Wednesday 26 May 2010

Ireland's illegal filesharers could face internet ban

According to the BBC, the Irish government is taking measures to crack down on internet piracy, in a move that could see offenders banned from the web for a year.

Eircom, the nation's largest Internet Service Provider, has begun writing to those guilty of illegal file-sharing - with specific emphasis on those who share rather than simply download copyrighted material - requesting that they cease doing so, which will then be followed by further warnings if necessary. If after four warnings the individual is still persisting with illegal activities, they will be cut off for a year.

The BBC writes:

"It is the first nation to implement such a system. France is also planning to introduce a similar policy. UK watchdog Ofcom is due to publish its code of conduct for how UK ISPs should deal with net pirates later this week."

Read more here.

Tuesday 25 May 2010

Iranian director Panahi released on bail

Jafar Panahi, the acclaimed Iranian director imprisoned for more than two months by his government, has been released on bail today. The director had been on hunger strike for over a week in protest at his arrest and subsequent incarceration.

A vocal critic of the Iranian regime, Panahi’s films portray everyday life in Iran, paying special attention to its women and their struggles in the conservative Islamic state. He is a previous recipient of the Camera d’Or at Cannes (for The White Balloon) and was invited to sit on the jury at this year’s festival. Instead, he was a symbolic guest of honour, and his detainment was criticised by award-winning actress Juliette Binoche in her acceptance speech at the festival’s closing ceremony.

According to the Iranian Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini, Panahi was arrested for directing an “anti-regime” film about the disputed election result last year that saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reinstated under a cloud of controversy. He is one of thousands to have been detained as a result of the protests that followed, and although most have since been freed, a number were sentenced to lengthy prison spells, whilst two of those put on trial were executed.

Monday 24 May 2010

BBC4's night at the opera

The Opera Italia series kicks off on BBC4 tonight at 9pm with Beginnings, followed next week by Viva Verdi, and Flavia Rittner is responsible for directing both episodes.


The programme sees Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, trace the history of Italian opera, and explore the central role it plays in the country's history and culture. For more info, click here.

A look at Longinotto's career in C21Media

C21Media recently published an article focussing on the career of acclaimed British filmmaker Kim Longinotto, chronicling her work so far and speaking to the director about her past and present projects.

Longinotto’s films, which include Rough Aunties and The Day I Will Never Forget, are renowned for speaking out about women’s issues across the globe, and latest documentary Pink Saris, which centres on a group of female vigilantes looking to bring greater social justice to India, is a good example of this.

The director spoke to C21Media about what attracted her to this project, how she is developing as a filmmaker and how she believes a director’s gender is having less influence on the films they make.

""Men are starting to make very sensitive, very beautiful films and women - like, say, Kathryn Bigelow - are making manly films. So maybe that question of gender is gradually becoming obsolete."

To read more, click here.

Catch The Curse of the Hope Diamond tonight

The Curse of the Hope Diamond, which was directed by Mark Radice, is to be broadcast tonight at 8pm on Channel 4.

Filmed in Europe, India and the US, the documentary tells the story of the largest blue diamond in the world: its history, owners and infamous curse - and its mysterious physical properties, which include a red glow that has baffled scientists for decades.


For more info, click here. If you're a Directors UK member and would like to tell us about your recent project, why not get in touch?

Thai film surprise recipient of 2010 Palme d’Or

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives was the winner of this year’s Palme d’Or – the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival – beating the favourite Another Year by British director Mike Leigh.

Uncle Boonmee..., directed by Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, is a supernatural drama which tells the story of a dying man visited by his deceased wife and missing son, who has taken the form of an ape.

Weerasethakul’s film had received mostly positive reviews, but was seen as an outsider to former Palme d’Or winner Leigh’s latest feature. Another Year, featuring long-time Leigh collaborators Jim Broadbent and Lesley Manville, was similarly lauded by Cannes’ critics, but lost out to the esteemed Thai director.

For all the other winners, please click here.

Martin wins with Mo and Forbes for The Force at the BAFTA Craft Awards

Directors Philip Martin and Patrick Forbes were celebrating last night, after triumphing at the prestigious BAFTA Television Craft Awards in London.

Martin was awarded Best Director (Fiction) for his work on Mo, the acclaimed drama starring Julie Walters as the late Mo Mowlam. He prevailed in a strong category that also featured James Hawes, for his work on Enid, Yann Demange, who was nominated for the second series of Criminal Justice, and Wallander director Aisling Walsh.

In Factual, Forbes secured the BAFTA for his direction on The Force, a three-part documentary on modern policing. Forbes beat off tough competition in his category too, with Nick Read (The Slumdog Children of Mumbai), Dan Reed (Dispatches: Terror in Mumbai) and Annabel Gillings (How the Earth Made Us: Water) also nominated.

Directors UK would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees at this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Awards. For a full list of winners, click here.

