Short step to stardom

 

Top film talent one step closer to silver screen success

• Virgin Media Shorts unveils 12 short-listed films
• Finalists to be judged by star-studded panel including Kevin Spacey
• Film student, BAFTA award-winner, and Johnny Vaughan’s sidekick amongst the short-list
• 12 films to be screened at cinemas for the first time

Twelve of Britain’s up and coming film makers have beaten off stiff competition to make the finals of a national short film competition from Virgin Media and will go on to have their work screened to millions nationwide.

Virgin Media Shorts, a competition to champion undiscovered film talent, in association with FilmFlex, today unveils its top 12 films which will now be available to watch on four screens (TV, cinema, mobile and computer) – the first time this has been done.

Aspiring film makers across the UK registered in their thousands and Virgin Media received more than 1,400 entries from budding talent looking to be in with a chance of receiving up to £30,000 and working with Virgin Media and the UK Film Council to make their next short film. 

All 12 short-listed films will be screened at 212 independent cinemas up and down the country for a year, the first time a short film competition has offered this kind of mass exposure for its finalists.

Film fans will also be able to show their support for their preferred short film in the People’s Choice category.  One film will be hailed as the public’s favourite and Britons can cast their vote by logging onto www.virginmediashorts.co.uk| from 4pm on Tuesday 29 July 2008.    

The 12 short-listed film makers will now have their films evaluated by a prestigious judging panel including Oscar-winning stage and film actor Kevin Spacey; founder and chairman of the Virgin Group Richard Branson; British film director Gurinder Chadha; star of Confetti and Green Wing, Stephen Mangan; film critic James King; Oscar-nominated short film director Daniel Barber; Lenny Crooks from the UK Film Council and Malcolm Wall, CEO of content at Virgin Media and chairman of the panel.  

One grand prize and the People’s Choice award will be presented at a glittering, star-studded awards ceremony in London on 29 September 2008.

All films were reviewed by an independent curator from the UK Film Council and the 12 short-listed finalists are:

• Alienated, Mohammed Aqeel Ahmed from London
• Big Push, Ian Fenton from Darlington
• Black Hole, Olly Williams from London
• Butterface, David McLaughlin from Manchester
• 5 Bricks High, Steve Brunton from Newcastle
• The Calling, Jason Edwards from London
• Desires, Kate Jessop from Manchester
• Elevator Music, Serdar Ferit from Buckinghamshire
• The Hobbyist, Justin Waite from Cardiff
• Little Dinosaurs, Dana Dorian from Glasgow
• Mind Games, Peter Bunzl from London
• What Cassandra Saw, Karen Penman from Essex

James Kydd, Virgin Media’s managing director of brand and marketing, said: “Through Virgin Media Shorts, we wanted to offer a life-changing opportunity for film makers who have historically struggled to get exposure for their work and put them in the spotlight to an audience of millions.  All 12 of the film makers have done tremendously well to be short-listed and their work will become part of our massive library of films on demand.  We wish them all the best of luck.”

Lenny Crooks, head of new cinema fund at UK Film Council added:  “UK film production has continued to grow over recent years and British films now account for almost a third of all box office admissions in this country* so it’s important that we continue to encourage unique ideas and innovative approaches.

“Virgin Media Shorts has been a fantastic project to support the emerging talent in Britain and it’s great that all 12 short-listed films will be screened to a broad range of audiences.”

From 5th September, the films will be featured before the main attraction at 212 independent cinema screens up and down the country for a year.  They will also be available to 3.5 million Virgin Media TV customers to watch for free through the FilmFlex service in the Movies on Demand section on their TV or through the Virgin Central channel.

Virgin Mobile customers can download clips of the films through the Mobile Bites site. Meanwhile, all of the entries will be available to anyone to view and review online, giving any budding film critics the chance to rate and comment on each short film.

To view all the short-listed films and to vote for your favourite visit www.virginmediashorts.co.uk| from 4pm on Tuesday 29 July 2008.

Notes to editors

* Source UK Film Council Statistical Yearbook, 2008

Media contacts

Jessica Davenport, Ptarmigan Consultants, 0113 242 1155 or virginmedia@ptarmiganpr.co.uk|

* Source Short-listed films

Alienated, Mohammed Aqeel Ahmed from London

A visual effects short film portraying a unique take on immigration, using an animated alien to expose the treatment of immigrants in the country.  The film is the work of University of Hertfordshire duo, Mohammed Aqeel Ahmed and Krissy Josephides and was awarded Best Comedic Film award at the University’s Animation Expose.

Big Push, Ian Fenton from Darlington
A simple but funny cartoon featuring an old woman’s struggle to get a pram to the top of a steep hill.  This is the first animation from Tees Valley-based screenwriter, Ian Fenton and was produced by his wife Siobhan, a lecturer at University of Teesside.

