Following the huge success of last September’s event, the Festival is all set to return, Wednesday 19th – Sunday 23rd September. Now in its 8th year, the Festival returns for its annual celebration of the art of film – illuminating the whole town through premiere screenings, interactive installations and specially commissioned projections. The Theme: Pictures in Motion This year’s Festival – entitled Pictures in Motion - explores the relationship between the ...

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Northern Film & Media have teamed up with Film London and BAFTA to provide film producers with access to some of the industry’s leading sales agents at an event in Gateshead in January 2012. Breakthrough: A Guide to International Film Sales & Distribution is brought to you by the organisers of the annual film export event London UK Film Focus (LUFF), and is based on the popular LUFF strand Breakthrough, which offers emerging British filmmakers a platform to showcase their work t ...

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For those of you who missed the large-scale outdoor projection commissioned for this year’s festival – and for those who want to see it a second time – the video of Penumbra: The Long & Peculiar Life of Jimmy Strength is now online! Created by video artist Gareth Hudson & sound artist Jack Burton, both from County Durham, and with music from Manja Ristic, from Serbia, the piece was one of two Arts Council funded commissions for the 7th Berwick Film & Media Arts Fes ...

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Since its inauguration in 2005, the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival has established itself as an important international and regional event. It is our aim to promote and attract the most exciting and innovative moving image art from around the world in one of England’s most unique and stunning locations. As an acknowledgement of our success over seven festivals, in 2011 we became an Arts Council of England, National Portfolio Organisation (NPO), guaranteeing our funding until 2015 ...

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The Festival came to a close just a week ago, having attracted 6,000 people to see film & moving image art by over 30 filmmakers & artists in 7 locations around the town and over 3 action-packed days. Festival Director Melanie Iredale today said a BIG thank you to the team, and to the funders, venue-partners, supporters – and most of all audiences – who made the Festival possible. “We have really never had such good feedback on the programme as we’ve had in the l ...

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On Saturday 24th September at 2pm The Maltings Theatre and Cinema was home to the most prestigious award for young filmmakers in the North East of England and Scottish Borders. The Chris Anderson Award for Best Young Filmmaker screened in front of an expectant audience, a professional Jury and filmmakers from eight out of the ten films selected for the competition. All competing for the grand prize of £200 and a screening at the Leeds Young People’s Film Festival in 2012, competitio ...

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In celebration of a new season, our friends at the Berwick Film Society are hosting special event, The Silent Pianist Speaks: Neil Brand. This will be a fascinating evening of classic film clips, wizardry with the keyboards and some laconic chat from the Maestro of silent film accompaniment, Neil Brand. Fresh from BBC rehearsals, Neil, a visiting professor to the Royal College of Music, has written plays and musicals, composed scores for orchestras, radio and television and played at festivals ...

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Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival has now finished for 2011 but the Northumberland Music Festival is back. This year it boasts a galaxy of stars and performers, including Polyphonic Brass and The Kingsmead Quartet. The Festival, being held in North Northumberland between October 28th and November 6th, is a feast of opera, brass, Gilbert and Sullivan, classical and traditional music. Highlights of The Festival include Soprano Samantha Crawford, D’Oyly Carte Opera singer ...

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The Opening Gala and World Premiere of 'I Am Nasrine' starts at 7:00pm at The Maltings Theatre & Cinema. Director Tina Gharavi will be present to introduce the film, along with the Producers Gerry Maguire & James Baillie and lead actors, including Micsha Sadeghi (Nasrine) and Shiraz Haq (Ali). Other members of the cast and crew will all be in attendance to celebrate their world premiere. After 'I Am Nasrine' we shall all follow the fairy lights to the reception for Penumbra, a newl ...

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Starting tomorrow our friends at the Berwick Record Office will be exhibiting films from the archive as part of their 30th anniversary in the Council Chamber, Town Hall. Coinciding with The Festival's media art exhibition in the Prison Cells, we recommend you check out these local tales captured on film all the way back to 1911. Screening as part of Past, Present & Future is: Saturday 24th September 11:00am - Canney View Of Berwick And The Investigator (1970s) 1:00am - Visit Of Queen ...

