Issue 9 - 2013

About UFM
The Universal Film Magazine is a
free magazine that delivers passionate and creative coverage
about the global film and festival communities. The publication
differs from the competition because it is totally free.

Universal Film
Magazine
Editor DOM MURICU
Proof Editors TODD VOLZ
Marketing Director EV JOHNSON

It is the mission of the Universal

Film Magazine to uphold our uncompromising high standards
in professional journalism with
compelling stories that are unbiased and fact-based.

Contributors PATRICIA J. PAWLAK

SUSAN COOPER
PAOLA BERTA
RON GILBERT
MARTIN SHERVINGTON
J R BEARDSLEY
ZOE MOON
RICHARD WEB
REAMIS CIZER
DEREK WINNER
RADMILA DJURICA
ROBERT B
CHRISTOPHER TEMPLETON
BRET GEARY
CORI BLAZE

We are committed to the advancement of the industry by providing

the very best in-depth features
and coverage that will have a positive impact in the world. We aim
to give our readers motivational
and inspirational stories that embrace the spirit of independent
film and festivals and give them a
voice in the media.

Art SONJUSCHKA
WWW.SONJUSCHKA.AT

Letters & E Mails Please Contribute

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Universal film magazine

ISSN 2050-1293

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Contents
FEATURED STORIES:

5
9

Creativity Unbound...
The premise is simple: you have a great idea.
Its a film, or a piece of photojournalism

Hooligan Factory

P.3

5th CORONA FASTNET SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

will run from Wednesday 22nd through to

Sunday 26th OF MAY 2013.

Fingal Film Festival

11 Fingal
Film Festival prepares for launch of sec-

ond year with an amazing line up of screenings

Africa Film Festival
12 Pan
Review of the Pan African Film Festival by our

regular writer, Pat Pawlak

Turkish Film Festival

21 Review of the Turkish Film Festivan by Ramis

Stand Up Guys review

Cizer

P.25

CINOVATE

27 Cinovate is a unique off ering for the independent exhibition

Authority of the Written Word
28 There
must be over two hundred fi lms that

are based on a book, read on!

Indie Gathering
31 The
The Indie Gathering got its start in the mid-

1990s, originally created as a networking event

43 Film Festival Guild Exposed

In-depth investigation and expose into a number of festivals run by the Film Festival Guild

Actors Awards scrambles Oscar predictions

47 Ron
Gilbert attended the SAG-AFTRA awards

Hansel and Gretel P.53

P.39
www.ufmag.biz

and was very happy with the choices made

49

Spring Breakers

A tale of deranged, crazed, sexy college teens

on the road to hedonism.

Hitchcock review
48 Its
1959, and Alfred Hitchcock is at the peak

of his creative powers and popularity

Haven review
51 Safe
A worriedlooking young mystery womans

running off , jumping on a bus

www.ufmag.biz

P.53

Bob Anderson

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

HOOLIGAN FACTORY...

Filming has wrapped on the football hooligan spoof THE HOOLIGAN

FACTORY, after a 4 week shoot in locations across London, 3 Mills and
Elstree Studios. Nick Nevern directs
and has co-written the film with
Michael Lindley, with Jason Maza
taking the lead role and producing
alongside Altitude Film Entertainment.
Ian Lavender (Private Pike in Dads
Army) has joined the cast while
Craig Fairbrass (RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER, CLIFFHANGER), Tamer Hassan (THE BUSINESS) and former West
Ham and England footballer Julian
Dicks also appear in cameo roles as
does Chloe Simms (The Only Way is
Essex).
Previously announced cast mem-

bers include British stars Tom Burke

(DONKEY PUNCH, ONLY GOD FORGIVES) and Josef Altin (Game of
Thrones, EASTERN PROMISES) with
cameo appearances from Leo Gregory (GREEN STREET), Tony Denham
(THE FOOTBALL FACTORY) and famous reformed football hooligan
Cass Pennant.
Danny (Jason Maza) wants something more. Expelled from school
and living in his grandfathers flat,
he longs to live up to the image of
his estranged father Danny Senior.
Meanwhile legendary football hooligan Dexter (Nick Nevern) is about to
be released from prison and is on a
quest of his own, one of vengeance
against his nemesis and rival firm
leader The Baron (Keith Lee Castle).
But when Danny and Dexters paths

cross they embark on a journey as

old as hooliganism itself.
Director Nick Nevern said of the
shoot: Making the first spoof of
the football hooligan film genre has
been an awesome challenge but I
think we have got something really
special which should appeal to fans
of that genre as well as to a wider audience I cant wait for everyone to
see it
Producer Andy Mayson of Altitude
Film Entertainment says: Altitude is
keen to help the next generation of
filmmakers get their films made and
we congratulate Jason, Nick and Michael on completing their shoot of
what is a commercial genre film for
todays market.

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Universal Film

www.ufmag.biz

Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Creativity Unbound...
Matchbox Media Collective

he premise is simple: you have a great idea. Its

a film, or a piece of photojournalism, or a short
animation, or something new and untried. All
you need is the support and technical expertise
to make it happen, an open forum where you
can meet like-minded people who share your enthusiasm.

by Richard Webb

The group is creating an open forum in which ideas can

be exchanged and discussed, and individuals can contribute in whatever way they are able. By reaching out to likeminded people, it is building a network of contributors
that has no formal hierarchies or structures.

From this network will come a new kind of audience

one of advocates rather than spectators, who are
Matchbox Media Collective brings together people
engaged with each project and who have helped
who can help transpose the idea from your head
Match to shape it. Matchbox Media invites you to get in
into the wider world. These are creative, experitouch and say hello, and to discover the many othenced professionals who have the skills that your
Box
er projects currently in development!
project will need in order to progress - whether
its an underwater camera operator, a video or Collective
Find out more Matchbox Media Collective at:
photo editor, a stop-motion animator or a screenwww.matchboxmedia.org
writer. You may not realise you need them, but in the
exchange of ideas, new possibilities emerge.
Meet the Matchbox Media team at:
www.matchboxmedia.org/about/people.html
The crowdfunded documentary Sandgrains (www.sandgrains.org) is a prime example. It deals with the impact
of EU fishing policy on the communities of Cape Verde,
whose livelihoods are threatened by the unsustainable
fishing practices of European vessels. Starting out as a
simple idea in the mind of co-director Gabriel Manrique, the project quickly gathered momentum, attracting a specialist crew from across Europe as well as the
support of major international NGOs and the financial
backing of over a hundred supporters. Shot on location
in Cape Verde, Sweden and Belgium, the film premiered
to a packed house at the Goethe Institute in Brussels on
the eve of a crucial meeting of the European Parliaments
fisheries committee.
As Sandgrains showed, Matchbox Media is more than just
a bunch of anonymous professionals; each member exists
as part of the collective, and is united by the underlying
aims and ambitions of the group. At its core is a belief in
the value of collective action: its power to promote social change and its creative potential, which can imagine
new ways of being part of society. It recognises a form of
collective responsibility, where everyone contributes and
where each person is the potential solution to anothers
problem.

WE PRODUCE CREATIVE MEDIA

GIVING VOICE TO UNTOLD STORIES
AND PROVIDING POWER TO THE STORYTELLERS
www.matchboxmedia.org

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

CME Visual

CME

making films the best they can be

Film Production
Cinematic Intros & Trailers
CME Visual offer a full film production and post production editing service

for first time filmmakers

Phone +44 (0) 20 7193 8870 | e-mail info@cmevisual.tv | www.cmevisual.tv

SPECIAL RATES

Films and Documentaries

Music Videos, Trailers and Commercials
Full Post Production & Editing Services
Keying for Green & Blue Screen
Color correction & Color Grading

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

UK Tax Scam!
Landscape
Of Lies
The UK, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
has secured criminal convictions against
a gang of tax fraudsters who created a fictional feature film so they could claim over
2.8 million ($4,216,587) in VAT relief and tax
credit claims.
The group set up a production on the fake
film with the sole aim of claiming nearly 1.5
million in VAT relief along with nearly 1.3
million in film tax credit claims.
The leader of the Gang, or the producer as
we filmmakers call them, was one Bashar AlIssa, 34, of Maida Vale, London, along with
Aoife Madden, of Northern Ireland, Tariq
Hassan, of Essex, Ian Sherwood and Osama
Al Baghdady, both of Manchester. The company behind the scam, Evolved Pictures.
The HMRC has had concerns about scams involving this fund, which is designed to help
get more British productions into cinemas
and increase employment for UK-based film
support businesses.

The gang
tried to
claim over
2.8 Million
in VAT and
Tax Credits

This scam, astonishing in its boldness was

perpetrated by Evolved Pictures. The company put out the usual hype which said it
was working on a top end production with
Hollywood A-list talent attached. The producers of the film were Bashar Al-Issa, Aoife
Madden, Tariq Hassan, Ian Sherwood and
Osama Al Baghdady, they claimed the film
was costing 19M to make, this meant that
the production was entitled to claim 2.8
million ($4,216,587) in VAT relief and tax
credit claims.
The company told auditors they had a
budget of over 19 million which was provided by a Jordanian company to produce
a blockbuster film in the UK and then told
HMRC that millions of pounds of work had
been spent on the film, including paying actors and film set managers, this meant a VAT
repayment was due of 1,488,187. When the
scam was detected, Madden hastily made
the movie for 84,000, with unknowns and
TV actors, including Loose Women presenter

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Andrea McLean and Gianni from EastEnders. It won a Silver Ace at last years
Las Vegas Film Festival.
Evolved also made fraudulent tax credit
claims of 256,385, and prepared to submit a further claim of 1.1 million. However, during checks HMRC found that the
work had not been done and most of the
so-called suppliers and film studios had
never heard of the gang.
Once the gang had been nabbed, they
tried to cover their tracks with a fake film
called A Landscape of Lies which was
shot on a shoe string with two TV personalities. The Production Companies
listed on IMDb as being involved in the
production are New Breed Productions,
AB Productions, KandLe (in association
with), London Knights Productions, Sir
Dark Knight Productions (in association
with)
John Pointing, HMRC assistant director
of criminal investigation, said: This gang
thought they could exploit the rules for
genuine British filmmakers and thieve
from the public purse for their own gain.
They were wrong as HMRC will not stand
by and let that happen. Falsely claiming
VAT that is not due is illegal - so we are
pleased that instead of this film flop going straight to DVD, these small-screen
Z-listers could go straight to jail.
According to the Times, the story is an
intriguing insight into the corruption in
Britains film industry the assumption
being many movies are elaborate tax
scams, draining millions from the public
purse. But if anything, it proves the opposite. Its easy to apply for tax relief: but
at the end of the shoot, theres a rigorous
auditing process to check the money has
been properly spent. Thats the bit the
gang overlooked.
The big players who have full time accountants juggleing the books are more
than capable of getting away with it, the
very fact that this has gone on so long
unchecked mab be evidence of this

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The Gang (production team) are due to

be sentenced on 25 March. The Movie
was Written and Directed by Paul Knight

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

THE 5th CORONA FASTNET

SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2013

HE 5th CORONA FASTNET

SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, Schull,
West Cork, will run from
Wednesday 22nd through to
Sunday 26th OF MAY 2013.
Each year over the last weekend in May,
the 5-day Festival plays host to in excess of 200 short film screenings. The
Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival is
an independent festival dedicated to
bringing together established and firsttime filmmakers in a forum to celebrate
the short film.
The commitment in Schull is to screen
all of the short films entered into competition during the festival in as many
different venues throughout the village
as possible and to have them available

on our archive for Wi-Fi viewing on

smart devices within the network of
Schull.
Professional and amateur filmmakers working in all aesthetic disciplines
and genres including, narrative, documentary, animation, experimental and
dance are welcome to submit short
films of 15 minutes or less to share in
the prize fund of 8,000.
There is so much going on over the 5
days of the festival from, hundreds of
Screenings, Special Guest Appearances,
Gala Screenings, Parties, Workshops
and Round Table Discussions. At the
Tented Fringe Family Fun is in abundance, from Puppet Shows, Childrens
Film Screenings, Storytelling, Drama,

BBQ, Market Stalls and much more. For

further information please visit www.
fastnetshortfilmfestival.com or follow
us on www.facebook.com/fastnetshortfilmfestival
The Corona Fastnet Short Film would
not be possible without the support
of our Title Sponsor Barry & Fitzwilliam importers of Corona Beer and our
Festival Associates William and Judith
Bollinger, Benny and Cliona McCabe,
Michael Satke, Frank Daly, Vivian Edward Nathan, Subaru Ireland and Digital Forgeamong others. The Festival
is grant aided by Cork County Council,
West Cork Development Partnership,
Filte Ireland, Culture Ireland, The Irish
Film Board and The Arts Council.

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Universal Film

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Issue 9 - 2013

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Fingal Film Festival

Fingal Film Festival prepares for launch of second year with an amazing line up of screenings
and events.
Following a very busy 2012, Fingal Film Festival Organisers
are back at their desks preparing for this years spectacular
event kicking off this May.
As the deadline for submissions is announced as the 15th
March 2013, the festival team are already viewing some
amazing content for this years festival, which is due to take
place at the ODEON Cinema n and the Crowne Plaza Hotel,
Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, on the 8th 10th May 2013.
In the coming weeks the team will also be announcing an
amazing line up of Industry professionals who will be facilitating this years workshops. The organisers advise people
to keep an eye on the website as places for these workshops are limited and will fill up fast. Last years workshops
were delivered by some of Irelands greatest talent including BAFTA winner, Writer/Director Aisling Walsh (Song for
a Raggy Boy), Producer Arthur Lappin (My left foot, In the
Name of the Father) Actor Martin Mc Cann (Killing Bono,
Clash of the Titans) LA Film Composer Joseph Conlon (Behind Enemy Lines Columbia)

This year we have received great support for the second

year running from our main sponsor the ODEON Cinema
in Blanchardstown, also The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown Centre are hosting the workshops plus the
Awards night this year on the 12th May. Other supporters
include Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and alongside
Fingal County Council also The Gathering Ireland. Without
the support of these organisations, it would be very difficult to get this festival off the ground says Liz..
We are delighted to announce that NuMu promotions run
by Katie Hogan will oversee all Marketing and Promotions
for this years festival 2013.
All of the hard working team are very excited and cant wait for
the launch of Fingal Film Festival 2013.
For information on all the events taking place at this years festival
visit www.fingalfilmfest.com

We are delighted to announce award winning Brown Bag

Films will be supporting the festival this year by facilitating
two animation workshops says Liz Kenny. Both designed
specifically for young filmmakers with a passion for animation.
The festival will host an ecclectic mix of Short films, Feature Films, Animations and documentaries, both National
and International and as always, we encourage filmmakers
from Fingal to submit their work for the prestigious Best
Fingal Newcomer Award, .Also this year we have a Best
Student Award for short film and Documentary.
This year will also see the introduction of the latest film
equipment and technology demonstrations along with
a meeting area where filmmakers can network with each
other to discuss future works.
We are encouraging all Filmmakers to submit their work as
early as possible. For more information on how to submit
your film, please visit www.fingalfilmfest.com
This year we are offering individual feedback on all films
submitted. We feel it is important to offer this option to
emerging filmmakers as it can give them a great insight
and help them perfect their skillset when producing future
work says Creative Director Dave Byrne. If you have submitted a film and would like to receive feedback, please
email info@fingalfilmfest.com Feedback will be given after the final selection has been made for this years festival
schedule.

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What does the year of crowd

-funding hold for filmmakers?
By Bret Geary

A.RE.S

Its very easy to understand the allure

of crowd-funding for filmmakers. There
are no studio hoops to jump through,
no funding panels to shift from foot to
foot in front of, no business plans to set
out and justify. A campaign can begin
at any stage of production, at any level
of ambition. Its even common to see a
film campaigning for production funds,
then completion money a few months
on, and later cash for festival submission fees. But with this ubiquity of
crowd-funding projects comes a ubiquitous mistake.
The standard mythos of the independent filmmaker paints studio interference as the unjustified intrusion of
business-suited anti-aesthetes who
have destroyed countless works of cinematic art. In excising this diabolic and
unfeeling horde from the production
process, the crowd-funding filmmaker
is free to achieve their own film-dreams
without any irritating philistinism bearing over their shoulder. Ultimately they
feel responsibility to one thing and one
thing only - their film.
As I see it, the major malfunction in
many crowd-funding projects is this
fixated attitude of the filmmakers right

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to make a project. Tell the story you

want to tell, goes the famous mantra,
but the business-minded amongst us
could add, only when someone wants
to hear.
Without any analogue of studio interference the crowd-funding filmmaker
is indeed fixated on their own unrealistic and occasionally insubstantial goal.
This major malfunction leads to minor
hiccups along their path to success - the
constant and desperate stream of spam
on social media (Pls RT to back us! $40k
2 days left etc.), the downright insulting tone of many rewards on offer (50
for a Producer credit) and the gossamer notions of post-completion success (after which, we will send the film
to festivals) - all of which derail outside
support for creator-owned projects.
If we imagine crowd-funding as a rich
uncle, one whom the filmmaker can approach for a cash injection with only a
little plea, lets further imagine that the
uncle needs more than lip-gloss persuasion but a genuine return on their
investment. How can filmmakers show
responsibility not to their films and
themselves, but to their funders and
audience?
If 2013 is to be the year of crowd-funding, and if filmmakers are to be a part of
it, then they must put aside their business-phobias and learn from the successful models. A commercial recording artist trying to raise funds for a new
CD, targeting a fan-base acquired from
previous mainstream successes. Or an
app designer or product inventor who
sees a gap in the market and fills it. They
have one thing in common: a responsibility to their audience.

