmakers from across the world are invited to pitch their film ideas to a panel of international industry experts, including Peter Albaek Jensen, producer of "Dancer In The Dark" and "Dogville", Paul Webster, executive producer of "The Motorcycle Diaries", Steve Arnold, the producer of "Brassed Off" and Barnaby Thompson, producer of "Fred and Perry Go Large".

First prize is the Ultimate Filmmaker's Package: the award winning Panasonic NV-GS400 digital video camera, winner of the European Camcorder of the Year Award 2004/2005. They will also receive £3000 of professional script development, Final Draft software, a Focal Press screenwriter's book package, a one year cinema pass to UGC Cinemas, and one year's free subscription to LoveFilm DVDs, Sight & Sound and Hotdog Magazines.

The Panasonic International Filmmaker's Award will be held on Sunday 15th May from 2:00pm to 3:30pm at the UK Film Centre in the International Village, Cannes Film Festival 2005. For further information and entry details, go to www.londonscriptconsultancy.com. Submissions are liimted to 3 pitches per person, and writers should be able to do their 2-3 minute pitch at Cannes in English.

What, you're still hanging around here?

Top 20 European films released in Europe 2004

Prior to Cannes, the OBS releases its "Focus" on the state of the movie world globally. It always makes good reading. Here is an item I found interesting:

Admissions to European films released in Europe 2004
Classement provisoire sur la base de données provenant de 24 pays européens y compris la Turquie (environ 87 %des entrées dans l'Union européenne analysées)
Provisory ranking on the basis of data from 24 European countries
including Turkey (around 87% of admissions in the European Union analysed).

Titre original Pays d'origine Année Réalisateur Entrées
Original title Country of origin Year Director Admissions

1 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason GB/US/FR/DE/IE 2004 Beeban Kidron 17 421 322
2 Les choristes FR / CH / DE 2004 Christophe Barratier 11 399 905
3 (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 DE 2004 Michael Herbig 10 731 881
4 Sieben Zwerge - Männer allein im Wald DE 2004 Sven Unterwaldt Jr. 7 323 345
5 Cold Mountain (1) GB / US / RO / IT 2003 Anthony Minghella 6 238 073
6 Two Brothers FR / GB 2004 Jean-Jacques Annaud 5 248 868
7 Un long dimanche de fiançailles FR 2004 Jean-Pierre Jeunet 4 708 990
8 Der Untergang DE / IT 2004 Oliver Hirschbiegel 4 684 536
9 Podium FR / BE 2004 Yann Moix 4 310 997
10 Mar adentro ES / FR / IT 2004 Alejandro Amenábar 4 125 821
11 G.O.R.A. TR 2004 Ömer Faruk Sorak 3 980 947
12 Les rivières pourpres II - Les anges… FR / IT / GB 2004 Olivier Dahan 3 960 958
13 Alexander GB / FR / NL 2004 Oliver Stone 3 857 447
14 La mala educación ES 2004 Pedro Almodóvar 3 728 484
15 Love Actually (2) GB / US 2003 Richard Curtis 3 408 523
16 Girl with a Pearl Earring GB / LU 2003 Peter Webber 3 221 485
17 Les 11 commandements FR 2004 F. Desagnat & T. Sorriaux 3 067 458
18 Vizontele Tuuba TR 2004 Yilmaz Erdogan 2 934 504
19 L' enquête corse FR 2004 Alain Berberian 2 651 406
20 Around the World in 80 Days GB / US / DE / IE 2004 Frank Coraci 2 692 694

(1) 80 102 entrées en Europe en 2003. | 80 102 admissions in Europe in 2003.
(2) 12 878 034 entrées en Europe en 2003. | 12 878 034 admissions in Europe in 2003.
Source: OBS/LUMIERE

Interesting to see beyond the hype which films draw audiences, notably the n° 3 and 4 - totally unknown outside their native Germany. Special mention also goes to "G.O.R.A." at n° 11. For the record, I recommend Yann Moix' "Podium"

