British directors Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott are teaming up with YouTube to create “a user-generated documentary”.
The film, which will be directed by Macdonald and produced by Scott, is to consist of footage filmed by YouTube users on July 24th 2010. Macdonald will then compile the best of the footage into the final film, with the filmmakers contributing to the finished article being credited as co-directors.
The film, entitled Life in a Day, will have its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. For more, click here.
Friday, 9 July 2010
Belgium's EU Presidency to focus on film
Belgium has promised to prioritise discussion on cinema now it has began its presidency of the EU, with particular focus on national and regional film subsidies.
Each nation within the EU takes over the EU Council Presidency for a spell of six months, with Belgium beginning theirs on 1st July. Film policy under its stewardship was on the agenda at a three-day conference held in Mons last weekend.
"We want to discuss moving from a Cinema Communication document that concentrates on production aid to one that encompasses more broadly and exhaustively all the types of aid that we judge to be legitimate and necessary when it comes to the creation, production and promotion of European cinema," said Frederic Delcor, head of Belgium's French community government cinema center.
For more on this story, click here.
Each nation within the EU takes over the EU Council Presidency for a spell of six months, with Belgium beginning theirs on 1st July. Film policy under its stewardship was on the agenda at a three-day conference held in Mons last weekend.
"We want to discuss moving from a Cinema Communication document that concentrates on production aid to one that encompasses more broadly and exhaustively all the types of aid that we judge to be legitimate and necessary when it comes to the creation, production and promotion of European cinema," said Frederic Delcor, head of Belgium's French community government cinema center.
For more on this story, click here.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Pawel Pawlikoski awarded 2010 MEDIA European Talent Prize
Director Pawel Pawlikowski received the 2010 MEDIA European Talent Prize at the last Cannes Film Festival, for his film Sister of Mercy.
The prize was given by Culture Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou who described the film as a “truly European work”.
Pawlikowski, whose previous credits include the critically-acclaimed My Summer of Love, is a director of Polish origin who lives in the United Kingdom. The annual MEDIA European Talent Prize is given to filmmakers with an outstanding European potential. For more, click here.
The prize was given by Culture Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou who described the film as a “truly European work”.
Pawlikowski, whose previous credits include the critically-acclaimed My Summer of Love, is a director of Polish origin who lives in the United Kingdom. The annual MEDIA European Talent Prize is given to filmmakers with an outstanding European potential. For more, click here.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Ofcom publishes product placement proposals
This week Ofcom announced its proposals for the introduction of product placement on UK television screens.
Ofcom was given the go-ahead to begin making revisions to the broadcasting code under the Labour government in April, paving the way for the implementation of product placement.
It is now beginning its final consultation, after proposing to allow placement in drama, sports and light entertainment programming but excluding it from children's programmes, religious shows and current affairs. Ofcom has also suggested displaying symbols at the start and end of programmes containing product placement.
What's your view on product placement? Do you think other genres should be included or exempt from it? Are the proposed symbols adequate warning, or are they in fact unnecessary, or insufficient?
Click here to read more on the consultation.
Ofcom was given the go-ahead to begin making revisions to the broadcasting code under the Labour government in April, paving the way for the implementation of product placement.
It is now beginning its final consultation, after proposing to allow placement in drama, sports and light entertainment programming but excluding it from children's programmes, religious shows and current affairs. Ofcom has also suggested displaying symbols at the start and end of programmes containing product placement.
What's your view on product placement? Do you think other genres should be included or exempt from it? Are the proposed symbols adequate warning, or are they in fact unnecessary, or insufficient?
Click here to read more on the consultation.
Monday, 28 June 2010
Skeletons wins Michael Powell award at Edinburgh Film Festival
Nick Whitfield’s Skeletons was recognised by judges as the best new British feature at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year, taking home the prestigious Michael Powell Award on Saturday night.
Skeletons, which has been described as a quirky ghost comedy, was victorious because it "exemplifies the spirit of Michael Powell in its original vision and dark humor”, according to the jury. Previous winners include Shane Meadows (for Somers Town) and Duncan Jones (Moon).