The Ares film international competition excludes fiction movies only

and does not draw a distinction
between film genres because we
believe that an artistic work, whichever of the forms is used to make
it, should be assessed for its quality,
its value, the idea that generated it,
the innovative language that it uses
to speak to the world.
For this reason, the competition
foresees cross awards aiming to
bring out the character ofinnovation, originality, analytical ability
and social significance of the different works included in it. The Festival
aims at sensitizing public opinion
and citizenship about the most innovative artistic language through
the promotion and diffusion of experimental films, visual and sound
works linked to technological innovation, as well as the meeting
of cinema professionals and social
and cultural operators.
Sito web: www.aresfestival.it
E-mail: aresfestival@ergoform.it
el/fax +39 0931 491681

12

Theres been talk of 2013 being The

Year of Crowdfunding. Articles in a
number of mainstream publications
have praised entrepreneurs for an envisioned change in how businesses
work with and seek investment from
consumers. But from the viewpoint of
independent cinema, is that prophecy
set to come true? Certainly, every other
film project we encounter on the internet is at one stage of crowd-funding or
another.

A.RE.S. Film & Media Festival (Art

and Social Responsibility) is characterized by the capability to connect
a fringe, young and experimental
cinema, having a new view of contemporary society, to the fields of
Technological Innovation and Social Responsibility, by spreading the
value of the most innovative visual
and film culture, as well as multimedia languages, as a vehicle for social
cohesion, also creating a cultural
receptacle capable of generating
a virtuous circle of exchange with
other local and international partners.

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Un

by Patricia J. Pawlak

SOME
OF THE
WINNERS

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The 21st Annual

Pan Africa Film Festival

BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE

Stones in the Sun (Haiti/US), directed
by Patricia Benoit
Special Jury Recognition | Feature Narrative
Things Never Said (US), directed by
Charles Murray

This years two time NAACP Award

winner, Loretta Devine (Crash,
Dreamgirls) expressed gratitude for
her role in Greys Anatomy. (Ms.
Devine originated the role of Lorell
on Broadway). Leon, looking as always stylish and cool, eased down the
carpet and I still laugh when I think
of him in one my favorite films, Cool
Runnings. Caribbean music helped
keep the carpet going with Antwone
Fisher, writer of the Denzel Washington hit of the same name. Reatha
Grey of the new, Betty Whites, Off
Their Rockers, had fun talking about
the pranks they think up for the show.
The opening film followed, Vipaka, with Forest Whitaker, Anthony
Mackie and Mike Epps to a packed
audience and outstanding reviews.
PAFF is Americas most prestigious and largest Black Film Festival.
Screenings for the festival followed at
the Rave Cinemas in Baldwin Hills
which was a hub of activity as attendees dashed to find their favorite films.
The festival had selected a total of 154
films, representing 34 counties.
Some of the highlights of the festival
included a special screening of Iceberg Slim: A portrait of a Pimp, an
amazing documentary by Jorge Hinojas about Chicago Pimp, Iceberg
Slim, and how he reinvented himself
to have authored seven books and

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Home Again by Suzie Sutherland on

how various governments have deported their incarcerated population
to Jamaica.
One of my favorite films was AlaskaLand about a Nigerian American
young man coping with a new life in
Alaska. Cinematography was breathtaking. The film pulls you in and takes
you on a beautiful journey. Hats off to
shorts Peanut Butter Stew and Papa
produced by Autumn Fawn. Papa is
about an African man and his son
coping with the freedoms of America
and the Father having to let go of the
reigns to allow his son to grow. There
wasnt a dry eye in the audience at the
end.
Another highlight was Against The
Grain by writer and first time director Elias Mael. The film is poignant
and inspiring about a young man
trying to follow his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. No surprise that
it was the number one grossing film
of the festival and won The Audience
Award. Congratulations to first timer
director Elias.
Closing night film was a supreme
treat, Free Angela & All Political Prisoners, which follows the consummated and dedicated activist and civil
rights leader, Ms. Angela Davis.
It was a wonderful festival filled with
creative delights such as art exhibits,
Spoken Word and a Saturday Childrens Festival. The festival serves the
community very well and was very
impressive opening doors of communication and inspiring filmmakers
to continue their journeys of expression.

BEST DIRECTOR | FIRST FEATURE

David Tosh Gitonga, director of Nairobi Half Life (Germany/Kenya)
Special Jury Recognition | Director, First
Feature
YaKe, director of Wolf (US)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners
(US/France), directed by Shola Lynch
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Our Rhineland (US), directed by Faren
Humes
Special Jury Recognition | Short Narrative:
The Collegians (US), directed by Bryan
B.A. Lewis
FESTIVAL FOUNDERS AWARD
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (US),
directed by Jorge Hinojosa
CAPRI CAPITAL PARTNERS AWARD
Songs of Redemption (Jamaica), directed by Amanda Sans and Miquel
Galofr
AUDIENCE AWARD | DOCUMENTARY
Charles Lloyd: Arrows into Infinity
(US), directed by Dorothy Darr and Jeffery Morse
AUDIENCE AWARD | SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964 (US), directed by Alvelyn Sanders
AUDIENCE AWARD | NARRATIVE FEATURE
Against the Grain (US), directed by
Elias Mael
AUDIENCE AWARD | SHORT NARRATIVE
Island Song (US/Virgin Islands), directed by David Massey

14

The streetlights sparkled on Sunset

Blvd as flash bulbs popped at the star
studded Opening Night Red Carpet
of the 21st Annual Pan African Film
festival as JaNet DuBois, one of the
founders of the festival glowed in her
coral ensemble.

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

DOUBLE NEGATIVE

by CHRISTOPEHR TEMPLETON
Research by IDA ALWIN.

How not to make bad Mexican - American movies.

The Motion Picture Association of America has pegged Mexican-Americans as
the fastest-growing segment of the US
movie-going audience. There are now 45
million people with Hispanic backgrounds in the US with the last accurate
census (2007) identifying 310m US Box
office admissions, well over a third of the
number of Caucasians (The Motion
Picture & Television Industry Contribution to the U.S. Economy: http://www.
mpaa.org/Resources/6a507b67-e21943a3-a4ce-9788d6f1fb5e.pdf). The
report seismically concludes:
Mexican-Americans are now overall, the
most significant ethnic group.
The penny dropped first at Universal ten
years ago. The studio had snappily identified that the box office success of The
Mummy was due in great part to an
emerging Hispanic audience. Two years
later, the first in the franchise The Fast
and the Furious, was released with over
24% of the audience monitored as being
Mexican-American. That figure shot up
to 38% for the follow-up, 2 Fast 2 Furious.
Combine this with research from the Pew
Hispanic Center, which cites that the
median age of Mexican-Americans living
in the U.S. as 27 years (compared for
example to the median age of 36 years
for the overall population). These facts
alone should be music to the ears of the
film studios as younger people are by far
the most committed film-goers.
Despite this slap-in-the-face wake-up
call, the faithful Mexican-American audience is poorly served because their lives
are predictably reflected. The community actually have a word for such films:
churro. On the surface, a direct reference
to the divine, deep-fried, donut-geschmack. However indirectly, an idiom most
often used in the movie houses to describe a show that is unrepresentative or
to put it more acutely, a movie that does
little to advance the viewers status in the
wider world. Its not just a comment
about the poor reflective qualities of
commercial cinema in the States, it also
tells us something about the otherness
of Mexican-Americans within the US.

Otherness is sometimes difficult to see

from a global perspective. This semantic
is the subject of more complex academic
investigations, but staying strictly within
the parameters of U.S. popular culture, it
has penetrated everywhere to such a
degree that superficial parodies have
now been universally assimilated. For
Mexican-Americans, movies have
become clotting experiences (churro is
after all, deep- fried) because no fresh
blood is passing through the body.
I heard one West Hollywood doyen say
recently that Mexican-Americans desire
only violence, slapstick or dance
movies. This is undoubtedly the cinematic trifecta that guides Hollywood today,
certainly as far as Mexican-American
audiences are concerned.
Disturbingly but not unlinked, this
comment ranks right up there with the
systemic misrepresentation afforded to
young Latinos in US courts where ironies
not justice, is dispensed. When a defense
attorney in Texas recently cross-examined several witnesses about the endemic: pushy and macho attitude of
Mexican-Americans, the man had in
essence become one of the many
unwitting assimilators of the cinematic
trifecta. (Capital Punishment: How Else
Can We Teach Them a Lesson? Prof.
Alfonso Acua: http://911review.org/
Wget/aztlan.net/acuna5.html).
With politicians like Julian Castro, the
young Mexican-American Mayor of San
Antonio being given high-profile speaking slots at the 2012 Democratic Convention, there is a strong hint that young
Mexican-Americans are a whole continent smarter than that. In fact, throw a
stick at the continent and youll hit a
million Julians, all slowly climbing the
slopes of Parnassus, fitfully rising above
the pulp.
So, Mexican-Americans really do harbor
a deep, vested interest in the America
they inhabit. Fancy that. The phlegmatic
and pervasive attitude that Latino audiences want nothing more than to dance
through life swinging a range of homemade, stag-boned-handled machetes, is

clearly untrue in anybodys court. Just

use this simple man as your common
marker. Actually to be precise, hes smart
and he can dance too. Clearly, somewhere
along the line, he dropped his machete
in favour of brain mass.
More publicly Alex Nogales, President
and CEO of the National Hispanic Media
Coalition candidly stated (without the
anticipated machismo) that Hollywood
was simply not doing enough to engage
the Hispanic moviegoer in a credible
way; that films were still largely stereotypical (stupid) and that cinema needed
to urgently engage in topics and storylines that were relevant (intelligent) to
Mexican-Americans.
So starting here, lets change the rules for
once and see this from the MexicanAmerican perspective: there is a growing
opportunity today for original languageagnostic dramas that speak of the
everyday experience of being both American and Mexican-American and in
particular, dramas that resonate loudly
with this emerging, hyper-youthful, bicultural audience. Put in a different way:
producers must make the cinema experience meaningful and relevant, keeping
in mind that the current needs and aspirations of younger Mexican-Americans
are very, very different from those of their
parents.
Mexican-Americans, along with the more
broadly constructed Hispanics, have
proved to be a great and reliable moviegoing audience. They dont have the
power of choice but they do need to be
taken seriously and respected with
intelligent film titles. There is a goofiness
out there in the current offerings that
does make one wonder. We get Saving
Private Ryan, they get Saving Private
Perez.
Adam Fogelson of Universal Pictures
recently said: I think the industry is still
struggling in how to reach MexicanAmericans. But theres no reason to be
struggling.
Absolutely. No reason at all. Now give me
back my machete.

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Universal Film

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16

Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Turkish Film Festival

REVIEW

A 1940s Zonguldak town was built for Yilmaz Erdogans relatively high-budget Butterflys Dream

by Ramis

Cizer

Deniz Hazguler plays Jin in Reha Erdems new film

ts not the teeth of the big bad wolf that Little Red Riding
Hood should fear but the sharp crackle of an assault rifle and
overhead birds of war; this is Grimms well-known fairy tale
according to acclaimed Turkish director Reha Erdem. Jin - the
name main protagonist as well as the movie - is a PKK guerrilla girl who dons her red hijab in search of a better life away
from the mountains.

ticipated - probably popular because it stars Turkish heartthrob

Kvan Tatltu - Butterflys Dream strays from this trend. It follows
two ill poets in their search for love and recognition. Director Ylmaz
Erdoans lyrically laced script does become a somewhat hackneyed
but the impressive Tatltu, and the (intentional or unintentional) allusion to the philosophical tradition that holds that writing is a violent process, keeps ones attention. Butterflys Dream is at times
a light-hearted and wholly romantic tearjerker. Strong acting
The mountainous eastern borderlands of Turkey is the
makes up for a weak plot, to the extent that the fact the film
mythical other place in the psyche of most of its nation- Ramis Cizer is set the Black Sea city of Zonguldak during World War II
Review of loses most of its relevance.
als; the breeding ground of terrorist. It is partly because
of this that the fantastical parable works, but also because the festival
the self-proclaimed far right of the Turkish political estabSerkan Acars Love and Revolution has been doing the
lishment use pressed fingers in the shape of a wolf as their
rounds on the festival scene for a year and appeared in the
hand salute.
2013 London Film Festival after winning a special jury award
at the 18th Adana International Golden Boll. It doesnt disappoint,
Jins struggle is one of space - shes running from the wolf who at
especially if what the viewer is seeking is a realistic look at the high
every turn has her in the crosshairs of his rifle, and later when Jin
ideals (and chain smoking habits) of the university campus commumakes down from the mountain, in his sexual gaze. Erdem, who
nists of the early 90s. There isnt a much of a main protagonist or
spoke in the Q&A about his frustration at the frequent representavillain but there is plenty of clich and references to Che Guevara.
tion of the dangerous patriarchal viewpoint in Turkish mainstream
film, is pushing for a new approach to a contentiously charged issue.
Tucked in amongst the Turkish language films is director Nihat
Jin is Erdems heterotopia: an exploration of the Turkish outback reSevens Candle to the Water which is English spoken. Five stories, as
produced in a wonderful cinematic gesture of resistance, hope and
diversely titled as Jeremy Bentham and Mea Culpa, are played back
politico-magic-realism.
to back. Seemingly diverse in their subject matter, each story is tied
together by the appearance of a feather at a key moment. Emotional
Can winner of a 2012 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize is
and physical violence steadily erupt against the serene images of
another feminist critique of Turkish society, where the woman bears
various urban landscapes, streets, skylines, and doorways. Its Northe burden work and the man the burden of not being masculine
bert Elias Civilisatin Process with the undercurrents of the racism,
enough. Ayse and Cemal are trying unsuccessfully for a child and
inscribed bodies, gangland, of contemporary London.
decide to adopt, at which point their already stretched lives become
more delicate. A mundane beginning treads steadily towards a melodramatic climax. Repetition of beautiful landscapes, interiors and
characters serve to mimic the hustle of Istanbul life for an ordinary
people. Subtle contrasts of societys hierarchies and complex adult
lives envelope around the innocent six year old Can (which means
life), in Rasit Celikezers painfully subtle portrayal of lost Turkish
childhoods.
Most of the films on show at the 2013 London Turkish Film Festival are from leftfield and Nuri Bilge Ceylans influence can be found
in the cinematography, soundtracks and loose plots. Eagerly an-

17

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PITCHCON.ORG

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Filmmaking
against
the odds
y name is Raabia Hussain. I am deaf
and I am faced with many constraints in life but I always find ways
to overcome them. I work very hard
to achieve my goal who never gives
u p easily on anything I want to achieve in
life. Since I was a young girl I have dreamed of
becoming a filmmaker and now my dream has
come true. As I grew up I was able to stand on
my own 2 feet with the backing of my parents
and always saw an opportunity through even
though it may have ended in rejection. But it
did not stop me in becoming what I am now.
A teacher in secondary school really invested in
helping me out. It was a means of expressing
myself and I liked the thrill of getting behind a
camera and calling the shots. It was something
my family friends and tutors help me gain confidence and experience.
During my time at secondary school I was able
to create a short film titled A Nightmare at
Hathershaw. I am very thankful to all the staff
members and students who were able to make
it a success.
It did not stop there as my time at college furthered my knowledge and experience in trying
new methods of producing different varieties of
media.

Without the help and support of my family,

friends and tutors I would have not been able to
become what I am now.
I have won a filmmaking grant 2,500 from
the BSLBT (British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust) and Neaths Film, based in London, to
produce a short film which is called September 11th. It has been screened on Community
Channel and Film4s programme, BSL Zone in
October 2012 for a week.
The plot of this movie is about an account of a
young deaf Muslim womans experiences after
the events of September 11.
Drama about the impact of the September 11
terror attacks in New York on Deaf people living many miles away. When a young Muslim girl
sees people looking at her strangely in a cafe,
she knows something is wrong. After finding
out about 9/11, her life at home, school and her
Deaf club are affected. This film looks at both
hearing and Deaf attitudes to ethnicit8y following world events. Based on a true story, I wrote/
directed September 11 as part of the BSLBTs
Zoom filmmaking scheme.
For anyone who wants to pursue their dream in
any field of work, put your determination into
it as no matter how many times you might fall
down, your family, friends and the people who
care about will always be there to pick you up
and back your every move in life.

19

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Universal Film

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Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

UGGIE, THE ARTIST

Adopted Canine Superstar, Releases My Story

was a very solid tempered dog, courageous, always willing to do more and he
loved his work.

Uggie is the first dog in history that had

his own paws put in cement at the historic Graumans Chinese Theatre planting him next to the handprints of Hollywoods royalty. The autobiography is
signed by the dog paw prints but only
for those fans that, lucky enough, got to
meet him in person at the very exclusive Hollywood, Paris or London bookshops appearances.

Wendy Holden - once a journalist and

now a celebrity biographer, which
wrote 26 books, for personalities like
Barbara Sinatra and, recently, Goldie
Hawn considers Uggie the biggest celebrities of them all. When questioned
how she felt about writing the book for
Uggie, Ms Holden answered she had
to spend lots of time with Uggie which
was ready to tell his story to the world.
The animal does understand verbal input and is able replying with physical
and emotional reactions with manners
similar to a human being.

y Story is a must read book,

au tobiography of The Artist
Oscar winning film canine star
Uggie which went from originally abandoned and later adopted
dog to spoiled celebrity Hollywood
Icon.

