Page 28 - Fujifilm Exposure_4 Samantha Janus_ok

TAPS TURNS FIVE
Yet another great year for TAPS which launched its fifth season in November.
It was once again sponsored by Fujifilm, who’ve been granted an ABSA award for supporting the scheme. Meeting Gabriel, by Scots writer Danny McMahon and directed by Laurence Moody, proved a huge hit.
A two-day TAPS Roadshow/work- shop, hosted by the Northern Ireland Film Commission, visited Belfast in November and was so successful that plans are already afoot for a repeat visit. TAPS will be doing more Roadshows in the regions during 1998.
Its December 7 Gala Night was a marvellous show promoting two very clever and original writers in Trevor Skoyles (with Spot On, directed and cast by Marcus FD White) and Tim Williams’ stage play Infidelity, helmed by Christopher Masters. The Christmas Party following the show was a hoot and yet again Richard Pun walked away with a raffle prize.
Another new initiative, held in December, was a comedy workshop when more than 40 actors got involved reading nine comedies shortlisted for the pilot showcase due to be performed soon.
TAPS marked the end of the year by adding three eminent new names - Laurence Marks, Maurice Gran and Kay Mellor - to its Patron list, while seven TAPS writers had their credits on TV shows over Christmas. The success of the scheme speaks for itself. ■
“PSSST...”
ichard Pun was awarded the Fuji “Salesman Of the Year Award” at the company’s annual Christmas party, but regrets that subsequent
celebrations seriously impeded his golfing column gossip for this issue! The Tiger will be back on form in the next EXPOSURE. ■
R
Top: TAPS Producer Jill James with Richard Pun at TAPS After Showcase Christmas Party last December.
Above left L to R: Manjit Singh (writer), Richard Taylor (Northern Ireland Film Commission), Jill James and Peter Cregeen (TAPS Chief Executive) at the TAPS Roadshow/Seminar in Belfast .
Above right L to R: Timothy Watson, Iain Parker, Vanessa Hadaway and Lee Brown in Spot On by Trevor Skoyles.
THE DM DAVIES AWARD
Pembroke-born Andy Little Sisters, selected from a
Goddard (pictured below) scooped the DM Davies Award, Europe’s most valu- able short film prize (worth
£30,000), for Little Sisters at the Welsh International Film Festival.
Shot on location at Port Seaton outside Edinburgh, it’s the tale, according to Andy, “of three girls capering at a bus stop and four boys lurking with intent. It’s a spaghetti Western cracked on cheap wine and hand-me-down sportswear.”
record number of 34 entrants, was derived from a scene in a feature screenplay which he one day hopes still to turn into a full-length film. Meanwhile, the Napier College grad- uate says that he’s going to use the prize money to make another short.
Goddard’s two fellow finalists in the competition, sponsored by Soho Images, Fujifilm, the Sgrin, BBC Resources Cymru Wales, Tru-Cut and Barcad Derwen, were Jon Jones for The Roundabout and Michael Barnes’ Motor Driving Made Easy. ■
BRIGHTON WINNER
Dylan Howitt’ s Celtic Enemy, about a struggle to prevent open-cast mining in mid- Wales, won the prestigious ninth annual British Amateur Video Awards (BAVA) held at BAFTA last November.
The documentary was chosen from more than 400 videos by an all-industry panel of judges and the amateur equivalent of an Oscar, plus a cheque for £1200, was presented to Howitt by Sir Sydney Samuelson.
Commenting on BAVA, which is sponsored by Fuji Videocassettes, Sir Sydney said: “The awards demonstrate that the potential of the home camcorder is limited only by the user’s imagination. All of the finalists showed that they could have promising careers in the pro- fessional film and TV industry.” ■
EXPOSURE • 28 & 29