FILMINUTE, THE INTERNATIONAL ONE-MINUTE FILM FESTIVAL
Filminute names Paul Haggis, Francisco Goldman, David Kennedy, Andrea Dittgen and Taketo Oguchi to 2008 jury
LONDON, UK, July 8, 2008 – The jury for this year's edition of Filminute was announced today by Festival founders and executive directors, John Ketchum and Sabaa Quao. The third annual edition of Filminute, the international festival that showcases, awards and promotes the best one-minute films from around the world, runs September 1 through 30, 2008.
Academy Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby); David Kennedy, co-founder of the Wieden + Kennedy advertising agency; Dr. Andrea Dittgen, editor of the German daily, Die Rheinpfalz, and board member of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics); award-winning novelist and journalist, Francisco Goldman (The Long Night of the White Chickens, The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?); Taketo Oguchi, editor-in-chief and publisher of Japan's SHIFT magazine; and Filminute principals Ketchum and Quao will adjudicate this year's selection of one-minute films.
As Head of Jury, Ketchum says "We're absolutely thrilled with the calibre, diversity and geographic spread of this year's Filminute jury. Filmmakers from around the world will be encouraged to know that this year's films will be judged by screen and fiction writing heavyweights Paul Haggis and Francisco Goldman as well as by the experienced, critical eye of FIPRESCI's Andrea Dittgen. David Kennedy and Taketo Oguchi's jury presence highlights the importance of the growing community of filmmakers submitting films to Filminute, hailing from a wide variety of creative disciplines.
"A jury like this will strengthen the world's understanding of what makes a great one-minute film and provide an excellent comparison and contrast to the selection of the People's Choice award by the voting public."
Filminute is accepting entries until August 20, 2008. Throughout the month of September, festival-goers around the globe will screen, rate and vote on this year's selection of 25 one-minute films at www.filminute.com, via mobile, on television and at public? screening installations in London, Bucharest, and Toronto. In addition to the "Best Filminute" jury prize and commendations, the public is invited to vote for its Festival favorite and selects the "People's Choice" winner. The Filminute awards are announced in October.
2007 was a banner year for Filminute, with an audience from more than 90 countries enjoying over two million individual screenings of one-minute films. Ketchum says, "Filminute is designed to work across multiple media and to inspire filmmakers worldwide. Filminute 2008's expansion to television, combined with the festival's sustained international momentum, will make this year's festival the biggest and best yet."
Filminute is truly an international event. Founded by Quao and Ketchum, both Canadians living abroad, the event has been decentralized since its inception. Filminute's head office is in London, UK, where Quao is based, while planning and operations, led by Ketchum, are centred in Bucharest, Romania. In Canada, television production and publicity activities are managed out of Vancouver, and web development and design are spearheaded in Toronto.
Quao explains Filminute's international scope and growth: "We secured what the Festival needed based on where we had built the best relationships. In Vancouver, we benefit from West Coast industry access. London relationships bring investment weight and are the hub of our business development activities. The software being used to create a unique broadcast and broadband presentation for Filminute is developed in Oxford and Helsinki.
"The best stories, the best films and our most passionate audiences could come from anywhere," says Quao. "With submissions from over 45 countries last year, we've proven our point. The Best Filminute winner in 2007 was from Bulgaria, and this didn't faze our audiences in any way. Last year's winner generated votes across the board and this confirms Filminute's belief that we can and will continue to upend assumptions on where the greatest one-minute films come from. Russia, Romania, Finland, India, Argentina, Canada and the UK have all produced films that audiences everywhere raved about on Filminute."
Filminute has also developed a number of unique relationships with an array of international corporations and organizations. This year, adbeast Inc., a leading provider of online digital asset management and collaboration tools, is expanding its involvement with Filminute. Once again, in conjunction with Filminute, Friends of the Earth is promoting a One-Minute Film Competition for films with environmental themes. In the UK, the flagship Selfridges department store in London will host Filminute's interactive screening and media presentation space at the Wonder Wall. In Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum's Institute of Contemporary Culture will also program a live Filminute event supported by a discussion around the impact and relevance of one-minute films.
Filminute is also producing a television broadcast property that will be presented internationally via broadband and conventional broadcast partners. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Filminute is currently accepting entries. To be eligible for Filminute, films must be broadcast-quality and exactly 60 seconds in total running time, including titles and credits. Submissions for the 2008 edition will be accepted until midnight (PST), August 20, 2008. Films selected for Filminute will be available for viewing on www.filminute.com beginning September 1.