It is the 30th of October 2012 and I am

sitting in a room at the London Kensingtons Waterstones bookshop with
Uggie, his owner and trainer, Omar von
Muller and, the book writer, Wendy
Holden. As soon as I sit Uggie comes
and great me leaning his paws on my
legs and expecting a stroke which he
very much appreciated, then he sat on
the chair, situated in between Omar
and myself, to later release it to Wendy
as any good gentle-male-dog would
do. Whilst Uggie relaxes playing with a
soft toy I start chatting with Omar and
Wendy.
Omar, which refers to Uggie as he and
his, explains how an adopted dog like
Uggie is somehow aware he was not in
the right place at the early stage of his
life. This initial suffering made him able
to particularly enjoy life, when he found
the right place, and certainly appreciate
the attention fame brought to him.
Being as famous as he is, Omar explains,
is just a matter of time and training. Uggie has been training for almost 10 years
to build his canine stardom. Most dogs
are energetic, intelligent and not afraid
of things; with the right training and
years of experience they can accomplish great achievements but definitely
not any dog can achieve those results,
as some of them will present unresolved
issues. Uggie, since a very young age,

Uggie started of as a stand up comedian and street entertainer after Omer

rescued him 9 months old. Before landing a starring role in The Artist he had
been in commercials, B list movies, and
in a big film called Water for Elephants
starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert
Pattinson. Uggie has his own page on
imdb, his own twitter feed, his own facebook fan page and also his own application!
Uggie is now ready to tell his story not
only to rescued dogs and the world
over, who hope to have one day a taste
of his life, but also to aspiring actors
which may want to become Hollywood
stars. Uggie has kissed everybody from
George Clooney to Jean Dujardin and
Charlize Theron. Even being in his presence is a bit of Hollywood stardust! Jean
Dujardin, which obviously worked very
closely with him, said that quite often
he followed Uggie, rather than Uggie
following him because he felt Uggie
was able to teach him a great deal about
silent movies making. When you are an
actor you have to use words but when
you are a dog you can only use your expressions. It is so that Uggie, the little
dog with deep and expressive brown
eyes, taught everybody how to make
movies!
Uggie, despite has been getting job offers for the past year, is officially retired

by Paola Berta

from movies. He has recently done a

little cameo for the book campaign
and could still enjoy similar jobs but
no more very long hours shooting on
a movie set. Whilst shooting The Artist
cast members like Uggie were required
on set for 10-12 hours.
Omar manages Uggie and the proof of
how much he cares for him, before any
financial gains or anything else, Wendy
admits, is that he retired him at the pick
of his career because he thought 1) he
would never do anything better than
The Artist since that was the top he
could possibly achieve and 2) Omar did
not want to strain him.
Uggie always gets a 5 stars treatment in
hotels and flights and at home he has
always been treated like a family member (see video link below).
Omar, who has been training animals
for about thirty years, before Uggie, had
a Jack Russell Terrier, which was already
doing movies work, and he currently
has Uggies brother, his double. The
dog is another Jack Russell, which will
hopefully follow his paw steps. It is just
a matter of the right movie to come at
the right time.
The book, published by HarperCollins, has been sold to America, France,
England (where it can be found in Waterstones and WH Smiths bookshops)
and, next year, will be published also in
Italian.
Since Uggie was adopted and he became a star, his owner wants to let people know they should adopt a dog rather than buying one. Even if the dog will
not became a big star on the screen,
he will still be a big star in the house,
within the family.
If you need to buy, buy a book, Uggie
says, leaving us all with a big smile!
More info on the writer of the book
available at:
http://www.wendyholden.com/

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Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

UFFO
UNIVERSAL FILM & FESTIVAL ORGANIZATION
promoting best business practices for film festivals
www.uffo.org

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

The Directors Guild of Great Britain celebrates its 30th Anniversary

Founded in 1983 by a group of film, television and theatre directors, the DGGB is one of the select few organisations
around the world which numbers both live and recorded media amongst it ranks. Operating together with their charity, the Directors Guild Trust, the two work to train, promote and celebrate directing and the work of directors. Over the
years, the Guild has been crucially influential in British directing, founding the Directors and Producers Rights Society
(now Directors UK), helping develop the Gulbenkian directors training report A Better Direction, hosting Lifetime
Achievement Awards for directors as diverse as Alan Parker and Joan Littlewood and inaugurating celebration blue
plaques for (amongst others) David Lean and Michael Powell. In recent years the Guild has shifted focus to training
and events, running the annual VFX Advantage Conference and the Peter Brook Lecture and boosting continuous
professional development for UK directors in partnership with Creative Skillset and other organisations and helping
to develop new approaches to directing. Details for membership can be found at the Guild website - www.dggb.org

Directors Guild rolls out Three Nations UK Tour of Tools of Directing

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24

In 2013, Simon Phillips new directing methods Tool of Directing will be promoted at introductory events in Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales as part of a national rollout funded by Creative Skillset, ending in a week-long, Londonbased seminar for selected participants from the regional workshops. Simons internationally-acclaimed seminars deliver practical methods that bring new insight and clarity to the complex tasks of working with actors, writers and
cinematographers. Simons ground-breaking techniques give directors their own unique methodology relating specifically to the directors craft and bring new insight and clarity to the complex task of directing, guiding participants
through the development of emotionally moving storytelling in film. More details on the Guild website in January
www.dggb.org

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Standing up for
Stand Up Guys
the movie!
by Ron Gilbert

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Upon his release from prison Al Pacino after 28 years is

picked up by his buddy Chris and what do you think
would be most on his mind after being in prison all
that time. He wants to party and so off they go to a
brothel which is now run by the daughter Wendy
(Lucy Punch )of the former madam who retired. Unfortunately Al needs some help to maintain his sexual
desire so male enhancement drugs are needed. After
obtaining them Al is back to complete his sexual de-

www.ufmag.biz

sires. Al confronts Chris because he knows that there

is a payback that needs to be settled and Chris reveals to Al that he has to rub him out on orders from
Claphands ( Mark Margolis) who feels that Al was responsible for his sons death. Al asks Chris how long
does he have and he tells him 24 hours. So the party
begins on a trip down memory lane and you are in for
a fun ride in more ways than one when Alan Arkin who
was their getaway driver and is now in a retirement
and they rescue him to join them. These characters reinforce what guys used to be back in the day and that
has all but disappeared today in particular how they
treated women and how they are there for them ,no
matter what.
I could fill in all the details but I want you to see this
film and enjoy the ride with Lyle Workmans score and
Bon Jovis songs will definitely add to it. Director Fisher Stevens has allowed these talented actor to flow
with the punch which resulted in some improvisation
and bringing this buddy film closer to the heart. He
established trust with them and since all of them have
evolved from a theatre background the camaraderie
is quite evident. The writer Noah Haidle created this
film script after seeing 2 old gangster type guys sitting
on a bench in park sharing stories and Stand Up guys
is the result.

26

tand Up Guys is a fun film with 3 Oscar winning actors who are enjoying their roles and
audiences will be sharing the fun with them.
There will never be another aging buddy film
that will top this film with Val( Al Pacino) , (Doc)Chris
Walken and Hirsch (Alan Arkin). The reason I am saying
this is because I have so much in common with these
actors and the mob life setting. I have know these Al
and Chris from Actor Studio days early 70s and have
worked with them and they are still in this game and
having a ball. Director Mark Rydell always says acting
should fun and in this film it is obvious. Now getting
back to the mob reference in this film which is pretty
accurate because I was raised in that element in East
Harlem on the island of Manhattan. Many critics do
not have that background but I do and know it firsthand. So now back to this fun film

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

CINOVATE
Media Academy Wales launch second year of personalised mentoring programme for exhibition
professionals, supported by Creative Skillset
We are delighted to be hosting the second weekend of Cinovate at the 19th edition of Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival. The festival is renowned for attracting the UK
short film industry to Bristol for six days filled with the best
emerging talent from the UK and beyond.
It is an excellent addition to the festival to bring the UKs leading independent exhibitors to the same event to have a taste
of some of the work available from the next generation of
filmmakers.

Film Agency for Waless Chief Executive, Pauline Burt, commented:

ollowing a successful pilot in 2012, the Media Academy Wales have launched a call for 2013 applications from the UK-wide film exhibition sector for
those seeking support for their current festival or
venue-related challenges.

Cinovate is a proven platform for exhibitors to consider current challenges and opportunities, such as improving audience data and understanding and programming smarter as
a result. Theyll share a range of approaches with their peers
and build a network of on-going support from the relationships they develop. Its a very valuable approach.

Cinovate, a personalised peer mentoring programme taking

place over 6 months, offers managers in the sector the chance
to take a step back from their day-to-day challenges and consider them in a different light, with support and guidance
from the best in the field.

The scheme will be personalised and bespoke to the selected

participants and the case studies from leading UK festivals
and venues, as well as from funding organisations and leading strategists will offer a new network of contacts and encourage renewed enthusiasm in the sector.

Instigated by the Media Academy Wales, which has to

We believe Cinovate will offer great value for money,
date trained over 500 industry professionals across
and following feedback from last years participants,
Innovative
the world, and co-created by James Mullighan (Edwe know that the scheme guarantees real results,
techniques
inburgh Film Festival, Encounters, Shooting People,
said Hannah Raybould from the Skillset Media Acadfor film
Transmedia Next), the scheme offers mentoring,
Exhibitors emy Wales.
round table discussions and case studies to inspire
and enthuse the 12 individuals taking part.
With bursaries available to cover travel and accommodation costs, it is hoped that the scheme will attract
After being involved with Cinovate 2012, I am thrilled to
a wide cross section in terms of geographical location, type
come on board as Contributing Editor to conceive, design
of festival or venue and current challenge faced.
and deliver our programme for 2013 said Mullighan.
Cinovate 2013 is supported by the Creative Skillset Film Skills
Cinovate is a unique offering for the independent exhibition
Fund as part of A Bigger Future 2, the UK film skills strategy.
professional - theres loads of learning from industry experts,
The Creative Skillset Film Skills Fund is supported by the Nacarefully designed one-on-one mentoring and a mechanism
tional Lottery through the BFI and the film industry through
so that the collective knowledge of all participants is teased
the Skills Investment Fund. Cinovate is supported by the Film
out and shared with the group. If youre finding your work
Agency for Wales, Encounters Festival and Kino Climates.
in exhibition challenging, especially in this digital age within
Dan Simmons, Head of Film at Creative Skillset said:
a time of financial difficulty for the arts generally - our programme is for you.
Improving business skills continues to be a priority for Creative Skillset on behalf of the UK Creative Industries. The clear
The scheme will take place over two weekends in April 2013
strengths of Cinovate are firstly the intensive mentoring,
at the Film Agency Wales Audience Connect summit in Carboth in the workplace and during the programme, and secdiff and in September 2013 at the Encounters Short Film and
ondly the peer support that is created through the sharing of
Animation Festival in Bristol. By hosting the weekend probest practice and workplace challenges. The first cohort have
grammes at industry events, those attending will have access
been equipped with the knowledge, tools and confidence to
to additional masterclasses and networking opportunities.
make changes to their businesses, and we are now seeing the
positive impact of these interventions.
Liz Harkman, Managing Director of Encounters Short Film and
Animation Festival commented on the value of the scheme to
For more information please see: www.filmagencywales.com
the festival.

27

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

The Authority of the Written Word

Can a film adaptation ever be as good as the book?

J.R.R. Tolkien

t this point, there must be over two hundred films that

are based on a book; and all of these motion pictures
based on literature have thrown up a very good question:

Can a film adaptation ever be as good as the book?

Now, this is a deep question; a very difficult one that has torn J.K
Rowling, Tolkien and Stephen King fans alike. But this question has already been addressed many times before, so inRead
stead, here is a new one:
Should a film adaptation be true and exact, or the directors own visualisation? This is another argument that can
split book and film fans right down the middle, so it must be
considered from both sides.

However, narrative tweaking and/or additions are a must in some

cases. Take The Woman in Black, for instance. That is a book which
can be read in an afternoon. So how was director James Watkins going to turn a novella into an hour and a half film production? Why,
adding more scares and horror, of course.
This is the sort of example where the director having an input
doesnt really matter, so long as they know what theyre doing. Watkins actually succeeded really well; the film took
any twenty million dollars on its opening weekend.

good books
recently?

The first side: an answer of No, the film should be exact.

I know very few novelists who have been satisfied with the adaptation of their books for the screen Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author.
This is a clear, clinching point in this argument; because its so unfortunately true.
Roald Dahl did not like the adaptation Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory probably something to do with the tunnel, or the fact
that the film and book titles dont match.
Stephen King didnt like what Stanley Kubrick did to The Shining,
he even argued that Jack Nicholsons portrayal was just too crazy.
Antony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange, even regretted
writing his own book after Kubrick, again, totally misinterpreted
the meaning. That in itself is a huge blow to the adaptation idea; to
make an author resent his own work really says something. Then the
argument takes the swing in the other direction: Yes, the director
should put their own ideas into it.
From interviewing fellow film lovers, they argued that directors can
use their own visual inspirations but should stick to the plotline,
which is a fair point. Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games,
happily admitted director Gary Ross [] brought a rich and powerful vision of Panem, its brutality and excesses, to the film. After resentful authors, its more uplifting to know that some can be pleased
by the directors visuals.

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Steven King

Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption,

has had his own successes too. Thats a story only one hundred and thirty-three pages long, but Darabont managed to
expand that and made it into something just fantastic that has
remained with so many film lovers around the world. It seems when
working with a short enough story, a director putting his own spin
on things is fine; so long as they do a good job at it. As it stands,
Stephen King and Susan Hill dont seem to be full of regret or resentment, so Watkins and Darabont did something right.

Sometimes the problem isnt just visuals, cutting it down or trying

to get across a meaning. Its the problem of keeping it interesting.
Douglas Adams The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, for example,
gives the reader most of the answers from the word go. Other books
have a lot of filler really think how much of Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows is just basically about a camping holiday.
As films obviously cant do this, directors inputting their own addition comes back into it all, like: keeping a big question unanswered
until the end, or adding in a new event or making a smaller scene
suddenly HUGE. Now youve got a cliff-hanger, suspenseful film that
is great for Hollywood, but a story that is too far away from the original written one.
So were back to square one. Should directors do a perfect adaptation or put their own spin on it? It can bring small novellas out into
the open; it allows a great storyline to finally get some great visualsand it can also make an author resentful and irritated. Maybe
like the Book vs. Film debate, this is just another question that is too
variable to properly answer.
Read any good books recently?

28

J-K-Rowling

by Robert B

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

TIFFCOM2013 Confirmed!

TIFFCOM2013 Confirmed!
The dates and official slogan for TIFFCOM2013, organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
(METI), and UNIJAPAN, have been confirmed.
The momentous tenth edition of TIFFCOM will be held
over three days: from Tuesday to Thursday, October 2224, 2013. Following last year, the market will take place
at the hotel GRAND PACIFIC LE DAIBA in the Odaiba
area of Tokyo.
TIFFCOM2012 saw the participation of 229 exhibiting
organizations from 25 different countries and regions.
983 buyers from 34 different countries and regions also
took part, and lead to record numbers for both exhibitors
and buyers. Business talks also climbed 29%, and we saw
TIFFCOM develop into a multi-content market with a
strong international presence.
2013 marks the second year of TIFFCOMs move from
Roppongi to the GRAND PACIFIC LE DAIBA in Odaiba. The slogan for this year is TOKYO Renezvous.
We hope that hosting the market in the city resort of
Odaiba, close to central Tokyo, will lead to many new
opportunities and relationships.
We are working hard to make sure we can provide you
with wonderful encounters in this beautiful location.

2012s Project Market saw its seminars and pitching sessions packed full with participants. We seek to further
strengthen the link between TIFFCOM and TIFF in
2013 by establishing opportunities to information and
build networks, and continuing to promote international
co-productions.
We hope to create a place where filmmakers from both
within and outside of Japan gather to conduct business
talks and exchange information.
Further details will be announced in May.
TIFFCOM 2013 Outline - Date: October 22-24 (TuesThurs), 2013
Venue: GRAND PACIFIC LE DAIBA (2-6-1, Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Organizers: Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry
(METI) / UNIJAPAN (TBC)
Co-organizer: The 26th Tokyo International Film Festival
Range of Exhibits: Film, television, animation, digital
media content, comics, publishing, etc.
Official Website: http://www.tiffcom.jp (scheduled to
launch April 2013)

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Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

The Indie Gathering

he Indie Gathering got its start in the

mid-1990s, originally created as a
large networking event for the independent film community in Ohio, as well as out
of state guests. The turnout for the event
was much greater than expected and grew
so quickly that it had to be held in a hotel
after just a few short years. With this move,
film screenings were added to the event,
and The Indie Gathering International Film
Festival was born.

great weekend. Aside from the film competition, the festival also includes screenwriting
and film scoring competitions. At the event,
there are competitions for actors, stunt people and special effects makeup artists. The
event features three screening rooms, a convention, over twenty hours of film lectures
and panel discussions, networking parties
and much more, all of which take over the
entire Hudson Clarion Inn & Conference
Center, where the event is held.

Created by lifelong Cleveland resident and

Emmy-winning producer Ray Szuch, The Indie Gathering was made to bring more opportunities to indie filmmakers, giving them
a chance to network with other industry
professionals and a place to showcase their
work. The festivals mission is to inspire and
encourage filmmakers through a competitive showcase, while presenting a great networking opportunity for anyone involved or
interested in the industry.

The goal of the festival and its staff is to

provide everyone with a unique opportunity. In one weekend, attendees can receive
film school training, meet celebrity guests,
watch over one hundred films, and most
importantly, get themselves out there as a
film professional, meeting a wide range of
industry people. Filmmakers, film students,
writers, actors, stunt people, musicians, artists, celebrity guests and film fans all have a
chance to meet one another while learning
more about their common interest filmmaking.

The Indie Gathering is more than just a film

festival. Its a place where filmmakers can
gather together with the audience for one

by Kevin Murphy

entire networking experience that caused

the festival to branch off into a second event,
The International Horror Hotel. Like The Indie Gathering, Horror Hotel has a weekend
of film screenings, competitions, lectures,
panel discussions, a convention, celebrity
parties and more, but all centered specifically on the horror and sci-fi genres. At Horror
Hotel, the special effects makeup competition takes over more of the event in the form
of haunted rooms elaborate horror scenes
put together by budding FX artists. Instead
of the monologue competition, actors can
partake in the Scream Queen Competition.
With attendees from all areas of the film
business and from all around the world, the
festivals continue to grow, with new sponsors, new events and new ideas each year.
Both events share the same goal: that everyone who attends walks away from the
weekend with more knowledge, new experiences, new contacts, new ideas, and new
film friends. For more information on the
festivals, visit www.theindiegathering.com
and www.horrorhotel.net.

