Hopscotch Films are going into partnership with Digicult to create a brand new talent initiative for Scottish based short filmmakers.
Over the next five months, Scottish Shorts will develop up to ten teams with short film proposals before commissioning five high quality live action and animated films early next year.
For guidlines and announcements check the Digicult and Hopscotch websites. Scottish Shorts 2012/2013 is due to launch on Monday 10th September.
Hopscotch is delighted by the news that The Story of Film has been awared the Stanley Kubrick prize at Traverse City Film Festival! Michael Moore who founded the festival now in its eighth year, said Mark Cousins' documentary was "one of the greatest" and one "we'll be watching all our lives."
Well done Mark!
Mark Cousins was recently interviewed for the South China Morning Post. This lovely spread was featured on 20th May. Click here to download the PDF.
"The film is a dream come true."- Mark Cousins
So hopefully by now you'll have seen the series, bought the DVD, asked Mark Cousins some questions and found some new favourite films!
Too much to take in? Don't worry you can download a pdf of all the films featured in the 15 hour journey and start your own movie oddysey!
The Story of Film has been released as a five disc set by Network and Mark's been busy touring the country to enthusiastic acclaim.
It's not just the cinema goers who have been salivating at taking The Story of Film home with them, below is a selection of recent mentions in the press:
(click for full article)
Time Out *****
Geniuenly democratic, honest in its broad perspective, and unusually technically aware, this is the definitive history of cinema's first century and a bit. - Andrew Lowry
Metro *****
Cousins delivers so much information and shows so many of the parallels and influences that pervade this self-referential art form that you're left itching to revisit the classics and discover the surprising gems he's highlighted.
This Superb piece of work concludes that "the future of cinema is in provacative hands". And with brilliant, passionate archivists like Cousins working in the field, we may also surmise that the future of film criticism is too. - Ali Catterall
Every Wednesday on BBC1 Scotland at 19:30 between March 28- May 9 2012
A new website has been launched on the BBC to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of broadcasting in Scotland. Hopscotch Films' production Watching Ourselves is a seven part series due to begin 28 March on BBC One Scotland. Greg Hemphill is our guide to the groundbreaking moments of Scottish television; the great stories, drama, laughs and sporting moments over the years.
As the countdown to broadcast begins the BBC website page will host exclusive clips of the series and information on some of the heroes who have made such an impact on our lives. Explore for yourself here.
Good news for Hopscotch's recent BBC project 1911: Review of the Year! Individual short, The Theft of the Mona Lisa, has been nominated for best factual short at the BAFTA New Talent awards. The ceremony takes place on March 22 and team Hopscotch has its collective fingers crossed for the director Dhivya Chetty. For full list of nominees check the Bafta Scotland website.
The Berlinale Film Festival is over and another group of completists stayed the 15 hour course.
Many have been in touch on our Facebook page to ask about the films included in the Odyssey. So if you're planning your own film marathons you may find this download useful. (Just to warn you, it's quite long)
Click to download.
Exciting news: Mark Cousins has been invited to screen the full 900 minutes of The Story of Film at this year's International Film festival Berlinale. It will be screened as part of the Berlinale Special programme which features 'new and extraordinary productions'. The festival states the programme's role is to 'to honour great cinema personalities by showing their films and to immerse audiences in cinematic history by screening film classics.' We think Mark is an excellent addition to the selection! See more on the festival website here.
The Festival is on between the 9th and 19th of February with the Story of Film on the 16th/17th.
Now on the BBC iplayer for seven days. Click here.
Hopscotch are proud to announce the broadcast of their BBC Learning commission Review of 1911 in words and pictures.
The hour long programme will be transimitted in the Learning Zone, BBC2 on Friday 13th January at 4am and will available on the BBC iplayer for seven days.
Six individual films can be seen online here with full credit information.