More information and full details are available at www.filminute.com. Over 20 foreign-language translations of Filminute's call for entries are available at http://www.filminute.com/2008/translations.php
Filminute is thrilled to welcome Taketo Oguchi to our 2008 jury. Mr Oguchi is editor-in-chief/publisher of SHIFT Magazine, hailed as one of Japan's and Asia's leading cultural webzines. Today, SHIFT serves as a vibrant cross point between Japanese and overseas creative cultures with a focus on international lifestyle, culture, art & design. The magazine is translated into 12 languages, features innovative applications like World Culture Maps, and generates 1,500,000 page views per month.
SHIFT is dedicated to promoting new artists and ideas and goes to great lengths to ensure that they are covering the leading creative events and happenings in Japan and around the world. SHIFT's own DOTMOV Festival in November happens to explore the possibilities of digital films and reaches out internationally with events in Sapporo, Sendai, Shizuoka, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Sao Paulo, to complement the online presentation of works.
Filminute welcomes Mr Taketo Oguchi and his vision of SHIFT as a perfect complement to the Filminute 2008 jury.
The Filminute 2008 jury extends a warm welcome to Francisco Goldman, prize-winning Guatemalan-American fiction writer and journalist. Mr. Goldman is the author of three acclaimed novels about cultural and political conflict in the Americas: The Long Night of White Chickens (1992), The Ordinary Seaman (1997), & The Divine Husband (2004) and has been hailed by critics as one of the freshest and most original new voices in American fiction as well as a "literary emissary between North America and its seething Hispanic underbelly." - "Guardian" (UK)
Francisco Goldman began his writing career covering the Central American wars in the 1980s, first for Esquire and later for Harper's, the New Yorker, and the New York Times. Like other Latin American writers, his relationship to narrative journalism has remained strong, resulting recently in his first book of non-fiction The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?(2007). The book, which began as an article in the New Yorker, is an account of the assassination of Guatemalan Catholic Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi Conedera, a crime perpetrated by the Guatemalan military.
We look forward to Francisco Goldman's worldly and insightful critique of this year's collection of one-minute films.
Filminute once again would like to thank the Santa Maddalena Foundation through whom the invitation to Mr. Goldman has come. The Santa Maddalena Foundation, a writer's retreat located in Tuscany, has supported Filminute since the festival's inception in 2005.
Wieden+Kennedy
The agency was founded in 1982 by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy. The agency's memorable campaigns for Nike, ESPN, Coke, and Honda, among others, have left an indelible mark on contemporary culture, eg. "Just Do It". The agency's creativity extends well beyond ads and into the creation of original content in music, graphics, and film.
Filminute 2008 is thrilled to welcome W+K co-founder David Kennedy to the Filminute 2008 jury.
Once again, Filminute is pleased to welcome a jury member from the prestigious International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
Dr Andrea Dittgen is a board member of FIPRESCI and head of the German Film Critics Association. She is also the editor of the German daily newspaper Die Rheinpfalz, and writes for the bi-weekly film magazine filmdienst. She has published a book on German silent movie director Franz Hofer and contributes to various books on Cinema such as the International Film Guide.
Ms Dittgen has been a FIPRESCI juror at numerous international film festivals including Cannes, Miami, Mannheim and Oberhausen.
As a journalist, film critic, and seasoned juror well-versed in the history of film, Ms Dittgen's comparative insights and opinions at Filminute 2008 will be highly valued.
Welcome Dr Andrea Dittgen.
Filminute is very excited to welcome Academy Award-winning screenwriter, producer and film director Paul Haggis to the Filminute 2008 Jury. In 2005, he became the first person in history to have penned two consecutive Best Picture Oscar-winners for Million Dollar Baby and Crash. His other screenplays include Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, In the Valley of Elah (which he also directed), Casino Royale and the upcoming Bond film Quantum of Solace.
In addition to numerous other prestigious international film awards including a BAFTA , the Writers Guild of America in 2005 awarded Paul Haggis the Valentine Davies Award for "bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere."
Given the emphasis Filminute places on strong narrative, we look forward to Paul Haggis' insights and experienced eye for good stories.
Welcome Paul Haggis
Bulgarian football film wins hearts and top honours at Filminute, the International One-Minute Film Festival.