It was this same love of filmmaking and the

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Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Film Actors Awards

scrambles Oscar
predictions

by Ron Gilbert

Last night I attended the SAG-AFTRA awards and

was very happy with the choices made, in particular
, Jennifer Lawrence in winning best actress for her
performance in the motion picture, Silver Linings
Playbook..She auditioned on Skype for the director
and is a major talent at 22. Tommy Lee Jones won
best supporting actor for Lincoln which was well
deserved. Robert DeNiro was also nominated but
missed out which in a way made me happy because
he has not done his best work in years.
His roles in Raging Bull ,The Godfather 2 and Taxi
Driver were brilliant but in the last few years he has
made more money doing comedy roles. Just because he squeezed out a tear in his scene with Bradley Cooper was not an award winning moment.
Bradley Cooper is at a high point in his career but
he needs to dig deeper into his work. Joaquin Phoenix is a true example of an Actors Studio method
actor and goes to the depths of his character. He
is not looking for an award which is what this industry is all about. His performance in The Master earned him an Oscar nomination as best actor
even though he did not launch a campaign. The red
carpet is considered the magic carpet to stardom.
What you must realize is that the amount of voters
for all these award shows are not so high.
The Golden Globes has under 100 voters, The Oscar voters are 5700,SAG-AFTRA Awards has about
150,000 member or more but not all of them vote.
These are approximations but they can give you an
idea of how the award world works. So last night,
Daniel Day Lewis won best actor in Lincoln over
Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables ,who is still my

choice for best actor at the Oscars. Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress for her emotional
performance in Les Miserables and is mine and the
Oscar favorite. The big surprise of the night was the
winner of the ensemble cast of Argo in a motion
picture which was my favorite film and Ben Affleck
deserved this win.
I thought that Les Miserables might take it or even
Silver Linings Playbook but the SAG-AFTRA members agreed with me. Your opinion of whom you
think should win an award is your choice but do not
always be influenced by critics because that is their
view and not yours. The choices for winners are just
favorites at that time, which is what the award winners should be called. Some actors have won these
awards then their career took a nose dive after 1 or
2 more films. Acting is a craft and if you love it you
will continue until the day you die because you love
going to work unlike most people who do not love
their work. So just be inspired and continue and
you will make it to the Oscars red carpet.
think should win an award is your choice but do not
always be influenced by critics because that is their
view and not yours. The choices for winners are just
favorites at that time, which is what the award winners should be called. Some actors have won these
awards then their career took a nose dive after 1 or
2 more films. Acting is a craft and if you love it you
will continue until the day you die because you love
going to work unlike most people who do not love
their work. So just be inspired and continue and
you will make it to the Oscars red carpet.

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Google +
For Filmmakers
By Martin Shervington
Since the launch of Google+ in 2011, it
has received a variety of coverage in the
press. In particular, headlines of Google+: Its a ghost town seemed the most
common. Well, as we approach its second anniversary we can see reports of
235 million active users making it the
number two network, behind Facebook
and flying past twitter. If you are in the
film industry, it is something you cannot ignore. So, whether youve already
signed up and checked it out, or if you
need a little encouragement, here you
go
Google+ is a global network - unlike
certain other social sites, with Google+
you will be able to contact anyone in the
world who is posting content publicly.
Using the tool of engagement: +1s (a bit
like likes), comments and shares, you
will be able to get their attention. I even
interacted with William Shatner and his
crew through creating a global trend to
get his attention.
Using Google Docs - you will be able to
collaborate on projects with people at
the same time with e.g. spreadsheets for
cost predictions, text for capturing ideas,
presentations for, well, you get the idea.
The key thing here is collaboration and
once youve experienced it, youll know
what I mean. There is no app at present
for FinalDraft but I guess that may well
come in time too.
Google Hangouts - these are free video
conferencing with us to 10 people in
the virtual room (15 with a corporate account), in real time. This will enable virtual teams to meet up, face-to-face and
connect in new ways.
Google+ circles - people have already
created circles of people you can just
add in that relate to your industry
and your specific job role as well. With
Google+ coming up to being two years
old, people have done a lot of work for
you. As such, this is a great time to get
involved.

are almost 50,000 communities of people who want to talk about everything
from The Universe, to Bacon, to, yep,
films and filmmaking. Just do a search
under the communities button and you
will see what I mean. Also, you can create your own community if you dont see
what you like. btw: have free video on
my site and on YouTube that will cover
all aspects of how to do this.
Friendly people - this is something that
needs to be mentioned. On Google+
there is a really positive vibe about the
possibilities of the technology. Ive met
thousands of people from all over the
world and been blown away with how
welcoming theyve been (I only started
in March 2012). Ive met some great film
industry people, A list celebs, connected
with Oscar winning directors and more.
Google+ is Google - this will take you a
little while to grasp, but Google have put
a social layer across Googles products
and services. As such, Google+ is actually Google, but they didnt tell us all that
at the start. Once you get it, you get it!
Hopefully that will give you a little more
inspiration to get involved with Google+
as a film maker. We will all make our own
opportunities and this platform will enable you to connect with more people in
new ways. Most of all...enjoy it! It is quite
a ride.
In 2011 Martin Shervington attended
San Francisco Comedy College whilst
writing a script called Lie Down, Stand
up, about a psychiatrist who steals his
clients content and turns it into stand
up comedy. Having had it optioned but
not bought (darn it) he returned to the
marketing consultancy and fell in love
with Google+. His website is www.martinshervington.com where you will find
everything you need to know about getting started and making the most of the
experience. Also check out his profile in
the Plus. You will find him here: www.
google.com/+MartinShervington

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34

Communities - even though these were

only launched in December 2012, there

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Flanders

Minister greenlights Flanders Distribution Grant

lemish Cultural Affairs Minister

Joke Schauvliege has greenlit the
Flanders Distribution Grant, a new
initiative aimed at boosting Flemish productions which are being
released theatrically abroad.
The selective system, which will run as a pilot
project throughout 2013, will be launched at
the Berlin International Film Festival. The initiative is run by Flanders Image, the Flanders
Audiovisual Funds (VAF) audiovisual export
and promotion agency. The budget for the
first year is 389,000 ($526,000).
Belgian cinema from Flanders has been doing increasingly well in recent years: the
number of films being invited to festivals, and
winning awards at those festivals, has been
growing, while local hits such as Bullhead,
Come As You Are and North Sea Texas also
enjoyed healthy international sales. But while
filmmakers were able to apply for financial
support to travel to festivals, or to increase
the visibility of their films at these festivals,
until now there has been no comparable

initiative to support the releases of Flemish

films overseas. This is another step forward
towards the better and wider introduction
of Flemish cinema abroad, says Flemish Cultural Affairs Minister Joke Schauvliege, who
greenlit the scheme. We are no longer just
supporting films at festivals, but are now also
supporting distribution, so that Flemish productions can be seen in even more cinemas
around the world.
A Flanders Distribution Grant can only be obtained by a foreign distributor after they have
acquired the rights to the film for their territory. They can then apply for support if they
can demonstrate that the grant will make a
significant difference to the theatrical release
of the film. The money might, for example,
be used for organising press junkets, for widening the campaign, or for dubbing the film
into the local language. The plan also needs
to be approved by the films Flemish producer. Only majority-produced Flemish creations
are eligible for a Flanders Distribution Grant,
and films that have already received distribution support from MEDIA or any other pub-

In these days we opened call for works for our International Student FilmFest. As we spoke in November last year, I
hope it is still possible to publish a short presentation with
logo in the magazine. The web page is www.medijskidan.si,
the logo is in the attachment and the text is:
Youthful creativity, drive and enthusiasm need a place to
thrive. International student FilmFest is a platform where
students and young people can reach a wide audience with

lic body are excluded from the scheme. Full

regulations can be obtained from Flanders
Image. The selective system, which will have a
389,000 budget in its pilot year, will only be
looking to support the most convincing and
the strongest applications. We expect distributors to present us with something that
is more than just a basic release, says Christian De Schutter of Flanders Image. With the
Flanders Distribution Grant, we want to make
the release of a Flemish film stand out from a
regular opening in that territory. A jury is to
select the best proposals.
On show from Flanders at the European Film
Market (EFM) this year are Felix van Groeningens The Broken Circle Breakdown (intl sales:
The Match Factory), which is invited to the
Panorama Special programme where Bullhead premiered two years ago; Allez, Eddy!
by Gert Embrechts (Global Screen); Offline
by Peter Monsaert (Lumire Publishing); and
The Fifth Season by Peter Brosens and Jessica
Woodworth (Films Boutique).

their films that come alive on the big screen. The FilmFest
is open for student films produced independently from
professional studios. This way the films push the limits,
embrace individuality, connect people and reflect uncompromising creativity as their authors enter their local environment. These local environments are diverse and spread
all over Europe wherever the festival program is adopted.
Let the voice of young creatives be heard around the globe!

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Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Interview
With
Valeria Bandino
Valeria Bandino gets invited to festivals
all over the world UFM Interviews her.
1. Lets talk a bit about you Valeria. What
made you want to get into the industry
in the first place?
During my studies of psychology I realised how fascinating our mind is and
how beautiful is to watch how we react
to others actions. Then I moved to Ireland and I studied acting at the prestigious Gaiety School of Acting. There my
love for playing characters and acting
grew until the point in which I was told
that Im a good actress and I was sent
to the TVI Actors Studio in L.A. learning
new techniques. Once back to Ireland,
I started to work in movies and I found
it very interesting so I kept doing it. I
love acting; its just so interesting to be
someone else for a while!
2. Italian, living in Ireland and always
travelling. What do you like the most of
your job?
I like being international, meeting and
working with colleagues from all over
the world and in general living new experiences everyday. I feel very lucky.
3. Whats coming up for you in 2013?
In March Ill be working in the new
Lorenzo Raveggis movie called The
Secret of Botticelli where I will be playing Margareth, the American assistant
of a criminologist. Im pretty happy to
work on this project. Margareth is an
interesting character and Im flattered
to have been already confirmed for the
sequel.
4. If you could have dinner with three
guests - (living or dead), who would
you choose and why?
Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep and
Quentin Tarantino. I love their style so
having dinner with them would be very
inspiring other than and absolute night
of fun! Can you imagine that?

by Kevin Murphy

5. What is your favourite word? Possible. With commitment and intelligence, I believe that everything is possible.

REAL LIFE
STORIES OF
STRUGGLE
AND COURAGE
FROM
AROUND
THE WORLD

6. Hows Valeria in her private life?

Normally Im a pretty dynamic woman,
I spend a lot of time out and I have very
busy days so even when Im home and
I have some time to dedicate to myself
and my loved ones, I keep doing many
things. For example I love cooking and
trying new recipes, having friends over,
going to the gym and of course shopping.
7. You went to the Dubai International
Film Festival.. tell us about your experience there.
Dubai has been a wonderful experience. The festival was very well organized with an interesting movies selection. I met many local actors which
made me feel home and inspired me to
wanting to know more about the film
market in Dubai. I took one day off from
the festival to visit the city and I got
impressed by how much it has been
done in 41 years. The city is beautiful
and very modern but at the same time
keeps a wonderful Arabic style. I cant
wait to visit Dubai again.
8. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to pursue a career in the
industry? Being an actor is not a 9am to
5pm job. Being an actor is a 24/7 job,
its stronger than a love or a passion, it
takes you away from family and friends,
it makes you living on the edge. It involves big sacrifices, efforts and studies. But it also gives you big satisfactions. So my advice is to be very strong
as this business is not an easy cookie
but at the same time never take the focus off it. With time good opportunities
will come and with it some great moments too.

THIS IS OMAR, A TEENAGE

REFUGEE FROM SOMALIA.

A LIFE ON HOLD

IS A NEW FILM ABOUT

OMARS LIFE IN A REFUGEE
CAMP IN TUNISIA.
WATCH AT
AMNESTY.ORG/REFUGEES

CHILDREN OF
THE JAGUAR

AN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY IN
THE AMAZON JUNGLE TAKE ON
THE COMBINED MIGHT OF THE
GOVERNMENT AND AN OIL
COMPANY IN ORDER TO SAVE
THEIR WAY OF LIFE AND THE
RAINFOREST THEY LIVE IN.

WATCH AT
BIT.LY/JAGUAR-TRAILER

Find out more:

avproduction@amnesty.org

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Magnificent 7
Film Festival
by Radmila Djurica
One of 2 significant documentary film festivals in Belgrade, Serbia Magnificent 7 Film Festival in 2013 showed
once more that quality is above quantity screening only
7 worldwide important documentaries in the selection of
Danish veteran Tue Steen Mller, selector and consultant
for the festivals DOCS Barcelona, DOK Leipzig, Magnificent 7 and DoxBox in Damascus and teacher at the film
school Zelig in Bolzano, Italy etc. The films are the important seven from Mllers base New York, a metropole of
independent entertainment cinema and the place of two
important veterans: 86 years old Albert Maysles and the
90 year old Jonas Mekas.
The films selected for the 2013 edition of Magnificent7
have been shown in theatres in their countries of origin
and all over the world. The great period we experience
in the popular documentary genre prove the filmmakers
who come to Belgrade with their films: Magnificent7opens with the Searching for Sugar Man by Swedish film
director Malik Bendjelloul, the winner of BAFTA Award
2013 for the Best Documentary and internationally the
most successful documentary of 2012 which is according the author an exciting story about the search for evidence of one legends authenticity and a journey into the
unknown. The dramatic composition of a suspenseful cinematic thriller is enriched by subtle yet profound layers,
which are seamlessly interwoven into the narrative.

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The Magnificent 7 Festival in Belgrade brings poetry of

best docs and personally made documentaries with a
diversity in themes and authentic from the minimalistic
and original interpretation of an urban social reality in Sofias Last Ambulance by Bulgarian Ilian Metev, film director from UK National Film and Television School (NFTS) to
the beautiful and respectful meeting with people who do
very seldom appear in the media in Tea or Electricity by
Jrme Le Maire and Winter Nomads by Manuel von Strler. Important note: art will always survive and of course
the portrait of a great humanist, Olof Palme, who was
shot down, when he chose to walk home after a visit to
the cinema. Magnificent7 is a tribute to the art of cinema, but it is also a tribute to the power of film craft itself
and two films proves that: Searching for Sugar Man and
Soundbreaker by Finish Kimmo Koskela that is about an
artist who seeks to break all rules.

Universal Film
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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Hansel and Gretel

A fairy tale turned gore fest
by Susan Cooper

Be warned though, this is no U movie, its

not even a PG. Although its two main characters are based on the traditional fairy tale
of Hansel and Gretel, this is where any similarity ends. Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters
is definitely a movie thats only for grownups and only those who have strong stomachs. The theme of violence and gore runs
throughout the movie and to be honest,
thats about all it has.

hind the abductions is that a coven of witches is preparing for a ritual called Blood Moon,
where six girls and six boys are required for
sacrifice. The plot follows from there with numerous bloody assassinations taking place.
There are no holds barred on the level of violence, which may or may not be of interest to
you as a viewer.
Generally, the film hasnt been the recipient
of much praise. The plot has been criticised
for falling between black comedy and horror,
and with names like Will Ferrell and Adam
Mackay as executive producers, it seems likely that it was perhaps intended to be more
about black comedy than horror. But to be
truthful, there dont seem to be many light
moments in the film at all.

The plot centres on grown-up Hansel and

Gretel, who have blossomed into fully
fledged witch hunters following their harassing ordeal as children, when they were held
prisoner by a witch who force fed candy to
Hansel and made Gretel prepare the oven
where Hansel was scheduled to be cooked.
As in the fairy tale, the two children managed to get the witch in the oven and escape
with their lives. In the film, Hansel has been
left with an insulin dependency following
his ordeal but the two are both immune to
witches spells and curses, so excel in their
profession of exterminating witches.

The violence is paramount, with lots of nasty close-ups of faces being punched in and
death by various weapons including machine guns, tazers and shovels.

The brother-sister duo are hired by a town

mayor to rescue children abducted by witches, but when the pair intervene to stop the local sheriff from executing a suspected witch
called Mina, he also hires trackers to find the
children, in order to win the mayors respect.
The witch hunters discover the reason be-

Directed by Norwegian Tommy Wirkola and

filmed in 3D, this film may appeal to a very
limited audience teenage boys who enjoy
violent films based on fairy tales perhaps?
but it certainly doesnt have the feel of something that will appeal to a mainstream audience.

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Its a German-American production and the

cast hails from many different countries. The
problem with this is that theres a lack of
consistency as the accents are so muddled.
Many of them are European, with a nod to
the fact that the story takes place in a town
called Augsburg, but the two leads Gemma
Arterton (Gretel) and Jeremy Renner (Hansel)
both have American accents.

40

If youre a parent looking for an entertaining

film to take your kids to, flicking through the
cinema listings Glasgow, or whichever town
you happen to be in, you might be tempted
by one of the new releases thats out in most
cinemas at the moment called Hansel and
Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

UFFO best business

practices for film
festivals
Maureen OHara

Every once in a while

there is something that
stands out and compels
us to notice it; I think that
is what struck me most
about UFFO when it was
first brought to my attention. I am so tremendously honoured and proud
to be the President of
such an international organisation that promotes
ethics in an industry I
love so much.

ince the launch of

UFFO on the 1st
July 2011 and the
organizations best
business practices
for film festivals it has been
adopted by over 190 international film festivals and
has gathered strong support
from organizations all over
the world

Universal
Film &
Festival
Organization

own festival. (Nothing illegal about that; a number of festival organizers regularly promote their own and even their
friends films.) The screening programme was set up with
their own film taking prime position in the whole lineup. In
addition the film was nominated in 5 of the 7 top categories. Although the film was slated by many of the UK critics
it managed to win an award in every category. Hundreds of
other filmmakers who submitted their films to this festival
and paid for the privilege to have their film considered

With stories being published

on almost a daily basis about
fraudlent film festivals something had to be done to protect filmmakers from fraud
and to assure that honest festival organizers hard-earned
reputations were protected.

