SUCCESS FOR WELSH SHORT FILMS IN FRANCE

WALES scored a resounding success at the recent short film festival at Clermont-Ferrand, France.
At the closing ceremony it was announced that the film ‘Showdown’ won the audience award in the new internet strand of the festival.
The film, written and directed by Cardiff-based Massimo Garlatti-Costa, was shot last summer under the Sgrin initiative, Screen Gems, co-financed by the Arts Council of Wales Lottery Fund, British Screen and Channel 4.
Another of the Screen Gems, ‘A Heap of Trouble’, written and directed by Steve Sullivan, was selected for the International Competition programme of the festival. The two films were selected for the final programme of around 90 films out of nearly 2000 entries.
Sgrin Chief Executive, Berwyn Rowlands, said: “It was great to see the appreciation of the audience for these Screen Gems films during the International Film Festival in Cardiff in November. It’s encouraging to see that the films travel successfully and are appreciated by a discerning international audience at this prestigious festival.”
The ten short films made for the Screen Gems scheme will be screened at a special Showcase Wales event at BAFTA, Piccadilly, London on March 1, 2001.
The Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival attracts buyers and distributors from all over the world and is among the most important festivals and markets for short films in Europe. (CD)