UK's South West Screen's Script Development Fund deadline

The UK's South West Screen's Script Development Fund offers an opportunity to get the help you need to develop scripts for feature length cinematic and longer length TV drama.

It is open to writers living and working in the South West region and 3 awards of up to £2000 each will be made under the scheme. Each recipient will also benefit from one-to-one script development tailored to their individual needs.

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on 22 February. The application pack and guidelines can be found on South West Screen's website.

France's Césars awards nominate "A Very Long Engagement"

France's annual movie awards, the Césars, should be good to Jeunet's "Un long dimanche de fiançailles/A Very Long Engagement". The film is nominated for 12 awards, including Best Film and Best Screenplay. "Engagement" was stripped of its French nationality by a French court last year, but the César organisers had changed the regulations enabling French-speaking fims to be eligible months before.

Best Screenplay
Arnaud Desplechin, Roger Bohbot - "Kings And Queen"
Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri - "Comme une image/Look At Me"
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guillaume Laurant - "A Very Long Engagement"
Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalya Lacroix - "L'Esquive"
Olivier Marchal, Franck Mancuso, Julien Rappenneau - "36, Quai Des Orfevres"

Jean-Pierre Jeunet on Amazon UK
Jean-Pierre Jeunet in Amazon US
Jean-Pierre Jeunet on Amazon France

Gegen die Wand/Head On: London screening and DVD release

The multi-award-winning "Gegen die Wand/Head On", by Fatih Akim, is to receive a special screening at London's Curzon Cinema on January 27 followed by a Q&A session with the director and editor Andrew Bird. "Head On" is a hard-hitting look at two second generation Turkish misfits tearing each other apart in an attempt to get their lives together. It features remarkable performances from the main leads Birol Ünel and particularly Sibel Kekilli (photo).

Gegen die Wand's full awards include:
Best European Film, European Film Awards 2004
Golden Bear, Berlin 2004
FIPRESCI Award, Berlin 2004
Best Actor & Best Actress, Nuremberg 2004
Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Leading Actress, Best Leading Actor, Best Cinematography, German Film Awards 2004

The film, still playing in several countries across Europe, is also being released on DVD in France on January 26. See also Curzon Cinemas.

"Edukators" and "Marseille" please the critics

"The Edukators" (Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei) is the big winner at this year's German Film Critics Awards, winning in the categories of Best Feature Film and Best Actress. The film (photo) was a strongly-tipped competition entry for director Hans Weingartner at Cannes 2003 (with a script co-written with Katharina Held). At the same awards, writer/director Angela Schanelec picked up an award for her script for "Marseille'".

The awards will be presented at the Max Ophuels Prize Film Festival in Saarbruecken on 20 January.

French and Italian scriptwriters on the web

The web is a vast resource, but the biggest resource is probably the people you can find while you're out there. The writers on Version-Finale (picture) and Sceneggiatori discuss all things scripty in French and Italian respectively. Both are good resources. What you get are tips, advice, links, competition and festival news and the inevitable forum - the place to pick up the latest gossip and sometimes fiery discussion. As with other discussion groups and forums, the more you contribute the more you are likely to get an interesting reply when you post a question or request. Sceneggiatori (literally "scriptwriters" in Italian) also has a newsgroup at "free.it.sceneggiatori". Check it out.

Remember that the Vache Violette project for presenting pitches at Cannes is being run by writers from Version-Finale. For details, check this previous post.

Script & Pitch Workshops: deadline approaching

The deadline for applications for the Script & Pitch Workshops is February 15, 2005. One of several projects supported by the EU's Media Plus programme, the Workshops aim to develop a "European style" (their emphasis) in scriptwriting for cinema and TV. Both the participants and tutors come from a wide variety of countries that now include the newer Member States plus Bulgaria. The courses consist of three workshops in Italy, France and Finland accompanied by continued onlin tutoring. The goal is to have 16 ready-to-shoot scripts. All courses are in English. Fees are €2,000 (€1,500 for writers from new Member States).

For more information, visit Holden Lab.

Sweden: 3 films dominate local awards

Three films stand to win in the upcoming Guldbagges, Sweden's annual cinema awards: Tomas Alfredson’s black comedy "Four Shades of Brown", first-time film maker Maria Blom’s comedy drama "Dalecarlians" and last year’s biggest local box office success, Kay Pollak’s "As It Is in Heaven". All three are notably in the race for the "Best Screenplay" award. This leaves two critical successes out in the cold: Lukas Moodysson's "A Hole in my Heart" and Teresa Fabik's teenage drama "The Ketchup Effect (Hip-Hip Hora!)".

