Shorts whatever the weather...

I have begun my Oscars vieiwng campaign by looking up the 20 films on the best short film longlist so that I can watch as many as possible – rather than waiting for the shortlists to be announced. After all they aren’t long!

So far I’ve mainly found trailers although I have seen one nominated short already – and you will too if you watched Toy Story 3 in the UK.

If not the link is supplied below for anyone who wants to take a look. I've supllied trailer/clip/film links for anyone who wants to join me in appreciating what look like some excellent films.

Tonight the marvellous London Short Film Festival kicks off until 16th January, so if these whet your appetite you'll find plently to love there.

Live Action Shorts longlist

Ana’s Playground - webiste/trailer
The Confession - Clip
The Crush - trailer
God Of Love - The facebook page - still tracking down the trailer.
Little Children, Big Words (Sma Barn, Stora Ord) : Trailer
Na Wewe - website/trailer
Seeds of the Fall (Slitage) - trailer
The Six Dollar Fifty Man - trailer
Wish 143 - Not yet found
Shoe - Still hunting for a link

Animated Shorts
The Cow Who Wanted to Be A Hamburger - Filmmaker blog, no clip link yet but this is my favourite title so i included a still!
Coyote Falls - Still looking
Day & Night - Actual film!
The Gruffalo - It's been on the bbc, so hunting around iplayer
Let’s Pollute - trailer
The Lost Thing - clip

Madagascar, A Journey Diary (Madagascar, Carnet De Voyage) - The actual film
Sensology - The actual film
The Silence Beneath The Bark - The actual film
Urs - Clip

Resolutionary road!

Popularly considered a time when we set ourselves impossible goals I usually try and make January a time when I focus on one or two specific things I have been meaning to get round to.

One year I made a concerted effort to save money and eat more healthily by making sure I always took a packed lunch to work. It was a great year for pre-prepared soups, healthy noodle dishes and, okay, a lot of baked potatoes – but hey that’s definitely one I’ll pick up again and is much more fun than going to the gym as a way of staying healthy.

But my big 2 resolutions are to considerably reduce my lateness and to watch every film nominated for an Oscar this year. The first one is just purely because I am fed up of myself and I hope will have the knock on effect that if I will just get more done with my life. And the second is that if I am going to set myself a ridiculous goal and balance out the whole healthy eating kick – I feel I need to be grand, ambitious and sedentary! Also that one is done by March which is about as long as my attention span for resolutions is likely to last.

Watch this space for progress, here’s to a leaner, more punctual, more square eyed me.

Looking for creative people in Manchester looking to get together with others

Happy New Year!

This post on the Manchester Creative Industry group on LinkedIn caught my eye if anyone is interested.

If you have any of the following contacts/skills/ideas/premises/investors/SEO/Website designer Producer/Director/Cameraman/Graphics/Arts/Theatre and would like to get together with others to form an enterprise that will provide a service/s for Media City, let's start talking!

Either contact me and I'll pass on your interest or apply to join the group on LinkedIn directly and join the discussion.

Photographers and Filmmakers Call - Manchester

PapergirlMCR Papergirl Manchester

We need photographers and filmmakers to document the Papergirl Manchester ride. Get in touch papergirlmanchester@gmail.com

Kim Emson - Freelancers and Tax

I thought some of you new freelance creatives might appreciates Kim Emson's Blog on the daunting subject of bookkeeping.

Oh What A Night!

Abandon Normal Devices Festival hit Manchester at the weekend and I attended the extraordinary gallery opening at Cornerhouse, the astronaut’s chair at Cube gallery, but my unreserved delight was being part of the Peaches Christ Midnight Mass screening of All About Evil.

It was a night so controversial it angered the local librarian community – although they might have been in on it!

Not for the faint of heart or stomach (there was a lovely gift of returning food at the end of the night: whoever left it – please leave me off your Christmas list) it featured more fun and frolics than you can shake a sequined gown at and that was just the preshow! The film itself was hilarious, wonderfully acted and a true sensation. I haven’t been part of an audience that enjoyed itself that much...EVER!

So Team Peaches are off to Sitges so if you are lucky enough to catch the whole experience there or even better at the Victoria Theater in San Fransisco itself – check out the website for dates.

AND runs until Friday and the exhibitions until November (Phil Collins) and January (UnSpooling) so do yourself a favour and add some abnormality to your life!

Photos by the deliciously talented Neil Shearer, and the AND Digital team

New feature - Film recommendations

Top 5s or top 10s of films I think you should see!

Current Lists - my highlights from the Edinburgh Film Festival this year.

Next one...Films by women directors

Any suggestions - post here.

Tweet of interest to bloggers/writers

McrLitFest
I'm still searching for volunteer bloggers for #mcrlitfest – it's a fantastic opportunity & you don't have to be a pro to to get invovled

My Documentary : David Vaughan: Black on the Canvas

Hi guys

I am co-producing a documentary about the life of Manchester artist David Vaughan. Obviously I want you to watch it so I won't say too much about him or it, but I am very exicited about it, especially after filming our first interview at the weekend. I'm working with the talented guys of Donkey Stone Films.

If you want to follow us on facebook and twitter it would be a big help to me and you'll also find out about a fascinating artist.

Coming to a social media network near you...

Twitter Facebook

More footage to shoot this weekend and looking to get a trailer out in the world pretty soon.

Your support is appreciated.

Es

For the filmmakers amongst us

The 17th WOW Film Festival (just announced) will celebrate women's achievements in the Screen Industry by opening the Festival on International Women's Day - 8th March 2011.

The WOW Short Film Competition invites entries which are up to 55 minutes long and from any genre …. “ SEEING the world through the eyes of women …”

So if you have a film with a woman director, or, if it is directed by a man, must have women in TWO of the following roles : producer or writer or editor or cinematographer. Then follow this link to submit your film.