Jessica Ashman – writer/director of DigiCult’s recent stop-frame animation Fixing Luka – has been selected for the highly competitive B3 Talent Lab masterminded by producer Marc Boothe. The Cult applauds you, Jessica!

Fixing Luka is Jessica’s first short film, a project developed and produced by Anna Odell as part of Scottish Digital Shorts 2010 with funding from Scottish Screen, UK Film Council and BBC Scotland.

Within a month of completion in February 2011, the film was nominated for two BAFTA in Scotland New Talent Awards for Best Animation and Best Score, with Pete MacDonald winning for his excellent original soundtrack. Fixing Luka will receive it’s international festival premiere later in the year.

If you would like the opportunity to develop and produce your first professional quality animation or live action short, or write a feature film with support from DigiCult, applications are currently open for Incubator, our new programme for new and emerging talent backed by Creative Scotland. Deadline 29th April 2011.

Iain Gardner’s DigiCult 4Mations commission ‘THE TANNERY’ has won Best Animation at the Celtic Media Festival in Lewis. The film was produced by Axis Animation in 2010. Congratulations to everyone involved in the production.

Virgin Media Shorts is supporting DigiCult’s Incubator programme in 2011.

Now in its fourth year, Virgin Media Shorts is the only short film competition to give aspiring British filmmakers the opportunity to show their work to millions of people across the country on four screens – in cinema, on TV, online and on mobile.

Twelve film makers will have the chance to see their work on the big screen at Picture House and independent cinemas across the UK for a whole year, with a star prize of up to £30,000 funding for your next project and mentoring from the UK’s leading film making body. There’s also the coveted People’s Choice Award up for grabs, voted for by film fans everywhere.

This year’s competition opens for entries on 7^th April 2011 and the entry window closes on 7^th July 2011. To enter, upload your film between these dates at www.virginmediashorts.co.uk

Prizes up for grabs this year include:

• Twelve shortlisted films will be transferred to 35mm and screened in over 200 cinemas, including the Picture House network and independent cinemas, across the UK for a whole year
• One lucky Grand Prize winner lands up to £30,000 funding and money-can’t-buy mentoring to make their next film with the UK’s leading film body and Virgin Media
• One People’s Choice winner takes home thousands of pounds of new film kit
• The university/film school that enters the most films will receive £2,000 of new equipment for their faculty

Ruth Paxton’s ‘PARIS/SEXY’ continues its strong international festival run in May with further screenings confirmed in London, Riga and Perth (Australia).

Since the film won the UK FIlm Council Award for Best British Short at LSFF, Paris/Sexy has crossed the planet a few times with strong interest in Ruth’s material from programmers in Asia and Europe.

The win in January has helped Ruth secure London representation as a designer and writer/director and she has also been accepted onto The Bureau’s Save Our Scripts (SoS) development programme with a feature length project set in the Scottish traveling community.

Paris/Sexy was developed and produced by DigiCult through Scottish Digital Shorts 2008/09. The company’s new development and production programme – Incubator – will work with short and feature length writers and writer/directors for the first time in 2011. Submissions deadline: 29th April 2011.

A full listing of Paris/Sexy’s festival screenings to May 2011:

REVELATION PERTH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL / Perth, Australia / July 2011

2ANNAS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL / Riga, Latvia / May 2011

BEST OF 8^TH LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL / London, UK / May 2011

MOVIE MAYDAY, part of EAST END FILM FESTIVAL / London, UK / May 2011

TIMISHORT FILMFEST / Romania, Bucharest / May 2011

女艺术 NUYISHU FESTIVAL / Beijing, China / April 2011

9^TH INTERNATIONAL FILMMOR WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL / Istanbul, Turkey / Mar. 2011

ELECTRIC SHADOWS presents INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY Special Programme / Beijing, China / Mar. 2011

4^TH LICHTSPIELKLUB KURSFILMFESTIVAL, ‘British Shorts’ / Berlin, Germany / Jan. 2011

8^TH LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL / London, UK / Jan. 2011

REGGIO FILM FESTIVAL / Italy / Nov. 2010

ENCOUNTERS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Encounters Best of British / Bristol, UK / Nov. 2010

INVERNESS FILM FESTIVAL / UK / Nov. 2010

29^TH UPPSALA INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL / Uppsala, Sweden / Oct. 2010 (IN COMPETITION)

XII^TH WT OS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL / Bergen, Norway / Nov. 2010

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU COURT METRAGES / Lille, France / Oct. 2010 (IN COMPETITION)

IV SHORTINI INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL / Augusta, Italy / Sep. 2010 (IN COMPETITION)

64TH EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL / UK / June 2010 (IN COMPETITION)

DRESDEN INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL / Dresden, Germany / April 2010

Foxy and Marina wrapped last Thursday night and the vibes were good. VJ Emlyn Firth mashed-up our production stills to the Latin sounds provided by Doctor Belle. Food was eaten and a few drinks were drunk. We’ll take a few weeks too recover our wits then push on with the edit. Well done to Writer/Director Zack Copping – he matured as the days intensified – and thank you to the cast and crew of the film. It’s going to be special.

DigiCult’s Foxy And Marina (Writer/Director Zach Copping) shoots this week. Here’s a sneak preview of the action and a glimpse of the set in Glasgow’s West End.

A lyrical romance set in the not-so-romantic world of heroin addiction, this original story follows a young boy from Skye as he flirts with the idea of giving-up and returning home to the islands. Killing time on his last day in the city, Foxy (Lorne MacFadyen) visits his dealer where he meets Marina (Pollyanna McIntosh) and falls in love …

Running at 25 minutes, Foxy and Marina is Zach’s second short film. His HoD’s include David Liddell (DoP), Stephen Carney (1st AD), Natalie Astridge (Designer), Layla Mall (Costume) and Tahira Herold (Make-Up). Zach’s first short Cotopaxi – a GMAC DigiCult production in 2005 – was BAFTA Scotland nominated for Best Short and competed for the Silver Bear at Berlinale. You can watch the film on BBC Film Network.

All Stills by Chris Baron