BBC New Music Shorts 2007 Winners Announced

Five aspiring filmmakers have won the opportunity to make a £5000 music-based short film that will be premiered at the BBC Electric Proms and online on BBC Film Network, before commencing a UK festival tour.

The winning ideas for BBC New Music Shorts 2007 were chosen from 456 entries and films will be made under the guidance of experienced producers from Warp Films. Each ‘short’ is inspired by music from four leading independent record labels - Domino Records, 679 Recordings, Warp Records and Ninja Tune.

The commissions are as follows

Track: 'Slippin' by Wiley (Ninja Tune/Big Dada)
Filmmaker: Jason Nwansi
Synopsis: Kids on a school trip to a museum have a strange encounter with some mummies. Thriller meets Night at the Museum in this funny, original take on a grime video.

Track: 'Dry Lips' by Lightspeed Champion (Domino)
Filmmaker: Stephen Irwin
Synopsis: Champ faces his self doubts about his ability to fly after his lady love leaves him. A story with a heart told in eloquent black and white animation.


Track: 'Twin Tub Twin' by King Creosote (679 Recordings)
Filmmakers: Anastasia Kirillova / Matteo Manzini
Synopsis: The stories of couples who've been together over 50 years come together in this charming and unsentimental film on how relationships last. A unique and ambitious short that blends animation and documentary.

Track: 'Bad Is As Bad Does' by The Earlies (679 Recordings)
Filmmaker: Jonny Madderson
Synopsis: A satire on what happens behind closed doors at a G8 summit on world poverty. A live action black comedy that is more about the humour than the politics.

Track: 'Farewell Farewell' by Gravenhurst (Warp Records)
Filmmaker: John Thole
Synopsis: A man in a costume makes his way to a party in a field, where he finds himself turned into a human pinata. Surreal, absurd and yet completely satisfying, the idea also combines a very different and unique experimental filming technique.

BBC Electric Proms, Film Network and New Talent invited budding filmmakers to submit ideas for ‘shorts’ in April. The selection panel included producers and commissioners from Warp Films, the record labels and the BBC, who were all highly impressed by the level of the applicants this year. The submissions were of a high standard, with many of the applications including extensive visuals and personalised submission packs.

BBC Electric Proms Festival Director Lorna Clarke said: “Film and new talent are an integral part of the Electric Proms, and the New Music Shorts are a great example of the kind of creativity we are wanting to celebrate.”

BBC Electric Proms Film Programme Producer Pamela Casey said: “The high quality of entries made the selection process a difficult one this year. The range of styles and stories in the commissioned projects will blow everyone away when they're finally premiered at the Electric Proms.”

BBC New Talent Campaign Producer Shirley Rush said: “These winners represent the diverse mix of highly talented filmmakers emerging in the UK and we hope this experience will develop their skills further and provide an opportunity to establish new contacts and networks in this competitive industry”.

Following the successful inaugural festival, BBC Electric Proms 2007 will take place from 24 to 28 October 2007. The event will be broadcast across BBC television, radio, online and via the red button for digital viewers. The five winning films will also be available to view exclusively on the Film Network website www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork


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