What was very apparent was that there needed to be something in place to stop this from happening. There was no
code of practice anywhere in the world that was fair to both
filmmakers and film festival organizers. We wrote a very
basic set of best business practices and published it on the
social networking sites LinkedIn and Facebook to judge the
reaction. The response from both communities was phenomenal. We were inundated with e-mail from all corners
of the globe, telling us horror stories, and why the code of
practice is needed.

At this stage it was just an ideal. Sometime later I attended

an international Film Festival
in the UK. I discovered that
the festival organizer and his
partner, a film director, had a
film in competition in their

The whole idea behind a code of practice was to improve the

relationship between industry professionals and acknowledg the importance of enhanced cooperation between
filmmakers and film festivals. It led to a heated debate over
many months by festival directors and filmmakers. Both
communities had very strong opinions about what should
and should not be included.

Tyrone D Murphy is the founder

and CEO of UFFO, he was responsible for creating and implementing best business practices.
Through his hard work it has
been adopted by over 190 international film festivals around the
World.

On the one hand the majority of festival directors run legitimate operations, provide a great service and want to play
fair; on the other hand the filmmaking community had a
gut full of the fraudulent activity that was taking their hardearned dollars. The few bad apples in the barrel were blighting the entire film industry.

He is an award winning film

producer and director, a festival
director and now dedicated his
time to benefit the filmmaking
and film festival communities
through UFFO.

We created a code of best business practices was written.

It has ten simple guiding principles. The successful implementation of this code was largely dependent on its acceptance by the film festival and filmmaking community as a
whole. It is completely voluntary and has helped define the
obligations and responsibilities that film festival organizers
have towards the filmmaking community

Tyrone Power JR, is the Chairman of the UFFO committee

USA. He is an acclaimed actor in
his own right and follows in the
footsteps of his famous father
Tyrone Power Senior.
The promotion of ethics and
standards is a noble and worthwhile goal in any walk of life. To be
able to help do so in an industry I
love and admire is truly a gift and
an honour. I am proud to be a part
of the UFFO organization which
fosters and promotes the dedicated, passionate work of filmmakers and film festivals around the
world. Tyrone Power.

It has a pragmatic approach to implementation that is based

on rational and transparent working methods. It promotes
good business practices and assists in the development of
relationships between film festival organisers and the filmmaking community. The Universal Film and Festival Organization was later formed to monitor the database of accredited film festivals. Membership to UFFO is completely free
and is open to all creative individuals, filmmakers and film
festivals. It is completely voluntary and easy to implement,
in addition its also a blueprint for filmmakers in deciding
which film festivals to do business with.

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Universal Film
Issue
Issue99--2013
2013

UFFO Best Business

Practices for Film Festivals
No 1: Film Festival organizers should operate a transparent selection process and
publish details of the selection process and
the names of the Jury/selection committee (publication can be after a festival concludes)
No 2: Film festivals organizers should provide full contact details for the festival offices including address and telephone numbers and the names of the festival directors
and or committee
No 3: A Film Festival should publish its legal
status as a company, charity or non-profit
(this only applies to a registered entity)
No 4: Film festival organizers should not
share filmmakers financial data with any
third parties
No 5: Film Festivals should publish a year by
year history of festival winners and films officially selected
No 6: Film festival organizers, committee
and or jury should not show or demonstrate
any favouritism to any film submitted to the
festival or attempt to influence other members of the jury or selection committee
No 7: Film Festivals should declare the number of films sought and/or invited by the
festival organizers to participate in the festival prior to and before the general call for
submissions is sent out
No 8: Film Festivals should provide the
names of the selection committee and/or
jury members who viewed the submitted
film screeners to the festival (this could be
after the festival has concluded)
No 9: Film festival organizers should view at
least 5 minutes of all submitted films

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42

No 10: All Festival organizers should declare

any conflict of interest that may arise from
any film submitted to or invited to participate in the festival

FILM FESTIVAL GUILD

EXPOSED

ince the inception of the Universal Film Magazine, we have

fearlessly tackled and exposed
many disreputable film festivals all over the world. From
the Swansea Bay Festival in Wales, UK,
to the Famewalk Film Festival in Los Angeles, to the Queens International Film
Festival in New York, and many more all
over the world that have taken advantage of filmmakers to make a tidy profit
for themselves.
Some of these festivals have perpetrated unconscionable scams such as selling awards, bestowing festival awards
to their own or their friends films, and
blacklisting filmmakers on a whim.

The Film Festival Guild was founded in

2006 and is operated by Stuart Brennan, a man who, by all appearances, is
a successful actor, writer, director, producer and more. He has won an award
for nearly every one of his filmic efforts.
Surely he must be a gifted individual
or is he? Upon closer inspection, it turns
out that Brennan may not be as gifted
as it would seem. UFM has uncovered
evidence that Brennan and his cronies
have been using the Film Festival Guild
and its festivals to shower themselves
and their friends with accolades, while
other filmmakers pay submission fees

to submit their films legitimately to the

Guilds festivals for consideration. Many
of these awards handed out like candy at a kiddies birthday party go to
films produced by Burn Hand Film Productions, a company owned and operated by Stuart Brennan and his friend
Neil Jones.
Our investigation has shown that one
of the more dubious festivals run by
the Film Festival Guild is the Newport
International Film Festival, operated
at the Riverfront Cinema in Newport
Wales, UK not to be confused with the
festival of the same name in Newport,

We are now faced with yet another

breed of film festival animal: The Film
Festival Guild (FFG). A small company
based in Dorset, UK, FFG operates a
number of film festivals, including the
Newport International Film Festival,
The British Independent Film Festival,
The British Horror Film Festival, The British Animation Film Festival, and its new
endeavour, The Hidden Film Festivals,
allegedly based in Paris, Toronto, Dublin and London.
All of these festivals are registered with
the online submission provider, Withoutabox (WAB), making them eligible
to receive submissions from the filmmaking community (more on Withoutabox later).

Owners of Burn Hand Film Productions Stuart Brennan and Neil Jones

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How can the Film Festival Guild give its own directors so many awards other filmmakers paid for..

Riverfront Newport Wales

Rhode Island, USA, which went out of
business some years ago. Confusion
between the two festivals is understandable given that Brennans NIFF,
out of Wales, UK, is using the same domain name and IMDb page held by the
former USA NIFF before it went out of
business.

Jones had a stellar year, winning awards

left, right and centre at Brennans own
festivals. At the Newport International
Film festival, Risen was again submitted, selected and nominated, winning
Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress,
Best Supporting Actor and the Best Picture. At this stage it should come as no
surprise that Brennans and Jones film
won, despite many other filmmakers
having submitted films to the festival
for consideration.
We (UFM) contacted Stuart Brennan,
who told us that all of his awards are
audience choice awards. Since we
had been tipped off as to the festivals
suspicious activity, our former editor at-

tended the 2010-11 festival. After arriving, our former editor was turned away
from an apparent full house (standing
room only) by Stuart Brennan himself.
After much debate, the UFM former editor was eventually admitted. According to our former editor, the screening
room was three-quarters empty, and
the small audience consisted of mainly
the cast and crew of Brennans movie.
Tyrone D. Murphy, UFM former Editor,
said: If this was being passed off as an
audience choice award, then it was a
slam dunk, no chance of losing.
Newport City Council made the following statement: Newport City Council
is not involved with the running of the

The first year that NIFF operated in

Wales saw Stuart Brennans and Neil
Jones Burnt Hand Film Productions
win the awards for Best Feature and
Best Actress for their own film The
Lost. Here is their IMDb page for that
year:
http://www.imdb.com/event/
ev0000492/2007. This is just a taste of
what was to come over the next few
years.
In 2008, Jack Says, a film produced
by Simon Phillips and directed by Bob
Philips, earned awards for Best Film and
Best Actor at Brennans NIFF. The following year, Brennan managed to land
a role in the movie, Jack Said, also produced by Simon Phillips.
In 2009, another of Brennans and Neil
Jones ultra-low budget films, Risen,
won an award at that years NIFF The
fact that, at the time, the film was not
even finished did not stop Brennan
from giving his own film the award.

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2011 - Newport International Film Festival, Neil Jones and Stuart Brennan
clean up at the NIFF awards from Brennans own festivals

44

In 2010-11 Stuart Brennan and Neil

Stuart Brennat at the British Independant

Film Festival with winnser Martha Pinson

Martin Scorsese

SCORSESES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

festival. It also does not endorse or promote the festival, except to include it in
its programme of events on the website
along with all other activities. They did
not say whether the NIFF will be held at
the Riverfront in 2013.
The Festival Guild state on their web site
An impressive student attendance rate
means your film is not only going to get
to be seen by film lovers, but the social
networks will be buzzing once theyve
enjoyed it! With this PR hook, which
seemes to be targeting students, should
it be a cause for concern that the NIFF is
only 100 yards away from the Newport
Film School where legions of young impressionable filmmakers are eager to
have their work play at a festival.
The Newport Film School issued the
following statement in relation to the
Newport festival: Professor Barry Atkins,
Head of the School of Film, Photography and Digital Media at the University
of Wales, Newport, said: The University
of Wales, Newport Film School has no
connection to, or involvement with, the
Newport International Film Festival. The
University understands the importance
of integrity to any awards process, and

would encourage the fair operation of

any festival which showcases the work
of talented filmmakers.
The Founder of the Iris Film Festival, a
major festival in Wales had this to say
Ive been involved with film festivals
and film production since 1989. The idea
of awarding your own work at your own
festival is at best delusional, and possible dishonest. Most credible festivals
who present awards ask independent
juries to select the winners completely
independent of the festival organisers,
as is the case with the Iris Prize. The idea
that any of the people involved with the
Iris Prize were to submit their work into
the Iris Prize is laughable. The idea that
one of our films was to win the Iris Prize
is even more hilarious!
The Film Festival Guild invites website
visitors to EXPLORE OUR PREVIOUS
FESTIVALS. However, there is no link on
the Film Festival Guilds website for the
Newport Film Festival prior to 2012, in
fact there is no history going as far back
as 2006. The only link is for the 2012 festival so its not possible to view the activity prior to this.

The Guilds website also state The festival comes to a close with its highly
respected Awards Ceremony, where
the following honours are up for grabs
BEST FILM - BEST NEW SCREENPLAY
- BEST ACTOR - BEST ACTRESS - BEST
CINEMATOGRAPHY - BEST DIRECTOR BEST SHORT - WELSH DRAGON AWARD
- AUDIENCE AWARDS. However, since
2006 onwards we now know that many
of these awards have been awarded to
Brennan and Jones own films.
This activity is not limited to the NIFF
its a similar story with Brennans other
Guild Festivals. We had an undercover
reporter attend another one of their
festivals; this time it was the British Independent Film Festival, which took place
in the Poole Lighthouse Theatre in Dorset, UK. The Brennan/Jones film in competition here was Masterpiece.
As with the Newport Festival, no advance tickets were available through
the Guild as the screening was apparently sold out. Nonetheless our reporter
managed to obtain a ticket in person,
at the box office. As with the Newport
screening, the room was almost empty,
and yet the film won an award. Risen

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arose yet again at this festival, and was officially selected and
a Q&A session after the screening with Mr. Brennans old pal,
Neil Jones, the director. In 2011 at the Guilds other festival,
the British Horror Film Festival, and another of Brennans and
Jones low-budget films from Burn Hand Film Productions,
The Reverend, was officially selected and had its world premiere there.

Stuart Brennan
Film Festival Guild
Newport International Film Festival
British Independant Film Festival
British Amination Film Festival
British Horror Film Festival
The Hidden Film Festivals

Swansea Bay Film Festival

Several of Brennans films were nominated and received
awards from the Swansea Bay Film Festival another notorious film festival that hit the headlines run by Binda Singh.
The festival rose to infamy over allegations that Mr. Binda
Singh was running a scam operation that included at least 16
international film festivals. In 2006, the Brennan/Jones film,
The Lost, was officially selected at the Swansea Bay Festival.
Then, in 2008, their film, The Feral Generation, was also selected and won an award.

The Scorsese Connection Strange Bedfellows

We picked up on a post on the WAB forums made by Martha
Pinson, who is a former script supervisor for Martin Scorsese.
She asked if anyone had heard of the British Independent
Film Festival. Apparently, she was nominated for an award at
Brennans festival, although she had never heard of the little
festival to which shed submitted her script via Withoutabox.
Pinson was obviously relying on Withoutabox to ensure the
integrity of the British Independent Film Festival.
We corresponded with Pinson at the time, as we were intrigued that Brennan had selected Pinsons script for BIFF.
We were very interested to see how Brennan would take advantage of the Pinson/Scorsese connection. It was revealed
recently that Martin Scorsese himself is slated along with
Neil Jones as executive producer for Tomorrow, a feature
being co-written by Brennan. Martha Pinson is directing the
film, which is to be produced by the pairs Burn Hand Film Productions.
UFM wrote to Martin Scorseses agent, William Morris Endeavor, and to his production company, Sikelia Productions,
several times, asking for a comment on the Film Festival Guild
and the activities of Brennan and Jones. We have received
no reply to date. Given the unethical history of the Brennan/
Jones oeuvre, it will be interesting to see how this proposed
endeavour with Scorsese plays out.
Withoutabox
We contacted IMDb and Withoutabox and asked if this sort
of activity is acceptable; we outlined the evidence, and we
have not received a reply. Many of the festivals that UFM has
exposed as disreputable have only one point of access to the
world of filmmakers, and that is Withoutabox, a site which lets
filmmakers submit their work to multiple festivals electronically. Though it could be argued that filmmakers should care-

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Companies
TBFG LIMITED
BURN HAND FILM PRODUCTIONS LIMITED
POOLE NIGHT DOCTOR LIMITED
Registered Office
7 Barbers Gate, Poole Dorset
England, BH15 1ZA

fully research each festival to which they apply, many

filmmakers rely on Withoutabox to do this for them. It
seems that many may place their trust in Withoutabox
simply because it is owned and operated by IMDb/Amazon.
Theres an old saying that is pertinent here: buyer beware! Simply put, a filmmaker cannot rely on WAB to
root out scam operations or disreputable festivals. WAB/
IMDb CEO and founder, Col Needham, was quoted as
saying, We are running a business; its not our job to protect filmmakers money. It is UFMs contention, however,
that WAB should take the steps necessary to ensure that
filmmakers submission fees are safe from underhanded
film festivals. It only makes sense, since they are, after all,
making huge profits from the filmmaking and festival
community.
In addition, WAB has made it extremely difficult in the
past for a film festival to choose another submission provider, as WAB had an exclusivity clause in their contract.
WAB is now facing hostility from some areas of the festival community; for example, a Facebook group is advocating the boycott of Withoutabox.
UFFO
There is only one organization in the world we know of
that is tackling this issue head on, and that is UFFO, the
Universal Film and Festival Organization. The organization has a simple ten-point code of Best Business Practices which has been adopted by 192 international
film festivals. The code is also a blueprint for filmmakers
choosing the festival(s) to which theyll submit their work
UFFO is also free: www.uffo.org.
Reviews
An important question is why would filmmakers like

44

The number of awards that Brennan and Jones have bestowed upon themselves and their films is staggering, and
rather embarrassing from a professional filmmakers point of
view. Despite the denials of Brennans Film Festival Guild, the
fact remains that he submitted, programmed and selected
his own films over a number of years, eschewing hundreds
of submissions every year from unsuspecting filmmakers via
Withoutabox.

FILM FESTIVAL GUILD, STUDIO 30,

CLINK STREET STUDIOS, LONDON, SE1 4HS
+44 (0) 20 7378 7840
info @ filmfestivalguild.com
www.thefilmfestivalguild.com

UniversalFilm
Film
Universal
Issue 9 - 2013

Brennan and Jones need to shower

themselves with so many awards? Could
it be desperation, insecurity or vanity?
Perhaps an answer can be found in the
fact that their films have been thoroughly panned by film critics. Here are some
of the reviews for Risen:
Hunts Post:
There are obvious budgetary restrictions, most evidently in the sparsely
attended international fights and the
way the director tries to hide Winstons
injured hand out of shot or under a towel, and the largely unknown cast often
struggle with their performances, with
uncomfortable pauses as they try to remember their lines.
Eye for Film:
With its lack of character insight and
misdirected lack of focus, Risen is never going to be the knock out its central
character once was. Jones is not going
to bring in anyone new to the sport or
Winstone with his poor storytelling, and
with its shallow look at events and characters its not going to teach fans anything new or enlightening.
Best of Film:
Its a shame, then, that director Neil
Jones and his cast of relative unknowns
fail so uniformly and entirely to bring
any gravity or dramatic weight to a real
life story that plays more like fiction than
fact.
Guardian:
Unfortunately the film doesnt quite get
to grips with it on anything other than a
superficial level.
Empire Online: Stodgy fare that eulogises the man rather than delving deeply
into his compelling life.
Total Film:
KO-ed by a flabby screenplay and lacking the money to do justice to the 60s
setting.
Endorsing Other Film Festivals
Given all of Brennans shameless selfpromotion and self-bestowed awards,
one would think that he would be satisfied with his own achievements. Well,
apparently not. Brennan has now taken
it to a whole new level, setting up the
Film Festival Guild as an endorsing body
or accrediting organization for other
film festivals a leader in the industry
to look up to, a name to be trusted. As
far-fetched as this sounds, the following

was posted recently on the Guilds website:

To get your festival endorsed by the
Film Festival Guild and get some of the
many benefits such as cross promotion, industry endorsement, increased
audience awareness and participation,
please contact us directly, using the details above. This sounds very plausible;
even the name itself, The Film Festival
Guild, has an air of authority. Of course,
given the absence of any information to
the contrary, it is understandable that
some gullible film festivals have actually
bought into the Film Festival Guilds endorsement programme.

vals should be measured, is akin to this

same dictator announcing that since
he has achieved his idea of the perfect
nation, others should follow suit. There
is nothing more grotesque. Fianna
MacGregor, M.A., film journalist, New
York
Such film festivals should be exposed
and banned, and if required, Monopolies and Restive Practices Act brought
against them. Such festivals are highly
demoralising for filmmakers, and they
should rise in protest. Maybe they
should even boycott such bogus festivals. Jacob Isaac, Technical Director,
SCRIPT ISFF, Kochi, India

These developments are more than a

little disturbing. Should we now be concerned about the future of film festivals?
Is it not reasonable to assume that if a
film festival is to be regarded as practicing a standard of excellence, it should be
fair, open and transparent in every way?
Is the notion of a fair and ethical celebration of art becoming an unachievable
ideal bound for the scrapheap?

