Last Laugh: BEV seeks the new generation of comedy filmmaking women...

Full story here. In partnership with Warp X, and with the support of Skillset, Birds Eye View is launching a new initiative to seek out the next generation of female comedy feature filmmakers, and give them all the support and skills they need to make high quality, funny films. If you are a woman who has been working professionally in standup/comedy theatre/radio or tv, this could be just the opportunity for you... Be quick! Deadlines are fast approaching and we'd love to hear from you. More info here

BEV with Juice at Latitude

Last weekend BEV re-ran one of our fabulous Clowning Glories events from this year's festival at the BFI. The amazing singing trio JUICE performed their specially commissioned score to "Danger Girl" - a romping comedy starring early film diva Gloria Swanson. It went down a storm... well done the girls!

BEV & the women at Cannes 2008

This year Birds Eye View took to the Croisette again and brought together some of the talented women filmmakers with work in the Cannes Film Festival (in partnership with the UK Film Council). Our programmer Fiona Fletcher gives the lowdown:

Speaking about her failed plight to return to Palestine to finish her film, debut director Annemarie Jacir (SALT OF THE SEA - Un Certain Regard) had some audience members in tears. Jacir's film tracks the journey of a Brooklyn-born waitress who travels to Ramallah and Israeli-occupied Jaffa to live in 'her homeland'.

American director and actress Teressa Tunney (THIS IS A STORY ABOUT TED AND ALICE) and Israeli Hadar Morag (SILENCE) both took a break from the Cinefoundation (where their short films have been chosen from hundreds) to introduce themselves and their work. Morag, a recent Tel Aviv Film School graduate commented that the political unrest in her country made her feel all the more determined to become a filmmaker and express her vision to the rest of the world. Her film SILENCE is about an unusual relationship formed between a 12 year-old girl and a 45 year-old man – a bond shared in silence.
Bosnian Writer, Producer Elma Tataragic and Director Aida Begic of SNOW (Critics Week) spoke about their struggle to be taken seriously as female filmmakers by male counterparts in their country where women wearing headscarves do not usually demand authority, especially on a film set. Their film looks at the plight of women in a country still trying to come to terms with its recent, violent past.

This year the panel was hosted by Laura MacDonald (Filmaka, http://www.filmaka.com/, Birds Eye View). Big thanks to Laura!

BEV sadness at the loss of our patron, Anthony Minghella

The festival was only just wrapped when we heard the shocking and sad news about the untimely death of Anthony Minghella.

Anthony became a patron of BEV in 2003, before our very first UK tour of short films by emerging women directors. Always supporting the under-represented, he has made a huge difference to the development of BEV - acting as our spokesperson in the press and giving industry profile to our work. We are hugely honoured to have benefited from his patronage these years.

You can see Anthony sharing his wisdom on our 2005 festival trailer, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z_t2z4N0qE

Our thoughts remain with his family and friends.

Award Winners & Overheated Symphony - our best fest yet is well and truly over :-(

So, the festival is well and truly over for another year - bar a few touring hotspots (info will pop up here from time to time - Glasgow is our next stop!).

And what a splendid festival it was. Packed houses, killer parties, inspirational workshops - the biggest and the best we can confidently say.

The wonderful award-winners are listed here: http://birds-eye-view.co.uk/2008/awards.htm

And do check out the final edit of OVERHEATED SYMPHONY - our first interactive mobile-phone filmmaking project directed by Sarah Turner, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlwF8QKfQBE

Oodles of thanks to all who helped make it happen, and to all of you who came along. Stay in touch with us and we'll see you next year :-)

Rachel xxx

Harriet Walter to introduce Unrelated screening tonight

Star of stage and screen Harriet Walter will appear at the festival tonight to introduce a preview screening of FIPRESCI critics prize winner 'Unrelated'. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Joanna Hogg, plus producer and members of the cast.

