Young Film-Makers Encouraged To Make Their Mark

The UK's best young film-makers are being encouraged to enter a unique and ambitious collaborative nationwide competition to make a ten episode full length feature film.
Each episode will be shot in a different location across the UK and the film screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007.
Teams of 18-30 year olds have until 26 February 2007 to apply for the production phase of the Make Your Mark in Film competition, which is run by the national Make Your Mark campaign and Cobra Beer's short film competition, CobraVision. The initiative is designed to encourage young people in their teens and twenties to have ideas and make them happen, through their interest in film.
Each team will be competing to make one of ten film episodes in locations across the country. Teams should have a minimum of four members, and are encouraged to use their entry to demonstrate an enterprising approach to film production.
Winning teams will be given access to a shooting kit and main cast but, with no additional budget provided for filming, teams will need to demonstrate in their production pitch that they can be entrepreneurial, by blagging and borrowing the things they need to get their episode 'in the can'.
The film will be screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August and shown in cinemas around the country, offering young people a foot in the door of the film industry. Winning teams will also be competing against each other for a prize for best episode.
Kevin Steele, Chief Executive of the Make Your Mark campaign, commented: "You only have to see the recent Oscar nominations to get a sense of the film talent which already exists in the UK. Make Your Mark in Film will inspire the next generation of film makers and help them get exposure for their work. From editors to directors, we are looking for teams who can use their creative and entrepreneurial skills to turn their ideas into reality."
Teams will be producing an original screenplay by Judy Upton, 'My Imprisoned Heart', the story of a spurned young woman who uses her talent as a performance artist to eke revenge on her ex-boyfriend. Judy was today announced as the winner of the Make Your Mark in Film script competition, having risen to the challenge of submitting a script around the central theme of 'having an idea and making it happen'. She was described by the judges as the clear favourite.
Other judges were Franc Roddam, director of six major feature-films including cult film Quadrophenia and script consultant Roger Smith.
Franc Roddam said: "I was not only impressed by the originality of Judy Upton’s script but very taken by the beauty of its construction. It's an immensely practical and very makeable piece of work. It's essentially a 'two-hander' and the claustrophobia it generates enhances the subject and makes it economically viable to make."
Stewart Till CBE, Chairman of the UK Film Council commented: "Film making is the most collaborative art form and needs enterprising people at every stage - it is all about overcoming obstacles and making it happen. I believe this is echoed by the Make Your Mark in Film initiative, it’s a great idea and I look forward to seeing the final series."
Production teams need to submit their entry by 26 February 2007. Full entry details and the script can be downloaded from: www.makeyourmarkinfilm.org
(DS/SP)