Quentin Tarantino to give Cannes masterclass

Quentin Tarantino is to give a masterclass at Cannes this year. The maker of "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" is following in the footsteps of Martin Scorsese, Stephen Frears and Sydney Pollack by taking to the stage to talk about film-making. As anyone that watches YouTube knows, Mr T can be outspoken and passionate. So this should be a stimulating event.

This is not the first time Tarantino has spoken at Cannes, as he took to the stage of the open-air cinema a few years back to introduce some classics films.

The Cannes festival and Film Market will be held May 14-25.

Iron Maiden singer to unveil film at Cannes

Looks like it's that time of the year already, when the offbeat and unusual get their headlines by virtue of turning up at Cannes. According to a report in the BBC, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson will unveil a flm at this year's Cannes festival. "Chemical Wedding" stars Simon Callow as Professor Haddo, the reincarnation of British occultist Aleister Crowley, once described as Britain's most evil man. Julian Doyle, who directed the video for the band's 1988 single 'Can I Play with Madness', co-wrote the script with Dickinson and is directing. The reaction from test screenings are that it is very much in the vein of the Hammer Horror films.

UK seminar for filmmakers

Two heavyweights are coming together to enable UK filmmakers to prepare for Cannes. Chris Jones, himself a filmmaker and author of the highly recommended "Guerrilla Film Makers Handbook", and Ben Craig, who runs CannesGuide.com and writes the equally-recommended "Virgin's Guide to Cannes" (right), will host an event at the Ealing Studios on March 20. I quote: "Ben’s seminar will offer detailed, practical and pragmatic techniques and tips so that YOU can maximise your impact and minimise your spend. And don’t think that Cannes is just for producers and directors, the savvy actors, writers, editors, DP’s and other crew members are all there too, rubbing shoulders with the power players and making new relationships that can lead to amazing new opportunities."

The entry of £15 includes a copy of the "Virgins Guide". This event is highly recommended. For details, visit Living Spirit.
Source: Screenplay Europe

Scriptwriters make noise at Cannes

Following the lead of 101 Scénaristes last year, Cannes will feature a number of scriptwriting initiatives. The largest will probably be the Journées du Scénario/Writers' Days being run by France's enterprising UGS. They have set up a database of available scripts and will run a Script Market, sailing events and lots of talks and round tables. Unfortunately, the market is only open to produced writers, but will doubtless be an exciting event. Catherine Deneuve has accepted to be the “godmother”, or patron, of the whole thing.

Staying in France, the Adami is running a second Speed Dating session on Monday 22. The idea is simple: put a bunch of writers, actors, producers and musicians in the same space for about an hour and hope that connections are made. Adami is particularly good at finding and supporting young actors.

Writer/director Karan Johar (“Khabhi Khushi Khabhie Gham”) will be talking at the UK Film Centre on Friday May 19, followed by Ken Loach the next day. The London Script Consultancy will hold its second Panasonic International Filmmakers' Pitch. But admissions closed May 15.

Last but not least, Cannes will also see the unveiling of the first issue of “Le Scénario Français” a new quarterly in French (mostly) that features articles and pitches - including contributions from yours truly.

Relevant links:
UGS-Online
Adami
UK Film Centre
Le Scénario Français

If you hear of any other events, please leave a message. Article lifted from Screenplay Europe