"California Dreamin'" sways Brussels

Cristian Nemescu's "California Dreamin'" (co-written with Tudor Voican) was the clear overall winner in the recent Brussels European Film Festival, picking up awards as Best Film, the Audience favourite and an award from TV channel Canvas. Producer Andrei Boncea picked up the awards in the absence of the director, who tragically died in a car accident during post-production. Another noted winner was Gabriel Range's "Death of a President".

The festival also runs a pitching competition, this time won by Spain's Susana Lopez Rubo for "You Can Change Your Life in Ten Seconds" and Belgium's Robert Scarpa for "Délocalisé".

for the full list of winners, visit the BEFF.

European fest to kick off in Brussels

Brussels 5th European Film festival will kick off on June 29, running until July 7. Belgium, like most European countries already has a busy line-up of film festivals. The Brussels event stands out by focussing on first or second features from European directors. Amongst those being shown this year are "The Art of Crying" by Peter Schonau Fog on a script by Bo Hansen, "Voleurs de chevaux/Horse Thieves" by Micha Wald on a script by Jean-Paul De Zaeytijd and "Does it Hurt (The First Balkan Dogma)" by Aneta Lesnikovska. Seven avant-premieres have been set up and Belgium's Cinémathèque will be showing some pearls from its vaults on the square facing the venue.

The festival will also be handing out an award in its second pitch contest. More details will follow closer to the day.

For full details in French, Dutch and English, visit European Film Festival.

UK's Screenwriter Festival posts programme

This year's Screenwriter Festival in Cheltenham, July 3-6, has an exciting programme that has been split into two broad sections. The two-day Rising Talent section will focus on issues of most interest to writers trying to break into the sector. Agent Julian Friedmann, Tony Jordon (writer of "Life on Mars"), reps from the BBC's Writers Room and William Nicholson ("Gladiator") are amongst the many speakers. The second "pro" section features a script market, Michael Goldernberg (the latest "Harry Potter"), a section on Spanish cinema and Simon Oakes, CEO of Hammer Films on the re-launch of the studios.

For more details, visit Screenwriter's Festival.

Cannes 2007: Script award for Fatih Akin

Already one of the darlings of Germany's new cinema, Fatih Akin has picked up the screenplay award at Cannes for "The Edge of Heaven/Auf der anderen seite/Yasamin kiyisinda" as well as picking up the award from the Ecumenical Jury. Why three titles? Because Fatih Akin is a German of Turkish descent who has taken another look at the lives of people affected by the two countries. His first film, "Head On", was already an uncompromising quest for identity. He followed it with "Crossing the Bridge", a commendable documentary about musicians in Istanbul. He says of the characters in "The Edge of Heaven", that "they reflect a part of me, something that changes every day, because I change my mind every day. And I was inspired by the people I met during my trip to Turkey for 'Crossing the Bridge', people who are trying to change the world with music. Activism and political passion can be very sexy."

For the full interview, see Cineuropa. For the official site of "The Edge of Heaven" (in Turkish).

"Grave Decisions" picks up German script award

Germany has just dished out its Lola awards for local movies. The country has been on an upward swing for 10 years, when "Run, Lola, Run" opened a series of remarkable movies including "Goodbye Lenin" and more recently "Downfall" and "Other People's Lives". Perhaps not coincidentally, the awards are called Lolas, and in the latest ceremony "Grave Decisions" picked up awards for the best direction (Marcus H . Rosenmueller) and best screenplay (Marcus H . Rosenmueller and Christian Lerch) as well as picking up a joint Silver Lola with "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer".

"Grave Decisions/Wer früher stirbt, ist länger tot" is a comedy produced by Roxy Film in Bavaria, following a young boy whose mother died at his birth. When he later realises this, he tries to find a new wife for his father. It works, except that the new love is already married.

Interestingly, this is a first feature for both Rosenmueller and Lerch (who is also a noted sound designer). Check the official site in German.