Friday 21 May 2010

Dispatches documentary-making at its best, says Guardian

The latest episode of Dispatches, The Lost Children of South Africa has been praised by The Guardian website today, as a stand-out episode in what the writer calls an impressive, “heart-rending” series.
This week’s film has been made by director Brian Woods’ company True Vision, and the episode directed by his wife Deborah Shipley. What was commissioned as a World Cup-related film developed into a shocking and moving tale of young school girls living in fear of abuse.

It was reported at the start of 2010 that Channel 4 would be cutting back on the number of episodes of Dispatches it produce, although new chief executive David Abraham is currently considering future programming. The Guardian called the documentary “a good example of the drive to inform, alive and kicking, that harks back to Channel 4's founding principles, when it vowed to back committed documentary makers”.

Cuts coming say Conservatives, but culture no "soft target"

Jeremy Hunt gave his first public speech since taking over as culture secretary, and though he conceded spending cuts were necessary, “culture will not be a soft target”.

Hunt delivered his speech at the Roundhouse in London, in front of an audience of invited guests from various quangos, museums, theatres and arts organisations. He announced that a larger portion of lottery profits will be allocated to the arts, but that probable cuts would result in a gap in spending next year.

Meanwhile, there is speculation on website The Knowledge that the new coalition government – albeit one which has only Conservatives in the DCMS – may look to limit Ofcom’s role, and review the Digital Economy Bill.

Read more here and here.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

TV leads the way in piracy fight, according to The Economist

Two interesting article appeared in The Economist last month, detailing the impact of piracy on television compared to film and music.

Whilst piracy is similarly rife in all three industries, and the availability of torrents for popular shows such as Lost widespread, The Economist believes measures taken by the television industry – such as broadcasting shows to foreign audiences faster, and embracing services like Hulu - coupled with the nature of the medium in comparison to film and music, means there is cause for (cautious) optimism for the future.

The article also notes that, unlike with film, audiences have often already paid for programmes through subscription services such as Sky, so have no need to watch illegally. “Television has”, according to The Economist, “endured because it has responded better to such threats than other media businesses...and other outfits are learning from [it]”.

Read more here and here.

Candid at Cannes: Frears and Walker speak about their new films

Two articles and interviews with two very different British directors showing films at this year’s Cannes appeared in the press today.

Firstly, Stephen Frears spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about his latest film Tamara Drewe, which had its debut screening at the festival (out of competition). Frears talks about how he took Tamara Drewe from the pages of The Guardian to the big screen, and what it is people love about British films.

"What people really like about British film is the loonies on screen. Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, maybe John Cleese -- that's what people like in British films, the dottiness...It's good, because personally I have dottiness in spades." (More here

In The Times, documentary-maker Lucy Walker gives an interview about her shocking new film Countdown to Zero. The doc, which explores the threat of nuclear warfare facing the world today, features interviews with a notorious nuclear smuggler from Russia now in a Georgian prison, and Walker explains how she managed to gain access.

" To get into the prison, she had to spend many nights in the bars and restaurants of Tbilisi, drinking wine out of animal horns and making endless toasts about things she couldn’t understand, and can’t remember, with Georgia’s nuclear investigators and top cops. “Drinking in Georgia goes on all night long until people start falling over,” she notes."

Read the rest of the article here.

Monday 17 May 2010

Landis and Fiennes show two sides of British cinema

A tale of two filmmakers appeared in the press over the weekend, with American John Landis and Brit Sophie Fiennes recounting differing experiences of the UK film industry.

Whilst Landis struggled to get Hollywood to finance any of his films, he found British indies were more receptive, "because they still take risks and make interesting movies." Landis was offered the opportunity to remake Burke and Hare, which is released later this year.

Fiennes’s experience was less satisfying however, with the director unable to secure British funding for her documentary Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, which is now at Cannes. She instead turned to France and the Netherlands, and said in an interview, “there is nowhere to go in Britain”.

Read more here and here.

Thursday 13 May 2010

Jeremy Hunt appointed as Culture Secretary

Jeremy Hunt has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport.

Mr Hunt, who is a member of the Conservative party, takes over from Labour's Ben Bradshaw.

In an interview on the DCMS website, Mr Hunt spoke of his delight at taking on the role - having previously held the same position in the Shadow cabinet - and gave his views on the creative sector.

“Our sectors – particularly creative industries, culture and tourism – are vital elements in the UK’s economic recovery. I know there is an incredible appetite for change across the country and I want the department to be at the forefront of making it happen.”

More here.

Wednesday 12 May 2010

Julie Noon documents Tobacco's Child Workers

Channel 4's Unreported World is renowned for uncovering global issues that would otherwise go unnoticed, and this week the series focuses on the illegal employment of Malawian children in the tobacco industry.


Julie Noon, the director of Tobacco's Child Workers travelled to the impoverished African country with reporter Jenny Kleeman, to discover how children as young as three are producing tobacco, which is then bought by British tobacco companies and smoked by British smokers. Julie sent us some pictures from her time filming there, which we are including here.