Crossing Europe Award goes to first-time director/writer

The second edition of Austria's CROSSING EUROPE Filmfestival Linz presented 150 films from 30 countries as well as 20 further events. This year's award went to the 22-year-old French actress and first-time director Isild Le Besco (France - left on photo), who impressed the competition jury (Cis Bierinckx/Belgium, Nadejda Koseva/Bulgaria, Jan Krüger/Germany, Micha Shagrir/Israel and Elma Tataragic/Bosnia) with her debut film “Demi-Tarif/Half Price”. The CROSSING EUROPE Award 2005 Local Artist, went to Siegfried A. Fruhauf for his most recent work. A special mention went to Barbara Musil and Karo Szmit for their short film "SW-NÖ 04". The EastWest Filmdistribution nominated the documentary “Totally Personal” by Bosnian director Nedzad Begovic for a special presentation at CROSSING EUROPE 2006.

Link: Crossing Europe.

Celtx writing software: new beta update

There are alternatives to the ubiquitous Final Draft. In Canada, Greyfirst has been developing a clean, new tool called Celtx. As well as doing all the usual things a scriptwriting tool should do, Celtx is very focussed on the collaborative side. It enables writers to post scripts to a server for downloading, sharing and re-writing by their partners. It is available in a number of languages (the latest being Finnish, with German in the works). The new update is beta version 0.8.8 - "so we're getting closer to a 1.0 release," says Stephen Pick. For the many writers that are struggling with formatting MS Word and are hesitating before paying for professional scriptwriting software, it's worth noting that Celtx is free and comes in PC and Mac versions. Click the logo or click on Celtx.

Screenwriter Masterclass in Soho, Sat. 7 MAY

AN ILLUSTRATED TALK BY KEVIN CONROY SCOTT
With a special guest screenwriter

Kevin Conroy Scott is the author of the recently published "Screenwriters Masterclass: Screenwriters Discuss Their Greatest Films" featuring interviews with celebrated screenwriters such as Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Wes Anderson, Guillermo Arriaga, François Ozon and Michael Haneke.

Scott has arranged a tour of his book, putting across his view that writing comes from the inside, thus making his opinions the antithesis of screenwriting guru Robert McKee while expounding on a list of Screenwriting Do's and Dont's and humorously covering topics such as "Self-doubt and the Screenwriter" before analysing scenes from a film that the special guest wrote. The talk will end with an audience Q&A and includes illustrational clips. A must for the aspiring screenwriter. Curzon Soho, Sat. 7 MAY 12 noon. Tickets £6

Supported by The Script Factory. For an update on the special guest screenwriter visit Curzon Cinemas or call the box office on 020 7734 2255.

Screenwriters Masterclass on Amazon UK

Danny Boyle and John Crowley offer writers chance to write new feature films

This is something that is close to the heart of Screenplay Europe. Directors Danny "Trainspotting" Boyle and John "Intermission" Crowley (one of our favourites) are looking to find scripts from writers with agent representation or who are members of the Writers Guild of Great Britain. The UK Film Council’s Development Fund is behind the idea, which aims to "bring together teams with a unified creative and market vision from the outset, so that the resulting projects stand in particularly strong position further down the line – and with a good chance of actually getting made". I-ree!

Rather us than detailing the whys, hows and wherefores, visit the UK Film Council's site.

John Crowley on Amazon UK
Danny Boyle on Amazon UK
Danny Boyle on Amazon US

Pitch Idol in Northern Ireland

Pitching is always - and rightly - considered as a tricky operation. The ability to sell an idea as complex as a film narrative in two minutes is a handy one - although having the opportunity to pitch to the right person is equally as important. Amongst the upcoming writer events, Screenplay Europe noted that Northern Ireland's Screenwriters Ink is hosting Pitch Idol in Belfast on May 3. The title might be silly, but it's never a bad idea to confront your ideas with some seasoned but hopefully supportive professionals. And we also believe in writers getting out of the house a bit more often! And as they say on the site of the Northern Ireland Film and TV Commission, "this could be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

Screenplay Market at Cannes 2005

Second European Screenplay Market
In Cannes, Saturday, May 14, 2005


After the first successful Screenplay Market in Strasbourg during the RISE (Rencontres Internationales des Scénaristes Européens), where screenwriters such as Laëtitia Masson, Katharina Held and production houses such as Pandora Films, Arcappix, Senator were present, The European Producers Club in partnership with The European Screenwriters’ Federation will be hosting the second EUROPEAN SCREENPLAY MARKET taking place on the 14th of May 2005, 12:30am-6pm during the Cannes Film Festival.

