Email /DigiCult Production ‘Go Home’ plays Safar Film Festival’s Future Shorts programme in London this month (July 2022). Writer/Director Razan Madhoon will be representing the film and taking part in a Q&A after the film screens at the London Barbican.
EIGHT SHORT FILMS FROM
SCOTTISH FILM TALENT NETWORK FILMMAKERS
TO SCREEN AT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2018
Diverse and Ambitious Slate, 50% From Women Filmmakers
© Copyright Edinburgh International Film Festival
EDINBURGH – Showcasing exceptional new and emerging talent from Scotland, eight short films will screen in the Shorts Strands of this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival: Shorts – UK1: Firecracker, Shorts – UK2: Kaleidoscope and The McLaren Award: New British Animation 1. Commissioned and produced by Scottish Film Talent Network, the Shorts will screen between 23rd and 27th July as part of EIFF’s thrilling showcase of the finest brand-new short films from across the globe.
Supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and the BFI (British Film Institute), the Scottish Film Talent Network (SFTN) is a consortium made up of Centre for Moving Image, DigiCult, and Hopscotch Films, offering new and emerging filmmakers significant support for individual film projects (shorts and features) and a range of professional development opportunities. The talent development programme is targeted at Scottish based writers, directors and producers with the imagination to create engaging stories to share with international audiences. Commissioned short films receive funding of between £15,000 and £25,000, and can be enhanced by partnership funding and through crowdfunding initiatives.
With filming and the majority of post-production taking place in Scotland in 2017-18, this year’s Scottish Shorts programme demonstrates the depth and breadth of Scottish film talent, across an impressively wide range of genres and visual styles:
Bunny – heart-breaking fantasy-drama exploring mental health, with young Govan model Connor Newall making his acting debut.; 12 Point Kill – taut domestic thriller starring Shauna Macdonald, set in a remote ‘off-grid’ community;Widdershins– animated steampunk action-adventure exploring the impact of AI and robots on day-to-day life, featuring the voice of award winning Scottish actor, Brian Cox; None of the Above – hard-hitting tragedy delving into the effects of social media on interpersonal relationships, shot on iPhone 7+ featuring Holli Dempsey; Lift Share – a pan-European adoption drama starring Ana Ularu and Mark Rowley; I Was Here – Traverse playwright Morna Pearson’s blackly comic story of a young Elgin girl struggling with her adult responsibilities; My Loneliness is Killing Me – LGBQTI focused exploration of modern love framed by technology and late night online encounters; Tomorrow Might Be the Day – unsettling, mysterious story of one man’s unwavering faith in a supernatural force.
Five of the ten projects on SFTN’s current production slate are directed by women. In addition to the eight SFTN films in EIFF’s programme, another two films written and directed by women are currently underway, resulting in a 50/50 gender split across the fund’s short film output this year.
SFTN has a track record of nurturing and developing new and emerging talent in Scotland. Commissioned in 2016, Director Gordon Napier’s short film, 1745, screened at EIFF 2017 and played in competition at a number of international film festivals. The film also received BAFTA Scotland and BIFA nominations for Best Short Film. The success of the film helped to elevate Napier’s profile and he is now represented by national and international agents including CAA in LA. 1745 screenwriter and actor Morayo Akandé signed to prestigious talent agency, Casarotto Ramsay, as a result of her work and is now developing a feature based on the short with SFTN.
Paul Welsh, Executive Producer, SFTN (for Digicult), said: “With the launch of Creative Scotland’s Screen Unit and the changes at BBC this year, we finally have a chance to radically alter the landscape of drama production in Scotland. SFTN’s slate at EIFF is indicative of the wealth of talent this country possesses. It’s now time to back this talent with the level of resources required to take the step into long form drama and first features. We will need to be courageous and willing to take risks just like the talent, but that’s how great work is ultimately made.”
Ross McKenzie, Screen Officer at Creative Scotland, said: “Creative Scotland and our partners at the BFI are delighted with the progress of the Scottish Film Talent Network. Our industry partners CMI, DigiCult and Hopscotch Films have worked hard to identify the very best emerging Scottish filmmaking talent, bringing a diversity of voices to the screen. With half of the projects on the new production slate being realised by women; films such as 1745 (2017) acknowledging Scotland’s historical links to the slave trade; and Bunny (2018), which explores mental health, we are closer than ever to reaching a point of equality, diversity and inclusion for new and emerging filmmakers entering the film industry in Scotland.
