Brief Encounters Awards winners

Brief Encounters: 11th Bristol International Short Film Festival
(23-27th November 2005, Watershed Media Centre)
According to The Guardian newspaper : "The UK’s most important film festival"

Britain’s biggest short film festival, BRIEF ENCOUNTERS, celebrated the very best in short film-making last night (26th November) with the presentation of their ten prestigious awards at a packed ceremony at Bristol’s Watershed Media Centre.

Last year’s double award winners – Sam Hearn and Richard Penfold from Bristol based Omni Productions - again triumphed, with their latest film Indians, which won the hotly contested ITV West Award, while Susie, a provocative film celebrating female sexuality by animator Cathy Snelling, controversially won the Jameson Short Film Award.

Brief Encounters Award Winners

ITV West Award – which recognises the wealth of talented film-makers in the region. This year’s prize money of £1,000 went to Indians,directed by Sam Hearn and Richard Penfold, who won the award for the second year in a row. (Their earlier film, Dog Years won in 2004).

UK Film Council Audience Award (£500) – won by Oh My God directed by John Bryant (USA). This award was voted for by the thousands of ticket-buyers to this year’s festival.

International Jury Award – is given in recognition of outstanding quality and innovation and this year’s prize of £3,000 was awarded to Yeah, Yeah, Yeah directed by Marçal Forés from Spain.

The award was presented by one of the international jury members, Shane Smith, director of the Canadian Film Centre’s Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto, who described the film as ‘vibrant, audacious, original and unpredictable with a kick-arse sound track!’

DepicT! Award (sponsored by Aardman, Films@59, Orange, Dazzle and EMAK MAFU). DepicT! challenges film-makers to make a film in under 90 seconds. From the hundreds of entries from around the world this year’s winner, Ascension was directed by Myriam Thyes from Germany who wins £3,000. www.depict.org

Orange DepicT! Audience Award – voted for online by visitors to the www.lovefilm.com and DepicT! websites, and via text for Orange customers. The winning film was Screen Kiss directed by Steven Sander who won a top of the range mobile handset and free membership to lovefilm.com.

Jameson Short Film Award – presented to Susie directed by Cathy Snelling who wins €6,000, a screening tour to other European festivals participating in the Jamesons Short Film Awards Scheme, and a stunning trophy.

Damon Wise, features director of Empire magazine presented the award and said ‘outlandish and madly entertaining, like nothing we’d ever seen before. And we’ve seen a lot……’

The other members of the British Jury were writer/director Jan Dunn, whose debut feature Gypo is released next year and Satwant Gill, deputy director of the British Council’s Films Department.

BBC New Film-Makers Award (created by BBC Three and BBC New Talent) – a £5,000 cash prize was presented to Bristol trio RONG’s (Matt Smith, Stephen Scott-Hayward and Alex Kirkland) hilarious new film Oedipus which won from a field of over 500 entries. www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/newfilmmaker

BBC New Animation Award (created by BBC Three and BBC New Talent) – won by Tea Total by Lucy Izzard who was selected from hundreds of entries and a shortlist of only twelve. The award is given to fresh and innovative animation. www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/newanimator

NAHEMI/KODAK Prize for Creative Film-making – was awarded to Double Helix directed by Andrew Visser from Surrey Institute of Art & Design.

NAHEMI/Cinematography Award - was presented to Fragile directed by Calixte Davis from Goldsmiths College, University of London.

For general information: www.brief-encounters.org.uk