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Final Nominations Announced - FOCAL International Awards

FOCAL INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES FINAL NOMINATIONS

PRESTIGIOUS FOOTAGE AWARDS CEREMONY TO BE HELD AT THE LANCASTER LONDON HOTEL,
LONDON 11 May, 2011

FOCAL International the trade body representing the world’s footage archives, professional footage researchers, consultants and facility houses has announced the shortlisted final nominations for the 2011 FOCAL International Awards in association with AP Archive.

These accolades – 18 awards in total - represent the only global competition dedicated to the celebration of the use of footage by producers together with the recognition of achievements of professionals within the archive industry.

Having hosted the event for many years, celebrated British film-maker Lord Puttnam, FOCAL International’s Chair of Patrons will take a back seat allowing Chairman of the British Film Institute and Former Director General of the BBC Greg Dyke to present the 18 awards at the ceremony along with FOCAL International’s Chair, Sue Malden, at the Lancaster London Hotel, 11 May in London.

Last year acclaimed film director Mr Martin Scorsese honoured FOCAL International by personally coming to collect his award for the Best Restoration work on the film The Red Shoes and Awards organizer Julie Lewis, General Manager, FOCAL International, promises that “this year’s nominations are no less impressive.”

“In the Best Restoration category this year, we received so many excellent submissions that we have had to separate out the Best Project from the Best Title and we will give an award to each. Our Jurors have had to work even harder than in previous years and you can only imagine the agony that they have had to go though in selecting titles such as Bridge On The River Kwai, Metropolis 27/10 and The Great White Silence over titles such as The African Queen, La Dolce Vita and Kind Hearts And Coronets!”

FOCAL International received 233 submissions from 20 countries which is well up on last year’s figures and shows that these awards, now into their 8th year, are firmly established as the world’s leading event to promote and reward the best use of library archive and stock footage in the creative media and the professionals who make it possible.

Amongst the nine titles shortlisted for the three Best use of Footage in a Factual production awards, two are from WGBH’s American Experience: Earth Days and The Civilian Conservation Corps both directed by Robert Stone. Available Light Productions also has two titles shortlisted Shooting the War and The Story of the Sea. France is represented with two titles Dissidents (Zadig Productions) and First Passion (Vivement Lundi), with strong contention from The Light Bulb Conspiracy (Media 3.14 Spain) and Reel Injun (Rezolution Pictures International, Canada).

The Best Use of Footage in an Arts or Music Production category this year attracted so many submissions that there will be an award for both the best arts programme and the best one featuring music archive footage. One of those shortlisted Cinema Komunisto (Dribbling Pictures, Yugoslavia) has already been picking up awards in Europe and is one to look out for, as is the production featuring The Ballets Russes In Australia which has also been shortlisted in the Best Use Of Footage In A Home Entertainment Release category.

When it comes to documentaries using music archive footage, the BBC usually has strong contenders and no less this year with Latin Music USA up against Arena’s Johnny Mercer – The Dream’s on Me. Final submissions in the other categories include productions from Germany, Greece and Ireland.

Tickets for the gala dinner and awards ceremony, marking the highlight of the footage industry calendar, are now on sale.

“It’s a perfect opportunity for networking with the leading figures of the audiovisual community and it is a great platform for sponsorship, so if you are interested, we’d love to hear from you!” says Anne Johnson, Commercial Manager, FOCAL International.

Ticket Reservations: [email protected]
FOCAL International Awards: www.focalint.org/focalawards.htm

The final nominations for the FOCAL International Awards 2011 in association with AP Archive are:

Award for Best Use of Footage in Factual Productions
(3 separate Awards will be presented)
Sponsored by BBC Motion Gallery + ITN Source + INA

American Experience: Earth Days - WGBH Educational Foundation (USA)
American Experience: The Civilian Conservation Corps - WGBH Educational Foundation (USA)
Dissidents - Zadig productions (France)
First Passion - Vivement Lundi! (France)
Reel Injun - Rezolution Pictures International, Inc (Canada)
Requiem for Detroit? - Films of Record (UK)
Shooting the War - Available Light Productions (UK)
The Light Bulb Conspiracy - Media 3.14 (Spain)
The Story of the Sea - Available Light Productions (UK)


