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.

Poland's "Strike" hits protest

According to a report in Cineuropa, Volker Schlondorff's "Strike" has hit a major snag. The film, released in Poland on February 23, is an account of the events that led up to Solidarnosc's strike that eventually brought down the Communist regime. But the film is based on the life of the union's creator, Anna Walentynowicz, and she is not happy at all. In fact, she has been fighting the project from the start and is now threatening legal action against the film. She cites numerous biographical inaccuracies and "historical untruths". Oops. Questioned about the accuracy, fellow Solidarnosc member Lech Walesa said, "It does not entirely reflect the strategy of participants in the 1980 strike but it is a good reflection of the situation up to 1970".

"Strike", written by Andreas Pflüger and Sylke Rene Meyer has been awarded with two Bavarian Film Awards, Best Actress for Katharina Thalbach and Best Cinematography for Andreas Höfer. It will be released in Germany on March 3.

Volker Schlondorff on Amazon UK
Volker Schlondorff on Amazon US

European cinema attendance and local films on the rise

Provisional figures from the European Audiovisual Observatory show that cinema attendance has grown over the past year, with local cinema finding more audiences. Total admissions in the 25 member states of the European Union rose by around 4% in relation to the preceding year, with 17 out of the 20 countries for which data is available registering a positive change. In major markets, Germany and France saw increases of over 7%. Spain and the UK were down somewhat. The most impressive gains were in Lithuania (+98%) while Estonia (+40.2%) and Latvia (+22.7%) also showed impressive increases. Double-digit growth was registered in Austria (+10.6%), the Czech Republic (+21.4%), Finland (+11.5%) and Slovenia (+10.8%), whilst preliminary results in the Slovak Republic (+ 54.3%) are the best since 1998.

The market share of local films also brought good news. France leads the way with 45%, only slightly less than the figure for US films (45.8%). Germany had the highest national market share since analyses began in 1991. Other countries reporting improved market shares for domestic films included Finland, where local films accounted for 23% of admissions, up from 15% in 2005 and the best result since 1999. Three out of sixteen domestic titles released during the year claimed a place in the annual Top 10, led by Aleksi Mäkelä's ski jump champion biopic "Matti - Hell is for Heroes" (photo). Domestic films also figured in the Top 10 in Estonia, where the success of two children's titles, animation "Lotte from Gadgetville" (an Estonian-Latvian co-production) and comedy "Ruudi" (an Estonian-Finnish-German co-production), brought national market share to just over 9%. In Slovenia the 10% market share registered is the highest since records began. Other Central and Eastern European countries registering improved national market shares included the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

Irish film and TV awards

The Irish Film & TV Awards were held on February 9, with awards going to what was clearly a very good year for Irish film generally. The two heavyweights this year were Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" (photo), which picked up the Best Film award, and "Breakfast on Pluto" that picked up the Best Script award for Neil Jordan and Pat McCabe. Cilliam Murphy also picked up a Best Actor award for his role in "Breakfast".

Also worth checking is "Small Engine Repair", written by Niall Heery. For the full list of winners, check the Irish Film & TV Awards.

UK: How to write a TV treatment

It's a well-known fact that TV offers more work for writers than anywhere else. And just like in movies, the producers are sighing, "Where are all the good writers?" To hopefully help you provide the answer, London's The Script Factory is running a special event aimed at getting you on the first rung of the ladder on March 29 & 30, 2007. "How to Write a TV Treatment" will be led by Yvonne Grace (who has worked in various writing and production roles for "Coronation Street", "Eastenders" and "Crossroads"), and there are only 12 places available. For details, visit The Script Factory.

Piaf biopic to premiere at the Berlinale

One of the season's big events will doubtless be the new bio-pic of the classic chanteuse Edith Piaf, called "La môme" or, for English speakers, "La vie en rose", which will premiere at the upcoming Berlinale festival. I saw a long trailer of this at Cannes, and the least you can say is that it looks lush. Olivier Dahan is credited as both writer and director. If bells are ringing, this is probably because he is the director of the spectacular "Crimson Rivers II". So we can reasonably expect a pretty big movie experience, not least because the cast includes Gerard Depardieu, Sylvie Testud and Jean-Paul Rouve. The singer herself is played by the suitably waif-like Marion Cotillard (with Jil Aigrot some of the actual singing).

"La vie en rose" will open in France and Germany in February, with other European countries later (and the UK in the autumn). To see the short trailer and more details en français, visit TFM distribution.

Edith Piaf on iTunes UK:


Edith Piaf on iTunes US:

Q&A with Kevin MacDonald and Giles Foden

"The Last King of Scotland", the first fiction feature from Oscar-winning documentary director Kevin Macdonald, is rooted in the reality of Idi Amin's brutal rule in Uganda. Wooed by the president's generosity, charm and apparent populist appeal, young Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) agrees to become Amin's personal physician and soon finds himself appointed number-one advisor on all manner of subjects, from architecture to foreign policy. By the time he is forced to face the atrocities of Amin's command, the doctor is already in over his head. A bold combination of comedy and horror that balances psychological insight and historical facts, the film's success is founded on a monumental performance from Forest Whitaker. The film is based on a book by Giles Foden.

Curzon Soho in London are hosting a screening followed by a Q&A session with MacDonald and Foden on Friday January 12 at 6.30 pm. For details, visit Curzon Cinemas.

Screenplay Europe: Search by theme

Just a note about a new function on Screenplay Europe. I have been spending time re-organising the posts over the past two years to make it easier to find items. If you're only interested in German cinema, or would like an overview of festivals news, you can find them by clicking on the relevant tabs on an article. I still have to classify about half of the news items. You can find the most popular ones below. Happy hunting.