ICO News
- We’re busy in the office ahead of this weekend’s National Screening Days, to be held at the wonderful QUAD in Derby. We’ve got an outstanding, very esoteric line-up featuring some of the boldest and most exciting titles set for release in coming months including Irritu’s Birdman, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Palme d’Or-winning epic Winter Sleep, July Jung’s Cannes buzz title A Girl at my Door, Cline Sciamma’s hotly anticipated coming of age drama Girlhood, Saul Dibb’s Irne Nmirovsky adaptation Suite Franaise… and more. As ever, a huge thank you to all the films’ distributors for generously supplying their pre-release titles for the event. See you there!
- In other Screening Days updates, our programme for Screening Days South East is coming on apace, with titles including Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy and Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu confirmed in addition to Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos. And the plans for our first ever Archive Screening Days event are looking very promising indeed: check out our fantastic special guests, archive programming sessions and the eclectic first films.
- Our Artists’ Moving Image Network enjoyed its first screening, and notable success last week – with Barn Cinema in Dartington enjoying a packed-out and very engaged audience for its first FLUX screening, of Robert Gardner’s Forest of Bliss. Watch this space for more updates on the network soon…
ICO training update
- Creative Skillset are currently undertaking their 2014 Workforce Survey and its really important that as many people as possible take part. Results of the survey help Creative Skillset identify key training and skills needs. As well as influencing future training strategy for the film industry, you can also win an iPad Mini! Take part here.
- We’re partnering with the FDA and FilmExportUK to run a new Film Exhibition, Distribution & Sales Trainee Scheme and are calling for film distribution, independent exhibition and international sales companies to register their interest. It’s the first ever cross-sector traineeship scheme and will see 12 ambitious trainees undertake a 9-month paid placement in a host company. The scheme is funded by Creative Skillset. If you’re interested in supporting diversity in the sector, and new entrants to the industry, please register your interest by Monday 10 November 2014.
- Our Technical Skills for Exhibition programme has seen several site visits made to participating venues by our Technical Ambassadors. They’ve been out at venues from Cornwall to Orkney, helping install DCI-compliant equipment, maximise DVD systems for film societies and recommend kit for touring cinemas. If you’re having a technical issue at your venue and would benefit from a TA visit, apply here – and check out our video of one of our TAs, Ewan Dunford from the Watershed, visiting the Poly in Cornwall, below…
- Finally we still have one-to-ones on offer to exhibitors looking to discuss a specific project or issue involving film programming, audience development, digital marketing, business skills – you name it. You’ll be matched with an ICO staff member or, if we can’t help, we’ll fix you up with another expert. Don’t miss out!
Opportunities & calls for submissions
- There’s one week left to apply for Film Hub London’s Community Screen Scheme, offering 10 awards of 3K to support community-led screening projects focusing on underserved audiences, and also for Film London’s Cultivate: Inspiring Future Audiences training programme for film educators. Deadline for both: 31 October.
- LUX Scotland are offering one-to-one advice sessions for Scottish artist filmmakers. This month, they’ll be led by Glasgow-based film artist Corin Sworn – an excellent opportunity for local artists keen to progress their work.
- Wanted: young film critics – International Film Festival Rotterdam is looking for critics under 30 who fancy travelling abroad to cover a major international festival. I mean, who doesn’t? Deadline: 7 November.
- LOCO Comedy Film Festival is holding a one-day training workshop for women comedy writers on 14 November with Underwire Film Festival, Euroscript and Creative Skillset. Enjoy case studies, a life-changing ‘Hour of Power’, debates, masterclasses, and more. Deadline: 31 October.
- European film artists aged 18-35, you may be interested in this – the Experimental Film Workshop, held during Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival, in early Dec.
- Lighthouse is calling for participants in Platforms, a new scheme bringing together creative practitioners from film, art, design, music and more to develop and produce their own projects.
- And – 18-25 year olds – want to win 400 to fund a short online film?
- It’s that time of year again – one week to go until Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015 opens for submissions.
- Our friends at Flatpack Film Festival need your short film submissions.
- The BFI Future Film Festival is calling for submissions from 15-18 and 19-25 year olds. You could win 5K production funding for your short film with mentoring and talent support. Sound good? Deadline: 31 October.
More!
- The most famous film never to see the screen may yet get a (US) release date.
- Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar makes an ‘unexpected contribution to human progress‘. Well.
- And filmmaker Agns Varda (below) wins a Lifetime Achievement award from the European Film Academy.
