Microschool International Workshop

Wendesday, October 17th / 11.00-17.30, Zagreb Dance Centre

Thursday, October 18th / 9.30-17.30, Zagreb Dance Centre

Aimed at commissioning the next generation of film-making talent in London, Microwave is Film London’s micro-budget feature film-making scheme. Microwave has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2006. In partnership with BBC Films and supported by Creative Skillset, this unique training-through-production scheme offers fledgling talent an avenue into feature production. Microwave has produced seven features, including Eran Creevy’s SHIFTY and Plan B’s directorial debut iLL MANORS which is screening at the festival (date/time/location). Microwave has recently announced a further three films have been greenlit, including the directorial debut of acclaimed screenwriter Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).

An integral part to the success of the scheme is the innovative four-day development bootcamp MICROSCHOOL, which gives film-makers the tools to develop their project intensively with top industry professional and talent. Film London Microwave is teaming up with Zagreb Film Festival, the British Council and Croatian Audiovisual centre to deliver the first MICROSCHOOL INTERNATIONAL during the festival for up to 12 teams of emerging Croatian film-makers.

MICROSCHOOL INTERNATIONAL will give participating teams insight into writing on a micro-budget, cost drivers, international sales, and a case study with the producer and director of the latest Microwave feature, BORROWED TIME. Teams will also be provided bespoke 1:2:1 advice with a range of industry practitioners.

Please feel free to attend the Borrowed Time Screening at 11 p.m. at the Zagreb Dance Center and meet the film-makers and Microwave team.

Lecturers

Maggie Ellis, Head of Production and Talent Development, Film London
Maggie Ellis is a champion of independent talent in the film industry and has helped launch the careers of some of UK’s most talented film-makers and artists. Starting her career teaching photography, film and television at Chelsea School of Art, St. Martin’s School of Art, RCA and NFTS, amongst others, Maggie moved into the Film and TV industries in 1989. Maggie has set up and ran a number of commercial and publically financed production schemes, in particular the London Production Fund and London Artists’ Film & Video Awards (LAFVA). For seven years, 1997-2004, she was Production Executive for Channel 4 and Arts Council England’s experimental animation scheme, animate! She has also worked as a consultant and advisor to a number of organisations and independent companies including Arts Council England, NESTA, Wellcome Trust, London Screenwriters Festival and WFTV. She is on the boards of Cine Regio and the Sheffield Media Exhibition Centre (SMEC). Since joining Film London as the first Head of Production, Maggie has commissioned hundreds of films, from shorts to features, from London’s new and emergent talent. This has been through a number of highly successful schemes including PULSE Digital Shorts, the London Borough Film Funds, the unique Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) and Microwave. Maggie was appointed as Film London’s first Head of Production in 2005, specifically to set up and run Microwave, the newly established micro-budget feature film commissioning scheme, in partnership with BBC Films and with support from Skillset.

Mike Kelly, Physical Production and Business Affairs, Film London Microwave
Previously the Group Accountant for Thames Television PLC, Finance Director at Majestic Films & TV, Finance Director at British Screen, the inaugural Head of Finance of the UK Film Council and Vice President Of Production Finance for Warner Bros in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, in 2006 Mike Kelly established Northern Alliance Ltd, a Chartered Accountancy practice providing accounting and consulting services and business advice to clients in the entertainment and media industries. Mike has been involved in the finance, physical production and/or business affairs of hundreds of films including; A Very Long Engagement, Bad Education, Bloody Sunday, Control, Dances With Wolves, Death Note, Driving Miss Daisy, Gosford Park, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Little Polar Bear, The Magdalene Sisters, The Painted Veil, Sliding Doors, This Is England and Young Adam.

Tessa Inkelaar, Development & Production Officer, Microwave team
On graduating from Southampton University with a degree in Film and History of Art and Design, Tessa moved to London and started working as Film London’s Talent and Audience Development Assistant, working across a number of talent development schemes including Microwave, first micro-budget feature film scheme in the UK and the Short Film Funds. Tessa has since moved to working full time on the Microwave scheme, supporting the slate of projects from development through to exhibition, working across a wide variety of genre films including Ben Drew aka Plan B's directorial debut Ill Manors, Frances Lea’s Strawberry Fields and Jules Bishop's Borrowed Time. In 2011, Tessa set up production company Broken Light Films with Preethi Mavahalli, to produce a number of short films. Tessa has a number of features and TV shows in development, including feature Cold Storage, selected for development by NFTS and Vertigo Films.

Carey Fitzgerald, UK International Sales Agent, Highpoint Sales
Carey Fitzgerald established High Point Media Group in 1990 and has since built the company into one of the longest running independent film and TV companies in the UK. Whilst the Group has an excellent executive production and UK DVD Distribution arm, feature film and television sales and distribution remains core to its business. Being experts in both feature film and television is what makes it unique amongst its peers. Fitzgerald previously ran various Film and TV sales companies following working in production with British production companies including the producers of the Monty Python Films. Being internationally recognized, she is routinely invited as a guest tutor to some of the most highly regarded film schools around the world, such as the International Film and Television School in Cuba, The Media Business School, BAFTA and Ficci Frames, India.

Hrvoje Stipanov, Head of Theatrical Release, Continental film
Born in 1982, Hrvoje Stipanov obtained a degree in Economics. He started his career in film distribution as Brand Manager for major companies Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Company. In 2011, he becomes Head of Theatrical Release department and deals with theatrical release of Croatian, independent and major studios' films. 

Jules Bishop, director of Borrowed Time
Having studied fine art at the Bournemouth Arts institute, Jules Bishop continued to the London Film School, thanks to the Charles Cooper Scholarship, where he wrote and directed five short films. Since graduating he has been working on a varied slate of original feature scripts, alongside painted illustrations, animations and photographs. Since 2008, Jules has been working with producer Olivier Kaempfer and Parkville Pictures developing a number of projects, Borrowed Time being the first of these to go into production.

Justin Trefgarne, Writer and Director
Justin Trefgarne is a writer-director whose debut feature, the futuristic thriller DRECK, starring Elliot Cowan, Jonathan Pryce and Elodie Yung, is currently in post production. After a stint as an actor and then story editor for Working Title Films, Justin wrote and directed the short Timekilling in 2006. This was followed by the shorts Life XP and Unborn which premiered at the 2008 EIFF and went on to play at festivals around the world. That same year Justin was featured in Screen International's Stars Of Tomorrow lineup. In 2009 Justin devised and wrote a series of shorts for Bacardi - True Originals made its debut online in 2010. Other notable commissions include Nightshift (UKFC), The Property (Material Ent.) and latterly Black Rabbit Summer (Ruby Films) scheduled to shoot early 2013.

Olivier Kaempfer, producer of Borrowed Time
Graduating with an MA in Filmmaking from the London Film School in 2007, Olivier went on to found his own production company, Parkville Pictures, based in London. The company has already made a number of award-winning films including the BAFTA-nominated short film Ralph (directed by Alex Winckler). Ralph was also an official selection at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival and won prizes at other international shot film festivals. Parkville’s second short film, A Road Apart was written, produced and directed by Olivier. Parkville pictures’ third film, Eve, was directed by Thanos Psichogios and nominated for Best Short Film at the 2009 Milano International Film Festival. Olivier’s latest projects include The First Days of Spring, a 50 minute film Executive Produced by Glynis Murray and Tomboy Films. The film is written and directed by Charlie Fink, lead singer of the band Noah and The Whale. He has also produced Thomas, a second short film collaboration with Alex Winckler.