december

The BUFF Blog (by Larushka Ivan-Zadeh – December 2013)

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Image result for larushka ivan-zadeh

BUFF Tidings! And what a great time of the year it is to be at the pictures. Christmas round the corner, Oscar-bait movies ten-a-penny, what’s not to like? Digital distribution perhaps? We’ll save that for next month’s blog. At the time of writing, yours truly will be in attendance at a pre-Christmas preview screening of ’12 Years A Slave’ – it’s one of the perks of running a film festival though one could say the same thing about this month’s guest writer of the BUFF blog. Those of you who follow the festival will either recognise the name Larushka Ivan-Zadeh or indeed her profile picture in the Metro – and that’s because not only is she the film editor for that newspaper, she’s also one of our esteemed board members meaning that she gets to see a vast cornucopia of films – mostly on your behalf. So why should she have this privilege you may ask? Why should you care what she thinks about a big-budget movie or otherwise? Well there’s only one way to find out? Read her BUFF blog right here…

 

Why does anyone care what film critics think? The answer increasingly seems to be: they don’t. For 2013 marks the year the professional (i.e. paid) critic became an endangered species. The cull that started in the US finally arrived in the UK. Increasing numbers of my colleagues in the mainstream press have been axed, retired or told they can only continue if they take massive pay-cuts. Obviously I think this is a bad thing. But is it? What are we losing here? And what is the role of a film critic anyway?

In the old, pre-Internet days seeing the point of a film critic was simpler. We were news-bringers and gate-keepers. A hatchet job critique can be an entertaining read, but, as a force for good, we helped – and still do help – to introduce audiences to new, often challenging work. But then, so do film festivals. BUFF is a shining example. It provides a valued platform to filmmakers whose work can struggle to be heard in the mainstream media. Festivals are a chance for audiences to see films unprejudiced by reviews, marketing slants or hype. BUFF-goers don’t use reviews to choose what to see – indeed they can’t, as some of the films in the programme have never been screened anywhere before. So what’s the role of a critic at festivals? To acquaint themselves on the cutting edge of film making, to spread the word of what they’ve seen outwards and to take the critical temperature of how the film is likely to be received outside the supportive and nurturing festival nest.

It is at festivals we see that critics, industry and audiences share a level playing field. Often a festival will have an ‘Audience’ award as well as an award voted for by a jury. Filmmakers will value both, but also the praise or constructive criticism of the professional reviewer. Why? Because what differentiates the professional reviewer, as well as, hopefully, a skill for insightful analysis, is that they give an informed context for their opinion. One based in an extensive knowledge of cinema and wider film history. Added to that is the fact we see a heck of a lot more movies than you do. I see about 6 new films a week, for example.

That said, criticism is subjective. And no critic is an ultimate authority. Film festivals, more than anywhere, are where critical objectivity can fly out the window. At Cannes, for example, passions run particularly high: films are routinely booed or given standing ovations and this is reflected in the reviews. Here, even broadsheet critics can over-excitedly shower films with stars that, if viewed outside the festival hothouse, they might have appraised more coolly.

So, why should you trust a critic to tell you if a film is any good, or not? Studios are starting not to. Posters may still have critics’ star ratings on them as a badge of pride – but tweets from ‘normal’ punters have begun to be used on publicity, even for ‘serious’ dramas like the Oscar-nominated ‘The Impossible’ which opened earlier this year. You can see why marketing companies would use quotes from the public when advertising big, so-called ‘critic-proof’ multiplex crowd-pleasers – the films that we critics insist are rubbish and give no stars to, but audiences still flock to in their millions. But, even so, who are these random Tweeters on the posters? What weight does their opinion hold? You could probably find a Twitter-user who loved the Diana movie if you looked hard enough.