Carolynne Sinclair Kidd, Executive Producer, SFTN (for Hopscotch Films), said: “The talented Scottish based writers, directors and producers who have been making short films with the SFTN, developing feature scripts, and/or attending the various talent labs and training initiatives we support, are now ready to step up and make feature films that will travel internationally, representing the best of Scotland in the world’s cinemas. It’s not easy to get yourself noticed in a crowded short film market, where everyone who has access to a mobile phone can make a film. But our filmmakers are making stand out work that connects and moves and has something important to say about this confusing state of being human: they are winning awards internationally, and they are now starting to get the recognition they deserve, with several of our alumni now working with major feature film financiers. There is, of course, still much to be done to create a vibrant feature film industry in Scotland, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we are laying incredibly strong foundations.”
The SFTN short films will screen as follows:
Shorts – UK1: Firecracker
SATURDAY 23 JUNE – 15:55
Bunny by Shaun Hughes/UK/2018/18 mins
12 Point Kill by Iain Mitchell/UK/2018/14 mins
None of the Above by Siri Rødnes/UK/2018/16 mins
Shorts – UK2: Kaleidoscope
WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE – 18:20
Lift Share by Virginia Heath/UK/2018/21 mins
My Loneliness Is Killing Me by Tim Courtney/UK/2018/16 mins
I Was Here by Joe Carter/UK/2018/11 mins
Tomorrow Might Be The Day by Joséfa Celestin/UK/2018/20 mins
The McLaren Award: New British Animation 1
WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE – 15:35
Widdershins by Simon P Biggs/UK/2018/10 mins
Alumni of SFTN’s New and Emerging Talent Shorts Commissioning and various development programmes, will participate in this year’s EIFF Talent Lab. Screenwriters: Michael Lee Richardson (My Loneliness Is Killing Me, SFTN 2018); Writer/Directors: Joséfa Celestin (Tomorrow Might Be The Day, SFTN 2018), Iain Mitchell (12 Point Kill, SFTN 2018), Gordon Napier (1745, SFTN 2017), Tom Nicoll (shortlisted for Scottish Shorts, 2018), Kevin Pickering (Close to The Bone, SFTN 2017); and Producers: James Heath (shortlisted for Scottish Shorts, 2018), Margarita Veberaite (Tomorrow Might Be The Day, SFTN 2018), Lewis Wardrop (Close to The Bone, SFTN 2017).
For accredited delegates interested in learning more about SFTN or speaking with the team, there are a number of opportunities to attend and participate in networking events, across the festival:
FRIDAY 22ND JUNE
Meet the NETWORK (16:15 – 17:00, Traverse Theatre 2)
BFI NETWORK Roundtables: Shorts Formula (17:15 – 18:30, Traverse Theatre 1)
Early Doors… Networking Drinks (18:30 – 19:30, Traverse Bar Café)
SUNDAY 24TH JUNE
25/7 NETWORK (17:15 – 18:30, The Lyceum Rehearsal Room)
Early Doors…Networking Drinks (18:30 – 19:30, Traverse Bar Café)
For delegates interested in learning more about the process of optioning and developing a literary work, SFTN’s Paul Welsh of DigiCult will be participating in a panel discussion on this subject, on Friday 29 June.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival takes place from 20 June – 1 July. For event information and tickets, visit: https://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/
Cat Bruce’s No Place Like Home scooped the Animation award at the 2016 British Academy Scotland Awards 2016 on 6th November.
The ceremony took place at Glasgow’s Radisson Blu Hotel and was hosted by Edith Bowman. The Awards celebrated the very best in film, television and games produced over the last year in Scotland.
No Place Like Home was one of six New Talent Short films commissioned by the Scottish Film Talent Network in 2015. The SFTN consortium comprises the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), DigiCult and Hopscotch Films.
Congratulations to Cat Bruce, Neil Jack and the rest of the team!
Developed and produced through
Martin Smith’s Seagulls won a Golden Reel award for Best Short Children’s Film at Tiburon International Film Festival. It took home the prize last Friday (17th April) at the festival’s closing party.
The 14th Tiburon Internation Film Festival ran 9th-17th April 2015 in Tiburon, California. It is an annual event showcasing independent feature and short films from around the world.
Congratulations to Martin, producer Sarah Drummond and the rest of the crew involved!
Developed and produced through
SFTN – Applications open
First Feature Development, Emerging Talent Shorts and Professional Development
Full guidelines and application forms are now available for First Feature Development, Emerging Talent Shorts and Professional Development Talent Programme Bursary awards.
First Feature Development
SFTN are offering opportunities for emerging talent to develop their first feature project and want to talk to you to help identify the best routes, activities or funding that are available for you.