London UK, October 17, 2007 — Bulgarian Director Kristina Grozeva's film Game is the big winner at Filminute 2007, the international one-minute film festival. The film won the jury-awarded Best Filminute prize and also ranked as the festival's Top Rated film by audiences who this year tuned in from over 90 countries to view, rate and vote at the Filminute website.
This film tells the story of a boy who, despite facing serious challenges, enthusiastically finds his place in a neighborhood football game.
The festival's other top award, The People's Choice, went to Indian Director Siddartha Jatla's Missing, a film that quietly draws attention to the ongoing and illegal practice of child marriage in India.
The Filminute 2007 jury gave a nod to 5 films that deserved recognition for the quality of of their stories, art, style and impact. The 5 Jury Commendations went to:
- About Time (Catalin Leescu, Romania)
- In a Circus (Pablo & Gabriel Nicoli, Argentina)
- Egg Love (Zach Math / Jonah Bekhor, Canada)
- Fun Time (Aleksey Andrianov, Russia), and
- One Minute Guide to Planet Earth (Armen Antranikian, UK / Germany)
The Filminute 2007 jury members included:
- Michael Ondaatje (Booker Prize-winning novelist and poet)
- Kevin Roberts (CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi)
- Samira Makmahlbaf (Cannes Jury Prize-winning film director)
- Klaus Eder (General Secretary of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics)
- Kenichi Kondo (Assistant Curator, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)
Filminute takes great pleasure in announcing the addition of Klaus Eder to the Filminute 2007 jury. Klaus Eder is the General Secretary of FIPRESCI (Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinematographique), the international body of professional film critics and film journalists based in Munich.
Filminute believes one-minute films need to be critiqued at the same level of scrutiny as feature films.. Klaus Eder's presence at Filminute 2007, as well as the presence of the other respected jurors, sends a clear signal to filmmakers and creative producers worldwide that Filminute's core interest is in featuring one-minute films that reach the highest standards of quality available today.
'Many of the films today that are being made outside of the system are coming from a YouTube mentality that is far away from what we've been used to,' says Klaus Eder. 'It is important therefore for FIPRESCI to look at what is going on here and to be involved in initiatives like Filminute.'
Filminute 2007 is honoured and further energised by Kevin Roberts' acceptance of our invitation to be on this year's jury. Kevin Roberts is Chief Executive Officer Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's leading creative organizations, employing over 7000 people in 83 countries.
Kevin Roberts is also the author of Sisomo: The Future on Screen, a book that looks at the central role of sight, sound and motion and the impact these element have in accelerating emotional connections in the digital age. In 2005, we first started exploring the significance of one-minute films as a valid, contemporary, and relevant genre. Our readings of Kevin Roberts and the concept of Sisomo were particularly inspiring. A great one-minute film will indeed bring sight, sound, and motion together to deliver a memorable impact.
Welcome, Kevin Roberts.
Filminute is very pleased to announce that award-winning Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf will participate on the 2007 Jury. In 1998, at the age of 18, Ms Makhmalbaf first film Sib (aka The Apple) was accepted to the official selection at Cannes Film Festival making her the youngest director to achieve that feat. Ms Makhmalbaf has gone on to win numerous international awards including Cannes jury prizes in 2000 and 2003.
Widely recognized as one of the best directors of contemporary world cinema, Ms. Makhmalbaf is also a leading light in the New Wave movement of Iranian cinema. Artistically, Iranian cinema is consistently ranked among the world's most important cinema traditions.
The Filminute 2007 invitation to Samira Makhmalbaf was enabled by Wild Bunch, a film company dedicated to the development of the radical, the innovative, the visionary, and the truly extraordinary in cinema worldwide.
Filminute attracts one-minute films and filmmakers from a variety of creative disciplines. It is therefore with great pleasure that we welcome to the Filminute 2007 jury, Kenichi Kondo, assistant curator at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The Mori Art Museum is one of the most exciting and innovative international contemporary art museums in Asia.
The Mori's acclaimed open attitude toward contemporary art and culture was clearly demonstrated in its massive 2006 Bill Viola retrospective and its 2007 John Wood and Paul Harrison Show, both of which Kondo was involved in. These and other exhibitions underscore the Mori's commitment to showcasing ground-breaking work from the contemporary, moving image field, as well as to providing an international platform for emerging and established artists and filmmakers throughout Japan, Asia and the world.