For more details, check the Swedish Film Institute.

BBC Scotland to organise TV drama workshops and screenings

According to a report on The Stage Online: "BBC Scotland is holding a day of screenings, seminars and practical workshops on television drama on January 21. Applicants for the event in Aberdeen need to send a CV, a letter explaining their interest in TV drama, a sample of writing and an idea for a programme by January 14. For more information write to Julie Fraser, Project Producer, The Writers Factory Screenwriting Programme, Scottish Screen, 2nd Floor, 249 West George Street, Glasgow, G2 4QE or call 0141 302 1700."

Click here for more from Stage Online.

Meet Chris Collins in London January 13

The London-based Script Factory is hosting a meeting with producer Chris Collins, perhaps best-known for "Tomorrow la Scala" for BBC Films and the more recent "My Summer of Love". He will talk to members of the Script Factory on January 13. Quoting from the website: "Chris Collins... has championed some of the most challenging and innovative writers and directors working in the UK film industry. Chris joins us for this exclusive Members-only event to talk about the creative journey from script to screen of this remarkable British movie".

For details, click here.

Update Jan 3: The event is now fully booked. To be kept abreast of Script Factory events, sign up for their newsletter or become a member.

Cannes 2005: French-speaking scriptwriters take the bull by the horns

Under the unlikely working title of Vache Violette, a selection of French-speaking scriptwriters are coming together to present their pitches to the Cannes film community. Coming from France, Belgium and Canada, the writers will print a selection and put them under the noses of producers and agents in a way that has never been tried before. Other writers are welcome. Working knowledge of French is advisable. For details, sign up (for free) on Scenaristes en herbe.

"Adventure in Shorts" follows the jump from indie shorts to features

Two years ago, London-based Ashvin Kumar posted a notice asking for a crew to join him in a non-paid gig on the Indian-Pakistani border. The ensuing film, "Road to Ladakh", won dozens of awards and is now being re-made by Richard Dreyfuss' production company. But before arriving on the screen, it suffered countless setbacks including drunken drivers, torrential rain and the lead actor breaking his arm. Kumar's ensuing film, "Little Terrorist", was another trial of endurance that was again highly praised.

These shorts and their tales have been packaged as a DVD that will interest guerilla film-makers, and provide a cautionary tale. They are completemented by a documentary on Kumar's subsequent visit to Cannes.

For more information, visit the official site. To buy the DVD, click here.

Russian cinema about to explode

Russia has always had a unique and powerful cinema, starting with one of the early masters, Eisenstein. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the country went through a long curve of importing largely American TV and movies. But last year, Russia produced some 120 features - half the number in France, for example, but still a significant number. Consistent investment over the past 10 years has led to the creation of new studios and facilities. Unlike the rest of Europe, Russian cinema has started to focus very quickly on popular cinema. The most recent example is "Night Watch", which has broken all previous box office records and is Russia's candidate for a Best Foreign Language Oscar. The rights have been bought by Fox Searchlight, with talks of an English-language version.

Speaking to Screen International, producer Konstantin Ernst is upbeat about the future: "I see the Russian market developing along the lines of the Japanese market, rather than the European model. Like Japan, 30-40% of the market will be locally-produced. The Russian economy is growing and it is going to continue to grow. Russian audiences want to see big budget Russian films and this is the kind of film we are going to see produced. For five years Russian audiences wanted to see American TV programmes but after seven years we began to produce our own. Now we are going to see the same with films."

"Zelary" playing in the US

Fellow movie bloggers "DougandHannah" have pointed out that Ondrej Trojan's gripping "Zelary" is still playing in a few places in the US. The film was the Czech Republic's candidate for a Best Foreign-Language Film for the Oscars last year. The tale is set in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. Two people from different backgrounds are thrown violently together. Moving but not afraid to pull punches, "Zelary" is a harrowing tale of love during war. The story is taken from a famous novel written by an 80 year-old, Kveta Legatova, who also wrote the script. For more details, read this interesting article from Radio Prague. Read DougandHannah's review here and check US times here.

Oscar nominee "Alzheimer" ripe for re-make

Belgium's hit thriller "De Zaak Alzheimer/the Alzheimer Case" is being prepared for a re-make in the US prior to the film's release there. Written by Erik Van Looy and Carl Joos (on a novel by Jef Geeraerts), the Flemish-language film tells the tale of two Antwerp cops on the trail of a killer with memory problems. The film has been seen by 750,000 people since October and won 4 times at Belgium's annual movie awards.