The full list of Lolas:

Best Film - Gold Lola:
Four Minutes by Chris Kraus

Best Film – Silver Lola:
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Tom Tykwer and Grave Decisions by Marcus H . Rosenmueller

Best Children's Film:
Hands Off Mississippi by Detlev Buck

Best Documentary Director:
Workingman's Death by Michael Glawogger

Best Actress:
Monica Bleibtreu (Four Minutes)

Best Actor:
Josef Bierbichler (Winter Journey)

Best Supporting Actress:
Hannah Herzsprung (Life Actually)

Best Supporting Actor:
Devid Striesow (The Counterfeiter)

Lifetime Achievement: Armin Mueller-Stahl

Best Director:
Marcus H . Rosenmueller (Grave Decisions)

Best Screenplay:
Christian Lerch, Marcus H. Rosenmueller (Grave Decisions)

Best Cinematography:
Frank Griebe (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Best Editing:
Alexander Brenner (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Best Production Design:
Uli Hanisch (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Best Costume Design:
Pierre-Yves Gayraud (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Best Score:
Gerd Baumann (Grave Decisions)

Best Sound Design:
Stefan Busch, Dirk Jacob, Michael Kranz, Frank Kruse, Matthias Lempert, Hanse Warns, Roland Winke (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

UK event investigates the "dark art" of script development

Script development is often the subject of debate in Europe, usually followed by the claim that there is not enough of it. But what does it entail? A UK event will look at what they call the "dark art" of script development. I quote: "Who are these people who have been granted the right to fiddle with our scripts? And what is the dark magic they practice? Great script development can free a potentially brilliant script from the snags that are holding it back but for many writers and directors it remains a frustrating enigma.

An evening of questions and answers with two of the most respected script executives in the country Dan MacRae and Sarah Golding. Don't think about writing another script until you've heard what they have to say.

Dan was formerly Deputy Head of the Development Fund at the UK Film Council and an Executive at Working Title. His credits include RED ROAD and the forthcoming ATONEMENT.

Sarah is currently Head of Development for Potboiler Productions and was previously Head of Development for Skreba Films, Development Manager at Zenith Productions and Script Consultant for Yorkshire Television and Fair Game Films. Her credits include THE CONSTANT GARDENER, DEEP WATER, BROTHERS OF THE HEAD and the forthcoming THE BEST TIME OF OUR LIVES".

Date: Wednesday 9th May
Time: Doors and bar open at 6.30pm, event from 7.30pm
Venue: Lighthouse, 28 Kensington Street, Brighton, BN1 4AJ
Cost: £5/£4 concs Lighthouse’s Digital Lounge. Spaces are limited. Reservations at info@lighthouse.org.uk.

European movie houses to award European movies at Cannes

I've always thought that the discussions about scriptwriting should be opened more towards other players in the chain. The people that run movie houses, for example, are never included. But at the end of the day, they are the ones that decide to run a movie and eventually decide to pull the plug!

So I was interested to learn that a network of European movie houses has been awarding prizes to European films at Cannes and other festivals for four years already. Once again, it will be awarding its Label prize to the best European film in the Directors’ Fortnight/Quinzaine des Réalisateurs section.

A jury of four Europa Cinemas exhibitors will award the Label at Cannes, with the winning film receiving the invaluable support of extended theatrical exposure and additional promotion from the Europa Cinemas network. Previous winners have included 12 :08 East of Bucharest / A Fost sau n-a fost?, Live and Become / Va, Vis et Deviens and more recently Spain's Camino de los ingleses/Summer Rain at the Berlinale. To find out more, click the logo above

Crossing Europe awards

The Austrian festival that features a strong East European slant gave its awards this weekend. Director Pia Marais picked up the European Competition with "Die Unerzogenen/The Unpolished" (Germany 2007) co-written with Horst Markgraf. The audience voted for "Avril/April" by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu for the Ray Audience Prize. The CROSSING EUROPE Award Local Artist was split for the first time, going to Libertad Hackl for "Bleiben will ich, wo ich nie gewesen bin" and to Lukas Marxt and Michael Petri for "Nach der Eishöhle". The jury distinguished the work "Fatsy" by Oliver Stang and Christian Tod with an Honourable Mention. Visit the blog here.

Anton Corbijn film to open Director's Fortnight

Dutch rock photographer Anton Corbijn's "Control" will open the Cannes' Director's Fortnight with a biopic about the Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, who killed himself at the age of 23. The film, written by Matt Greenhalgh and based on the book "Touching From a Distance" by Curtis' wife Deborah, looks at the last years of his life when he was battling with epilepsy and an increasingly confusing private life.

The après-showing party will be attended by Bono as well as members of Depeche Mode and New Order. Will anyone take to the stage? Likely, but who?

