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EAST LONDON FILM-MAKERS WIN TOP AWARDS FOR LONDON’S BEST SHORT FILMS

·        Film London’s Best of Boroughs Film Awards give valuable boost to new film-makers

·        Appetite for short film growing as more people than ever before view and vote online

 

Film London’s Best of Boroughs Film Awards (BoBs) took place at a prestigious ceremony at BAFTA tonight presented by Award-winning film-maker Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham). Writer/director Ida Akesson, from the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, won the coveted Jury Award for Moments, while Mawaan Rizwan from Redbridge picked up the Audience Award for Jimmy Will Play.

 

Both film-making teams received a cash prize of £2,000 each for the best shorts produced through this year’s London Borough Film Fund Challenge (LBFFC). Also at the ceremony Jamie Jones, from the London Borough of Hackney, won the second year of the popular Film London in 90 Seconds competition for his film The Birdcage.

 

The BoBs jury was made up this year of BAFTA-winning producer Stephen Woolley, film critic Fionnuala Halligan, Chris Collins from the BFI’s Film Fund and producer and London Film School graduate Olivier Kaempfer. On awarding the prize to Moments the jury said of the film:

“A simple yet resonant concept evocatively told and lyrically shot. The original use of text on the screen gave the film a fleeting lightness that nonetheless remained in the mind long after viewing, much like the "moment" itself”.

The jury also gave a special mention to animation Walk Tall directed by Kate Sullivan of Waltham Forest and Jimmy Will Play.

The Audience Award was selected by members of the public who viewed and voted for their favourite on the Film London website. The appetite for short film is bigger than ever – with the films viewed almost 13,500 times – more than ever before and nearly twice as many as in 2010. Jimmy Will Play was a clear winner receiving over a third of all votes.

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London said: “Short film-making is a long established path taken by many of the biggest and brightest names in film including Christopher Nolan, Andrea Arnold, Joe Wright and our very own BoBs patron Gurinder Chadha. Shorts are an art in their own right, but are also vital in allowing our future feature film-makers to gain experience and ‘on the job’ training.

It is really important at Film London that we continue to offer funding for short film production and I truly believe they are the life blood of the industry as a way of finding and developing London’s next generation of directors, producers, script writers and actors.

The Film London Best of Boroughs Film Awards are an annual celebration of the fantastic short films created through the LBFFC. And yet again we have a really strong shortlist of films, which makes me feel very proud of the talent we have in our fantastic city.”

Film London’s LBFFC is a short film-making scheme which aims to discover London’s next generation of film-makers and is open to all residents of the participating boroughs. Working in partnership with the capital’s local authorities the aim of the LBFFC is to discover grassroots talent, stimulate local film-making and develop new skills, with 22 boroughs involved in the 2010/2011 round.

The LBFFC is supported by the Mayor of London and Skillset with funding from the National Lottery. It delivers an enormous opportunity to some of the capital’s most disadvantaged communities and the shortlisted films cover a huge range of issues, subject matter and style, reflecting the richness and diversity of London’s society. 11 boroughs offered the full film-making fund, allowing would-be film-makers to apply for funds of up to £4000. A further 11 boroughs offered their residents the Film London in 90 Seconds competition – an initiative which allows more London boroughs the tools and resources to deliver a film-making competition. Each borough awards £500 to the best 90 Second short.

 

The shortlist for the 2010 BoBs are:

Fetch! – Kensington & Chelsea

Beatrice calls the shots but can Luca really deliver a dead man?

Jasmine – Lewisham

Sisters Hayley and Jasmine don't want to be apart, but Hayley has to leave or they'll never survive.

Jimmy Will Play – Redbridge

A Pakistani mother living a new life in London needs to raise money to buy her football-fanatic son, Jimmy, a pair of football boots.

Long Distance Information – Wandsworth

Father always told us “never talk to strangers” … But surely we have to phone home sometimes? Starring Peter Mullan.

Meconium – Haringey

Lorna is in labour and Owain's the only one who can help. Has he got what it takes when life gets messy?

Moments – Barking & Dagenham

One of those moments that may stay with you for the rest of your life

Rule Number Three – Enfield

A young couple (Nicholas Hoult and Imogen Poots) communicate through a game of Scrabble. Initially expressing affection, the words descend into darker territory.

Victims – Hammersmith & Fulham

When a local journalist arrives on a council estate to present a disabled, have-a-go hero with a Bravery Award, she inadvertently uncovers a tragic secret.

Walk Tall – Waltham Forest

No sponsorship, one kidney, tuberculosis, a broken back...all set for the London Olympics...1948

Wavelengths – Lambeth

“You’re listening to the Graham Conway Show”

What You Looking At?! – Southwark

A woman in a burkha and a drag queen get trapped in a lift - and realise they have more in common than they thought.

Winners of the Film London in 90 Seconds competition:

90 Seconds Rule (LB Havering) Writer/Director: Becky Felton

Borrow! (LB Merton) Writer/Director: Ian Durrant

Coming up tramps (LB Hillingdon) Writer/Director: Alan Philbey

Enlarging your world (LB Brent) Writer/Director: Anastasiya Kurlovich

Information (RB Richmond) Writer/Director: Yann Hempstead

Lionel and Bertie: Absolutely Capital... What!! (LB Barnet) Writer/Director: Rye Amin

Lunchtime Cowboy (LB Sutton) Writer/Director: Aidan Sheridan

Pulse (LB Tower Hamlets) Writers/Directors: Kalpesh Patel and Milind Baxse

PS I Miss You (LB Croydon) Writer/Director: Sheena J Jaffar

The Birdcage (LB Hackney) Writer/Director: Jamie Jones

There’s only three left now (LB Islington) Writer/Director: Neasa Terry

 

About LBFFC

Open to all local residents of the participating boroughs, the film funds offer £500-£4,000 towards the production of a short film. The scheme is run and funded by the participating boroughs, with Film London providing financial support as well as dedicated advice and resources. Film-funds are run in partnerships comprising of two or more neighbouring London boroughs as follows: Eastern Edge Film Fund: (Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest), Southern Exposure: (Lewisham, Southwark, Lambeth), Shorts Film Fund: (Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth, Kensington & Chelsea), North London Film Partnership: (Haringey, Enfield).

The Film London in 90 Seconds competition was run in the boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Havering, Hillingdon, Islington, Merton, Richmond Upon Thames, Sutton and Tower Hamlets with a cash prize of £500 for the best 90 Second short film. The winning film from each borough will be showcased at the BoBs and the overall winner announced.

Film London works in partnership with the borough film funds, providing in the region of £75,000 towards the scheme plus advisory support.

www.filmlondon.org.uk/boroughfilmfunds