PROJECTOR FILMS-Southern Arts Press Release

Films by seven brilliant new directors from the South are to be launched this week by Meridian Broadcasting, Southern Arts and South East Arts. The three partners run the Taped Up scheme which aims to discover new filmmaking talent in the south of England, and give young directors their first broadcast opportunity. The seven short films commissioned for broadcast on Meridian television will be shown at a launch event on Thursday 11^th November at Harbour Lights Cinema in Southampton. The films, which were selected from a wide range of applications, will be broadcast at the beginning of December.

Film successes from the Southern Arts region include ìConsecrationî, a short film using new miniature camera technology to examine people more closely than ever before, by Tim Clague of Bournemouth, ìThe Thief of Smilesî a mysterious and touching drama by Emmanouil Oikonomou of Southampton and ìDown to Earthî, a documentary telling the story of the hovercraft by James Cronin of Hampshire. ìBig Daddyî by Finola Geraghty and Claudia Riccio of Bournemouth is a Taped Up special, filmed at a young offenders prison on Portland Island, Dorset and was selected to be shown as part of the London Film Festival.

Said Jane Gerson, Southern Artsí Film Officer ìTaped Up is a terrific opportunity for new filmmakers to work with a broadcaster. It also shows the broadcasters how many talented film-makers we have in the southern region.î

ìConsecrationî is a distorted look at self-abuse in everyday life, designed to make the audience re-evaluate their initial reaction to it. The film explores images of self-abuse (a contact lens being put in, the plucking of eyebrows, shaving, ear piercing) are bound together by a narrative detailing a womanís visit to the doctor to receive an injection.

Tim Clague graduated from Bournemouth University and was awarded the 1998 Jerwood Film Prize with the film ìNíThatî. His winning film was presented in all Warner Village cinemas across the country and obtained national media coverage. Tim has worked as a film director and writer, and now teaches and gives lectures in media production. His computer generated drama ìAll or Nothingî has been shown at film festivals internationally.

The Thief of Smiles is Emmanouilís second short film. He studied in Greece before moving to Southampton University to take up a postdoctoral research post in Oceanography. Since 1998 he has been involved in filmmaking and won a Production Award from City Eye Media Centre in Southampton to shoot his first short film ìCrossoverî for which he was Director, Writer, Producer and Editor. In October this film won second prize at the 20th International Short Film Festival in Barcelona. Emmanouil is planning a number of short film ideas for the future, focusing on social and psychological issues.

A brief story of the hovercraft, looking at this British invention whose futuristic ideas were perhaps too advanced for its time. The film uncovers the era behind this type of thinking and asks - what happened to this world that belonged to the dreamer?Filmed at the Hovercraft Show in Lee on Solent, site of the proposed hovercraft museum.

James Cronin studied at the renowned Saint Martins School of Arts & Design, London and is now resident in Stubbington, Hampshire.

4. Finola Geraghty and Claudia Riccio of Bournemouth, ìBig Daddyî, 0181 446 4586/ 0410 713 851

Filmed at young offenders prison on Portland Island, Dorset and funded with a £5,000 grant from the Southern Arts film production fund. A Taped Up special, 17 minutes long.

For further information contact: Juliet Mills or Duncan Clarke, Press Office, Southern Arts 01962 855099

Southern Arts is the regional arts board for central southern England covering the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire; the unitary authorities of Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Milton Keynes, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Swindon, West Berkshire, Windsor & Maidenhead and Wokingham, and the borough of Christchurch in Dorset

Young Film Directors get Taped Up