NEWCOMERS TO BRITISH FILM FACE DIFFICULTIES

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS Networks UK Managing Director, Janet Goldsmith, has said that despite the wealth of talent in Britain, it is very difficult for newcomers to break into the film industry and funding is limited.
Goldsmith said: “If Britain is to remain a hot bed of talent in filmmaking, we cannot do enough to encourage fledgling talent.”
Goldsmith was speaking at the preview screening of the first winning entry in Sci·Fi Shorts – a science fiction short film competition which her company has launched to encourage new talent to the industry.
The film that won the competition, ‘Knit Your Own Karma’, was written and directed by newcomer Simon Hook. It will play with Tim Burton’s eagerly waited remake of the sci-fi classic, ‘Planet of the Apes’, in UCI multiplexes and selected independent cinemas from August 17 2001.
Terry Gilliam and Ridley Scott, who are both patrons, judged the Sci·Fi Shorts competition. The film was actually finished at Ridley’s post-production house, Mill Films. (CD)