Filminute looks forward to Kenichi Kondo's insights as a curator with a specialty in video art. The Mori Art Museum's presence at Filminute 2007 brings inspiration and encouragement to contemporary artists and filmmakers from Japan and beyond.
Friends of the Earth, the UK's most influential environmental campaigning organisation, has announced a call for "green" films. Under the banner of "One minute with meaning," eligible entries will automatically be entered to Filminute 2007 for consideration to this year's festival shortlist.
Friends of the Earth have recruited their own jury and incentives to prompt creation of one-minute films that are "inspiring and moving" and "green - but not just the colour."
"Telling a good story in one-minute is a fantastic challenge for any film maker" says BAFTA and Academy Award-winning film producer and politician David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire, The Killing Fields, The Mission, Midnight Express). David Puttnam happens to be one of several highly respected panelists reviewing green films for Friends of the Earth.
In addition, the Friends of the Earth website ups the ante with a discussion around "greener" filmmaking. The pointers put forward around reuse, recycling, and saving energy in the filmmaking process are thoughtful and worthy of consideration beyond filmmaking.
Filminute believe that one-minute films are significant in the exchange of ideas and inspiration of audiences to think about or act upon issues. The expansion of our call for entry to Friends of the Earth's constituents will help support Filminute's goal of providing a diverse collection of films that will engage audiences everywhere during Filminute 2007 this coming September and beyond.
Welcome to Friends of the Earth. Please visit their site to find out more.
Filminute is thrilled to announce that award winning novelist and poet Michael Ondaatje will participate as a member of the Filminute 2007 jury. His Booker Prize winning novel, The English Patient, was adapted into a film by director Anthony Minghella and went on the win an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1996. Michael Ondaatje has also won numerous other awards for fiction and poetry.
Filmamkers also owe a debt to Michael Ondaatje for his book The Conversations: Walter Murch & The Art of Editing Film, an invaluable non-fiction work that explores the uniquely powerful role of the editor within the creative process of filmmaking. "This is a sublime example of how to produce a fearsomely intelligent book about the aesthetics of film-making." Sunday Times (London)
The invitation to Michael Ondaatje comes through Filminute's ongoing relationship with the Santa Maddalena Foundation, the acclaimed writers' retreat and foundation in Tuscany whose focus is on celebrating and promoting the cosmopolitan and global reach of writing today. Santa Maddalena's presence on the jury at Filminute 2006 contributed greatly to the collective understanding of the importance of strong narrative in all storytelling, including one-minute films.
We look forward to Michael Ondaatje's insightful and expert critique of one-minute films. Further announcements around Filminute's collaboration with Santa Maddalena will be made in the coming weeks.
Filminute is delighted to announce a unique collaboration with Big Picture TV, an online video channel that streams solution-oriented "talking heads" of global experts in issues relating to the long-term sustainability of our planet.
Over a 5 year period, Big Picture TV has amassed a comprehensive archive of over 350 videos, totalling some 40 hours of content. Marcus Morrell, founder of Big Picture TV, has jumped at the opportunity to expand the Filminute 2007 Call for Entry by opening up this extraordinary archive to filmmakers interested in using footage to make or produce one-minute films for submission. Going forward, Big Picture TV will also feature one-minute films as a section of the website at www.bigpicture.tv.
Nelson Mandela, HRH Prince of Wales, Naomi Klein, Bruce Sterling and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Maathai are some of the names you'll recognize among more than 100 luminaries on the site. Topics discussed range from development, energy and globalisation, to health, politics and the environment.
Filminute anticipates a surge in one-minute films by filmmakers, animators, writers, and creative producers interested in the state of the planet.
Welcome to Big Picture TV. Please visit the site to find out more.
Filminute's inaugural 2006 festival attracted audiences from over 50 countries and film submissions from 25 countries. The website generated more than 1.7 million hits and 500,000 page views during the festival month of September. The quality of the shortlisted films drove the impressive audience number and drew rave reviews from visitors, filmmakers and critics alike.
Many of the shortlisted directors, including BEST FILMINUTE winner Anton Groves (Line) and PEOPLE'S CHOICE winner Wayne Campbell (It Could Be), have gained creative and professional momentum with increased projects and work coming to them directly as a result of the exposure and recognition they received during and after the 2006 festival. Promoting and networking the shortlisted directors and community is part of the Filminute mandate.