"Reprise" wins main and writing award at Lecce

Norway's "Reprise", directed by Joachim Trier and co-written with Eskil Vogt, picked up the main "Golden Olive" award in a tie with Christian Wagner's "Warchild" at Lecce's European Film Festival and went on to pick up the main award for the screenplay. The jury cited, "its ability to tell an extraordinary love story in an original way, and its complex tale rich in metaphors about life and creation". Mentioning the screenplay, it hailed, "the harmonious way it brings together classic narrative elements and elements with fragmented tones".

Vogt is an award-winning short film writer and director who has worked in France and was noted for "The Embrace/Une étreinte" and "Les étrangers/Foreigners".

More about the Lecce European festival.

Writers create first "Zarbi" award for Cannes

For two years now, a group of writers led by Jacques Gumbau have organised writer events at Cannes. This year, they are in the last stages of organising the first Grand Prix Zarbi du Scénario. The idea is not to celebrate the best writing, but to put the spotlight on more off-beat scripts, "scenarios that stand out through their intention, style or theme - even if they are unfilmable," says Gumbau. Scripts in the running feature murder, sex, parodies and combinations of the above! There are a number of high-profile writing contests in France already. Zarbi aims at being more low-key, and will provide a networking event at Cannes itself.

To submit scripts (in French), sign up on ScenaristesEnHerbe.

French "filmists" looking for short ideas

The Parisian moviemakers "les Filmistes" are, according to a post on Version-Finale.com, looking for ideas for ultra-short films. I quote: "The principle: a theme, one minute, a film and three weeks to produce it." In actual fact, many of the films on their site are considerably longer. Check them out, there are some well-shot and well-edited pieces. There is also a wide variety of styles. "The regularity of the sessions encourages members to develop their own narrative environment... The idea is more important than the means."

In all, Les Filmistes have produced 150 shorts in 3 years, which is not bad going. Check them out here. If you run a short-movie event, why not check to see if they have anything that is up your street?

Brussels: literature and adaptations

This Friday, April 20, an interesting event will bring together scriptwriters and writers for a discussion about adaptations in Brussels. Books remain a very important source for new films, as producers try to build on the success of a writer by transposing his work to the screen. But the field is rife with pitfalls. This event will look at the issue from an African viewpoint, although the actual writing issues are probably the same no matter what language or culture you work from.

Guests include directors such as Toumani Sangare who are attending the Afrique Taille XL festival and the Canadian scriptwriter Marcel Beaulieu. The discussion will be chaired by Isabelle Fauvel, who develops films through Initiative Film in Paris.

For details, visit Afrique Taille XL. Don't forget to catch some of the African films on show, as they are only too rarely shown in Europe.

UK Screenwriter Festival extends short film deadline

The UK's Screenwriter Festival is running a short script competition whose deadline has been extended to April 12 (yikes). I quote:

Script_1 is an initiative of the Screenwriters' Festival and allows new screenwriters to turn their own ideas into a short film script, with free workshop training, and the winning entries receive cash prizes and entry to the Festival Rising Talent Days. Last year's winners were awarded their prizes at the Festival by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park).

We have extended the closing date for your initial outline synopsis to this Thursday 12th April as our Easter present. You only need a short paragraph summary of your story to enter. See the website for rules and entry requirements. It is open only to residents in the South West Of England.

To apply click - www.screenwritersfestival.com/script1.php

RIP: Luigi Comencini

Luigi Comencini, one of the fathers of Italy's "commedia italiana" style died on April 6 in Rome. Along with Ettore Scola, Dino Risi and an incredible wave of actors, the commedia italiana was the dominant genre throughout the sixties. Comencini's best known films include Pane, amore e fantasia (Bread, Love and Dreams, 1953), Tutti a casa (Everybody Go Home, 1960), Lo scopone scientifico (The Scientific Game, 1972), episodes of Don Camillo as well as La donna della domenica (The Sunday Woman, 1975) and Quelle strane occasioni (Strange Occasion, 1976). Comencini was 90.

Fast Forward Ireland to host 24-hour challenge

Following the example of a similar events in the US and continental Europe, Fast Forward Ireland is hosting a challenge to write and shoot a 3-minute short in 24 hours on April 13-14. Teams must register beforehand and will receive the theme at the same time. The organisers promise craic, high-fives and the possibility of your film doing the rounds of the other events. So why do it? "People still want to make films in Ireland, and we know this for sure now," according to the website. "We've also seen these people come out of the woodwork and make fantastic movies over the last year at each fast festival we've had."

