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More than 100 key figures from the UK film and TV industry have signed a letter urging the UK government to take “immediate action” against Iranian authorities for “gross violations of human rights and women’s rights” in their response to the wave of public protests that erupted last year.

The industry leaders, including Barbara Broccoli, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Edgar Wright, are calling for the UK government to “actively campaign to stop the violence used against the protesters in Iran, including an immediate stop to all executions” and “demand the release of all political prisoners in Iran.”

“Enough is enough. If the global community, which the UK is an active and influential member of, does not act firmly, these atrocities will continue,” the letter reads. “We need to sincerely support the people of Iran in their fight for justice and freedom.”

The letter was organized by British-Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari (Under...

A growing number of figures from the film and TV industry in the U.K. have signed a letter urging British politicians to support the people of Iran as the country faces global condemnation for executing several of those involved in the wave of protests that erupted last year.

The letter, instigated by British-Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari, calls for members of U.K. parliament to actively campaign for Iran to stop violence against protesters and end all executions, to hold Iran accountable for the “gross violations of human rights and women’s rights,” and to demand that Iran releases all political prisoners.

Among the almost 100 names to have signed the letter, which is still circulating and gathering attention, are Olivia Colman, Martin McDonagh, Jessie Buckley, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Brett Goldstein, Jonathan Pryce, Hugh Bonneville, Richard Curtis, Gillian Anderson, Felicity Jones, George Mackay, Edgar Wright and Hayley Atwell.

The letter is the latest...

Exclusive: Los Angeles Media Fund has landed rights to Andrew DeYoung’s novel The Temps in a competitive situation with plans to develop it for television. Gabriel Bisset-Smith (The Last Hours of Laura K) will serve as the show’s creator.

The Temps was release by Turner Publishing on March 29th and sold out its first print run. Its synopsis is as follows:

They’re underemployed. Underpaid. And trying to survive the end of the world while trapped inside an office complex. Who knew temp work could be this dangerous?

Jacob Elliot doesn’t want a temporary job in the mailroom at Delphi Enterprises, but after two post-college years of unpaid internships and living in his parents’ basement, he needs the work. Then, on his first day, the unthinkable happens: toxic gas descends on a meeting in Delphi’s outdoor amphitheater, killing all the regular employees and leaving Jacob stranded inside the vast office complex.

"A friend of the forest is a friend of the sprites." Well aren't these little mushrooms so cute! Wait, no, they're evil! Sprite Night is a fun horror comedy animated short film made by Blender Studios, the creative corner of the 3D software company Blender. It's written and directed by former Pixar Story Supervisor Matthew Luhn - a story expert with almost 30 years of experience in Hollywood. When a group of teenagers trek into an isolated forest, they discover a pack of peaceful mushroom creatures that turn out to be a killer force of nature. "A horror-comedy inspired by Eighties' classics like Gremlins, the American Werewolf films and the more recent Shaun of the Dead." This features the voices of Valerie Lapointe as Ellie, Gabriel Bisset-Smith as Rex, Nicole Davis as Victoria, Homer Todiwala as Jay, Ed Kear as Phil, and Eric Peterson as the Elder Sprite. With songs by David Drury and Phil Peterson.

Just two of 14 screenplays are features.

Amy Guyler’s comedy-drama series The Jude Problem has topped the 2020 Brit List of unproduced screenplays by UK writing talent.

The script follows a young woman whose estranged mother goes missing and discovers a younger half-brother she never knew about while attempting to track her down.

The Jude Problem is set to be produced as a TV series by Headline Pictures, the London-based outfit whose previous credits include The Man In The High Castle for Amazon Studios.

This is the first year that one list has been issued for TV and film, having previously...

This year’s Brit List of best unproduced scripts is topped with twelve recommendations by Amy Guyler’s TV comedy-drama The Jude Problem from The Man In The High Castle producer Headline Pictures.