15 qualifying screenwriters will have the unprecedented opportunity to present their script during INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS with TOP PRODUCERS from all over Europe.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE ?
Qualifications :

You are the scriptwriter of at least one film project that has been produced and distributed. You have a screenplay project on hold that has a strong appeal and is suitable for a European co-production.

SEND US YOUR PROJECT !
To apply for participation we need in English obligatory and mother language if wished :

Fill out the application form + Your photo as a JPeg
A treatment (max: 10 pages)
A note of intention (one page)
Your CV (one page)

Deadline for entries : 25 April 2005
Send via e-mail only : leclub@wanadoo.fr

The only thing more important in this business than money is great material. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime to present your work to the people with power to produce. Events such as this have launched the successful carreers of writers outside of Europe. The European Producers Club along with the Screenwriter’s Federation have the expertise to make it happen here. Don’t miss this chance.
For more information : Eglantine Pottiez de Césari
screenplay.leclub@wanadoo.fr

"Femme de Gilles" awarded at Istanbul International Film Festival

Belgium's slow-burning love triangle "La femme de Gilles/Gilles' Wife" picked up a very appropriate prize at the Istanbul International Film Festival recently. It had to share the top Golden Tulip award with Taiwan's "Cafe Lumière". As it's the story of a woman that has to share her husband with her sister, there must be some sort of poetic justice in that!

"La femme de Gilles" is directed by Frederic Fonteyne, with a script by Philippe Blasband on a story by Madeleine Bourdhouxe. Blasband has previously written "Thomas est amoureux" and "Le tango des Rashevski".

La femme de Gilles/Gilles' Wife - the official site

La femme de Gilles on Amazon FR
Fréderic Fonteyne on Amazon FR
La femme de Gilles on Amazon UK

Cinelink shortlists East European writers

The Sarajevo festival will again provide the platform for the third Cinelink, a programme that hooks interesting scripts up with the industry. Ten projects from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia and Serbia and Montenegro have been chosen. The writers will undergo a series of wrokshops to get the scripts in shape for presenting them to the industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival in August.

Of the ten projects, two will ultimately be awarded a prize of €25,000. See here for details of Cinelink.

Does European cinema have an identity?

It's an old subject and one that is guaranteed to lead to heated debate. Is there something specifically "European" about films that are made in Europe? There are many schools of thought on this one, that some Europeans use as a comfort zone. The comforting thought being, "we are different, and somehow more interesting". Others point out that European cinema is a geographic denomination, not a label of quality.

All these opinions were expressed at the recent European Film Festival in Lecce (Italy). According to a report on Cineuropa, journalist Oscar Iarussi claimed, "If American cinema is defined by action, the specificity of European cinema could be contemplation." Personally, I would underline the "if" and "could". A little more action would not go amiss in European cinema.

Amongst the prizes awarded to films, the best Golden Olive Award went to Valereij Todorovskij's "My Stepbrother Frankenstein". Its seasoned scriptwriter Leonid Yarmolnik was awarded for his "quality of writing that can synthesise collective and individual problems in a notably distinctive language".

See the full article on Cineuropa. Check the European Film festival for details, and the full final press release in Italian.

Cinecittà News Bites: Reports from Italy

The legendary Cinecittà studios outside Rome have become a spokesman for Italian cinema over the years. In addition to running a good bilingual news service from their site, they also now produce filmed news reports in English called Cinecittà New Bites. Issue n° 5 covers the impact of the Pope's death on cinema attendance (bad), Italy's presence at the recent Monte Carlo festival and Italians films in the UK (both good). To check it out, visit Cinecittà News Bites.

