| The Short
Digital Film Festival 2004
Thinktank Theatre,
Millennium Point 13th - 14th September 2004
Thinktank Theatre,
Millennium Point
West Midlands black comedy
voted Best Film at second tic Digital Short Film
Festival
A black comedy called ‘Fanatic’, by
first-time West Midlands screen-writer Lee Murphy,
has won the judges accolade of top film at the Technology
Innovation Centre’s 2004 Short Digital Film
Festival.
He receives the Festival award and an MV750i camcorder
generously donated by prize-sponsor Canon. Lee’s
film was voted both best drama and overall film
by a judging panel drawn from West Midlands film
and broadcasting experts, chaired by a leading educational
journalist.
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Dan Jones (l) receives the Best Film Award on
behalf of winning writer Lee Murphy. It is presented
by Mike Burch.
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Three further category winners
also receive awards.
Documentaries were won by ‘Seeking’, a film
by young asylum seekers from Milton Keynes. This entry
examined popular attitudes and media coverage of refugees
and asylum seekers. Directed by Chris Bradley, it was
produced by Living Archive.
Animation winner was ‘The Wolf who came in from
the Cold’. Based on a short story, it tells of
the outsider’s quest to find a sense of belonging,
blending computer-generated animation with live action.
It was jointly produced and directed by Ian and Dominic
Higgins.
The experimental group winner, entitled ‘Echoes
2: Check’, compared electronic ‘processor
power’ with human guile. It was directed by Jeevan
Chowdhury and co-produced by Uzma Choudhry and Barry
Hale.
Over 70 original entries for tic’s
Short Digital Film Festival 2004 had to be reduced to
a top 25 for judging. These were then shown over two
evenings in tic-neighbour THINKTANK’s
theatre, at Millennium Point.
The professional judging panel* comprised Mike Burch,
executive producer with ITV Central, Geraldine McCullagh,
BBC producer who manages the Birmingham Big Screen and
Katie Hemmings, Talent Project Manager of Screen West
Midlands. They were chaired by leading, Birmingham-based
educational journalist Tony Collins.
A selection of the 2004 tic Film Festival’s
films are expected to be shown on the BBC Big Screen
in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham. They will also be
prepared for the Community TV channel.
Immediately following Birmingham’s free Arts Fest
weekend, the now-established tic Short
Digital Film Festival boasts several key supporters.
They include First Light, who fund and inspire young
people’s short films, Screen West Midlands, creative
industries supporters, Creative Launchpad, and IDEAS
FACTORY plus tic’s own i4* and
Media Vault** programmes. …more/
*Judges’ overall comments on the 2004 entry:
Mike Burch, executive producer, ITV Central: “We
saw a big leap in innovation, imagination and technical
quality compared with last year. The entries were really
impressive - well made and showing good use of technology.“
Geraldine McCullagh, BBC Big Screen:
“There was such a wide variety. The films used
many techniques which made them so stimulating and engaged
the emotions.”
Katie Hemmings, Talent Project Manager
of Screen West Midlands: “I am impressed by
the standard of the films, the fresh ideas and the experimental
nature of many of them”
Chair of judges Tony Collins
of the Birmingham Evening Mail summed up: “The
standard is very impressive, as was the originality
of the range of entries.”
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