It is Belgium's nomination for a foreign-language Oscar. This means it is up against movies such as "Les choristes/The Chorus", "Kontroll", "Downfall" and "The Sea Inside".

"Basic Instinct" writer looks at Hungarian water polo!

According to a report in Screen International, Joe Eszterhas, the Hungarian-born writer of "Basic Instinct", "Flashdance" and "Showgirls" is looking at dramatising the 1956 water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union. Against a backdrop of the Hungarian Revolution, the two teams met at the Olympic semi-finals in Melbourne. The ensuing match is considered to be one of the most violent sports events ever, leaving the pool red with blood.

Eszterhas is also the author of the aptly-named "Hollywood Animal", a tale of greed in movieland. Since contracting throat cancer, it was not felt he would return to writing. The as yet unnamed film is slated for a 2006 release, in time for the 50th anniversary of the match.

"Hollywood Animal" on Amazon US
"Hollywood Animal: A Memoir" on Amazon UK

European Film Awards salute Germany and Spain

Germany and Spain came out as the big winners in this year's European Film Awards, held in Barcelona this weekend. Over a 2-hour ceremony, Germany's Fatih Akin (photo) was first on the podium to pick up the People’s Choice Award for best European director with "Head On/Gegen Die Wand", a drama about an impossible mixed-race love affair that is playing across Europe. He was also the last when "Head On" was later crowned as the best European film of 2004. Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri won yet another award when their "Look At Me/Comme Une Image" was judged best screenplay. Other significant awards included actors Imelda Staunton for "Vera Drake", Penelope Cruz for "Non ti muovere/Don't Move" and Daniel Bruehl for "Love In Thoughts/Was Nutzt Die Liebe In Gedanken".

Globally, the awards rightly recognised the strength and diversity of current film-making in Germany and Spain. For the full list of winners, visit EFA.

Scenario mag offers extracts from recent films in French

Scenario-Mag.com, one of several French sites devoted to scriptwriting, recently decided to throw even more focus on actual scripts. The site currently features 12 pages from "Narco", the tale of a narcoleptic starring Benoit Poelvoorde in an unlikely pairing with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Gilles Lellouche wrote the screenplay from the original story by Alain Attal and Philippe Lefebvre.

Although they are widely available in English, it is hard to find screenplays in French. So Scenario-mag's initiative is invaluable for writers and movie buffs. Other extracts available on the site include "Swimming Pool" and "Un long dimanche de fiançailles/A Very Long Engagement".

To find out more, visit Scenario-Mag.com.

Scriptunities lists UK opportunities and competitions

Scriptunities, a UK site with extensive lists of competitions and learning possibilities, has just been updated for Christmas with 7 pages of competitions opportunities and contacts mostly with a UK/Europe connection. The list is available as a PDF download or browse online.

Go to Scriptunities

"Banlieue 13" banned from Brussels major complex

In the sort of publicity that many films would dearly pay for, the latest Luc Besson production "Banlieue 13" (Suburb 13) has been banned from Brussels largest cinema complex Kinepolis. The stylish, acrobatic gang movie written by Bibi Naceri ("La mentale/The Code") and Besson and directed by Pierre Morel fell foul of the complex which has had problems with young gangs and preferred not to create further tension. "Banlieue 13" is showing at other complexes that belong to the same group in other towns, and has caused no incidents in France where 500,000 people have already seen it in two weeks.

Visit the official site and message board (in French) here.

"Banlieue 13" on Amazon FR
Luc Besson On Amazon UK

German movies open LA's AFI fest and pick up award

Made In Germany, the 5th Festival of German films, took place during the recent AFI Fest in Los Angeles. Writer/director Fatih Akin was on hand to enjoy the applause first hand when "Gegen Die Wand" opened the festival. "Made in Germany" subsequently featured "Lautlos" (soundless) by Mennan Yapo, and the children's film "Wer Uesst Schon Einen Leguan?" (Secondhand Child) by Karola Hattop was presented by screenwriter Michael Demuth. Amongst the other films, documentaries and shorts, the Audience Award for short film went to "Meine Eltern" (My Parents) by Neele Leana Vollmar.

"Gegen Die Wand" is currently playing in several European countries and will be available on DVD in January 2005. Read more about "Gegen". The next festival of German film will be held in Australia in April 2005.