Thanks to social media the phrase ‘everyone’s a critic’ has never been truer. Anyone can set up a reviews site online and shout their opinions – as long as they don’t expect to be paid for it. Which is great for non-elitism. And, on the upside, social media has proved a revolutionary facilitator in allowing independent filmmakers to create a word-of-mouth buzz for their films without the need for a prohibitively expensive marketing campaign. But, to me, the professional critic still has a role. To me, a critic is a guide. A guide you may not always agree with, but who entertains you, occasionally enlightens you and one whose opinion you respect. A guide who is comprehensive, who has the time to see everything from tiny festival movie to massive blockbuster and, ideally, give them equal consideration. To do that properly is a full time job – and should be valued with a living wage. And in our non-stop, ever-expanding media Babel, a guide is more essential than ever. But then I would say that, wouldn’t I?

© Larushka Ivan-Zadeh/BUFF Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.

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The BUFF Blog (by Sheila Nortley – December 2011)

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In keeping with the tradition of listening to a rather powerful woman just before you’re about to embark on what’s really important – or maybe you’ve already squashed Christmas lunch by the time your attention is perhaps swayed by a certain Elizabeth Windsor – its’ time we took note of another Christmas message – the one being brought to you by another powerful woman (Sheila Nortley) who is fast becoming a regular fixture on the urban independent film circuit. And before we hear from her, BUFF would like to thank all of this year’s guest bloggers who’ve graced these pages with their inspiring words including Anjela Lauren Smith, Wil Johnson and Kamara Bacchus – long may the passion continue. We leave you now with the December edition of the BUFF Blog, guest-written by Sheila Nortley…

This has been the year of who are you and who do you think you are. For many I have spoken to, a year of self reflection, growth, preparation and development. I find it hard to separate myself from my career, and I don’t really think this is a bad thing. Designed by the mind of the Most High and Most Near, I’d assume that we are complex and deep beings. And everything we do and say is as a ripple in the ocean, a butterfly effect. So my career, my family, my character, my talents, my mood, my prayers, my fasting, my being – all are very much related.

This is why I nearly told Emmanuel that I didn’t want to write the blog and that I had nothing to say. The premise of having my 15 minutes doesn’t do much for me. I nearly told Emmanuel that I didn’t want to write this blog because it would be hard for me to write about my year, my career, my hopes, dreams, and aspirations without, in one way or another, writing about my thoughts, my opinions and thus my self. Thoughts are precious things to be valued and treasured and nurtured when productive – regardless of what Twitter tells us – and I didn’t just want to ramble on. Why would I? Like, who am I? And who do I think I am? This has been the year of who are you and who do you think you are.

I’m Sheila Nortley. Writer. Producer. And a Managing Director of Kingdom Entertainment Group. I am also a daughter, a sister, a friend, a niece, an aunty, a cousin, an enemy, a mentor, a mentee, a believer, an unbeliever, an entrepreneur, an employee, a contact, a fan, an ex, a partner, a memory of a smile from a random stranger passing, a sista, a human, a queen and a slave depending on the transcience of context and perception.

Here and now, in this context, on your browser, I’m assuming the honour of being the guest writer for the final British Urban Film Festival blog of 2011, yet it’s ironic that I’ve been asked to write this blog as I don’t really like to talk much. I’d like to think I’m of those who’d rather do. I do, until I have little time left to be. And then I be, and in that time I do not like to do. Whilst trying to find the balance between doing and being, what time is there really to talk?

So, I was going to tell Emmanuel: “Brother. I’m sorry. I have nothing to say right now.” Who really cares anyway about the eccentric nuances and electric abstractions which dance around in the synapses of my mind? And even if suddenly everyone wanted to know – for some reason – what I thought and felt about my year, I rarely feel the compulsion to share such intimacies with a bunch of strangers when even good friends are hard to find these days. (I hope this doesn’t offend you – I know you know what I mean.)

So yesterday, I was going to tell Emmanuel: “Sorry brother. I have nothing to say.”

And then, Jacob ping’d me. His BB status said: “why am I fighting to live if I’m just living to fight”.