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There’s even more to see in Berwick over the weekend, including this ‘post-it picture’ of the proposed community owned wind turbine in William Elder building window. You can check out a fun, time lapse video of the picture-in-the-making here. The idea for a community owned turbine for Berwick started way back in 2002, and was taken up by the Berwick Community Trust as a project in 2006. The turbine received full planning permission this time last year, with very little opposi ...

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PUMA.Peace has commissioned seven international artists and filmmakers to create original works focusing on the strength of personal acts of peace and how each of us can contribute to a better world. The films will be shown at peace events globally, as well as peace games in cities from as far afield as Dubai, Herzogenaurach, Mexico City, Subang, Tokyo, San Diego and many more. Curated by PUMA.Creative Chief Curator, Mark Coetzee, and produced by Shooting People, these films encompass a diverse ...

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Despite the official Opening Gala not being until 7pm on Friday 23rd September, the Festival actually opens with a private screening of a new Moomins film, for primary schools in the Berwick-upon-Tweed area! The event, Moominworld, offers a regional premiere of Moomins and the Midsummer Madness, a new animated adventure from the Finnish fuzzy felt family, as well as storytelling from the original Tova Jansson books, from Seven Stories, the Children’s Books specialists in Newcastle-upon-Ty ...

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We are very pleased to announce the final selection of films for the prestigious Chris Anderson Award for best Young Filmmaker!  The festival received the most amount of submissions in it's history this year which made the selection process incredibly difficult. Every film submitted showed great enthusiasm, passion, dedication and love for making films. Unfortunetly we are not able to screen every film (although we would love to!) and so now you can find the final competition films here W ...

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The Festival weekend begins with a showing of a new feature length Moomins adventure in the Maltings on Saturday 24th September, and will be followed by an all-day workshop, Unravel: The Longest Hand-painted Film in Britain, which invites young and old to get creative; drawing, painting and scratching directly into 16mm film cells. That afternoon also brings a screening of the beautifully hand-painted animation Arrietty, based on the children's book 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton and adapted by ...

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We are delighted to confirm that the cast and crew will be in attendance at the World Premiere of I Am Nasrine, as part of the Opening Gala of the 7th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival. Director Tina Gharavi and Producers Gerry Maguire & James Baillie will be present to introduce their film, along with the film’s leads Micsha Sadeghi (Nasrine), Shiraz Haq (Ali) & Steven Hooper (Leigh). Other supporting cast and crew will also be in attendance in celebration of the film's Worl ...

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The next couple of weeks sees the Berwick Film Festival team up with the Berwick Food Festival for the first time to bring food on film to the big screen in Berwick. The Food Festival, which runs for the 4th time this weekend, opens with a special screening of Babette’s Feast at the Maltings Theatre & Cinema this evening at 8pm. Babette’s Feast is the much loved and Oscar-winning tale of Babette, who has fled the French civil war for a Danish coastal village as she prepares a m ...

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The Festival is putting on a special coach for those travelling from Newcastle to our Opening Gala! Bubbly will be served on board along with a surprise fairy tale film. Enjoy I Am Nasrine, the Penumbra Reception and After Party without the worry of driving yourself home afterwards. The coach will leave Newcastle Central Station Friday 23rd September at 5:15pm and arrive at The Maltings Theatre & Cinema in good time for the opening film at 7pm. The coach will then return to Newcastle from Th ...

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The 2011 Festival is set to premiere two new commissions, one entitled Penumbra: The Long and Peculiar Life Jimmy Strength by Gareth Hudson & Jack Burton, and the other entitled Maria by Darren Johnston, both with the support of Arts Council England. Penumbra, referring to a partial shadow such as that which causes an eclipse, is a 3D animation created to be projected outdoors onto the face of the newly restored 250-year old Dewar’s Lane Granary building, using the latest in mapping t ...