It is shocking that any group of people

would freely and confidently exploit the
concept of a festival, as one of the only
vestiges for young filmmakers to show
their works. Accepting entry fees for
these festivals from aspiring and eager
filmmakers is fraud when the festival is
rigged. These people should be prosecuted under the law. Patricia J. Pawlak
, Distributor

Comments from the Industry

Its these types of actions that make it

hard for legitimate festivals to function
or profit. Sadly there is not much other
festivals can do, as even some of the big
name festivals participate in such practices. This is why the UFFO and other
organizations are so important, and a
reason for every filmmaker to do their
homework before submitting their film
to any festival. Joseph Hardin, HorrorQuest Film Festival, USA

There is a code of conduct in place to

eliminate any board member from participating in their own competition. If
these festival organizers dare to award
themselves they have transgressed the
principles of ethical conduct, which will
reflect on the credibility of their festival.
Chantal Denoux, filmmaker, Australia
For film festival organizers to award
their own films is a gaping chasm in the
honorable ethics of the film festival and
filmmaking community. When a breach
of trust enters into the film festival world
it undermines the hard work and vision
of small, medium and large festivals
around the world. Adrienne M. Anderson, International Black Womens Film
Festival
When Filmmakers and Film Festival
Organizers, or any other creative body,
generate and bestow awards on themselves, for doing exactly what they
wanted to do without any meaningful
jurying or competition, it is no different
than a dictator awarding himself medals for ethnic cleansing. Such a practice
not only cheapens the award system
but it gives films, which might otherwise have been well received at other
festivals, the taint of nepotism. Worse,
to have these organizers set themselves
up as the standard by which other festi-

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Universal Film

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46

Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

REVIEW

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

HITCHCOCK

And meanwhile, on the home front, his wise and

wonderful wife, confidante and collaborator Alma
is getting fed up with Hitchcocks endlessly roving
eye and crazy obsessions with his blonde actresses,
and starts to desert him to help another writer-director, the suave and charming Whitfield Cook.
Based on Stephen Rebellos 1990 book, Alfred
Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, director Sacha Gervasis film is a total treat! Unlike the recent
TV film about Hitchcock The Girl which tried to assassinate the directors character and forgot to mention his genius, this is warm, generous, complex, intelligent and appealing and lots of fun! It provides
a proper warts-and-all tribute to Alfred Hitchcock
and his wife Alma and not a sensationalist hatchet
job.
Not at all perfectly cast but absolutely ideal anyway, those national institutions Anthony Hopkins
and Helen Mirren are twin delights as the bickering star couple, indeed all the cast are great. Even
if they never look or sound much like the originals
(Scarlett Johansson is certainly no Janet Leigh and
Jessica Biel no Vera Miles either), it doesnt matter,
they brilliantly capture the spirit of their characters
and evoke all the old ghosts and the memories.
John J McLaughlin (Black Swan) provides a truly
excellent, classy script that manages to be informative, funny and touching. Obviously a lot of
the story and dialogue is totally made up and this
might frustrate film buffs looking for a more factual, documentary-style approach. But, hey, its only

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a mooovie, Ingrid! Clearly weve no idea what the

Hitchcocks said to each other in the privacy of their
own home and this forms the main basis of the material, but the script nevertheless has the feel of the
truth and seems like an insiders view, persuading
you this is how it must have been. Hoppy and Helen
have some great dialogue to chew over and spit out,
and they relish it like the great old pros they are.
There are some surprises. Did Alma really take over
the direction of Psycho when a stressed-out Hitch
grew ill for a few days? Where is Saul Bass in the
story, the pictorial consultant who designed the
title credits and supposedly filmed the infamous
shower sequence? And did I miss the mentions of
the Hitchcocks actress daughter Patricia, who appears in Psycho? The script implies the Hitchcocks
had a sex-free marriage. Why?
The Psycho story is based on a real-life case about
the infamous serial killer Ed Gein, and the film
shows Hitch wandering about with him in dreamlike sequences. Yet the risky inclusion of this Ed
Gein stuff works very effectively and adds another
layer to the film. This is a prime example of how
this multi-layered, textured film relishes its ambition and imagination.
And, technically too, this is one heck of a fine, polished movie. Theres a glorious Danny Elfman score,
delicious production and glossy cinematography by
Jeff Cronenweth and Oscar nominated work on the
makeup and hair that makes things look very stylish. The period atmosphere and the movie-making
and California backgrounds feel right, all achieved
gracefully with effective understatement. The opening and end credits are also extremely smart, again
without seeming to try too hard.
After a brilliant 98 minutes, I felt cheated when the
movie stopped, I wanted loads more and cant wait
to see it again. I cant imagine it being better done or
having a better tribute to an all-time great, favourite
director.

48

Its 1959, and Alfred Hitchcock is at the peak of his

creative powers and popularity, with the huge success of North by Northwest and his TV show. But
hes getting older hes 60 and no wiser hes having a creative block and cant come up with a new
project. Then the idea of filming the lurid, bestselling thriller novel Psycho comes to him, haunts him
and truly inspires him. But the film studio wont
touch a trashy horror movie, and the only way
ahead would be to take a big risk to mortgage his
mansion and finance it himself.

by Derek Winner

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Cinema Made In Italy

Interview opportunities at Londons Italian film festival, in town 6-10 March
by Cori Blaze

inema Made in Italy 2013 kicks off on 6 March at

the Cin Lumire in South Kensington, celebrating the third edition of Londons Italian film festival. The event, which has become an annual
rendezvous, is organised by the Filmitalia Department of Istituto Luce Cinecitt in Rome and the Italian
Cultural Institute in London. It offers cinemagoers in the capital a five day showcase of the best recent Italian productions,
never before screened in the UK.
The festivals five day programme includes ten new Italian
films: a selection of eight titles made by Gianni Canova, Italian film critic, Professor of Cinema History and Dean of IULM
University in Milan, and a special choice of two films by Adrian
Wootton, CEO of Film London. The screenings will be followed by Q&A sessions with directors and actors. This
is a unique chance for both the public and UK distributors to see Italian films that have not yet had
exposure in the UK and a rare opportunity to catch
up with brand new, cutting edge Italian cinema.
The festival will highlight the work of established
talent such as Ferzan Ozpetek, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi,
Marco Tullio Giordana and Luigi Lo Cascio, as well as
introducing a raft of new names to audiences here. This
years event also includes a special childrens screening of a
new animated version of the classic Italian fairytale PINOCCHIO, screening on Sunday 10 March at the family friendly
time of 5.00pm. For a full list of titles please see below.

celebration of the legendary director Vittorio de Seta. After

Cinema Made in Italy 2013 has drawn to a close, cinemagoers
can continue to experience Italian film with the 22 March UK
release of Matteo Garrones REALITY, awarded the Grand Jury
Prize at last years Cannes.
Screening Programme
Wednesday 6 March
- 6.30pm MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE (Magnifica Presenza) 105
mins
Q&A with Ferzan Ozpetek (dir) and Elio Germano (act)
- 8.50pm THE LANDLORDS (Padroni Di Casa) 90 mins
Q&A with Edoardo Gabbriellini (dir), Elio Germano (act)
Thursday 7 March
- 6.30pm PIAZZA FONTANA: AN ITALIAN CONSPIRACY
(Romanzo Di Una Strage) 129 mins
Introduction by Luigi Lo Cascio (act)
- 8.50pm THE IDEAL CITY (La Citt Ideale) 105 mins
Q&A with Luigi Lo Cascio (dir and act)

6 - 10th
March
2013

Interview opportunities are available with the following directors and actors: Ferzan Ozpetek (Magnificent Presence),
Elio Germano (Magnificent Presence), Edoardo Gabbriellini
(The Landlords), Luigi Lo Cascio (Piazza Fontana: An Italian
Conspiracy & The Ideal City), Salvatore Mereu (Pretty Butterflies), Ivano De Matteo (Balancing Act), Claudio Giovannesi
(Ali Blue Eyes), Luca Marinelli (Every Blessed Day & Nina), Enzo
dAl (Pinocchio), Maricla Affatato (Pinocchio) and Elisa Fuksas (Nina). The festival this year builds on the success of the
2011 and 2012 events. 2011s festival opened with a concert
at Cadogan Hall by Life Is Beautifuls Oscar-winning composer
Nicola Piovani, and saw appearances by actors such as Toni
and Peppe Servillo, Kim Rossi Stuart and Paolo Briguglia, as
well as directors Mario Martone and Stefano Incerti. 2012 saw
13 titles screen, presented by directors and actors including
Andrea Segre, Roan Johnson, Barbara Bobulova and Antonio
Merone. The festival was followed by a fortnight of screenings of contemporary films and events including a

Friday 8 March
- 6.30 pm PRETTY BUTTERFLIES (Bellas Mariposas) 100 mins
Q&A with Salvatore Mereu (dir)
- 8.50pm BALANCING ACT (Gli Equilibristi) 100 mins
Q&A with Ivano De Matteo (dir)
Saturday 9 March
- 6.30pm AL BLUE EYES (Al Ha Gli Occhi Azzuri) 100 mins
Q&A with Claudio Giovannesi (dir)
- 8.50pm EVERY BLESSED DAY (Tutti I Santi Giorni) 102 mins
Q&A with Luca Marinelli (act)
Sunday 10 March
- 5.00pm PINOCCHIO 75 mins
Q&A with Enzo dAl (dir) and Maricla Affatato (Voice of the
Fox)
Please note that Pinocchio will be shown in English
- 7.30pm NiNA 80 mins
Q&A with Elisa Fuksas (dir) and Luca Marinelli (act)
Annabel Hutton / Fabrice Ouakinine / Simone Devlin
firstname.lastname@premiercomms.com
T +44 20 7292 8330 / www.premiercomms.com

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Issue 9 - 2013

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Issue 9 - 2013

Julianne Hough - on the set of Safe Haven

SAFE HAVEN
S
REVIEW

o the story is this. A worriedlooking young mystery womans

running off, jumping on a bus at
the Boston depot at the last minute,
just evading a police detective, who
is then doggedly trying to track her
whereabouts by scrutinising public
video footage.
The woman, Julianne Hough, hoves up
at an idyllic, all-American coastal town,
popping in for a takeaway of coffee at
the local grocery store and meeting
drop-dead gorgeous hunk Josh Duhamel, a widower with two young kids,

his wife having died of cancer. Julianne

(Footloose, Rock of Ages) is an ice-cool
blonde, cold and frosty and a shade
hard looking. Hitchcock might have
liked her, though shes on the petite
side. She just wants to be alone, and
rents a rundown cabin the woods, but
has to take a job waiting table at the local caf, where everyone is really nice
and friendly.
Then one day, Julianne comes home to
find another mystery womans peering
into her window, supposedly a kindly
neighbour, though Juliannes been told

by her realtor she has no neighbours.

Odd that.
However, Josh looks kindly at Julianne,
offers her a bit of help and an old bike,
she refuses, he insists, she refuses, he
gets a bit hurt feeling, she, well, you
know. And the kids pretty much adore
her too. And the mystery woman becomes friends too.
But then the detective starts closing in
on her
A glossy, escapist romantic wallow is
on the menu for Nicholas Sparkss latest bestselling novel to screen transfer.
Fans of Message in a Bottle, The Notebook, Dear John and The Lucky One

51

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

SAFE

HAV

EN

When a mysterious young woman

arrives in a small North Carolina
town, her reluctance to join the
tight knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she
begins putting down roots, and
gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex, a widowed store
owner with two young children. But
dark secrets intrude on her new life
with such terror that she is forced
to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love.
An affirming and suspenseful story
about a young womans struggle to
love again, Safe Haven is based on
the novel from Nicholas Sparks, the
best-selling author behind the hit
films The Notebook and Dear John.

HEADER

Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel

Still, the chemistry between the actors is strong, the romance is fine, the

www.ufmag.biz

element and mystery and action adds

tension and a surprise to the mix, and
the North Carolina setting is beguiling.
For three quarters of its long running
time (115 minutes), its an appealing wet-afternoon movie, but, when it
pushes too many buttons at the climax,
it crashes in flames. Finally, nothing is
credible and embarrassed giggles start
breaking out in the cinema.
I feel sorry for Aussie actor David Lyons
(TVs Revolution) and Cobie Smulders
(TVs How I Met Your Mother), the actors who play the detective and the
mystery woman. They seem like really
good actors stuck in horribly clichd
roles that have no flesh and blood
whatever. These are total script contriv-

ances. Josh and Julianne, though, keep

powering ahead quite charismatically,
and the two kids, Noah Lomax and
Mimi Kirkland, are models of energy
and honesty.
Riskily, Hallstrom encouraged everyone to improvise dialogue and both
stars, unused to improv, found it tricky
(Honestly, some days both Josh and
I wished we could just have a script,
says Julianne) but it keeps the dialogue
fresh and sparky. This is probably the
best thing about the movie. Even with
its thriller plot, I cant see many blokes
going for Safe Haven, but it could be a
guilty pleasure for the chicks.

52

need look no further for a lovely trip to

the multiplex. Posh director Lasse Hallstrom directs as though he believes it
all, and as though he believes his own
message. He appreciates sentiment
but not sentimentality, he says. In truth
theres not a scintilla of reality or truth
on show here along with the chocolate-box East Coast sunsets, and by
the end the film upends in barrel-loads
of sentimentality. But then, its only a
movie, a sweet and soppy one, beautifully, even lovingly made, and perfectly
acted by talented people who sometimes look as though theyd like to take
the money and run.

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Bob Anderson

by J.R. Beardsley

Master Swordsman

obert James Gilbert Anderson (15 September 1922 1

January 2012) was an English
Olympic fencer, a renowned
film Fight Director Coach,
Sword Master, Stunt Choreographer and a true gentleman.

Directors, Stunt people and Coordinators

who have been engaged in the art of swordsmanship. He consistently produced dramatic
sword fighting sequences. Whether swashbuckling with rapiers, wielding a light saber
or a cutlass, he offered ingenuity and a high
standard of excellence to achieve.

Born in Gosport, Hampshire, England, he

took up fencing at an early age. Prior to the
Second World War he joined the Royal Marines, teaching fencing and taking titles for
foil, epe, saber and bayonet in the Royal
Tournament for the Combined Services for
four consecutive years. During the war he
served in the Mediterranean aboard the HMS
Coventry which was sunk.

Mr. Anderson came to Hollywood in 1952,

launching a cinema career that spanned over
50 years. In those days, Ralph Faulkner was
Basil Rathbones double, Fred Cavens was
established as Errol Flynns fight director
and stunt double.(They had a bitter rivalry
during the entire Errol Flynn Basil Rathbone
era) During his career he coached many actors in Swordsmanship including Errol Flynn,
Sean Connery, Antonio Banderas and Johnny
Depp.

He represented Britain at the 1950 and 1953

World Championships as well as at the 1952
Olympics after which he entered into a twenty year association with Britains national
fencing team, serving as a coach. But he was
more than that.
He was an inspiration to many, both famous
and not-so-famous Directors, Actors, Fight

Mr. Andersons legacy is substantial and continues today and will for years to come. The
loss of his genius is not readily compensatedHis iconic contributions to the art of Swashbuckling include films such as Highlander,
The Princess Bride, The Mask of Zorro, Pirates
of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings, The

Hobbit and Die Another Day. He also appeared as a stunt double for Darth Vaders
light saber battles in Star Wars Episode V: The
Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI:
Return of the Jedi.
An inspiration as an artist, consummate professional and remarkable gentleman of the
old school, he is one of the best examples of a
Sword Master of the Silver Screen.
Peter Jackson was honored to have Bob
Anderson be on the set for the Hobbit.
Sad to say this was the final battle Bob Anderson had on earth and the Silver Screen.
We hold our swords high in tribute to this
great man. Swordsmen wont forget the legendary Mr. Anderson, on film forever.
By J.R. Beardsley Director of action; Fight
Master of the sword; director, Classically
trained actor, writer; producer and director of
theatre/flim, major illusionists, action shows
and extravaganzas, motion capture/stuntsfor
MGM and Universal Studios among others.

53

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

The UK and the EIS Nightmare

UK Budget 2012: EIS cap raised to 5m instead of
predicted 10m; high-end TV, animation, games to
get tax relief.
The precarious situation in the UK in relation to
the EIS is still on-going. The recent changes are still
subject to EU State Aid approval; TV, games and
animation tax relief could come into effect from
April 2013.
As was widely expected the UK Budget has lifted
limits for the Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS),
a system that is frequently used by the film industry, although the boost was a far cry from what was
expected.
The UK has a previous cap of 2m to be raised in
any 12-month period through an EIS, this has now
been increased to 5m. However it predicted to be
increased to 10m. From April 2012, the EIS annual
investment limit for individuals will be increased to
1m (from the previous 500,000).
Qualifying companies can now have up to 250 employees (instead of fifty and can have assets before
investment of 15m which is up from 7m or 16m
post-investment which is up from 8m.

Liberian Movie Company Launches

Scholarship Fund

The new measures are also subject to EU approval,

so its the old story in the UK as the industry still
doesnt have complete clarity about how to use EIS.