Tobacco's Child Workers is broadcast at 7:35pm on Friday 14th May. Click here to find out more. If you've directed a programme you'd like to tell us about, please get in touch.

Slumdog success, but who are the Millionaires?

Just how British is Robin Hood? Or Slumdog Millionaire? The Independent explores the issue today in an article that reveals the relationship between British productions and the American money that funds them.

The feature, which includes an interview with director J Blakeson, deconstructs the distribution of profits from co-pros such as Slumdog..., and what it is that constitutes a "British film".

Blakeson, whose film The Disappearance of Alice Creed is in cinemas now, said: "We just have lots of little companies: producers rarely actually make any money. British film technicians often work on blockbusters to pay the mortgage, then British films for fun."

Read more here.

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Director Ben Anthony on mental health doc

BBC4 is to broadcast a new documentary following three people that have been sectioned for mental health reasons, and MediaGuardian today spoke to its director.

The programme, entitled Sectioned, has been described as "groundbreaking" for its subject manner, and for the access the programme-makers were able to obtain. Ben Anthony, the director, speaks in the interview about how they secured the consent of the three individuals battling with mental illness, and his reasons for making the show.

"It was a big issue because obviously people with mental health problems that are so ill they are around a hospital environment, the question was about do they have the capability to understand? With people as vulnerable as this we have to be especially careful."

Sectioned is broadcast on Wednesday 19th May. To read the full article, click here.

Monday 10 May 2010

Directors UK seek Part-time Events and Sponsorship Organiser

Directors UK is seeking to appoint a PART-TIME EVENTS AND SPONSORSHIP ORGANISER.

Directors UK is the organisation representing the interests of film and television directors in the UK. The role involves devising and organising a programme of events for Directors UK members e.g. socials, screenings and workshops and where appropriate seeking sponsorship for these activities.

This appointment is for 3 days a week (or equivalent hours) to be flexible as necessary and will require some evening work. Salary: £14,000 pa. The initial contract period is 6 months.

To apply please send a covering letter and a full CV by email to recruitment@directors.uk.com. The closing date for applications is Friday 28th May.

BAFTA nominations in for 2010 Television Awards

The nominations for the 2010 BAFTA Television Awards were announced this morning, with a wealth of big names and big talent recognised by the academy.

Dramas such as The Street, A Short Stay in Switzerland and Occupation are all up for awards, whilst in Factual the likes of Yellowstone and Katie: My Beautiful Face are amongst the nominees.

For a more in-depth look at this year's nominations, visit our website.

The Auteurs looks forward to best of British

Neil Young, writer for online publication The Auteurs, has listed the twenty most-anticipated British films for the rest of 2010.

As Young states, the list is of course subjective, but it highlights the wealth of British talent currently making films, from experienced heads such as Mike Leigh, to the less familiar, like Clio Bernard.

See the list here and let us know which of them you're most looking forward to.

Thursday 6 May 2010

C21 directing season continues with Burma VJ

Part 2 in C21 Media's focus on documentary directors was published today, with the attention shifting to Danish director Anders Østergaard's struggle to make the Oscar-nominated Burma VJ: Reporting From A Closed Country.

In an interview with the online publication, Østergaard talks about the difficulties of obtaining footage from such a restricted place, and how despite not filming large chunks of the film, he was still very much the director.

"There's a big element of re-enactment involved in this, which was very much organised and scripted. We are following Joshua in Thailand in re-enacted scenes. We have a number of telephone conversations that are re-enacted, although with real people, and they are reliving things that they actually went through. So to me it's as directed as anything else I've done.".

Read more here.

Wednesday 5 May 2010

Film4 funds more

Some welcome news for British cinema today, as Film4 announced it is increasing its film financing budget by 20%.

Film4, the production and financing company owned by Channel 4, has a budget of £10 million for 2010, and films from the likes of Danny Boyle, Chris Morris and debut director Paddy Considine are all set to benefit.

Tessa Ross, the controller of both Film4 and Channel 4, said in a statement:

"Film has always been in the DNA of Channel 4, but this added protection, through the extended remit, comes at a time when this significant part of our British culture is in particular need of protection.

"To be able to commit an extra £2 million each year to filmmakers and to work that we care about gives us all great hope for the future."


Click here for more.

Tuesday 4 May 2010

C21 Media begins season on documentary filmmakers

C21 Media is dedicating a season to documentary directors, in which it profiles and interviews some of the most important filmmakers working in the field today. It also highlights some of the difficulties facing directors making documentaries in the present climate, and how they have dealt with problems of funding, access and more besides.

The season began with a study into how, increasingly, documentaries are moving away from the conventional format and looking to other genres to tell stories. Thrillers such as The Bourne Identity and the James Bond movies are influencing how directors think about their documentaries, with James Marsh's "heist thriller" Man on Wire used as an example of how this new approach can bring success.

The article includes interviews with Rick Goldsmith (co-director, The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg And The Pentagon Papers), Oscar-winning filmmaker Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) and others too.

Click here to read what is a fascinating article.