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FAR FROMTHE MADDING CROWD
uly began with the suc- Jcessful member’s screen-
ing of Lara Croft Tombraider and an invita- tion to the exclusive pre-
view screening of BAFTA North supporter Mal Young’s new BBC One drama series Merseybeat.
BAFTA North was finally able to present cheques for the
money raised from the charita- ble premieres of Liam and A Hard Day’s Night to the nominat- ed charities. KIND, The Lord Mayor’s Charity and The Linda McCartney Centre were the ben- eficiaries of the events, receiving approximately £10,000 in total. A complimentary breakfast was generously provided by the Pacific Bar & Grill.
The end of July saw BAFTA North members helping to ‘rock the dock’, at “Kop at the Dock”, part of Liverpool’s Summer Pops festival. The night was a celebration of Liverpool Football Club’s Treble winning season, which saw many Anfield legends past and present attend as well as a host of local celebri- ties including the cast of Brookside. BAFTA North was
invited by Chas Cole of CMP to co-host the VIP hospitality tent. BAFTA North is looking for-
ward to collaborating with Chas on next year’s event, which will build on the success of this year, when vintage per- formances from Bob Dylan, Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey were enjoyed.
July was rounded off with a member’s screening of the Hollywood blockbuster Swordfish at the Odeon Manchester. Once again our members came out in force to enjoy John Travolta at his best!
August began with BAFTA North member Gemma Quinn’s charitable production of Blood Brothers by the G.E.Q.Youth Theatre. Introduced by fellow BAFTA North member Colin McKeown, producer of Liam and Nice Guy Eddie. The event took place at The Paul McCartney Institute for Performing Arts, (LIPA) over two evenings and was in aid of Gemma’s charity, The International Spinal Research Trust, NorthWest.
BAFTA North members were also invited in August to a mid- summer Pimms soiree evening at the new Platinum Lounge, members enjoyed mingling on the terrace enjoying a wonderful summers evening.
The many members who attended the mid August screen- ing of Planet Of The Apes at the Odeon Manchester were not dis- appointed and enjoyed a compli- mentary drink at the newly opened Tourist Bar, Canal Street. This exclusive event was fol- lowed by Crush at the Odeon, Liverpool the following week; a complimentary drink at the
Pacific Bar and Grill was also provided for members.
August ended with a spon- sored leaving party at the Vampire Suite for Carmel Drumgoole, BAFTA North’s administration assistant who is leaving to return to her native Ireland. Numerous BAFTA North Members came along to show their appreciation for all Carmel’s hard work over the year. BAFTA North and its Board would like to take this opportu- nity to thank Carmel for her loy- alty, commitment and dedication and wish her luck; she will be sadly missed by all.
September started with more than one hundred BAFTA North members attending a screening of Moulin Rouge at the Odeon, Liverpool, followed by complimentary drinks and canapés at the Platinum Lounge.
BAFTA North would also like to congratulate members Johanne McAndrews and Elliot Hope on the commissioning by the BBC of six future episodes of Nice Guy Eddie.
We are also sad to see the departure of long term Board Member Peter Ridsdale Scott who resigned at the last Board meeting. Peter has been a pas- sionate advocate of BAFTA North providing invaluable support and advice since the chapter’s con- ception. The Board and Director, Maureen Sinclair, would like to express their thanks for all Peter’s hard work and ded- ication in raising the pro-
file of BAFTA North. ■ Maureen Sinclair
maureen.baftanorth@virgin.net
wan McGregor attended Ethe Charity premiere of
his latest film Moulin Rouge at the city centre Odeon in Glasgow.
A starry and glamorous crowd of Scottish actors and media guests turned out in force to support Ewan’s special charity CHAS (Children’s Hospice Association for Scotland) - donating funds to build a hospice for children who are terminally ill.
He spoke with sincerity and admiration for the courage of these young people and the great pleasure he takes in spend- ing time with them in the hos- pice in Kinross. Plans are now well underway to build another on the banks of Loch Lomond and he was delighted that the proceeds from the Scottish pre- miere would be given to support the project.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival continues to increase in popularity. Year on year, it provides a truly interna- tional platform for a large num- ber of important industry events and tremendous screenings. Not afraid of controversy and always innovative, the Festival provided this year’s delegates with a remarkable variety of films rang- ingfromTheWarrior-aroman- tic and beautifully crafted Indian film and first debut feature by Asif Kapadia - to the British
World Premiere of the chillingly realistic As The Beast Sleeps, set in Belfast and powerfully directed by Harry Bradbeer.
Once again, the BAFTA Scotland Festival event in
Edinburgh was a great success. Featuring an interview with the remarkable American documen- tary maker DA Pennebaker and his partner and wife Chris Hegedus, the packed cinema was treated to a fascinating insight into their lives as filmmakers in the USA. Pennebaker is credited as one of the early pioneers of the ‘concert’ film having made Monterey Pop and Don’t Look Back, with Bob Dylan.
Over the years they have worked on documentaries which featured dozens of famous musi- cians, including Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Films featuring Bill Clinton and Norman Mailer fol- lowed and, after being treated to some of the most tantalising film clips, the audience was inspired to see more.
Pennebaker’s latest films, Down From The Mountain, fea- turing musicians from the recent Coen Brothers’ film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Startup.com, Hegedus’s topical and sensational fly-on-the-wall documentary about the mete- oric rise and fall of a dotcom company, were amongst the most popular screened at Edinburgh this year.
BAFTA Scotland’s screening programme for the autumn is already full of great movies and there are plans for a number of special industry events. For more information, contact us directly on Tel 0141 302 1770 or by email. ■
info@baftascotland.co.uk
BAFTA NORTH
BAFTA SCOTLAND
Photos opposite page from top left (l-r): Donald Haber, Arnold Schwartzman and Gary Dartnall; Bingham Ray, President of United Artists; Thora Birch, Donald Haber and Consul-General Paul Dimond; inset: Bryn Roberts, Chairman BAFTA Cymru; Sarah Howells
Photos this page from top left (l-r): Jack Marsden with Maureen Sinclair and Julie Bond and the cheque for The Linda McCartney Centre; Bob Dylan (Archive); Gordon Seed and Ozzie Yue; DA Pennebaker; inset: Gemma Quinn and Carmel Drumgoole
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