A Liberian movie industry under the banner Pillar of Fire Movie Production Inc, has launched a
US$2,350.00 scholarship fund drive at the rally
town market in Monrovia for its members.
The fund drive was launched at the industrys 10th
Production House Anniversaries. The Pillar of Fire
Movie Production Inc (POFMP) is one of the oldest
movie production companies in Liberia, established since 2003.
The firm has produced at least seven movies and
three documentaries, and is expected to launch its
latest effort in the next three months. The scholarship fund drive was launched to help its less
fortunate members go to school and remain there
to acquire an education.

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54

The Movie Union President disclosed the Liberia

Movie Union has received US$10,000 from the
US$50,000 allotted by the Government of Liberia
for the industry. He pledged the LIMUs willingness
to support and collaborate with the Pillar of Fire
Movie Production Inc.e.

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

41st International Film

Festival in Belgrade

by Radmila Djurica

Michael Madson opens festival

he famous American actor and

poet Michael Madson, Mr. Blond
in Reservoir dogs and Sainveider in Tarantinos Kill Bill 2 opens
the 41st International Film Festival in
Belgrade, Serbia. Madson is a star actor
of one of festival premiers, a road movie directed by Serbian filmmaker Zoran
Lisinac, Along The Roadside. The Festival that for the past 40 years hosted lots
of big names and celebrities on the red
carpet, this year chooses eclectic Madsen to present Hollywood production
on the festival, which screens the brand
new Oscar nominated and the other
important worldwide festival awarded
new productions.
So this years FEST presents an extremely rich program featuring the biggest
name of world cinema and top international films, including last years festival
award winners and several works in the
competition of the Academy Awards.
The festival programming units feature
75 premieres and opens with a Golden
Palm winner, Michael Hanekes Love also
an Academy Awards candidate in several categories and closes Serbian film
premier The Forger by Goran Markovic.

The main program features films for the

FEST audiences favorite authors such as
Tom Hoppers Ls Miserables, Paul Thomas Andersons Master, Woody Allens To
Rome with Love, Gus Van Sants Promised Land, Brian de Palmas Passion, Walter Salass On the Road, Marco Belochios
Stolen Beauty, Sasa Gervasis Hitchcock,
Giuseppe Tornatores The Best Offer.
Also after a 10-year break, Bernardo Bertollucis Me and You.
Here in Belgrade, the festival regroups
the biggest stars competing for the
Academy Awards: Denzel Washington in Robert Zemeckis Flight, Bradley
Cooper in David Russells Silver Linings
Playbook, Daniel Day Lewis, the Best
Actor OSCAR Award and BAFTA Award
in Spielbergs Lincoln, Matthew McConaughey in Steven Soderberghs Magic
Mike and Lee Daniels Paperboy, while
the legendary Clint Eastwood appears
in Robert Lorentzs Trouble with the
Curve. Robert Redford this time appears
as the Director and actor in The Company you Keep. The films encompassed
in this and other FEST programs have
thirty-some nominations for the Academy Awards.

The Eastern Europe big International

Film Festival FEST is also, in the scope of
the competition program Europe out of
Europe, with nine films presented from
Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Norway, Israel and Armenia.
Also the section Europe in Europe presents the best films from Europe such
as Spain, France, Sweden, Netherlands,
Poland etcand authors such as Alex
de la Iglesia, Claude Miller Susan Beer,
Thomas Winterberg.
Also The World Film Panorama that presents Abas Chiarostami, Von Kar Vaj,
Takeshi Kitano and other important
directors from Canada, Israel, Iran or
Japan. And also four Serbian features
European co-productions such as for
instance Serbian film premiered on the
Sundance Festival in US, directed by
Srdan Golubovic Circles, Predrag Bambics Alberts Way about Albert Mayer,
the designer of the Panaflex camera,
who was born in a small village in Serbia and the debuts by Hadzi-Aleksandar
Djurovic Loves Comes Later and a German-Serbian-Croatian co-production
My country is the most beautiful.

55

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

NEW EURIMAGES
CO-PRODUCTION
DEVELOPMENT AWARD
DEDICATED TO
DOCUMENTARIES
STRASBOURG, 11.02.2013 Following the success of the
Eurimages Co-Production Development Prize awarded
within the co-production markets of Rotterdam (CineMart),
Sarajevo (CineLink) and Rome (New Cinema Network) film
festivals, Eurimages Board of Management has decided to
create a special Eurimages Co-production Development
Award dedicated to documentaries.
This award, a cash prize of 15 000 euros, will be given during
CPH:DOX Copenhagen Int Documentary Festival in the
framework of CPH:FORUM. This international financing
and co-production event targeted specifically at European
producers and filmmakers to help facilitate the development
and financing of creative and artistically strong film projects
in development and pre-production perfectly meets the
objective of the Eurimages Co-Production Development
Award which has been created to promote the Funds role in
encouraging European co-production from the initial stages
of a project.
To be eligible, projects must participate in CPH:FORUM and
be designed from the outset as a European co-production
intended for cinema release between at least two member
states of the Eurimages Fund for reasons other than purely
financial.
The Eurimages Co-Production Development Award will
be awarded on the basis of the projects artistic quality and
its prospects of remaining a European co-production. The
award, which takes the form of a non-reimbursable subsidy,
will be used by the beneficiary exclusively for the purposes of
meeting the development expenses of the project.
The prize will be awarded for the first time at the forthcoming
CPH:DOX Copenhagen Int Documentary Festival as part of
the CPH:FORUM event, to be held from 13 to 15 November
2013 (www.cphdox.dk).
For further information on the subject, please contact:
Nathalie Monteillet, Eurimages, Public Relations and
Promotion, nathalie.monteillet@coe.int,

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56

EURIMAGES is a support fund for the co-production,

distribution and exhibition of European cinematographic
works, established by the Council of Europe in 1988.
(E-mail: Eurimages@coe.int Web: http://www.coe.int/
Eurimages).

Universal Film
Issue 7 of 2012

CHERRY
PICKING

WHAT IS THE CHERRY PICKING POLICY OF FILM FESTIVALS ?

Over the past year we (UFFO) have seen many fraudulent activities
by disreputable film festivals from all over the world. Most of these
festivals recieve 200 to 400 submissions annually and are considered
small in comparison to the bigger film festivals that have 10,000 to
20,000 submissions every year. However, fraudulent activity is not limited to the small film festivals. We were astounded to learn recently from
a respected film festival director in the USA about a major festival in the
US that sets up its entire screening programme with films invited in from
other festivals. Nothing wrong with that, is there? Well, there is with this
festival. After the screening programme is completed in its entirety, only
then does a general call for submissions then go out to the filmmaking
community.
Films that are submitted to this festival are just trashed/binned without
ever being opened. The staff simply look at the tracking number on the
outside of the package, look it up on the computer , verify payment has
been received through the online submission provider and then toss it in
the trash. The submitted films are never opened, never screened, never
looked at.

Look at the numbers!

This story gave us cause for grave concern (where does all this end?) we
began looking into some of the bigger film festivals around the world to
see how they conduct business. From what we have seen, the little guy
has little or no chance competing in the big festivals. Why would you
submit your film to a big festival when there is little or no hope your film
is going to be chosen or selected? Most of the films that are in competition in the bigger festivals have the support of major distributors
and studios with millions in campaign funds. Not only that, most of
the films are invited to take part in the festival are big budget films or
already have distribution in place.
As a filmmaker you can conduct your own due diligence by researching the bigger festivals to which you are thinking about submitting
your film. Look at the numbers, contact the festival and ask them
how many films are invited to take part in their festival. What
percentage of these films wins awards? What percentage of newcomers films are selected or win awards? What percentage of
these films does not have distribution? If the festival refuses to
answer your queries, then we suggest you pass them by.
To try to establish a level playing field we have written an
open letter (opposite) to all the big festivals around the
world asking these important questions. We will be publishing their replies as soon as we receive it, if we ever do!

The Universal Film

Promoting a Good Business
Dear Festival Director

We are writing to you to introduce you to U

which promotes a good business code of pr
we have enlisted the support of 120 interna
2011.

We would ask you to kindly assist UFFO a

the policy of the big festivals is toward film
distributors. The is now known as a Cherr

If I may explain: Given the rise of disreput

have a very difficult task in determining wh
received information that a major festival in
programme prior to the general call for sub

We would therefore ask you in the interests

festival community to provide us with the f
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What percentage (or how many fil

festival each year
What percentage (or how many fil
take part in the film festival every
What percentage (or how many fil
part in the film festival every year
What percentage of films submitte
festival each year
What percentage of film submitted
festival each year win awards

We would graciously ask you to provide th

in advance for your assistance in this matte
community
Kind Regards
Tyrone D Murphy

Founder & CEO

A copy of the letter is on the UFFO website:

www.uffo.org

Universal Film & Festiva

57

www.ufmag.biz

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Tips to Film Festivals

IF A FESTIVAL SEEMS ODD IN ANY WAY - PASS THEM BY
We all love film festivals and they are a very important part of the industry. However, one thing that all filmmakers should do is to check out
the festival before submitting a film. Use common sense and look at
the history of the festival. If there is nothing available on the festival,
then think twice!

UFFO

m & Festival Organisation

Code of Practice for Film Festivals

UFFO the Universal Film and Festival Organization

ractice for film festivals. Recently dubbed Fest-COP
ational film festivals since our launch on the 1st July

and the filmmaking community in determining what

ms that are invited in from other film festivals and
ry Picking Policy

able film festivals around the world, filmmakers

hich festival to submit their film to. Recently we
n the USA completes its entire screening
bmissions to the filmmaking community.

s of the entire filmmaking community and the

following information

lms) are invited by your festival to take part in your

lms) that are invited by your festival organization to

year win awards
lms) are invited by your festival organization to take
prior to the general call for submissions
ed by newcomer filmmakers are selected by your

d by newcomer filmmakers that are selected by your

his information going back five years. We thank you

r and you have the gratitude of the filmmaking

Find out if the festival is an online festival or an annual event. And

find out where the event takes place.
Find out the names of the festival directors and programmers
and make sure they have an address, telephone number and
web site so they can be contacted.
Find out if the festival has a selection committee and if it is
made up of Industry professionals.
Ask if the festival is non-jury or has a jury made up of industry
professionals?
Find out if the festival directors are connected in any way to
any of the films in competition.
Ask about the organizations publicity for the festival and
where they advertise.
What are the previous years attendance and submissions
figures.
Ask how many films are invited in to take part every year in the
festival. (Cherry Picking)
Ask if the festival is sponsored by distributors or any other company, and whether these companies have films in competition at
the festival. (Review the history)
Do not give out your private financial details unless you are sure
about a festival.
Do not submit a film to a film festival if the awards are going to the
festival directors own films or their friends films.
If a film festival is charging a submission fee and giving you a guaranteed screening for your film but there is no real festival, just a screening event, we suggest that you pass them by.
There are a lot of one man band film festivals out there, many of whom
provide a very valuable service to the local community and to the filmmaking community. However, if such a festival is not in your local community, does it really make good sense submitting your film to a festival half
way round the world to compete with local filmmakers who can bring their
own audience and can canvas the area prior to the festival?
IMPORTANT! Do not rely on any of the online submission providers to weed
out scam festivals. They are in business to take a percentage of your submission
fee and not to make sure your submission fee is protected from fraudsters.
This is about to change as we (UFFO) are currently working toward this

www.ufmag.biz

We have much more information available on the UFFO website, www.uffo.org. We

will also be publishing the UFFO book on Film Festivals in the near future that will tell
it the way it is.
www.uffo.org
by Tyrone D Murphy

58

al Organisation 2012 www.uffo.org

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

 
 

 
    
 
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Universal Film

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60

Issue 9 - 2013

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

61

www.ufmag.biz

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

Little Man
3rd Iris Prize produced short film starts international film festival tour down under

ittle Man the 3rd short film to be produced by the

Iris Prize starts its international film festival tour
down under in Melbourne this week as part of the
prestigious Australian LGBT film festival. The film
stars West End performer Daniel Boys in his first
film role and is directed by award winning director Eldar Rapaport.

Little Man plays as part of the Cocktales shorts package at

10:15pm on Saturday 16 March in ACMI Cinema 2 in Melbourne. The films producer Grant Vidgen will be in Melbourne
to introduce the screening.
Little Man has also been programmed to screen at the 2013
Atlanta Film Festival. It will screen in the Pink Peach Short
Competition prior to James Francos and Travis Matthews Pink
Peach Feature in Competition, Interior. Leather Bar., on
Thursday, March 21, at 9:15pm in the Plaza Theatre.

Getting your work seen is the ultimate prize for any

filmmaker. Despite the nervousness of seeing your a n
etwork
art on the screen for everyone to critique, theres
of busine
The Iris Prize which continues to be the worlds larges
ss
no better reward than seeing how people respond
minded
gay and lesbian short film prize valued ay 25,000 will
to what you worked so hard to make. Hence I am
executive
be presented for the seventh time during the Iris Prize
delighted that this month Little Man will screen
s
Festival, which takes place in Cardiff, Wales (UK) from
in Melbourne and Atlanta offering audiences on
9 13 October 2013, said Berwyn Rowlands.
both sides of the world a chance to see my film,
said Eldar Rapaport the films director.
Further Details:
Weve got more screenings coming up which have to remain
Berwyn Rowlands, Tel: +44 (0)29 20232744,
a secret until the relevant festivals are ready to publish their
Cell/Mobile: +44 (0) 7860 818294
programmes. So its looking good for Little Man, he added.
Based on the short story Your Man by Etgar Keret, Little Man
is a psychological thriller about ones inner demons. Elliot
(Daniel Boys) is about 30 but is unable to form a long lasting
relationship he has a talent for destroying every potential
one and continues his search moving on to the next available man.

Email: berwyn@thefestivalscompany.co.uk
www.irisprize.org

www.ufmag.biz

62

During the weekend when his brother Ryan shows up having decided to spend some time apart from his wife, Elliot
becomes obsessed with a very odd, spying neighbour who
is making too many loud noises that make his head explode.
Reaching his limit Elliot is out to kill whatever is eating him
up inside.

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63

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

ZOE MOON ASTROLOGY MARCH MONTHLY FORECAST 2013

ARIES

TARUS

GEMINI

March is for starting fresh on any film,

music or art interest, with your hospital
needs, research, investigations, development behind the scenes, tackling
addictions, meditation, yoga, magic,
psychic interests, or spiritual pursuits, and
with any romance that has a hidden side
to it. Your past is strongly part of this but
you can rewrite the direction you are
going with a little effort. Your vital energy
is coming back strong, a great month for
a make-over, toning up, diet, photo opps,
identity tune-ups, or pushing your brand
forward, get out there and take a bite out
of life! Mercury goes Direct on the 17th
so you may change your mind or see
things shift on this date. Expect that one
key person will take center stage by the
end of the month, it will be a time of
major celebrations or endings.

March is about making new friends or

starting back up with old ones, getting
into more group activities, pursuing
things online, with charities, astrology, or
social networking, attending events or
parties, and saying yes to renewed aspirations. If you are still working things out
tied to the past in these areas you have
until the 17th to get it together, its time
you move ahead and certain people or
situations will go with you, some will not.
This is great for artistic pursuits, film,
music, painting, etc. It is also good for
research, resting and dreaming about
what you want to do next, amping up the
imagination, tending to any hospital
matters, getting addictions under control, or holing up with someone romantically. Expect a work situation to peak,
health interests to culminate.

March will give you a huge push on the

career front but you need to deal with
any past details, issues, opportunities,
people, or situations along the way. You
have until the 17th to rework or revise in
these areas and need to really push ahead
on personal or professional goals, ambitions and achievements all month. You
may get a hand from someone in a position of authority so reach out. There is a
great deal of energy around friends,
groups, the internet, astrology, charities,
social networking, parties, and aspirations this month. Be ready to say yes to
connections and opportunities in these
areas, its time to connect. Expect a real
high point in your love life, with a creative
project, a recreational interest, or child by
the 27th. This will be all about reaching
goals, celebrating or ending something.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

March gives you a bit more time to go

back and rework any work needs,
paperwork, issues or opportunities with
co-workers, employees, or a job, your
health, or the animals. You have until the
17th to rethink things and make choices
about what you let go and what you
tweak in a way that can move forward
with you during this huge boost you are
getting for fresh starts in these areas.
Take note that new work, starting the diet
or hiring someone to help you with your
health, adopting an animal or moving in
some new direction with any of this is
favored now. Key relationships are
getting a boost as well so expect partners,
agents, attorneys, specialists, clients,
competitors, and all other significant
players to become more active this
month, go after who you need or involve
them in your plans.

March is still giving you the ability to let

go of something that is in the way of you
falling in love, moving ahead on a creative project or that is affecting growth
with your children. Rethink choices,
rework the details, release what should
go, and reconnect with past people or
situations that may still hold promise in
these areas. You have until the 17th to
get it together and from the 11th forward
you get a cosmic boost to get you going
in the right new direction here. The crossover of dates may mean a bit of past
goes into the future with you, open up,
here it comes. An influx of energy around
work, organizing, details, streamlining,
cleaning, routine, health, and pets hits
you all month so tackle what you can,
applying a bit of effort here now will take
you further than at other times.

SAGITTARIUS
Take March to really dig into past needs
and issues, opportunities and situations
involving your home, a move, real estate
deals, property needs, renovations,
roommates, mom, or family. You have
until the 17th to rethink things and get
them working in the right direction for
you, this is THE month for fresh starts here
so get busy. You may have someone or
something from the past going forward
with you here or you will be letting go.
There will be a pile up of energy fueling
your love life, creative projects, recreational activities, and what you do with kids
in March. Expect to be busy, you can
make headway.

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Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

ZOEMOONASTROLOGY@GMAIL.COM OR CALL 818-613-6067

LEO
VIRGO
CANCER

CAPRICORN
March may feel quite crazy for your sign
as news, offers, sales, agreements, writing, local activities, short trips, siblings,
neighbors, vehicles, electronics, and
decisions swirl around you, taking you
back into the past to rethink and rework,
bringing past people and situations around, and urging you STRONGLY to get it
under control so you can move ahead
with the new opportunities forming as
you move through each day. You have
until the 17th to tackle this and from the
11th forward you get added fuel to make
it happen in fresh new ways. Expect more
energy around home, real estate, moves,
renovations, family, mom, or roommates
this month as planets move into these
areas and give you more mojo to make
things happen.

