Page 33 - Fujifilm Exposure_19 Spider_ok

THE MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
WANTED: 8 FANTASTIC FILMMAKERS
The deadline for entries for next year’s festival is March 16, so all you H would-be Coppolas or Scorseses out there need to get cracking.
ere’s a Cinderella story,” company that says ‘yes’, that says ‘Go tours in the US and six other countries declares Nick Mason, for it’. They’re now one of the book- as well as encouraging home-grown founder of the ends of this festival.” talent - one of this year’s UK finalists Manhattan Short Film Fuji not only provide the 54,000ft Ravi Kumar made his film My Other Festival. “An English of 35mm prize film, the company has Wheelchair Is A Porsche, thanks to filmmaker, Simon also pushed the competition sponsorship courtesy of Roger Welsford, made a film Sapsford at Fujifilm UK. The win-
for £350, sent it off to Manhattan in ner of the 2001 Manhattan Short September and he won the grand prize Film Festival was Simon
to make a feature film. Now he’s back in England shooting an Anglo-American production.”
This elevation from strug- gling artiste to viable movie maker isn’t merely a lucky break: it’s the sole aim of Mason’s self-styled festival, now in its fourth year and sponsored by Fujifilm.
An Aussie native and job-
bing actor, Mason decided to do some- thing about cinematic talent going to waste after he acted in an NYU gradua- tion film. He recalls being shocked by a lack of studio interest in the stu- dents’ final projects. “I wondered how you got the studios to
see a short film and the way to do that was to invite everyone in New York City BUT the studios!”, he drawls.
Mason decided to create a forum for new talent and provide the equip- ment and services needed to make a feature film - in effect cutting
out the need for studio fund-
ing. His aim to provide a
practical prize for the festi-
val winner started with a
request to Fujifilm USA for
54,000 feet of film to form
part of a prize package.
Mason was impressed
with the company’s posi-
tive response and enthusi-
astic attitude. “The festi-
val was an idea which I thought wouldn’t get off the ground,” he admits, “but when Fujifilm said ‘yes’ then I realised I had to do it. I love a
Welsford from the UK with
Walking With Walken
This year’s entrants will also get a helping hand with a reduced entry fee for all those
who shoot their short film on Fujifilm and a link from the MSFF website to Fuji’s will log
all visitors to the site and pick a winner to receive a Digital FinePix 40i camera.
one step further with the planned UK Public Vote Tour between April 1 and 14 next year. The tour will travel from Edinburgh to Brighton screen- ing the top eight entrants from Britain. The audience will then vote the winner who will go on to repre- sent Britain at the Manhattan Short Film Festival in September 2002.
Fujifilm UK have promised the winner 10,000ft of 35mm film for win- ning the British heat and if they win overall in New York, will add another 10,000ft to the current prize. Any Brit filmmaker winning next year’s festival is looking at a healthy 74,000ft of film to start their feature film career along with camera equipment, free editing, titles and rushes services.
Mason continues: “Now we’re get- ting seven hundred entries from thirty countries and we’ll take fourteen films to New York in front of three thousand
people and celebrity judges. At the end of the festival the best filmmak-
er is announced at 10.30pm. At 10.31pm it’s imperative that every
company involved in film, and this festival, sees that that person makes a fea-
ture film. Because that person will end up making ten feature films. So it’s
good business.”
Fujifilm are so convinced the festi-
val is good business that the company are in talks to sponsor Public Vote
The deadline for entries for next year’s festival is March 16, so would- be Coppolas or Scorseses need to get cracking. This year’s winner Simon Welsford is now working on his first film with the festival’s production company, Union Square Productions, and Mason hopes the result will cata- pult him towards deals with studios.
He is adamant that only the very best filmmakers are included in the final, ensuring that the festival gains a reputation for excellence and finds tal- ent with longevity.
“We’ll only find eight great film- makers a year even if we’ve got 2000 entries, because they just don’t come along that often. But the venue, the prize and the concept of this festival will find those eight fantastic filmmak- ers without doubt.” ■ JANE CROWTHER
Info and entry forms for Manhattan Short Film Festival can be found on www.msfilmfest.com
Photos l-r: The 2001 MSFF winner Simon Welsford’s Walking With Walken
Ravi Kumar’s My Other Wheelchair Is A Porsche; Fuji’s Digital FinePix 40i camera
EXPOSURE • 31
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
FESTIVALS & EVENTS