Best Use Of Footage In An Entertainment Or Drama Production
Fremantlemedia Archive

Alan Davies: Teenage Revolution - Oxford Film TV (UK)
The Great British Outdoors - BBC Entertainment (UK)
Wallace and Gromit’s World of Invention - Aardman Films (UK)


Best Use Of Footage In An Arts Production
Sponsor sought

A Boatload Of Wild Irishmen - LMDÓC / Brightspark Studios / University of Lincoln (Ireland)
A Thousand Encores: The Ballets Russes In Australia - Flaming Star Films / ABC (Australia)
Cinema Komunisto - Dribbling Pictures (Yugoslavia)

Best Use Of Footage In An Arts Production featuring Music
Sponsored by Getty Images

American Masters: Lennon NYC - American Masters / Thirteen (USA)
Arena: Johnny Mercer - The Dream’s On Me - BBC Arena/Rhapsody Productions Co-production (UK)
Latin Music USA - BBC Music Entertainment (UK)


Award for Best Use of Sports Footage
Sponsored by ITV Sport Archive

Alex Higgins: The People’s Champion - BBC Sport (UK)
One Night In Turin - One Night In Turin Limited / New Black Films Ltd (UK)
Shoulder To Shoulder (Gualainn Le Gualainn) - Fastnet Films / TG4 (Ireland)


Award for Best Use of Footage in a Short Production
Sponsored by WRN Broadcast

Bitesize Geography - BBC Bitesize (UK)
Courage Inspires Courage - Corlin Stubbs (USA)
Dust - Stylus Films (UK)


Award for Best Use of Wildlife and Natural History Stock Footage
Sponsor sought

A Place Without People - Anemon Productions (Greece)
Atlas 4D - Darlow Smithson Productions (UK)
The Blood Of The Rose - Dragonfly Film and Television Productions Ltd / WDR (UK / Germany)

Award for Best Use of Footage on Non-television Platforms
Sponsor sought

Europa Film Treasures website - Lobster Films (France)
JFK: 50 Days "I pad App" - Perseus Books Group (USA)
Mnemosyne - Smoking Dogs Films (UK)


Award for Best Use Of Footage In A Home Entertainment Release
Sponsor sought

American The Bill Hicks Story - Halflife Films (UK)
Firebird And Other Legends / A Thousand Encores - Flaming Star Films / ABC (UK / Australia)
La Bataille Du Rail - INA Editions (France)


Award for Best Use of Footage in a Cinema Release
Sponsored by ITN Source

Fire In Babylon - Passion Pictures (UK)
My Perestroika - Red Square Productions (USA)
The Green Wave - Dreamer Joint Venture Filmproduktion GmbH / WDR (Germany)

Award for Best Archive Restoration Project
Sponsored by BBC Studios Post Production

Boom Britain (Documentary Film In Post-War Britain) / Shadows Of Progress - BFI National Archive (UK)
The Chaplin Keystone Project - Lobster Films (France)
United Press International Television News Collection - AP Archive / Éclair Laboratoires (UK/France)


Award for Best Archive Restoration Project
Sponsor sought

Bridge On The River Kwai - Sony Pictures (USA)
Metropolis 27/10 - Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung/Alpha-Omega Digital GmbH (Germany)
The Great White Silence - BFI / Deluxe Digital (UK)


The Jane Mercer Footage Researcher of the Year Award
Sponsored by AP Archive

Paul Bell
Phil Clark
Jacqui Edwards
Elizabeth Klinck


Award for Footage Library of the Year
Sponsor sought

British Pathe
Clips Footage
Getty Images

Award for Footage LibraryEmployee of the Year
Sponsor sought

Beatrice Okoro, ITN Source
Jenny Coan, Clips Footage
Jenny Hammerton, AP Archive

Award for Lifetime Achievement
A gift of the FOCAL International Executive
The individual winner will be announced at the Awards ceremony 11th May, 2011.