Other award winners included Ryan Piers Williams’s Dry Land, which won Best International Feature, while Gareth Edwards picked up this year's new directors award for his film Monsters. Laura Poitras won the Best Documentary award for The Oath.
Directors UK would like to congratulate all those nominated at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. For more on this story, click here.
28th June 2010
Skeletons, which has been described as a quirky ghost comedy, was victorious because it "exemplifies the spirit of Michael Powell in its original vision and dark humor”, according to the jury. Previous winners include Shane Meadows (for Somers Town) and Duncan Jones (Moon).
Other award winners included Ryan Piers Williams’s Dry Land, which won Best International Feature, while Gareth Edwards picked up this year's new directors award for his film Monsters. Laura Poitras won the Best Documentary award for The Oath.
Directors UK would like to congratulate all those nominated at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. For more on this story, click here.
28th June 2010
Justin Hardy reveals the Untold Battle of Trafalgar
Director Justin Hardy talked with the Daily Telegraph recently about his upcoming programme, The Untold Battle of Trafalgar.
The drama-documentary reveals that almost 10 per cent of Nelson’s sailors were foreigners lured in by huge rewards, and is being broadcast as part of Channel 4's Bloody Foreigners series, which "highlights the role played by foreigners at crucial moments in British history".
Click here to read more.
The drama-documentary reveals that almost 10 per cent of Nelson’s sailors were foreigners lured in by huge rewards, and is being broadcast as part of Channel 4's Bloody Foreigners series, which "highlights the role played by foreigners at crucial moments in British history".
Click here to read more.
Friday, 25 June 2010
US makes plans for IP protection, and Hackford responds to Viacom court defeat
The US government has for the first time announced a strategic plan on intellectual property enforcement, in an attempt to better coordinate efforts to tackle piracy.
Vice-president Joe Biden, along with Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinol, released their report and recommendations for a new approach to ensuring the protection of intellectual property, including cooperating with foreign governments to go after foreign-based pirate sites.
"To state it very bluntly, piracy hurts," Vice President Biden said at the press conference on Tuesday. "It hurts our economy, our health and our safety." Meanwhile, Espinel, who was appointed by President Obama last year, sent out a warning to pirates, stating: "We have committed to putting you out of business”.
The announcement came in the same week Google won its court battle with media conglomerate Viacom, which claimed the Internet giant was guilty of copyright infringement through its video-sharing website YouTube.
Google argued successfully that YouTube was protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Viacom called the ruling “fundamentally flawed” in a statement, whilst Directors Guild of America president Taylor Hackford expressed his concern too. “We fear that the precedent established in this ruling, if not overturned by the appeals court, could result in a drastic rising tide of Internet theft that could decimate our members’ livelihoods”, Hackford stated yesterday.
For more on the US Administration's piracy crackdown, click here. To read the full statement from Taylor Hackford, click here.
Vice-president Joe Biden, along with Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinol, released their report and recommendations for a new approach to ensuring the protection of intellectual property, including cooperating with foreign governments to go after foreign-based pirate sites.
"To state it very bluntly, piracy hurts," Vice President Biden said at the press conference on Tuesday. "It hurts our economy, our health and our safety." Meanwhile, Espinel, who was appointed by President Obama last year, sent out a warning to pirates, stating: "We have committed to putting you out of business”.
The announcement came in the same week Google won its court battle with media conglomerate Viacom, which claimed the Internet giant was guilty of copyright infringement through its video-sharing website YouTube.
Google argued successfully that YouTube was protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Viacom called the ruling “fundamentally flawed” in a statement, whilst Directors Guild of America president Taylor Hackford expressed his concern too. “We fear that the precedent established in this ruling, if not overturned by the appeals court, could result in a drastic rising tide of Internet theft that could decimate our members’ livelihoods”, Hackford stated yesterday.
For more on the US Administration's piracy crackdown, click here. To read the full statement from Taylor Hackford, click here.
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