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Co-inciding with this years festival, our friends at ReSTAGE and The Maltings Theatre & Cinema present an adaptation of Shakespeare’s final masterpiece: Tempests!   An adaption of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611) Four hundred years have passed since the magician Prospero left his enchanted island to reclaim his usurped Dukedom. He disowned his wizardry and released the spirit Ariel, but the creature Caliban remained behind. What has happened since? Become imm ...

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The 2011 programme, including full details of all Films & Events, the Artists’ Trail and Workshops, are all online, in advance of the 7th Berwick Film & Media Ats Festival, Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th September 2011. Using Berwick-upon-Tweed as the perfect setting, the programme – entitled Once Upon a Time – explores storytelling on screen and fairy tale on film, through a series of features, short film programmes, installations, projections and special events over ...

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Submissions are now closed for the Chris Anderson Award for Best Young Filmmaker! We would like to send out a big thank you to all the young filmmakers, organisations and film clubs around the North-East of England and Scottish Borders for their film submissions. We have had a record number of entries this year which will make the final selection a very difficult task. The Chris Anderson Award was launched in 2007 to encourage young people involved in filmmaking and to identify promising new t ...

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The 7th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is set to return, celebrating the art of film over one action-packed weekend, Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th September. Using Berwick-upon-Tweed as the perfect setting, and The Maltings Theatre & Cinema as a hub, the Festival invites you to join the adventure in various locations across the town, with new venues including Café Curio, a bistro-cum-antique sellers, and the recently restored Dewar’s Lane Granary. Today the Festival announ ...

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Do you have stories to tell that might inspire a newly commissioned animated projection about Berwick? Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival Berwick-upon-Tweed is home to the largest film festival in North East England and the Scottish Borders. Each year for the past seven years, the town has celebrated the art of the moving image through a series of film screenings, video installations, and projections, illuminating the whole town. The 2011 Festival Berwick Film & Media Arts Festi ...

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Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival returns the weekend starting Friday 23rd September, and we're delighted to announce our Opening Night Film: the World Premiere of I Am Nasrine – a “love song to the North East.” Directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Tina Gharavi and produced in the North East by her Newcastle-based production company Bridge + Tunnel, I Am Nasrine is the latest feature film to come out of the region – and set to tour film festivals world-wide, start ...

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Only 10 days to go for submission for the Chris Anderson Award for Best young Filmmaker! The Festival is now seeking submissions of short films and moving image works made by young people under 19 to compete for the Chris Anderson Award and a cash prize. The winning film will also be screened at the Leeds Young People's Film Festival - one of the biggest film festivals in the UK for young people. This competition commemorates the life of Chris Anderson who was an active sup ...

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Don’t be late, for a very important date! The Festival invites you to a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party you won't forget at Café Curio, Berwick's finest bistro and seller of antiques and curios. A variety of sandwiches, scones, and tea will be served - along with a showing of the first ever screen adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland from 1903, and lovingly restored by the BFI National Archive just last year. "Curiouser and curiouser!," said Alice! The e ...

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We have received submissions from far and wide! Half of the films have come from outside the UK, including a good proportion from the USA and Germany, more from East Asia than ever before, and with others coming from everywhere from Australia to Serbia! We’ve had our own submissions-fest over the weekend, and, bear with us, we still haven’t quite finished watching them all. Please note that we’ll get back to everyone – either way – by the end of the week! ...

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Volunteer applications are now online for the 7th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival Friday 23 - Sunday 25th September 2011 We are now open for applications for one of the most important roles in the festival. If you would like to get involved with the festival, gain new skills, meet people and enjoy the festival for free then click here for more information and to complete the online application form. This is what some of last years volunteers had to say about the experience: &ldquo ...

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Under 19? Want to watch films for free? Want to be part of the Film Festival? Then Film Nights at the Bee Hive Cafe is for you!  We have teamed up with Berwick Youth Project once again to open up the film world to young people in Berwick upon Tweed. Starting on Thursday 28th July from 6pm-9pm at The Bee Hive Café all young people are invited to come along and see some great films, take part in quizzes with the chance to win prizes, help to programme the festival and be part of the ...

