Fledgling filmmakers supported by a Devon bursary scheme will be among those showcasing their work during the Two Short Nights film festival in Exeter on Friday night. (more…)

Exeter Phoenix’s Two Short Nights fest kicks off tomorrow, boasting a whole bunch of film fun for any self-respecting D+Cineast.

Not only will there be beezer work by filmmaker John Sealey (see In A Tate Spot) but those Future Shorts fellers will be on hand, to present a programme which promises to challenge, inspire and – please god – entertain. Starting at 6pm, tickets are £3.50/£2.50. (more…)

As always, this year’s excellent Cornwall Film Festival wasn’t just about visits by famous directors and, um, climate chaos boffins (see Simply The Fest).

There was also the small matter of the festival awards, which yet again managed to encompass some truly Cornish elements. Like pasties?
We shall see. (more…)

Images from this year’s Motionplymouth event have been posted online.

The pictures capture some of the highlights of the moving-image festival, including the Civic Centre and Guildhall projections, the Drake Circus Guerilla Gallery, the movies beamed onto the Theatre Royal, imagery from the Vanland editing caravan and the South West Film And Television talks at the Treasury.

Yes, there was certainly a lot going on. Of course, this being Plymouth, there was some carping, with accusations that the event didn’t live up to all the hype. And it’s true, a lot of the projections, at least according to the photos, seemed to consist of a volley of giant BBC and design company logos.

But there was so much other good stuff going on besides, like the movie competition, which was largely ignored by the local media. And we ask you, what’s not impressive about a massive green and white lighthouse projected onto the Civic Centre?!

Posted by Thin White Duke

The fifth annual Cornwall Film Festival proved to be the biggest and best yet. With three screening venues which enabled a much fuller programme, the shindig offered more events, screenings, discussions and workshops than
ever before.

Highlights of the festival included directors Andrea Arnold and Ed Blum yapping about their movies Red Road and Scenes of a Sexual Nature, their inspirations and how they’re ‘breaking the mould of traditional conceptions of filmmaking’. Hey, let’s not overstate things too much, guys.

Another highlight was the heated (geddit?!) debate on global warming with a panel of climate chaos boffins which followed the Eden Project-supported screening of An Inconvenient Truth. 

There were also discussions about film distribution and funding, featuring representatives from the likes of BBC Film, FilmFour, The UK Film Council and The IdeasFactory, as well as some 130 films made by Cornish filmmakers.

Festival director Laura Hardman told D+CFilm: ”This has been the best festival to date. The quality of the films have been great, while the festival goers and the guests have been unbelievable. 

“The festival works really hard to support Cornish filmmakers while putting together a programme of films to enchant and engage the film lovers of Cornwall. 

“The films submitted to this year’s festival highlight Cornish filmmakers’ love of irony and humour, as well as being able to reflect on some of the more serious and historical elements of our fantastic culture”.

Keep an eye on D+CFilm over the coming days for news about the Cornish Film Festival award winners.

Posted by Thin White Duke

Combining the best live action shorts with the cream of animation, the Encounters Short Film Festival runs until tomorrow at Watershed, Bristol.

If you can’t make it to the festival (and let’s face it, we’ve not given you much notice), why not watch the awards ceremony live online. (more…)

Artists Vicky Smith and Bridgette Ashton, together with two other lucky chappies from across D+C (yup, that stands for Devon and Cornwall, ya dunderheads), have won free use of facilities at Plymouth College of Art and Design to develop their work this month. (more…)

Follow the main cinema links for dates, times and matinee screenings.
Follow the title links for movie details, friendship and maybe more.

PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

Volver (15) Lust in La Mancha with the PRSD’s favourite director Pedro Almodovar. Oh, and don’t forget to pronounce it ‘boll-bear’ or Captn will be forced to snort at your extreme ignorance.
Eros (15) Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderbergh and Michaelangelo Antonioni don their dirty macs (that’s not dirt - it’s spunk!) for this erotic anthology.

TAVISTOCK WHARF

The Devil Wears Prada (PG) Wholesome family flick which boasts the heartwarming message: ‘if your clothes are shit - you’re shit’. Shoulda worn her PRSD T-shirt!

DARTINGTON ARTS/THE BARN

The Devil Wears Prada (PG) See above for a more ‘in-depth’ analysis.
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (PG) Arty thing about a famous footballer running around and spitting and stuff.

EXETER PICTUREHOUSE

Casino Royale (12A) Featuring Daniel Craig getting whacked repeatedly
in the bollocks by a sadistic torturer with a bit of rope. Another one for all the family then.
The Queen (12A) Helen Mirren manages to keep her clothes on, you say? Give the lady a Bafta!
Romanzo Criminale (15) Sprawling Italian epic about three criminals who start a ruthless drugs organisation. What, like Boots?!
Brothers Of The Head (18) Conjoined twins become a rock’n'roll sensation in this faux documentary - yknow, a bit like Right Said Fred.

Posted by Thin White Duke

An Exeter filmmaker has been given the opportunity to launch his new flick at swanky Tate Britain in London tomorrow. (more…)

It’s a pretty sad week for D+Cineasts - maverick director Robert Altman died on Monday, aged 81.

He was particularly known for a run of fantastic flicks in the 70s, including MASH and Nashville, but D+C first came to know his work through his later efforts The Player and Short Cuts. (more…)

While we’re waiting for the results of this year’s inaugeral Motionplymouth Movie Competition, you can check out one of the entries here.

Directed by teenager Ben Cornish, it sees him and his skateboarding pals doing their thang around Plymouth, accompanied by a tune from the excellent Elliot Whale Boy. Apparently, he stayed up til 3am most mornings, editing the film on his computer. Puh, teenagers, eh? Where do they get the energy?

Anyway, we wish we could go into a little more detail about the three minute film, called At Any Time, but we couldn’t get it to work on our RealPlayer.

We pretty much hate skaters anyway, so it’s probably ‘all for the best’. Still, yous lot might like it.

Posted by Thin White Duke

As a rule, James Bond flicks don’t usually look like they’ve been shot by Carol Reed. But that’s exactly the impression given by Casino Royale, opening with a grainy black and white prologue, featuring 007 beating the shit outta some guy in the bogs. The hapless fellow must have used the last loo roll, poor blighter.

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Now that it’s over, and you can see the full extent of its tracks, you realise the scope of the Teignbridge-based (though international) Vanland project from Blind Ditch was far greater than its two-berth dimensions. We hope to get some films on the site, but shh, we haven’t even asked yet.

Posted by Cptn

There will not be a dry eye in the house, for tonight the groundbreaking Vanland waves a goodbye to the world.

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Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold is in town tonight to answer questions about her latest flick. Well, when we say ‘in town’ we mean
‘at Falmouth’s Princess Pavilion’. (more…)