More festival celebrities: Green Wing's Michelle Gomez

Just when you thought you couldn't add more buzz and glitz to a fest, we're delighted that Michelle Gomez (Green Wing etc) will be joining us at the Comedy Film Gala this Sunday (alongside Jo Brand & Jessica Hynes).

All very exciting, really.

:-)

Margaret Hodge, Minister of Culture to introduce our Comedy Gala

Margaret Hodge, our very lovely Minister of State for Culture, Media and Sport, will be attending BEV this Sunday to open the Comedy Film Gala. We're most honoured. That's the funniest ladies in the land (Jo Brand, Jessica Hynes & Shazia Mirza) together with one of the most powerful national champions of equality all in one BEVy night. How fabulous. And not to be missed! http://birds-eye-view.co.uk/2008/comedygala.htm

Jo Brand, Meera Syal, Sally Phillips... speak about the Birds Eye View Comedy Film Retrospective

So, we went and chatted to some of the comic genii who are appearing at the festival next week, and asked them to explain why it's a Good Thing to focus on women in comedy film... watch this quick little vid (3 min) to get their take on it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVbsdNQ4TB8

BEV on bite

See festival director Rachel Millward chat BEV on C4's "Bite" - produced by an old BEV team gal, Rachna Suri. We're the second item on this... watch out for Ami's burning record! Crazy rockin' lady ;-)

http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/B/bite/index.jsp

Rxx

Why is Hollywood Going for Bloke?

Why is Hollywood going for bloke?

Movies seem increasingly preoccupied with men and their problems, leaving female actors on the sidelines, writes Tim Robey

For the full article click here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/16/bfmacho116.xml

In today's Independent: Funny girls: Heroines of slapstick... BEV's comedy retro...

Can women be clowns? In many film historians' accounts of the silent movie era, the answer is an emphatic "No!" Serious slapstick was the province of male performers like Charlie Chaplin, Harry Langdon and Buster Keaton. Women were there to play ingenues, vamps or character parts. The film historian Walter Kerr claimed that: "No comedienne ever became a truly important film clown." The stars were supposed to be beautiful and glamorous – the object of the gaze. Clowning Glories and Screwball Women, a season of comedy films screening during the festival Birds Eye View, a celebration of women in film, seeks to challenge this hoary old chauvinistic thinking.

Check this out: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/features/funny-girls-heroines-of-slapstick-778472.html

It's worth a read! For more info on our comedy retrospectives please see http://birds-eye-view.co.uk/2008/comedy.htm

Rach x

That Happy Festival Springtime comes around again...

4 weeks to the fest and a chance to survey the view. What's new? Well, it's the first time BEV's shown a retrospective, and we've got 2. Both side-splittingly funny & with added extras like real live comediennes (Jo Brand, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson)) & amazing live music. It's also the first time we've created an innovation strand, and now there's women in gaming, groundbreaking interactive mobile phone projects, the sparkling new genre of fashion films with Bella Freud, cutting edge music videos with Miranda Sawyer and fine artists making opera, Late at Tate Britain. *Plus, going deeper into East London than we've dared to tread before, BEV teams up with Girlcore & the Laundrettas for a special Whitechapel Late Night with all girl-band line up inc Peggy Sue and the Pirates (just back from tour with Kate Nash).

But I've not mentioned any movies yet! I guess that's the beauty of a festival. This is a chance to see some of the year's very best women-made cinema, but it's also a chance to get together for giggles, to meet filmmakers with a piece of cake, and to be inspired by some phenomenal women from all over the world...

With 70+ events this year (yikes!) it's worth taking some time to have a thorough look through this site - especially the festival page www.birds-eye-view.co.uk/festival.htm

There's so much fantastic film, and the programme's so diverse that i'll bet the office pet you'll find something you'll love.

Keep an eye on this blog over the next few weeks too. We'll bring you some inside gossip, an interview or two, tell you about our personal festival favourites... and we're keen to hear what you have to say, too.

More soon,
Rach xx