Abigail Priddle directs Make Me a New Face: Hope for Africa's Hidden Children

Director Abigail Priddle recently travelled to Africa with Ben Fogle for her film Make Me a New Face: Hope for Africa's Hidden Children. She sent us the following details:

In 2008, Ben Fogle caught a flesh-eating disease called Leishmaniasis which, if untreated, would have destroyed his face. In this film, Ben investigates a sickness that's far worse but virtually unheard of - Noma, which eats away the faces of thousands of Africa's poorest children. Up to ninety percent of Noma victims die, while survivors are left terribly disfigured.

Ben journeys to Ethiopia, where he meets three children whose lives have been blighted by this terrible disease: teenager Rashid, forced to hide his face in public; Asnake, aged 11, whose misshapen mouth makes him dribble constantly; and 10-year-old Mestikma, abandoned by her family because of her deformity.

Ben watches as visiting surgeons carry out amazing transformative surgery. A month later, he returns to Ethiopia to visit the recovering patients. For them, a new face means a new life.

Make Me a New Face: Hope for Africa's Hidden Children has received numerous positive reviews, and is broadcast on BBC2 Wednesday 9th June at 9pm

Watch two new works from Martin Gooch

Martin Gooch got in touch to tell us he recently completed work on a music video for Will Kevans, which stars Russell Tovey and can be seen here.

He also wrote, directed and starred in a short film based on the Cannes Film Festival, called The Dream Eater. You can see it here. If you've directed any new works recently, in whatever medium, we'd love to hear from you.

Good ideas welcome at Good Pitch UK

Applications to Good Pitch UK are open from now until Monday 28th June.

According to the BritDoc website, which is involved in running it here in the UK, "the Good Pitch brings together inspiring social-purpose film projects and a group of expert participants from charities, foundations, brands and media to form powerful alliances around groundbreaking films."

The 2010 event is the second edition of the session, which is held on September 7th. Read more here

Edinburgh announces line-up for 2010

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced its line-up for 2010, and having rebranded itself “the festival of discovery”, includes pictures from a number of first and second-time filmmakers.

EIFF kicks off on June 16, and will screen 22 world premieres, including debut features by directors Ben Miller (Huge) and Hattie Dalton (Third Star), and the latest film from London to Brighton director Paul Andrew Williams (Cherry Tree Lane). There is also a retrospective of “lost” British films from the Sixties and Seventies, with Stephen Frears’ debut Gumshoe, Ken Russell’s Savage Messiah and Horace Ove’s Pressure, the first British film by a black director, all screening.

In all, the festival will screen 21 new British films, along with several from more established directors from years gone by. Hannah Gill, the festival's artistic director, commented, ""It will be really interesting to have these new young directors around with Mike [Hodges], Stephen [Frears] and Sean Connery...it's different generations of British cinema."

For more information about the festival, please click here, or read the Guardian article here.

The Walking Wounded wins at the Celtic Media Festival

Stephen Bennett was awarded ‘Best Factual Single’ at the Celtic Media Festival for directing The Walking Wounded; an emotionally charged and uncompromising look at the experiences of young former soldiers struggling with PTSD as they adapt to civilian life.

Directors UK would like to congratulate him for this achievement. If you're a member and would like to share similar news with other members, please get in touch. For more on the awards, please click here.

Ofcom publishes draft Code of Practice for online copyright infringement

Ofcom has published the draft Code of Practice for the Online Infringement of Copyright, and is now seeking views from external parties as part of its consultation over the code’s content.

Ofcom was tasked with drawing up the code, which is expected to come into force at the start of 2011, after the Digital Economy Act was passed earlier this year. The code addresses provisions made in the Act regarding illegal file-sharing, which stated that internet users from the UK who illegally download films, music and TV programmes will have their details collected by internet service providers, and receive warning letters ordering them to cease. Any individual who receives three letters within the space of a year will have their details passed on to the owner of the copyrighted material they are accused of downloading, and may face legal action.

The move has received support from rights holders and creative groups but met with criticism from some ISPs and consumer groups.

To read more about the OFCOM Code of Practice click here and here. For more information about the Digital Economy Act, click here.

Applications for Sheffield Doc/Fest's MeetMarket now open

Applications for Sheffield Doc/Fest's MeetMarket are now open, and will remain so until Wednesday 1st September.

MeetMarket is described as "a pitching initiative designed to match documentary, factual and cross-platform makers' most innovative project ideas with UK and international buyers". Approximately 60 projects are to be picked to pitch, and there are no rules regarding a production's level of development.

Sheffield Doc/Fest is the UK's most renowned documentary festival, and takes place this year between 3-7 November. For more info, please click here.