Close behind with eleven industry recommendations each are newsroom drama The Philadelphia Hope about a team of journalists behind an African American newspaper in 1920s Philadelphia, and crime-thriller Bad Manor about an infamous London crime family. Scroll down for the lineup in full.

Inspired by the U.S. Black List, the scripts showcase is compiled each year from recommendations by British production companies, talent agencies, sales companies, financiers, distributors and broadcasters.

In a change from previous editions, and to reflect that writers increasingly work across both film and TV, this year’s lineup is made up of both film and TV projects.

According to organizers, there were a record number of companies taking part this year, with 246 scripts put forward.

“The Jude Problem” by Amy Guyler has topped The Brit List, an annual showcase of unproduced screenplays out of the U.K.

The list was compiled from recommendations by British production companies, talent agencies, financiers and broadcasters.

Guyler, represented by The Agency, received 12 recommendations for “The Jude Problem,” a comedy drama to which producer Headline Pictures (“The Man in the High Castle”) is attached. Guyler has also written the well regarded plays “Digging Deep” and “The Nobodies.”

Close behind with 11 recommendations is Tumi Belo’s newsroom drama “The Philadelphia Hope.” Belo, represented by Casarotto, is currently assisting Abby Ajayi in the writers’ room for a new ITV drama, having recently supported showrunner Sian Robins-Grace on “The Baby,” a Sky/HBO series from Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures.

Also with 11 recommendations is crime thriller “Bad Manor” by Elliott Warren, represented by the Independent Talent Group. Warren’s credits include the play...

Annual talent showcase spotlights the hottest up-and-coming actors and filmmakers in the UK and Ireland.

Screen International has revealed its Stars of Tomorrow 2018, spotlighting the hottest up-and-coming actors and filmmakers in the UK and Ireland.

Now in its 15th year, the annual talent showcase spotlights up-and-coming actors, writers, directors and producers from the UK and Ireland who are primed to make their mark in the industry in the years to come.

The annual showcase has established itself as a key identifier of emerging UK and Ireland talent, both in front of and behind the camera.

Today’s film is the 2010 short Tomato Soup. The film is written and directed by Gabriel Bisset-Smith, and stars Sol Smith, Zawe Ashton, and Hayley Atwell. Atwell has appeared in a number of feature films over the past decade, including Cassandra’s Dream, The Duchess, and Captain America: The First Avenger, as well as on television in The Pillars of the Earth and Black Mirror. Her newest film, titled Jimi: All Is by My Side, opened in limited release in American theatres this weekend, and she will also be seen in the titular role in the tv series Agent Carter, which will make its premiere in the 2014-2015 television season.

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The post Sunday Shorts: ‘Tomato Soup’, starring Hayley Atwell appeared first on Sound On Sight.

Two-time Academy Award-nominee Lucy Walker was the first presenter at the 2012 Vimeo Awards at Nyu’s Skirball Center in New York City. “Filmmakers love and indeed need awards,” said the director of Waste Land and The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom to the audience in the crowded theater after she told the story of how taking home a trophy at a small film festival early in her career gave her (and those around her) the confidence that she should further pursue work behind the camera. The point was reiterated by the second presenter of the evening and 2010 Vimeo Award Winner for Best Narrative, Gabriel Bisset-Smith. “I still don’t know what I’m doing,” said the creator of Thrush (the short that won him a large, shiny, metallic “V” for Vimeo trophy two years ago), “but the Vimeo award has tricked others into thinking that I do.” Walker, Bisset-Smith and...

We’re always looking out for interesting shorts from UK directors and this new film from Gabriel Bisset-Smith is well worth a watch.

Smoke has a simple concept and it’s very well executed with the editing in particular making this love story in reverse something special. The script by Stuart Curran won a competition on circalit.com, a crowd-sourcing platform for writers, and this film is the result.

Jodie Whittaker reunites Bisset-Smith (the short film Thrush is online here and takes a poignant look at modern relationships) and she and Claire Brown work very well on screen here as the couple begining and ending their relationship.

