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31st October 2018

Marston’s launch second year for Beer Town Film Festival

Marston’s Brewery has announced the launch of Beer Town Film Festival 2019 and are calling for entries from film makers of 16 years of age and above across the UK to enter five different film categories from now until 2nd February 2019.

This is the second year for the award-winning* film festival in Burton Upon Trent following on from the success of the first one this year, having attracted 796 short film entries from all over the UK.

Working in partnership on the film festival with Burton and South Derbyshire College and backed by the town’s home-grown filmmaking talent, Marston’s is inviting entries for short fiction, short documentary, animated, music video and, new for this year, ‘mobile 61’ categories.

The judges will also award two further spot prizes – including one for the best film made by ‘home-grown’ talent – drawn from across all of the categories. Winners in each of the categories will win a cash prize of £500.

Finally, the judges will award an overall Beer Town Festival Winner selected from the finalists in each category – the ‘Hop D’Or’ – and they will collect £1,000 in prize money as well as the honour.

Locally born film makers, Hollywood special effects producer, Rich Yeomans and film maker and award-winning screen writer, Deborah Haywood are renewing their patronage and will be judges for the festival. The remaining judges for each of the categories being drawn from a range of creative experts in their judging categories.

Judging will take place from March to May 2019 and the Beer Town Film Festival competition will conclude at the end of a week-long focus on film and filmmaking events in the town from 13-18th May 2019 with an outdoor cinema, beer and food festival to be held at Marston’s Brewery in Burton Upon Trent on Saturday 18th May 2019.

Jo Wyke, Marketing Manager from Marston’s said: “We were thrilled by the reaction that we had from filmmakers in our first year of competition. Beer Town Film Festival represents our town’s creativity and craftmanship as the spiritual home of brewing to a new UK-wide audience. We have started something really special and we want it to continue.”

Chris Beech, Assistant Principal and Dean from Burton and South Derbyshire College said: “We’re delighted to continue our support of the Marston’s Beer Town Film Festival, which shines a light on filmmaking talent and provides a platform for films and creativity in the local area. After the success of our Level 3 Film and TV student, Jack Hale, who won the People’s Choice Award last year, our creative students will once again have the opportunity to enter the competition, allowing them to showcase their work on a national stage.”

In May this year, Matt Daunt won the Best Promotional and Music Film category for ‘Blue’ his music video for the Nottingham-based singer/songwriter, Rob Green. He then went on to be chosen as Best Overall Film 2018 for the festival winning the ‘Hop D’Or’ trophy. He said that winning his award had been a boost to his filmmaking career and he added: “Winning the award inspired me to work on a new music video over the summer and I will definitely be entering this year’s competition too.”

*Winner of ‘Best Event’ award at the national Beer & Cider Marketing Awards 2018

(ENDS)

www.beertownfilmfestival.co.uk

Photos attached:

  • The Beer Town Film Festival logo projected onto the Victorian Brewhouse at the Burton-based brewery
  • Winners from the first Beer Town Film Festival 2018: Jack Hale (winner of the Burton Mail People’s Choice Award), Matt Daunt (winner of the Best Advertising and Promotion film and overall festival winner), Nick Jones (winner of the Best Short Fiction film) and Jade Fovargue (winner of the Best Home Grown film)

Notes for Entrants:

Anyone aged 16 years old and over can enter the Beer Town Film Festival competition with an original film that must have been made after 1st January 2018.

Entries can be received from now until midnight on Saturday 2nd February 2019.

Entries can be uploaded via – www.beertownfilmfestival.co.uk

The categories for entry are:

  • Fiction Short
  • Documentary Short
  • Music Video
  • Animation Short
  • Mobile 61

‘Short’ is deemed to be no longer than 20 minutes or less. Mobile 61 film must be shot entirely on a mobile phone and must last 61 seconds exactly (excluding credits)

The category winners will be put forward to an overall Beer Town Film Festival Award with a prize of £1,000.

Full terms and conditions will be on the website.

 

Notes on the patrons:

Rich Yeomans

Rich was born in Burton Upon Trent and grew up living in Stretton attending Thomas Alleynes High School in Stretton. With GNVQs in Art and Design he went to study New Media Graphics at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design where he roomed with several film production students and caught the film-making bug.

After his studies he moved to London eventually landing the role of a visual effects runner on the second Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. He went on to work on the remaining six films in the franchise and was credited as Visual Effects Production Supervisor for the last three. Since then he has worked on Wrath of the Titans, Maleficent, Fast and Furious: Supercharged and completed the post-production on Andy Serkis’s Jungle Book adaptation, Mowgli in May this year. The film is due for release in October.

Currently living in the South East, Rich still comes ‘home’ to Burton to see family and friends and was proud to be involved in the first Beer Town Film Festival so did not hesitate to be involved again.

 

Deborah Haywood

From Swadlincote, film maker and writer Deborah Haywood has filmed all her films locally and first got into writing when she attended an access course at Burton and South Derbyshire College.

Following her first short Deborah was selected for Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow, 2007. She is BIFA nominated and has won several awards including Best Short at Soho Rushes Short Film Festival with her short film Sis.

In September 2017, Pin Cushion was screened at the Venice Critics’ Week as the strand’s opening film. Starring Lily Newmark and Joanna Scanlan, the film is Pin Cushion is an all-girl gothic fairy tale set in the British working-class suburbs. A review of the film in The Guardian in July 2018 described Deborah as a ‘British film-maker with a distinctive voice and considerable talent.’

Further information:

Lisa Harlow Ltd

Mob: 07917 757860

Tel: 01283 820102

Web: www.lisaharlow.co.uk