Why are Danish films so good?

It might be a bit over-the-top as a title, but the discussion itself should be interesting. The Script Factory, NFTS and Curzon Cinemas are bringing a Dogme round table (billed as a masterclass) to London on April 20. "Writer/Directors Susanne Bier (Open Hearts, Brothers) and Anders Thomas Jensen (whose writing credits include The King Is Alive, Mifune, Open Hearts, Brothers, and who also directs), will be joined on stage by Kristian Levring (who co-wrote and directed The King Is Alive and is one of the four Dogme Brethren), to take a closer look at the Dogme screenplay. Considering the process of story development, the art of screenplay collaboration, and the constraints or liberations of writing material which is destined to be produced in such a particular style, this lively session with three of the Dogme greats will also look to the future and consider the influence of Dogme screenwriting methods on these filmmakers’ post-Dogme work."

Wednesday 20 April at 6pm
Curzon Soho, Shaftsbury Avenue, London W1 or check the details here.

"The King is Alive" on Amazon UK

"Downfall" and "Heimat 3" spearhead 4th German festival in Australia

Now in its fourth year, the Festival of German Films will run from April 14-24, in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and will also be presenting a smaller selection in Canberra from April 28 - May 1.

The Festival opens with Dani Levy's comedy GO FOR ZUCKER! - AN UNORTHODOX COMEDY (ALLES AUF ZUCKER!) with the director in attendance. The other films are: AGNES AND HIS BROTHERS (AGNES UND SEINE BRUEDER) by Oskar Roehler, THE OTHER WOMAN (DIE ANDERE FRAU) by Margarethe von Trotta, the documentary I LOVE YOU ALL (AUS LIEBE ZUM VOLK) by Eyal Sivan/Audrey Maurion, AM I SEXY? (BIN ICH SEXY?) by Kathinka Feistl, THE BLIND FLYERS (BLINDGAENGER) by Bernd Sahling, (C)R00K by Pepe Danquart, NAPOLA by Dennis Gansel, SOUNDLESS (LAUTLOS) by Mennan Yapo, SNOWLAND (SCHNEELAND) by H.W. Geissendoerfer as well as WILLENBROCK by Andreas Dresen. Lead actor Henry Arnold will introduce HEIMAT 3 by Edgar Reitz in person. The music documentary MUSICA CUBANA by German Král will screen as a Special in two clubs. The Festival will stage a Special Screening of "Wings of Desire" by Wim Wenders, which was last shown in Australia ten years ago.

The Oscar-nominated film DOWNFALL (DER UNTERGANG) by Oliver Hirschbiegel will be shown as an "avant-premiere" to tie-in with the theatrical opening in Australia on April 1. Leading Australian critics and film historians will discuss developments in German film history in a panel discussion. For details, visit the website.

"Wings of Desire" on Amazon FR
"Wings of Desire" on Amazon US
"Heimat" on Amazon UK

First Brit CGI animation feature scores well

"Valiant", Britains's first homebrew CGI feature, opened over the Easter weekend in the UK. Ranked fifth overall, the film took £1.1 million at the box office. Based on a story by George Webster, "Valiant" was written by George Melrod and Jordan Katz and directed by Gary Chapman.

Valiant tells the story of a homing pigeon during World War II. Visit the Valiant site for the trailer and info. Read Shadows on the Wall for a review.

The Perfect Pitch: this Monday in Soho (London)

In the run-up to Cannes, this event should be of interest to UK writers:

"SOHO SCREENWRITERS - Mon 28 March 2005 - The Perfect Pitch. Seminar and workshop with Jak Genie from the London Script Consultancy.

This week we will focus on pitching. It is crucial to be able to tell your story in a lively and dramatic way. This will not only help you to sell your script but enable you to practise and improve your idea quickly and effectively. Great preparation for Cannes!

