Today is a day of preparations for a slew of amazing events coming up. First off, I got a call from Turner Classic Movies to tell me that ‘Gone Fishing’ has been shortlisted for the awards. They are now sending out a DVD to the final judges with six selected films. Hoorah! You can see more about this fabulous competition here… More on this as and when.

Also, I have to drop off a 35mm print at the British Council HQ, to be shipped to the Dinard Film Festival in two weeks time – I am going to go to Dinard and use those four days in an all expenses hotel, to do a radical redraft of Rocketboy during the days, and attend screenings and parties in the evening.

I am dropping off ten DVD’s for the British Independent Film Awards, run and setup by Elliot Grove at Raindance. I was nominated in the very first BIFA awards with Urban Ghost Story, and who knows, we may be lucky enough to get nominated again… Part of their pre selection process is that you need to have won a British festival so it’s good that we won the Kodak Audience award at the Soho Shorts festival two months back.

One problem that I am encountering is just the physical workload. I do have a few helpers but there is only so much I can delegate. I really can’t stress just how much time it takes to enter festivals and service all the opportunities thrown up – making and sending DVD’s, press packs, posters, doing online forms, chasing up… let alone attending them, with the accompanying trips to and from airports. It really is a full time job.

Blimey!

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
mail@livingspirit.com