Film Forum West Midlands

The Producers’ Forum is holding an open networking session about creative collaboration between the different screen sectors.

More than ever, at this time of great economic challenge, the companies and organisations who are able to take a collaborative approach to projects and to exploit the potential of digital media in new and exciting ways, will be the companies that succeed.

The evening will offer an opportunity to hear from a panel of speakers and network with colleagues from across the screen sector in the West Midlands.

Panelists include; Jason Hall – Head of Innovation at Screen WM and Lara Ratnaraja – Sector Development Director for the Creative, Cultural and Digital Industries at Business Link West Midlands as well as speakers from our daytime conference including facilitator Carole Manship of Bridge marketing.

When: 6.30pm – 7.30pm – Panel Discussion
7.30 – 8.30pm – Networking with wine & canapes
Where: Fazeley Studios, 191 Fazeley Street, Birmingham B5 5SE
Cost: Free
To reserve your place please RSVP to Laura Breakwell: info@producersforum.org.uk by Friday 27 March 2009

Thanks to everyone that turned up at the Victoria in Birmingham last night to meet fellow filmmakers and have a good old chit chat. It was good to meet some new faces and especially nice to see some returning forum members in what we think was probably the best meeting yet. The venue helped we felt, as the Vic’s cartoon-strewn walls really got the creative juices flowing.

We had writer Brendan O’Neill and actor/producer Kriss Dosanjh talking about their planned feature ‘Paper Aeroplane’ to be filmed in Birmingham in August, Film Dash organiser Chris Unitt updating us on the next Dash’s progress, and many others including producer James Rock, photographer Dave Brassington, and aspiring actress Chara Jackson.

For those that couldn’t make it, we hope to see you at the next meeting in April.

In the meantime, why not follow us on the media’s new toy Twitter. You can follow us at @filmforumwm for news, updates, meeting times and general chatter and nonsense.

Also, if you want to follow the people behind the forum, Rill is @filmfake, Ian is @IanDice, Louis, imaginatively enough, is @LouisHudson.

Tweet you later!

US site Filmaka have opened entries for their “Hard Times” Competition  for 1-3 minute films.

The theme is ‘Hard Times’ and you could win funding to direct your feature film. The competition will be judged by filmmaking heavyweights including Werner Herzog, Zak Penn, Colin Firth, Paul Schrader, so the standard has been set high.

Each month on Filmaka there is a new theme and 15-20 filmmakers will receive $1,500-$4,500. Three of them then go on to compete for feature funding at the end of the year. Last year’s final winner, Nuru Rimington-Mkali, got $5 MILLION!

Submissions are due 19 April 2009. So go here for more details.

(via Chew TV)

Screen West Midlands has announced the five submissions selected for this year’s Digishorts. Here’s what they have to say about them:

‘Ladies Loos’ – from filmmaker Nerina Villa and producer Angela Slater, this off-the-wall documentary aims to lift the lid (so to speak) on what really happens in the ladies’…

‘Studs’ – Simon Bovey, writer and director of 2005’s runaway success ‘The Un-Gone’ (60+ festivals and counting) returns with something completely different: a high-octane action-drama set in the world of rugby…

‘The Surfer’ – stage and screen actor Dominic Coleman (‘Special People’, ‘Clubbed’) writes and directs this pathos-laden documentary about a surfing enthusiast.

‘Stained’ – hard-hitting prison drama from director Lewis Arnold and producer Tom Knight, the team behind the 2008 digishort ‘Spirited’. The script is adapted from a chapter of ‘Screwed’, an uncompromising real-life account of life as a prison guard by Ronnie Thompson, who co-writes here with Colin Butts.

‘Trolley’ – a charming and emotional drama about a supermarket trolley attendant with a vivid imagination, from writer/director Anna Louise Shelton and producer Rachel Carter.

They join The Brothers McLeod who were commissioned in December under the 4mations strand of digishorts. You can follow all the filmmakers’ progress on www.digishorts.co.uk and www.screenwm.co.uk

HUMTOO.com is a free marketplace where you can post video projects in need of music. Music makers can then pitch their musical interpretation of that project.

Simply by posting your short film (or part thereof) in search of music on HUMTOO.com, you could win £450 to finish your short film and the best music posted for your short film could also win £450.

Your film can be of any length and at any stage of development, but between 30 seconds and 10 minutes of footage must be uploaded to HUMTOO.com.

The film can be of any genre, but it must need music! The footage can be a rough cut from your film, but the footage must be shot by your team for the short film project.

Further information can be found at www.humtoo.com

(via Chew TV)

4Talent has launched ‘Coming Up’ to provide emerging film-makers with the opportunity to make an authored drama with a guaranteed network broadcast.

Films must be bold and original with surprising ideas and strong voices and should demonstrate ambition, wit, urgency and fearless entertainment.

Up to eight eye-catching innovative, challenging films will be made into an half-hour film for Channel 4.

For more information and to download an application form click here: Coming Up

(via Chew TV)

Film Forum WM’s next meet-up is on Tuesday 24 March, starting at 6pm at The Victoria pub (behind the Alexandra Theatre, Brum, see map).

As a special bonus, you can stay for the Vic’s alternative Film and Music quiz, which starts between 8pm and 8:30pm!

More event info here.

If you’re wondering how to spot us, we’ll have a sign that looks like this with us:

See you there people!

FFWM