British live action and animated shorts will go on UK and international tour from March
London, 2 February 2015: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has today announced that audiences across the UK, and internationally, will be able to see a feature-length package of this year’s BAFTA-nominated British short films and animations at the cinema from March.
For a third year, BAFTA is partnering with distributor the Independent Cinema Office (ICO), which is handling all UK theatrical bookings, and with the British Council, which will tour the films internationally through their network of offices in 110 countries. Last year’s programme visited 30 venues across the UK, and 50 venues internationally in places such as Hong Kong, India, Kuwait, Colombia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan.
Selected screenings of the films – which are nominated in the British Short Film and British Short Animation categories – will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers, who this year include several beneficiaries of BAFTA new talent initiatives, such as: BAFTA Scholarship recipient Daisy Jacobs, who is also nominated for an Oscar; BAFTA Brits to Watch honouree Rachel Tunnard; BAFTA Los Angeles Scholarship recipient Oscar Sharp; and BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award winner Ainslie Henderson, who is now a three-time BAFTA nominee in the Short Animation category, having won the award in 2012 with regular collaborator Will Anderson.
Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: “We are delighted to be bringing the work of exciting British filmmaking talent to a wider audience, and giving the shorts theatrical exposure beyond a film festival environment. The BAFTA-nominated shorts represent the best in live action and animated short-filmmaking, and it’s particularly gratifying to see individuals who BAFTA has recognised and supported early in their careers progress to our flagship Film Awards ceremony in just a few short years.”
Lisa Bryer, BAFTA-winning producer and Chair of the British Short Film jury, said: “This year’s BAFTA-nominated shorts reflect the huge diversity and strength of film production across the UK, with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all represented. In addition to the nominated talent behind the camera, there are also some wonderful onscreen performances from relative newcomers and well-known faces, including actors from popular British shows such as Broadchurch.”
Catharine Des Forges, Director of the Independent Cinema Office, said: “Independent cinemas and their audiences are always keen to see work made by British rising talent, and we always have strong interest from exhibitors across the UK interested in screening this programme. Short films are not just a great way for talent to emerge, but an amazing form in their own right and we’re really happy to share these BAFTA-nominated (and in two cases also Oscar-nominated) films in their natural home: the cinema.”
Will Massa, Senior Programme Manager for Film at British Council said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with BAFTA for a third year on an international tour of the nominated shorts. They give us the opportunity to showcase the UK’s most exciting emerging filmmakers to new audiences around the world, and the package has become a firm fixture in our annual activity.”
The UK-wide rollout of BAFTA Shorts 2015 begins with a special screening at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London on Friday 6 March, attended by some of the nominated filmmakers. Other confirmed venues include Broadway in Nottingham, Filmhouse in Edinburgh, and Queen's Film Theatre (QFT) in Belfast.
Interviews with the nominated filmmakers will be available on BAFTA Guru (www.bafta.org/guru), BAFTA’s online learning channel.
For more information about the nominated short films and animations, including venues and show times, visit the BAFTA website: http://bit.ly/BAFTASHORTS.
To book the films for exhibition, visit the ICO website: http://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/films/baftashorts2015
The EE British Academy Film Awards will take place on Sunday 8 February at The Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden.
The short films nominated at the EE British Academy Film Awards (cast listed for reference):
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
The Bigger Picture - Chris Hees, Daisy Jacobs, Jennifer Majka
Cast: Alisdair Simpson, Christopher Nightingale, Anne Cunningham
Monkey Love Experiments - Ainslie Henderson, Cam Fraser, Will Anderson
My Dad - Marcus Armitage
Cast: Divian Ladwa
BRITISH SHORT FILM
Boogaloo And Graham - Brian J. Falconer, Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney
Cast: Martin McCann, Charlene McKenna
Emotional Fusebox - Michael Berliner, Rachel Tunnard
Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Lorraine Ashbourne, Rachael Deering, Edward Hogg
The Kármán Line - Campbell Beaton, Dawn King, Tiernan Hanby, Oscar Sharp
Cast: Olivia Colman, Shaun Dooley, Chelsea Corfield
Slap - Islay Bell-Webb, Michelangelo Fano, Nick Rowland
Cast: Joe Cole, Elliott Tittensor, Skye Lourie
Three Brothers - Aleem Khan, Matthieu de Braconier, Stephanie Paeplow
Cast: Yousuf Hussain, Zain Muhammad Zafar, Muhammad Mujahid-Ali Shahzad, Kulvinder Ghir
For preview press screenings, please contact:
Nicola Gallani
Tel: 020 7359 2826
Email: [email protected]
For features and interviews, please contact:
Daisy Jestico / Hollie Rendall
Tel: 0207 010 0807 / 020 7010 0829
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
For event photography visit www.bafta.org/press/images.
About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures, scholarships and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit www.bafta.org and www.bafta.org/guru.
About ICO
The ICO is the national organisation for the development and support of independent film exhibition in the UK. It was established in 2003 and exists to bring a wider range of films to a wider range of audiences.
The ICO’s primary aims include promoting diversity in exhibition content, audience and location. This is achieved through providing programming advice, film distribution, best practice exhibitor and distribution training, project consultancies and implementing audience development strategies both nationally and internationally.
The ICO works with a broad range of exhibitors including cinemas, arts venues, community venues, pop-ups and festivals. Key to its operation is the development of partnerships with a wide variety of organisations including BFI, Creative Skillset, FDA, Europa Cinemas, MEDIA, Arts Council England, Frieze, Tate, The Guardian Culture Network, Cineworld and of course BAFTA. The ICO’s internationally recognised training programmes include speakers from organisations as diverse as the Royal Opera House, Radio 4’s Front Row, the Berlinale and Warner Brothers among many others and have been delivered in a range of countries including the UK, Columbia, Croatia and Italy.
For more information and for details on BAFTA Shorts 2015 bookings, please visit http://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/films/baftashorts2015.
About British Council
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. It is a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes.
British Council Film department links UK films and filmmakers to new international audiences, profiling the innovation, diversity and excellence of British films around the world and finding opportunities for creative exchange. As part of its programme it provides a preview service for selectors from the world's major film festivals/markets (including Toronto, Cannes, Berlin and Sundance).
For more information, please see www.britishcouncil.org/film