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March is your month to take care of the

loan, debt, inheritance, settlement, tax
situation, insurance, bankruptcy, commissions, royalties, investments, credit
cards, or any other type of outside financial resource. Rethink where youre at,
work on past issues or opportunities here,
and then really launch forward with new
impetus. . The other areas of interest will
be legal, travel, media, educational, or
wedding interests. In these higher minded arenas you will have way more
energy and ability to move on things
than before so hustle up. Big news, an
offer, sale, agreement, writing project, or
something involving a brother, sister,
neighbor, vehicle, or electronic comes
through by the 27th

AQUARIUS
March asks that you get serious about any
past issues, people or opportunities that
involve your income or possessions. Rethink things, work them out, reconnect or
release, and then get ready for the
biggest new push you get this year to
move ahead with fresh starts making
money or dealing with those possessions.
You have until the 17th to work out the
past and from the 11th forward to get the
new moving into place. A large part of
the cosmos moves into your local arena
amping things up in your neighborhood,
through short trips, with neighbors,
siblings, vehicles, electronics, and giving
more energy to talks, meetings, agreements, sales, writing, and decisions this
month. Jump into the fray, you will be
successful at opening things up

March gives you more time to wrap up

any past issues or opportunities involving
a romantic or business partner, agent,
attorney, specialist, client, opponent, or
competitor. You have until the 17th to
rework whats going on here. You can
release or reconnect with the past during
this period but you are being given a
huge new opening to move ahead with
fresh starts from the 11th onward, take it.
The cosmos is energizing your sex appeal,
divorce or the big financial interests you
are steeped in this month so use this to
propel your desires forward, connect with
someone intimately, take action on that
divorce or go after the loan, deal with
inheritance, insurance, taxes, debt, settlements, alimony, child support, commissions, royalties, investments, or other
resources.

PISCES
March is your month in so many ways.
You have the tools to reclaim some part
of yourself, rework what is going on with
your body or image, deal with identity
issues, rethink your brand, or tweak personal goals. All this past energy helping
you do things over, release them or reclaim them, favors you through the 17th
so get busy on your needs from the start
of the month. On the 11th you get fresh
start energy here and this will gather
steam and carry you forward with new
agendas and opportunities over the next
2 weeks. Several planets are gathering in
your income and possessions part of your
life this month so you will have added
energy around making money or tending
to these possessions so go after what you
want with vigor.

66

March will give you the tools you need to

work out any old legal needs, media or
marketing concerns, publishing interests,
educational pursuits, wedding ideas, or
travel plans. Rethinking and reworking
these topics takes you through the 17th
when Mercury goes Direct and you are
ready to launch new projects and interests in these areas. Career and personal
goals will take center stage as you get
way more energy to do things about
what you want to achieve and you find
at least one person in a position to help
you get there. You will see things wrap
up, end or some big celebration or achievement playing out at home, with real
estate, a move, mom, family, a renovation, or roommate by the 27th. Its all
about perfect balance here.

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

scriptapalooza
15th Annual

screenplay competition

WE GOT THE CONNECTIONS.

WE JUST NEED YOUR SCRIPT.

Over 90 producers reading all the entries

We now offer FEEDBACK
We promote the Semifinalists and higher for a full year
Regular deadline March 5th FINAL deadine April 22
Over $25,000 in prizes awarded
323.654.5809 office

www.scriptapalooza.com

info@scriptapalooza.com

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Issue 9 - 2013

TOP
OF
THE
LAKE
Written And Created by JANE CAMPION & GERARD LEE

rom Academy Award winning

writer/director Jane Campion
and the Academy Award winning producers of The Kings
Speech, Top of the Lake is a powerful
and haunting mystery story set at the
edge of the world starring Elisabeth
Moss, David Wenham, Peter Mullan
and Holly Hunter.
Top of the Lake begins with a mystery
- a twelve-year-old girl walks chest
deep into the freezing waters of an alpine lake in New Zealand. The girl is Tui
Mitcham, daughter of the local drug
lord, Matt Mitcham and his third wife,
a Thai barmaid. The girl is discovered to
be five months pregnant and wont say
who the father is. Then she disappears.
Robin Griffin is a gutsy but inexperienced detective called in to investigate
Tuis case. But as Robin becomes more
and more obsessed with the search for
Tui, and questions more of the towns
inhabitants, she slowly begins to realise
that finding Tui is tantamount to finding
herself a self she has kept well hidden.
Tuis story brings two men back into
Robins life. Johnno, Matt Mitchams
son, is an old boyfriend who has spent
time in a Thai prison for drug offences.
Al Parker is a fellow detective and mentor, who has known Robin and her family for a long time. As Robin finds out
more about Tui, her world starts to unravel uncovering difficult secrets from
her past.

The unusual texture of this world is the

Womens camp at Paradise, a tribe of
forgotten, invisible women, forty-five
and over, broken-down, disillusioned,
unfuckable. At the groups centre is GJ
(pronounced Gee-Jay) sixty-plus with
bum-length silver hair and an electric
detached air. GJs brand of kindness is
bracing, aimed at cutting through delusions but somehow her harsh proselytizing soothes like a full stop.
Set against one of the most amazing
and untouched landscapes left on the
planet a vast, varied terrain, unpopulated, moody, pure and remote where
honest work is hard to find Top of the
Lake is a powerful and haunting story
about our search for happiness where
the dream of paradise attracts it dark
twin, the fall.
GERARD LEE - WRITER
Gerard Lee is an Australian author,
screenwriter and director. Lees most
recent work is Top of the Lake, written
with Jane Campion. He has also just
completed a feature film slated for production in 2013. Entitled My Mistress, it
will be directed by award-winning Brisbane video artist Stephen Lance. Lee
also co-wrote Jane Campions feature
debut, Sweetie, which won a Camera
dOr in Cannes, won Best Screenplay
at the Australian Film Institute Awards,
won many other awards, was screened
internationally and is now part of the
worlds most prestigious video collection Criterion.
Brought up in Brisbane in the Sixties, Lee

began writing for The Telegraph newspaper at the age of sixteen. He has published two novels, True Love and How
to Get It and Troppo Man (short-listed
for the Vogels Young Writers Award), a
collection of short stories and a collection of travel stories, all with University
of Queensland Press. Lee also wrote
eighteen episodes of a childrens minidocumentary series, Here I Am for the
Queensland Education Department.
He has travelled widely in Europe and
Asia, has taught creative writing at QUT,
UTS and Curtin University.
GARTH DAVIS DIRECTOR
Garth Davis is internationally renowned
for some of the most memorable and
awarded commercials. His recent work
has won gold at the London International Award show, the prized Gold Lion
at Cannes, and in 2010 he received a finalist nomination from the DGA (Directors Guild of America) for best commercials director.
Originally a fine artist and designer,
Garth has explored all forms of filmmaking. His dramatic work has included the festival hit documentary PINS,
the Dendy Award winning short film
ALICE, and the highly acclaimed TV series LOVE MY WAY.
Garth has most recently co-directed a
six-part mini series with Jane Campion
(THE PIANO) for See-Saw Films (THE
KINGS SPEECH) titled TOP OF THE LAKE
and starring Elisabeth Moss, Peter MulNormski
lan, DavidAnderson
Wenham and Holly Hunter.

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Making Dollars & Sense

South Asian Young Women Entrepreneurs Unveils Six-City Financial Education Tour

n celebration of National Womens History Month in

March, South Asian Young Women Entrepreneurs (SAY
WE), a network of business-minded executives in the
fields of technology, finance, entertainment and fashion, announced the launch of a six-city financial education tour, in association with the Consulate General of India
(New York) and powered by Wells Fargo. Making Dollars &
Sense: Financial Education for South Asian Women Business
Owners will kick off in San Francisco on April 18.

30 percent of businesses in the U.S. are owned by women, according to the National Womens Business Council.
South Asian women entrepreneurs are helping to shape the
future of small business and our economy, said Rahul Baig,
head of Wells Fargos Northeast Corporate Banking. Were
honored to work together with SAY WE to offer these business
owners financial education resources to help them succeed
financially in business and personally.

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70

The panel of financial experts and successful South Asian

Making Dollars & Sense Financial Education Panel Dates:
women entrepreneurs will provide insights, tips and resourcSan Francisco Thurs., April 18 - Los Angeles Tues., April 23
es on topics such as building business credit, reinvesting in
Houston Thurs., May 9 - Dallas Tues., May 14
a business, protecting credit and maximizing relationEdison, NJ Thurs., May 23 - New York City - Thurs.,
a netwo
ships with business bankers. After the first event,
May 30
rk
of busine
the tour will stop in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas,
s
s
New Jersey, and culminate in New York City on May
minded
To learn more about SAY WEs financial education
30.
executive
panels, panelists and how to participate, log on to
s and register at www.sayweonline.org.
The panelists we have chosen in each of the six cities
are of the most successful and driven South Asian women
About SAY WE: SAY WE is a registered non-profit organizabusiness owners in the country, said Reema Rasool, founder
tion aimed to cultivate and foster strong relationships among
and executive director of SAY WE. They will provide insights
South Asian women who have entrepreneurial interests.
and share their journey with women who have just launched
South Asian women are making great strides in the world of
their business venture or those who are facing challenges as
business, fashion, media, and the arts, and SAY WE recognizes
a result of the recent economic downturn.
these achievements to inspire and ensure future generations
of ambitious and savvy South Asian women. SAY WE creates
The goal of this initiative is to drive awareness to the financial
a positive and collegial forum in which South Asian women,
education tools and resources available to women entrepreregardless of political and religious affiliations, can network,
neurs and to create a national support system of businesssupport each other, and applaud one anothers major accomminded women who will learn from each other and share
plishments. SAY WE also aspires to raise awareness and funds
their successes, failures, challenges and triumphs.
for causes and organizations that work toward the advancement of women in South Asia, as well as South Asian women
SAY WE and Wells Fargo aim to support South Asian entrein the United States.
preneurs and provide greater access to financial tools and
resources to women-owned businesses a group that has
grown in size by more than 20 percent from 2002 to 2007, acMedia Contact: Jitin Hingorani jitinhingorani@gmail.com or
cording to the latest census data. As part of its commitment
512.773.6679.
to support women business owners, Wells Fargo is committed
to lending a cumulative total of $55 billion to women-owned
businesses in the U.S. by the year 2020. Today, approximately

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Issue 9 - 2013

SPRING BREAKERS

Vertigo Films

A film written and directed by Harmony Korine...

tale of deranged, crazed, sexy college teens on What was the idea that started you writing this movie?
the road to hedonism, Spring Breakers features The very first image I had in mind was girls in bikinis and with
bikini clad babes in ski masks who rage on alco- guns. I then asked myself, where would you ever see a girl like
hol and drugs. They give a whole new meaning to that? The only place I could think of was spring break. And
then I kind of laughed and thought about it a little bit and I
girls gone wild. Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgliked the idea about girls coming down to Florida. It startens, and friends team up with James Franco as youve
ed out that way, but then it moved to the fringes and
never seen him before in a take on spring break
became something darker, more sinister, and more
that only Harmony Korine could tell. Korine, as he
Interview with dangerous.
did in Kids and Gummo, shatters our expectations
Director, Harand shows us a bizarre underworld where nobody
mony Korine
A lot of your work is inspired by American culture,
can look away.
and you set your narratives in very specific American
towns. Why did you choose St. Petersburg the location
Synopsis
for Spring Breakers?
Brit (Benson), Candy (Hudgens), Cotty (Korine) and Faith
(Gomez) have been best friends since grade school. They live
together in an average college dorm and are hungry for adventure. All they have to do is save enough money for spring
break to get their shot at having some real fun.
A serendipitous encounter with rapper Alien (Franco) promises to provide the girls with all the thrill and excitement they
could hope for. With the encouragement of their new friend,
it soon becomes unclear how far the girls are willing to go to
experience a spring break they will never forget.
Interview with director Harmony Korine

Well, Saint Petersburg is not such a huge spring break destination. But you want to go to a place thats visually interesting, thats authentic, that has a certain kind of energy. I
didnt want to shoot it in Miami or somewhere that seemed
more common or more familiar. Im not so interested in the
tourist part of spring break. Its more the back roads, its more
when you leave the main strip, the bad neighborhoods, the
houses that are falling apart on the beach those types of
things are more interesting to me. People that live in those
places. Theres a kind of strange feeling to a lot of that part of
America. It seems like everybody is running from something
or hiding from something.

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You once said, I have very little interest

in working with actors. Non-actors can
give you what an actor can never give
you: pieces of themselves. Tell us more
about your choice of casting on this project and what motivated you to work
with James Franco and Selena Gomez,
for example?
It just seemed right, like an exciting
thing to do. It felt like a fun thing to mix
up all these worlds, to mess with the
culture a little bit. Its exciting for me. I
like the idea of putting people in certain
places theyve never been before.
Who was cast first?
It was James Franco first, and then the
girls. James and I talked about making
a movie together for quite a while. Usually I write my scripts first and people
read it afterwards, but for this one I just
wrote a treatment during Christmas and
sent it to James asking him whether he
wanted to play this character. He wrote
back immediately and said yes. And that
was it. I was excited about that idea and
the character, so I flew to Florida spring
break was actually taking place at that
time and wrote the script in a hotel,
while a bunch of kids were vomiting on
my porch.
Who was cast afterwards?
After James, it was Selena (Gomez), then
Rachel (Korine), Vanessa (Hudgens) and
Ashley (Benson).
You seem to like hiring family members
for your projects. Rachel is your wife.
Yes, I like to bring in people that I find
exciting, that you know can go to places
with you. I think trust is a big thing too.
You bring in people you trust, that you
know will bring it to that place you need
it.
The whole shoot seems to be a liberating experience for the cast, especially
the young actresses. Was it important
for you that your actresses had a good
girl image, as is the case with Selena
Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens?
Yeah! Its exciting to me. Thats the great-

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est thing in the world. Everyone is familiar with them in some way and they
have this kind of Disney image, and its
really fun to me to push them into some
kind of other reality, something more
sinister and insane. Its cool to see them
spread their wings. One of the great joys
will also be to watch peoples reactions
to that.
When you decided to work with these
girls, were you anticipating anything in
particular?
I treat everybody the samethe same
as I would treat some kid that sniffs glue
that I think is terrific and that I want to
be in my film. At the same time, I spent
time with these girls before the audition process, the rehearsals so I knew
going into it that there was a certain
kind of chemistry. But of course, most of
these girls have never been in a situation
like this, and you never, ever know how
people are going to react until they get
there. But I felt good, like they would go
for it. And they have.
You also cast the ATL twins for the movie, and they almost feel like theyre coming straight out of your film Gummo
Yeah, they probably exist in that world.
The twins are awesome. Freaks! Ive
worked with them before on a Black
Keys video that hasnt come out yet but
this is their first movie.
According to the screenplay, you will
combine your footage with archive
material of real spring break moments.
While you did your research was there
anything that surprised you about
spring break?
The spring break Im interested in is
the really debauched, hardcore spring
break. I like that stuff, where kids go
way, way out for that one week and disappear, and then return to their world of
books and bad jobs and shitty parents.
I knew it existed, though, so it didnt
shock me. It takes a lot to shock me but
it was good.
How much time did you spend down in
Florida on pre-production?
I heard you even rented out authentic
apartments of real Spring Breakers and
just used the spaces as they were for
your shoot.
It sounds like you did a lot of research.
I spent a few months trying to find these
real locations. Just driving around late
at night, jumping over fences A lot
of it comes from just being in a place
for a while and observing. Just letting

one situation take you into the next and

then you would find a kind of location
or character and that would bring you
to another place. Thats kind of how the
movie gets built. I like it. I like making
movies that start from the inside and
build out.
Do you set out to make films that are impossible to categorize?
I dont make genre movies. This one
maybe is probably the closest to any
kind of genre film. I try to make movies that exist in their own world, more
than anything. I agree, they are difficult
to articulate. But I think there are some
genre elements in this movie: the social
setting, the atmosphere, and this kind of
teen pop atmosphere. Even where it is
shot is kind of different from my other
movies. But in general I just try to make
films that exist in their own world more
than anything. And this one has this
kind of lyrical flow, theres a poppy-ness
to it, the colors, the location, the types of
actors that are in the film.
What do you think your typical Harmony
Korine audience will think?
Thats a good question. I dont really
know. Hopefully there will be some stuff
in there that they like.
Music always plays a big part in your
movies, and you also give clear directions in the script for certain songs that
will feature. Can you talk a little about
how music inspires this movie?
I will probably score the film in a way
that surprises people, maybe with something more movie music, something
more angular and ambient and kind of
moody. But then there will be music that
comes from within the scenes, like pop
songs and rap music that would be what
was really playing. Its a mix of a lot of
different cultural pop iconography.
Compared to some of your other movies this project has a fairly big budget.
You also have actresses attached that
are being chased by paparazzi while
youre shooting. How do you cope with
this new environment from a directorial
point of view?
Im like a warrior; Im a soldier of cinema.
So to me its just a part of what
I do, and its all great. I just love it. I just
accept and do it. Nothing really freaks
me out when I make movies. The helicopters and all that shit is just part of it
part of the energy of the film.
As a soldier, what are you fighting for?
Just, you know, to make movies. Thats
the only thing.

74

One might say you are the director who

portrays white trash better than anyone else, because you seem to really understand the people without feeling the
need to criticize. Would you agree?
I dont really know if its purely white
trash, I just like what I like. Im drawn to
certain types of characters and I try not
to pass judgment. I more like to document things. I dont come in with an
agenda so much.

Universal Film
Issue 9 - 2013

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