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We’ve just received some really exciting news. “The Library of Burned Books” has been nominated for a Student Academy Award. Of the nine films in the foreign section, three will win awards of some kind. The judging is due to happen around 13th May, so we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed until then! More updates as they come.

Check the press release here.

The Kickstarter campaign we’ve been running for “Exposures” has reached – and passed – its funding goal. We’re moving forward into production with a healthy budget to see us through. I’d like to thank everyone who pledged money, pestered others to pledge money, or who shared the links around. Thanks also to folks who responded to us on Twitter, including Duncan Jones and Margaret Atwood! I’m going to figuratively direct my pants off.

Gael García Bernal stars as an ad-man creating the TV spots for the anti-Pinochet referendum campaign in Chile in 1988. Dir: Pablo Larraín, 2012. Seen at: Hackney Picturehouse.

Well, what a week! I feel like I managed about 5 hours sleep total throughout my entire time at the festival. Loads of incredible work on potential campaigns for films that were showing at the festival, drinking and circular ping-pong in fly-by-night Berlin bars, drinking at warehouse parties, drinking in bars where only the Berliners drink, and the odd film or two. And I never thought I’d get to talk to people from Artificial Eye, Picturehouse, Soda Pictures, Wild Bunch, Cinemoi, and MUBI, but I did.

To all my new film friends: Prost!

I am proud and happy to announce that “The Library of Burned Books” is basically done. We have married the graded image with the final sound mix, and all is looking and sounding as good as it can. All that’s left to do is the final submission paperwork, the disc duplication, the box design and the festival run. You know, all those trivial things. Where’s the whisky?

If you’re one of those rare people with money burning a hole in their pockets, a short film I AD’ed during the summer is currently crowdfunding its post-production. “The Night of Brian” (working title) is a touching family drama with comedic elements set in rural Ireland in 1980. It’s about a brother, a sister, a tragic life story, the power of the Catholic church, and the film “The Life of Brian,” which was banned for years in the Irish Republic.

The shoot was great, the rushes look good, and now they need a little help getting the film through post production: getting it edited, colour corrected, sound designed and scored.

The Night of Brian crowdfunding campaign:

I’ve just started working part-time as a funding & marketing co-ordinator on Papa Hedi for Claire de Lune Films.

Papa Hedi is Claire Belhassine’s first feature as director. She was in her late 20s when she discovered that her grandfather was the Frank Sinatra of the Arab World. Hedi Jouini’s songs and compositions still resonate twenty years after his death. Reprised as the theme tune for a popular Tunisian soap opera and the holding music for Tunisia’s leading mobile network; covered by pop singers, including international superstar Shakira; and sung by 5 year old street kids as they kick footballs in the streets – they are part of the Tunisian story.

After his death, Hedi Jouini’s six children stopped talking to each other. Behind the usual story of siblings fighting over their inheritance, lies the powerful dynamic of men’s and women’s roles in 1930’s Tunis and the sad but often funny story of Papa Hedi’s divided family – separated across continents, fighting over royalties, competing to define their father’s legacy.

There is currently a TV version of the documentary, Papa Hedi: the Search for My Grandfather which has already been sold to France Televisions.

I am working on a festival strategy, promotion and sales for the short version of the doc, while also raising funds for the feature version, which we hope to start working on in early 2013.

Link:
Papa Hedi website
Papa Hedi Twitter feed
Papa Hedi Facebook page