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We are now welcoming proposals for a live Dance-on-Film screening and performance. Entitled Once Upon a Time, the programme will explore the enchantment of folklore and fairy tale on film through a series of moving image screenings, projections, installations and new commissions. The Festival is currently seeking moving image works of all kinds as part of its call for submissions, and especially seeking dance on film in line with this year’s theme. Just last year, the Festival sc ...

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Calling all young filmmakers from North East England and Scottish Borders aged 19 years and under... Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is a spectacular celebration of the art of the moving image, and the largest film festival in the North East and Scottish Borders, located in the border town of Berwick upon Tweed. The Festival is set to return for a 7th time, Friday 23 ¬- Sunday 25 September 2011, spilling out of the Maltings Theatre and into various unique architectural locations ...

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We are now recruiting for two internships, Programme Assistant and E-Marketing & Communications Assistant. The Programme Assistant role requires an enthusiastic and efficient individual who will administrate the programming and curatorial selection processes, collate information for the programme guide, and assist generally with the marketing of the programme. The E-Marketing & Communications Assistant role demands an excellent communicator who will coordinate the e-marketing, soc ...

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The next festival is set to return Friday 23 – Sunday 25 September 2011, and is currently seeking moving image works of all types - narrative and artist video, live action and animation, fiction and documentary, and dance on film – to screen as part of the Festival. The Festival has a six-year history, screening over 350 individual works from 35 countries, including 40 UK and European premieres. Each event has attracted up to 10,000 audiences from across the UK to engage with screen ...

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Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival are delighted to confirm today that Arts Council England have committed their financial support for the artistic programme and new commissions as part of the forthcoming Festival; Friday 23 – Sunday 25 September. Last year’s edition was the most successful to date, attracting over 6,000 people to the border town over a 5-day period. Berwick-upon-Tweed was once again illuminated, with 50 individual screenings and events, and 6 new commissions ...

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We are over the moon after this morning’s announcement that our bid to the Arts Council for funding over three years, 2012 – 2015, has been successful. The Festival has had the support of Arts Council England through the Grants for the Arts fund in the past, but is announced today as one of only 110 newcomers to the portfolio funding scheme nationally, and one of only 10 in the region. The company will receive £150,000 over the three-year period. Co-founder and Chair Hu ...

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Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is delighted to announce that it has been short-listed for a Journal Culture Award in the ‘Best Event Northumberland’ category. The Awards, which take place on 28th March, seek to celebrate cultural and creative events in the region. Last year’s Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival, entitled Stagings, ran in September 2010, with a range of films, video installations, performances, and commissions in various different locations across ...

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With fundraising for the 2011 Festival well underway, we thought you might want to take a peek at what we got up to last year. If you were there, you might spot yourself, and if you weren't, see what you missed! The Festival has it's own Flickr page, where you can see a whole host of images, and a selection of them as thumbnails at the bottom of our Home Page. You can also see a good selection of pics on our Facebook page. If you spot yourself, tag yourself, and if you have images of your own ...

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The 6th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival has just come to an end and has been hailed a huge success. With the theme of Stagings it explored the role of the screen as a stage, turning Berwick itself into a platform for screening, projecting and staging the moving image. The programme featured five action packed days of film and moving image art from home and abroad and established the Festival as a truly international celebration of the moving image. Over 5,000 people attended over 50 film ...

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Details, and lovely full-colour images, of the Festival 'Stagings' programme, and indeed all the projects we've busied ourselves with this year, can be found in our 56 page Catalogue. Lovingly designed by Duke and printed at Martins the Printer, there is no better way of remembering your time with us, if you attended, and no better way of knowing what you missed, if you didn't. Catalogs are on sale for £5 at the Maltings and at the Gymnasium Gallery. Alternatively, email info@berwickfilm- ...

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The Chris Anderson Award was launched in 2007 to encourage young people involved in filmmaking and to identify promising new talent. The competition is open to under-19’s from across the North East and commemorates the life of Chris Anderson who was an active supporter of both the Berwick upon Tweed Film & Media Arts Festival and young filmmakers. The award offers an annual cash prize of £200, which has kindly been donated by the family of Chris Anderson - his widow Chrissie Ande ...

