On May 28th at Małopolski Ogród Sztuki the conference devoted to the British documentary cinema will take place.
On May 28th at 11:00am at Małopolski Ogród Sztuki the conference devoted to the British documentary cinema will take place. The panel discussion held with the participation of British documentary professionals will constitute the key event of the “Focus on the UK”, one of the sections of the 54th KFF.
It is the fifth time that the Krakow Film Festival hosts the guest country and embraces its cinematography with the special film programme and an industry event. In previous years the films made in Israel, The Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland were screened and discussed in Krakow. This year it is the British cinema that is to be celebrated during the festival. The “Focus on the UK” programme will be initiated by the panorama screening that features the best contemporary British documentaries including „London – the modern Babylon” by Julien Temple and „I’m Breathing” by Emma Davie and Morag McKinnon.The conference held with the participation of the British film professionals will mark the focal point of the programme. The conference will investigate current strategies that are prevailing for the documentary industry in the United Kingdom. The following guests were invited to join the conference: Dick Fontaine (director, currently working at the National Film and Television School, Flore Cosquer (Scottish Documentary Institute), Terry Stevens (distributor – Dogwoof), Mark Issacs (director and a producer), Christine Bardsley (British Council).
More about the panelists:
Dick Fontaine is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has made over 40 films for television and the independent media. His portfolio includes some of the most groundbreaking inventions in the television medium such as the techniques of Direct Cinema, developing the essay film, the experiments with the reflexive camera (Double Pisces). Together with Mike Hodges, he was responsible for the pioneering art film series New Tempo. His most recent film is Sonny Rollins – Beyond the Notes, produced by his company, BeBop Productions and BBC Arena, nominated for a Grierson Award in 2012. His work is now part of the Film Archive at Harvard University and he has taught and run workshops and master classes across Europe and the USA.
Flore Cosquer – with years of experience working as Production Manager in France, Flore moved to the UK in 2010 and joined the team of the Scottish Documentary Institute, an internationally recognised research centre for documentary. She manages the Institute’s training initiatives (Bridging the Gap, Interdoc) and industry events (The Edinburgh Pitch, Docs in Progress). She is a tutor for creative documentary workshops, run by the Institute in collaboration with the British Council. These workshops have taken her to Libya, Palestine or Morocco where she has exec-produced short documentaries made by local participants. Flore is also involved in the production branch of the Institute, SDI Productions Ltd, and is currently producing a feature documentary in Libya.
Terry Stevens has joined Dogwoof in 2008 and was initially responsible for managing the co-ordination and development of the Home Entertainment side of the business, launching some 80+ titles including Restrepo, Undefeated and The Spirit of ‘45. Now he works within the Global Sales team, securing sales for the growing slate of films Dogwoof represents internationally. Terry has represented Dogwoof at numerous events and has spoken on subjects related to distribution at festivals including Nyon: Visions du Réel, Dubai International Film Festival, Nordisk Panorama and is a mentor at the Venice Biennle College and mentor at MPBS (Multi Platform Business School).
Mark Isaacs achievements include over 10 creative documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4. His films have won Grierson, Royal Television Society and BAFTA awards as well as numerous international film festival prizes. In 2008 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of East London for his documentary work. He is a guest tutor at the London Film School, the National Film and Television School and Royal Holloway University.
Christine Bardsley has been a Film Programme Manager at the British Council since 2001, following a varied career working in the UK and overseas. Christine designs film projects, curates programmes and advises on screening of British short and feature films at international festivals and events. She leads on work in documentary.