Over the coming weeks and months, Filminute will announce this year's jury, new partnerships, showcases, and interviews leading up to Filminute 2007. We encourage viewers to visit the Filminute blog (www.filminute.blogspot.com) for more information about one-minute films and filmmakers.
Let the competition begin!
Filminute is pleased to welcome Craig Davis, JWT Worldwide's Chief Creative Officer, to our jury.
Craig Davis is at the creative helm of an advertising agency network of more than 8,500 employees in 300-plus offices in 87 countries who serve over 1,200 clients.
From its inception, Filminute pursued the advertising community as ardently as we pursued professional filmmakers, artists, animators, and creative producers. The advertising industry has already mastered the art of storytelling in a 30-second time frame. Filminute challenges that same community to give us great one-minute films. Further, with the surge in activity around "branded entertainment," the art of storytelling will only grow in importance.
Craig Davis' global, innovative, and critical perspective from the advertising world is a perfect complement to the Filminute jury. Filminute has already assembled leading voices from the worlds of Contemporary Art, Film, and Literary Narrative. Now we have Advertising.
Filminute is pleased to announce our partnership with Avail Art, an important expansion in the reach of our call for entries drive. Filminute's "By Invitation" partnership is with Avail Video, a programme run by Avail Art, L.L.C. based in New York. Avail Video is specifically dedicated to expanding the audience for video, digital and new media art and creating new revenue streams for artists.
Avail Video will play an important role in our call for entries drive by bringing the most interesting and compelling films by video artists to our audiences around the world. Beyond the inaugural Filminute Festival of September 2006, Filminute looks forward to presenting a special feature around Avail Video artists as part of our programming for 2007.
Please visit the Avail Video site to read the full announcement by Kianga Ellis, President of Avail Art. There, you will also learn more about Avail Art's organization and programmes dedicated to building exposure for video, digital and new media art and artists. Avail Art reaches new audiences and art patrons.
The creative, conceptual, and aesthetic vision of artists using video and digital technology will no doubt be a source of great one-minute film submissions to Filminute.
Filminute is pleased to announce that Ekow Eshun, the Artistic Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, will participate as a member of the Filminute jury for 2006. Ekow Eshun's vantage point and articulate view on contemporary culture brings a valuable and unique perspective to our jury.
Filminute interviewed Ekow Eshun in May and his response to the question of what makes a great one-minute film delivered some remarkable observations. "A great one-minute film will last longer than a minute! Sometimes in a full-length film, you'll get one scene that resonates beyond the length of the full film. The one-minute film is the reverse of that. In one minute, a great one-minute film will capture an idea that stays with you far beyond one minute."
We invite you to read the full interview at http://filminute.blogspot.com
Santa Maddalena is one of the world's most highly regarded and celebrated writing retreats. Set in the splendour of Tuscany, in a restored 13th century hilltop settlement, the retreat has played host to a collection of this century's greatest writers, artists, and intellectuals, including various Booker and Pulitzer Prize winners.
The aim of the Santa Maddalena foundation, as set forth by its founder and visionary, Beatrice Monti della Corte von Rezzori, is to celebrate and promote the cosmopolitan and global reach of writing today.
Filminute welcomes the participation of a selection of Santa Maddalena's network of writers who will form one vote on this year's jury. Strong narratives are at the root of all great storytelling and one-minute films are no exception. Click here to visit the Santa Maddalena website.
The Directors Guild (DGC) of Canada represents over 3,800 key creative and logistical personnel in the film and television industry covering all areas of direction, design, production and editing.
DGC members are invited to submit entries for consideration in this year's Filminute competition and festival. Filminute will be presenting a DGC showcase of films as part of the leadup to the Filminute festival and competition.
Through initiatives like Filminute, the DGC aims to support and promote Canadian directors in their efforts to access new opportunities and new audiences in the rapidly evolving world of film. View the DGC announcement here.
Filminute is pleased to announce its collaboration with Argentinian writer, director, and founder of the Toronto International Latin Film Festival, Raul Galvez. Filminute will collaborate on a Latin world showcase of one-minute films to be presented on our site as well as on screens during the 2006 edition of TILFF this Fall. We invite you to Read Raul's announcement here.
Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian language speakers and creative visionaries, we look forward to receiving your one-minute film submissions between now and August 31, 2006.
What makes a great one-minute film? What makes a great Latin one-minute film?