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Due to pesky planned maintenance, all train services to Berwick will be cancelled on Saturday 18th September potentially lasting till the Sunday. There are replacement busses on offer by East Coast however they do take a lot longer to get to Berwick. Do not be disheartened, eager festival goers, we have several super solutions for you: Car Sharing It’s eco-friendly, you get to meet new people and you can go halves on petrol costs! We have a discussion thread on facebook if you wish t ...

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  The festival is just over a week away and we are more excited than ever. So many amazing films, workshops and events for people of all ages, industry professionals, and those who fancy an artsy day out by the sea! Having trouble getting to Berwick? Check out our facebook group for car-sharing info and more: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=18258&uid=105732004085#!/group.php?gid=105732004085 Looking forward to seeing you all there and enjoy the show!    ...

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 Calling All Young Filmmakers! Due to popular demand The Chris Anderson Award for Young Filmakers has been opened up to include all young people up to the age of 19! To be in with a chance of winning £200 prize and the opportunity to be screened at the prestigious Leeds Young People's Film Festival in 2011 go to www.berwickfilm-artsfest.com/chris-anderson-award for more details and submission form. Closing date for applications has been extended to Friday 27th August so don't dela ...

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 An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Festival team. We are offering a Marketing & Communications Coordinator internship to help coordinate the marketing and distribution of publicity materials. The role includes e-marketing, distribution, volunteer management and public relations. If you are internet savvy, have a passion for film and media arts and are looking to gain experience then this could be the job for you! This is a crucial role within the festival team demand ...

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We are looking for a young filmmaker aged 16 - 25 to devise and deliver a project documenting the festival and ensuring that young people are at the heart of our plans for the future. Working for 10 days in a paid position you will work with the Youth Projects Producer to document the festival involving and including young people. For more information go to www.berwickfilm-artsfest.com/vacancies/4/young-advocate ...

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An internship opportunity has arisen to join the team as Guest & Hospitality Coordinator. The position is to manage the guest service and coordinate hospitality for the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival 15-19th September 2010. The role includes booking travel and accommodation, itineraries, event and delegate hospitality. This is a crucial role within the festival team demanding excellent communication and organisational skills with great opportunities to meet international artists an ...

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There are still a few places left on the Berwick Film Academy! A 5 day intensive filmmaking experience to plan, shoot and edit your own film alongside professional filmmakers. The challenge is to create a film in 5 days ready for a World Premiere screening as part of the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival at The Maltings Theatre on Saturday 18th September. Berwick Film Academy starts on Monday 2nd August to Friday 6th August 2010. The Academy is run in partnership with Berwick Youth Proje ...

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For the first time this is your chance to be part of the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival Team. Get to have your say in the film programme for young people and help produce world premiere film events! Join the Film Club Team and find out: How to be a film critic and get paid to watch films Get to see films from around the world before everyone else Get an insight into the film industry and how films are made What makes a blockbuster film a blockbuster Music and sound effects Skills ...

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The 6th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival has had an unprecedented response to its call out in June for commission proposals for an artist or film-maker to make a new piece of moving image work, and ‘Film Score’ for a musician or composer to write and perform a new soundtrack to an existing film or films of their choice. Organisers were overwhelmed when hundreds of proposals flooded in from the length and breadth of the UK as well from the US, Germany, Italy and other cou ...

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Our commissioned artists Neil Bromwich and Zoe Walker have just started rehearsing, and filming, on the ramparts and need some help with stewarding. It would be great if we could get 1 volunteer on Thursday afternoon and 3 volunteers on Thursday from 5.30pm - 8pm to help out. If you are interested please email Adam and he will put you in touch with Neil directly. email adam@berwickfilm-artsfest.com Thank you Adam ...

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Calling all young filmmakers from North East England and Scottish Borders aged 14 years and under... We are now seeking submissions of short films made by young people under 14 to compete for the Chris Anderson Award of £200. The winning film will also be screened at the Leeds Young People's Film Festival – one of the biggest film festivals in the UK for young people. This competition commemorates the life of Chris Anderson who was an active supporter of both the Festival and young ...