Here’s the short, we’re very interested to see what both writer and director have in store for us next.

February 20 is the deadline for submitting to the 2012 Vimeo Awards, which will be presented during this year’s Vimeo Festival + Awards, June 7 – 9 in New York City. Filmmaker Magazine is a sponsor of the awards, which go to original works in 13 different categories that premiered July 31, 2010 and February 20, 2012, or which never premiered at all. For 2012, Vimeo has assembled a pretty amazing group of judges, including actor and director James Franco; Parks and Recreation Star Aziz Ansari, 2012 Oscar Nominee Lucy Walker; documentarian Steve James; Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World director Edgar Wright; snowboard superstar Travis Rice; Thierry Mugler and Uniqlo creative director Nicola Formichetti; Shelly Page of DreamWorks Animation; Barbara London of The Museum of Modern Art; Showstudio’s Nick Knight; camera guru Philip Bloom; and advertising legend David Droga.

Grants of $5,000 will be awarded to the winners of each category, and $25,000 goes to a single Best Video winner.

Following up on their successful festival and awards presentation in 2010, Vimeo has at last announced their follow-up event to be held sometime in 2012. Starting today, the online video website — a favorite for filmmakers thanks to Vimeo’s high quality video streaming — is accepting submissions for next year’s event that will see a couple lucky winners taking home some big prizes.

There will be 13 total categories that filmmakers can submit to and the winning video of each category will win a Grant of $5,000. In addition, there will be a $25,000 Grant given to one Grand Prize winner.

Videos eligible for submission are original works that have debuted online sometime between July 31, 2010 and February 20, 2012 — with Feb. 20 being last day entries will be accepted. The submission fee is $20 (U.S.) per video ($5 for Vimeo Plus and Pro members). Interested filmmakers can submit their work here.

The 2010 festival only accepted videos in nine categories.

Film Lineup Set For Inaugural Palo Alto International Film Festival

Palo Alto, CA . The Palo Alto International Film Festival (Paiff) has announced its film program for the 2011 festival. The lineup includes 20 features and 74 short films curated from award-winning films and film festival favorites that exemplify Paiff.s theme of innovation in art, film and technology.

Paiff proudly presents a lineup that challenges the art form, taking creative risks with technology in films like Braden King.s cross-platform feature .Here,. to the artistically inventive .Bombay Beach. by music video director Alma Har.el to documentaries like .Something Ventured. which delves into the world of Venture Capital firms.

.We.re seeing a new movement emerging . films are trying to live outside the cinema. They.re breaking out of traditional storytelling structures,. said Paiff.s Director Programming Alf Seccombe. .This festival spotlights the creative risk-taking that is inherent in innovation..

The 2011 festival kicks...

Thrush by Gabriel Bisset-Smith won the Grand Prize at the 2011 Disposable Film Festival (Dff), cleverly narrating a relationship from start to finish through sequences of photographs.  It reminded me of when Jack Kerouac wrote that a day would come when he and his friends would look at their photos in albums and recognize their "sad and ragged lives forever."For the remaining winners, check out the Dff website.  Videos courtesy of Vimeo.Cross-published on The Evening Class....

The most poignant moment at the Vimeo Festival + Awards ceremony was when Casey Neistat (half of the famous lo-fi filmmaking duo known as the Neistat Brothers) accepted the Digital Maverick Award and quoted Francis Ford Coppola from the behind-the-scenes Apocalypse Now documentary, Hearts of Darkness: To me, the great hope is now that these little 8mm video recorders have come around, some people who wouldn't normally make movies are going to be making them. Suddenly, one day, some little fat girl in Ohio is going to be the new Mozart, you know, and make a beautiful film with her little father's camcorder. And for once, the so called "professionalism" about movies will be destroyed forever, and it will really become an art form. The words weren't revelatory in regards to a democratized production process. We all know that with low cost production tools and virtually no-cost distribution mechanisms, anyone with a vision,...