Black Hole, Olly Williams from London
Inspired by the Roadrunner cartoons, the film tells the story of a sleep deprived worker on a late shift who accidentally photocopies a black hole, not realising the effect it will have on him.  Black Hole was created by Diamond Dogs production company– 29 year old Olly Williams and Phil Sampson (30) from West London.

Butterface, David McLaughlin from Manchester
An interesting depiction of young love focusing on the everyday life of a boy and girl on a train journey.  Filmed in Wolverhampton, David McLaughlin created Butterface as part of his final year project at Wolverhampton University in the West Midlands.

5 Bricks High, Steve Brunton from Newcastle
A nostalgic and funny film featuring two young boys and their mischievous antics, giving viewers the chance to relive their own childhood memories.  Steve, 30, is a Newcastle-based director/editor and one of the founders of Relievio Productions.

The Calling, Jason Edwards from London
A surreal, documentary-style film, featuring an encounter with a tramp in a busy city. Sunderland-born Jason Edwards, now directs corporate films and adverts and created the film with award winning script writer, Peter Devonald, which focuses on a downtrodden city worker, fed up with his life

Desires, Kate Jessop from Manchester

An animated adaptation of a Gaia Holmes poem which combines drawn animation and live action to produce a unique film.  Kate Jessop is the artist in residence at Manchester Metropolitan University and has already had her work screened globally.

Elevator Music, Serdar Ferit from Buckinghamshire
An amusing and topical tableau about music and culture clashing in a lift.  28-year old Serdar is an award-winning director, who taught film making at Amersham and Wycombe College.  Earlier this year, Elevator Music, was selected earlier this year as one of the films aired across 150 countries for Pangea Day.

The Hobbyist, Justin Waite from Cardiff
A hilarious ‘mockumentary’ featuring a amateur garden shed inventor and his remote controlled person.  Former Capital Radio producer, Justin Waite was filmed in Cardiff following his stint as Johnny Vaughn’s sidekick.

Little Dinosaurs, Dana Dorian from Glasgow
A quirky Creature Comforts-style cartoon featuring an interview with a five-year-old boy talking about unity and children working together.  American born Dana, one of the founders of Glasgow-based animation studio Axis Animation, created Little Dinosaurs, with the help of his five year old son, Alex.

Mind Games, Peter Bunzl from London
An animated film which tells the story of a scientist who is monitoring the thoughts of a prisoner in an institution. Thirty-three-year-old Peter, a National Film and Television School graduate, is a BAFTA award winning animator and independent filmmaker.

What Cassandra Saw, Karen Penman from Essex

An experimental, part-animated fantasy film featuring a mythical Bureau of Shadows.  It first premiered at Northern Lights Film Festival and is the latest film from Essex-based production company, Little Nobody - lecturer Karen Penman, 28 and web designer, 27 year old Liam Brazier.

Virgin Media

Virgin Media is an innovative and pioneering UK entertainment and communications business. For the first time consumers can get everything they need from one company - the UK's only quad-play of TV, broadband, phone and mobile, plus the most advanced TV on demand service, all delivered through its unique fibre-optic cable network.  Virgin Media launched the UK’s first high definition TV service, is the only TV platform to carry BBC iPlayer, and offers a high-specification, HD-ready V+  personal video recorder. Virgin Media is the UK’s largest residential broadband provider, the largest virtual mobile network operator and the second-largest provider of pay TV and home phone.
Virgin Media owns two content businesses - Virgin Media Television (VMTV) and sit-up. VMTV owns seven entertainment channels – Virgin1, Living, Living 2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge and Trouble - and is a 50% partner in UKTV which consists of nine channels including Dave, UKTV Gold and UKTV History. sit-up runs retail TV channels bid tv, price-drop tv and speed auction tv.
Virgin Media has been voted the sixth Most Loved Brand in Britain in a Marketing magazine poll, as well as having been voted the Most Trusted ISP Brand 2008 by Reader’s Digest magazine.  The Sunday Times also awarded Virgin Media its 2008 Best Buy awards for broadband and movies on demand.
Virgin Media is the largest Virgin company in the world and has almost 10 million customers.  To find out more visit www.virginmedia.com/presscentre|.

FilmFlex

FilmFlex is the UK’s leading on demand film service with over five hundred film titles available at all times, and the service is fully on demand. FilmFlex is available to all Virgin Media TV customers. FilmFlex is a joint venture initiative between Sony Pictures Television International (a Sony Pictures Entertainment company) and Walt Disney Television International.

The FilmFlex service allows Virgin Media TV customers to choose what to watch, when to watch it and to control the movie like a DVD. More than five hundred films are now instantly available on FilmFlex including new releases, which have never before been seen on TV in the UK as well as an extensive library catalogue. No extra equipment, installation or additional monthly subscription is required for Virgin Media TV customers.

Find out more at www.virginmedia.com/moviesondemand|