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The 6th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival's call for volunteers has now gone live on the website.  This year we want you to help create the biggest and most successful festival to date showcasing some of the most innovative and entertaining film and visual arts in the world. We want to make sure everyone gets the most out of their experience by volunteering with the festival and so we have created specific Teams so that you can gain skills, knowledge and experience to help you ...

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We have received submissions from far and wide! Almost half of the films have come from outside the UK, with 13% of those coming in from outside of Europe from as far as the Middle East to South and North America. It has been almost a week since the deadline, and due to an overwhelming number of entries there has been a slight delay in the selection process. We are sorry, but please bear with us - all successful entries will be posted up by next Friday 23rd July. If you don't hear from us by Mon ...

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We’re delighted to announce the short films screening as part of the Berwickshire Film Festival; 09 – 11 July in Coldstream, Duns and Eyemouth! Taken from our call for submissions (a total of almost 100 films – so far!), happy to say we’ll be screening the following: ‘Smile’ by North East animator Chloe Rodham, about an acrobat dancer and a clown, and unrequited love at the Circus. Screening with Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus at 1pm on Friday 09 July in ...

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Tickets are now on sale for the 1st Berwickshire Film Fest; 09 – 11 July 2010! Tickets can be bought on the door, or in advance from the website, and from the following vendors: Moffat's Newsagents in Coldstream News Plus in Duns Oblo's in Eyemouth The Maltings in Berwick For full details of the programme and how to buy tickets, go to the Events page. ...

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Commissions for ‘Artists Moving Image’ and ‘Film Score’ The Festival is inviting proposals for commissions in two categories; ‘Artists’ Moving Image’ for an artist or film-maker to make a new piece of moving image work, and ‘Film Score’ for a musician or composer to write and perform a new soundtrack to an existing film or films of their choice. Each commission offers a fee of £2,500 to create new works relating to the festival theme, ...

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Berwickshire Film & Media Arts Festival is pleased to be presenting the 1st Berwickshire Film Fest; 09 - 11 July 2010. In July, Britain's only mobile cinema (pictured, with thanks to Ewen Weatherspoon (c)) will roll into the Borders  for what's set to be a spectacular long weekend of cinema.  The programme is due to be released Friday 17 June 2010 and tickets go on sale Friday 25 June. Watch this space! ...

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As we bid goodbye to our intern Yilis del Carmen Suriel (sob!), we're once again working with Newcastle University to recruit a student or recent graduate as Programme Assistant for the summer. The work placement involves 200 hours of work, based here in our Berwick office, and a bursary of £1,200. We're looking for someone with some IT / office experience, excellent organisational skills, and above all a real passion for film and artists' moving image! The deadline for applications has be ...

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Welcome to our new website! About the festival The festival will take place 15 – 19 September 2010. Entitled Stagings, the programme will explore performance on film, and the function of the screen as a stage. Now open for entries! Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is a celebration of the moving image in all its many forms, and we accept all genres and types of moving image works - narrative and artist video, live action and animation, fiction and documentary. Click here to submi ...

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The Festival is heading over the Border, taking films to Eyemouth, Duns and Coldstream as part of Berwickshire Film Fest! The Screen Machine, an 80-seat mobile cinema, will take a series of new films and old to the Scottish Borders 09 - 11 July 2010, as a precursor to the main Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival 15 - 19 September 2010. The project has been funded by Regional Screen Scotland and Scottish Borders Council, and is being coordinated by the Berwick-based Bright Quarter. More detail ...

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Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival requires a freelance Volunteers Coordinator to recruit, manage and support the Festival’s volunteers and to assist in the development of the volunteers and internship project. This post has been funded by the BIG Lottery Fund's Awards for All scheme. The contract will go to tender, with a deadline of Thursday 3rd June for applications. Click here for details of the role and how to apply. 02/06/2010 Update: The deadline for applications has been exten ...

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