Emerging Talent Shorts 2015
Short film production funding is being awarded to Emerging Talent on a rolling basis. This programme is designed to run in conjunction with the First Feature Development programme and aimed at emerging Scottish Talent who would benefit from making another short before embarking on their first feature.
Professional Development
Talent Programme Bursary
The Talent Programme Bursary is designed to support writers, directors and producers to attend development programmes and talent labs. Recognised talent labs and development programmes include, but are not limited to:
Berlinale Talents | Rotterdam Lab | Reykjavik Talent Lab | Sundance Lab | TIFF Talent Lab | Torino Film Lab
Further information can be found on each individual page along with the downloadable forms and guidelines. Please head to the SFTN Contact page to get in touch if you wish to discuss your project, or for help to identify the best way we can support you.
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Ainslie Henderson and Will Anderson’s Monkey Love Experiments has done it again! The animation has won the Channel 4 Innovation Award for Storytelling, a new prize at the Glasgow Short Film Festival.
The jury said the following:
“This intricate combination of stop motion, live action and 3D animation transported us into a singular, surreal environment. Seeing the world through the eyes of a confused – and somewhat deluded – primate, elicited deep emotional responses from the jury.”
The award was made at the closing event of the festival on Sunday 15 March.
Most of the Scottish Shorts 2014 slate competed this year at GSFF – Ian Waugh’s As He Lay Falling, Martin Smith’s Seagulls, Rory Alexander Stewart’s Wyld and Monkey Love Experiments. Last year, Cara Connolly and Martin Clark’s Exchange and Mart won the GSFF Audience Award.
Congratulations to Ainslie, Will, Cameron Fraser of Ko Lik and the rest of the crew involved!
All shorts developed and produced through
Ainslie Henderson and Will Anderson’s Monkey Love Experiments has won another award! The film nabbed the award for Best Animation at the London Short Film Festival on Sunday 18th January.
This follows its BAFTA nomination earlier this month, and its BAFTA Scotland win for Best Animation in November.
Also, Ruth Paxton won Best Woman Director for her work on Pulse, a short commissioned via the NEW MUSIC BIENNAL / COMMONWEALTH GAMES by the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY and produced in association with DigiCult’s sister company EDGE CITY FILMS.
This comes four years after Ruth’s DigiCult film Paris/Sexy won Best British Short Film at LSFF 2011.
The 18th London Short Film Festival ran from 8th – 18th January 2015.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Ian Waugh’s As He Lay Falling won the Directors Jury Award “We, the filmmakers” at the International Short Film Festival ‘City of Soria’.
The 16th International Short Film Festival ‘City of Soria’ (Certamen Internacional de Cortos Ciudad de Soria) ran from 16th – 30th November in Soria, Spain. The film played in Session 1 of the ‘Short A Contest’ on Sunday 23rd November. The jury comprised of all the Directors in Soria’s Official Competition.
Congratulations to Ian Waugh, Richard Warden, Jim Webster and the rest of the crew involved.
Short developed and produced through
Cara Connolly & Martin Clark’s Exchange and Mart won the British Short Film Competition award at Leeds International Film Festival.
The jury stated that it was ‘A beautifully executed coming of age film.’
The film was nominated alongside Martin Smith’s Seagulls. Both films played at Hyde Park Picture House on Saturday 15th November.
Running from 5th to 20th November, the 28th Leeds International Film Festival was the largest film festival in England outside London, and an Academy Award Qualifying Festival through its short film awards.
Congratulations to Cara Connolly, Martin Clark, Phoebe Grigor, Maeve McMahon and the rest of the crew involved.
Both shorts developed and produced through
DigiCult is proud to announce the launch of the Scottish Film Talent Network website, and its call for entries to the Scottish Shorts 2015 Programme.
SFTN Talent Development Executive Claudia Yusef is hosting information sessions across Scotland to discuss Scottish Shorts 2015 and the range of other development and funding opportunities available in the new year.
Claudia will be able to give an overview of all SFTN activity available to new and emerging filmmaking talent in Scotland, as well as answer questions from prospective applicants.
Dates for each session below –
Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen – Wednesday 03 December
Eden Court, Inverness – Thursday 04 December
Filmhouse, Edinburgh – Saturday 06 December
DCA, Dundee – Monday 08 December
GMAC, Glasgow – Tuesday 09 December
Sessions are free to attend but we do request that you book your place beforehand via Eventbrite. If you have any questions, please email info@scottishfilmtalent.com.
The Scottish Film Talent Network consortium has been awarded the contract by Creative Scotland to deliver the Scottish element of the BFI Net.Work.
The SFTN consortium comprises the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), DigiCult and Hopscotch Films.
Proud to be a partner of