The seminar will be followed by a workshop of writers' projects. Please bring your pitches, synopsis or treatments (up to 3 standard format pages) and short scripts (up to 10 standard format pages) for discussion and feedback at the group.

7.15pm - 9.30pm Monday 28 March, The Bath House, Dean St, Soho, London, W1. Nearest tube Tottenham Court Road. Entry £3."

Tell them Screenplay Europe sent you.

Cineuropa back in action: 2 European features

We wrote months ago that the Cineuropa news site is useful - but is never updated. Well, the good news is that the site is very much back in action with reports from across Europe, as well as a fairly complete industry database and links to a variety of sites and institutions.

Today's homepage features two items of particular interest: interviews with "Hotel Rwanda" director Terry George (who was also the scriptwriter for "In the Name of the Father") and writer/director Harry Cleven, currently making waves in Belgium with the sinister tale of rival twins "Trouble".

Visit CinEuropa.

Réservoir Scripts: Last call for Cannes

To break through some of the barriers between writers, producers and directors, a bunch of scriptwriters from six countries have come together to present 100 projects as a magazine called "Réservoir Scripts" at Cannes.

The projects consist of: a short pitch, a synopsis and an extract. All this on two A4 pages (font Courier New 12). There is still some room for anyone that can get us material by the end of this week (March 18).

This a non-commercial venture, in that the writers have nothing to pay. Submissions by invitation only to the e-mail address below. The site is currently in French, but we can guide you through the process of posting and participating.

Reservoir Scripts features writers from France (largely), Belgium, English and French-speaking Canada, the US and Ireland.

Email: writestuff(AT)chello.be French-speakers can request invitations directly from the site.

"Up and Down" wins Czech movie award

Czech Republic's foreign-language nominee "Horem Padem/Up and Down" won three awards at the Czech annual Lions awards on March 5, nothing less than the best film, best director and best screenplay. The film follows the paths of two men, a football hooligan and a professor, as they try to come to terms with massive changes in their lives. All this against the background of the upheavals in Czech society. The director, Jan Hrebejk, co-wrote the film with Petr Jarchovsky. The pair worked together already on 2003's "Pupendo".

"Up and Down" was released in the US on February 27 and has been a regular at festivals. Vist the official site here. For the US trailer, visit Movie List.

UPDATE: "Up and Down" producers Total HelpArt inform us that the film actually picked four awards at the ceremony. Emilia Vásáryová was also recognised for her leading role. "Up and Down" is currently showing in the US. It will also doubtless be one of the hot tickets this year's Cannes Festival.

Eurimages greenlights 10 co-productions

The Council of Europe's Eurimages has announced that a total of 10 projects will receive part of the €3.4 million co-production fund. They include "The Golden Door" from Emanuele Crialese (Italy), "Madonen" from Maria Speth (Germany) and "Opowiesci Galicyjskie" from Dariusz Jablonski (Poland). Eurimages is also supporting the distribution of "Der Untergang/Downfall" and "Gegen die Wand" (Germany), "Kontroll" (Hungary) and "Cowboys & Angels" (Ireland) in different European territories.

See the full story on Eurimages.

Monaco to host Forum of Cinema & Literature

For the 4th time, Monaco will host the International Forum of Cinema & Literature between April 1-4. The event acts as an interface between the worlds of cinema and literature, with a literary rights market and screenings of book adaptations. Guests in previous years have included Jean-Jacques Beineix, Sidney Pollack, Mary Higgins Clark, Paulo Coelho, Philippe Geluck and Jim Sheridan.

Films being shown include the special premiere of L'Empire des Loups by Chris Nahon (from the book by Jean Christophe Grangè), starring Jean Reno and Laura Morante, in the presence of the cast and crew. Then there's A Good Woman by Mike Barker, starring Helene Hunt and Scarlett Johansson (based on Oscar Wilde's original work) and The Last Sign by Douglas Law, with Andie MacDowell, Tim Roth and Samuel Le Bihan (from "Un Soleil Trop Tard" by Anne Ray-Wendling).

For more details, check the Forum's website.