For more details, register by clicking on the logo above.

"Man from the Embassy" picks up writing award

Argentina's 22nd Mar del Plata Film Festival, closed on March 18 with a record attendance of 190,000 spectators. The jury, led by American director Charles Burnett, proved particularly appreciative of the European entries. Best writing award went to Dito Tsintzade's "The Man from the Embassy", about a disillusioned German embassy official in Georgia whose life changes when a local boy tries to rob him.

Full award list:

Golden Astor
Fiction, by Cesc Gay (Spain)

Special Jury Prize
Gardens in Autumn, by Otar Iosseliani (France/Italy/Russia)

Silver Astor for best director (ex aequo)
Marina Spada for As the Shadow (Italy) and Hong Sang-soo for Woman On The Beach (South Korea)

Silver Astor for best actress
Sandra Hueller for Madonnas (Germany)

Silver Astor for best actor
Carlos Resta for La Peli (Argentina)

Silver Astor for best screenplay
Zaza Rusadze and Dito Tsintsadze for The Man From The Embassy (Germany/Georgia)

Special Mention
The Greatest Love in the World, by Carlos Diegues (Brazil)

Ernesto Che Guevara Award for the best film at the Latin American competition
M, by Nicolas Prividera (Argentina)

Special mentions
Suely In The Sky, by Karim Aïnouz (Brazil)
Red Land, by Ramiro Gomez (Paraguay)

FIPRESCI Award
M, by Nicolas Prividera (Argentina)

FIPRESCI Award for best Latin American film of 2006
Suely In The Sky

Cinecolor Audience Award
Ciudad En Celo, by Hernan Gaffet (Argentina)

Signis Award
Fiction

791 Prize for artistic innovation
It Happened Just Before, by Anja Salomonowitz (Austria)

For full details, visit the Mar del Plata festival.

10th screenwriters fest in France

The 10th screenwriters festival will be held in Bourges, France between March 28 and April 1. Guest of honour this year is Nicole Garcia, and a special event will celebrate music in film. Yet traditionally one of the most interesting aspects of the festival is the criée des scénaristes - writers' auction - which gives writers 10 minutes to pitch their projects. It's a hairy undertaking but a great experience. Another regular is the short film writing marathon.

The festival also features workshops, seminars and readings. For full details, visit ScenarioauLongCourt.com.
Nicole Garcia sur Amazon FR

Fade In pitch fest calling for entries

A new pitch event is about to be launched. Fade In is a new script development outfit based in Hungary that has the ambitious plan to run a pitch contest with development and a cash prize as the main award. The Fade In Central European Pitch Forum will be held between 27 and 30 September 2007 at the Pécs International Film Festival in the south of Hungary. The event, basically a screenplay market, is designed to locate the hottest of the new screenwriting talent in the whole of Europe and facilitate their meeting with some of the best producers in the continent.

12 shortlisted writers will get an opportunity for a one-month online consultation session with acclaimed international story editors to perfect their scripts. After a rewriting period, between 27-30 September 2007 they are invited on an all-expenses paid trip to the Pécs International Film Festival. Following a two-day intensive pitch training from the best coaches the 12 writers can pitch their stories in front of 15 prominent European producers.

submissions are from March 1 to May 15.

UK: Prepare for Cannes 2007

Two heavyweights are coming together to provide a practical seminar for UK filmmakers. Chris Jones, himself a filmmaker and author of the highly recommended "Guerrilla Film Makers Handbook", and Ben Craig, who runs CannesGuide.com and writes the equally-recommended "Virgin's Guide to Cannes" (right), will host an event at the Ealing Studios on March 20. I quote: "Ben’s seminar will offer detailed, practical and pragmatic techniques and tips so that YOU can maximise your impact and minimise your spend. And don’t think that Cannes is just for producers and directors, the savvy actors, writers, editors, DP’s and other crew members are all there too, rubbing shoulders with the power players and making new relationships that can lead to amazing new opportunities."

The entry of £15 includes a copy of the "Virgins Guide". This event is highly recommended. For details, visit Living Spirit.