For those of you who don’t know, it was the conversation I had upon meeting Jacob in the park in summer 2010 that inspired me to embark on a venture which consumed my time, my mind, my resources, my energy and my heart throughout 2011. My film, Zion. We met by ‘chance’ in the park – what I know to be the undeniable poetry of the One who knows all things and His eloquence with time and destiny. Jacob was a sixteen year old boy with a seemingly broken hand, who was scared to go to the hospital because he’d seen so much death there. A boy who had been labeled with ADHD since he was 4, yet spoke with the softness of a broken boy with a gentle soul, or a gentle boy with a broken soul – one or the other. A young man who, when asked where he saw himself in 10 years time, said to me: ‘To be honest with you, Miss; I don’t.’ One day, 6 months later, a script was written, and a beautiful cast and talented crew produced a short film called Zion. Jacob was supposed to attend the premiere but he didn’t.

He had community service and was so upset he couldn’t make it. I told Mr Elusive he should write something on the Facebook wall; told him I would mention him in every interview and that people would soon start to suspect if he’s even real. (He said he would, but he hasn’t yet.)

In light of the success of the night; the glamour, the inspiration, the buzz, the hype, the excitement of friends and family, supporters of and believers in, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and celebrities, thespians and socialites, speakers and thinkers, doers and dreamers, lovers and, dare I say, “haters” (cringe) despite all this magic on the premiere night of a film inspired by the conversation I had with him – here he was, on my BB, yesterday sad as ever. I could send you a screenmunch (screenshot of phone screen). His BB status said: “why am I fighting to live if I’m just living to fight.”

I asked him what was wrong and he replied: ‘Had a madness. Dere’s guna b a prob dis tym tho…’ We spoke a bit more, and I felt so useless; I asked him if he could ask God for one thing what would he ask for and he said ‘To hurry up n end it. Big man ting. Jus feel 2 give up’.

This is a boy that on a dark night, if he rolled up to you on a pushbike with his hoodie down low, would frighten you – here he was telling me how vulnerable he is. I lament for all the victims, misrepresented as the villains – even those who become villains at the torment of their very nature. If you don’t see the value in your own life, or your purpose for living, the consequences could be dire – you don’t have to be a young black child growing up in the estates of South London to know this. We can all relate to this one way or another. At some point, we have all doubted our value, and deviated from our purpose [if we ever knew what it was]. Wow. He confided in me that he wished God would end it all. That hurt.

Then my thoughts turned to the inTOUCH youth event that the team behind Zion held just before our glittery premiere. It was set up for the young people to speak up and have an open forum with Ashley Walters, Jaja Soze, Rashid Kasirye, Dexter Simms etc, watch some films, and some performances and just vibe. Wow. What an unruly group we had. Some of them were so disrespectful, talking over speakers, talking over the films, fighting, arguing to the point that security had to get involved.

…But wait, this is for you. Why is it so hard for you to accept this small gesture? Perhaps it is so unfamiliar to you that you do not know how to respond to love? If you don’t see the value in your own life, or your purpose for living, the consequences could be dire. If you don’t respect yourself, how are you going to respect anything else?

InTouch was, to be honest, a bit of a nightmare – let’s keep it real – like, it was a nightmare. BUT this simply illustrated how much attention the youth crave and confirmed that the film was necessary.

The Premiere event followed – I couldn’t have asked for more. The film was well received. Reviews have been excellent; better than I could have hoped. Who for a minute underestimated the minds of the masses and thought that spoonfeeding us mind-numbing rhetoric day in day out on mainstream TV, would cause us to forget the sweet delights of independent cinema, in all its’ rugged imperfect and beautifully raw glory?

To every single person that came and understood the film, I thank you and celebrate you daily. There were so many people behind this production and so much inspiration drawn from so many more people.

And, as a self-confessed Ebenezer Scrooge who denies many of the festivities of this season, who else would I celebrate? I’d celebrate the writers whose plays this year moved my mood like the moon controls the waves; Arinze Kene and Beau Willimon. The people I’ve worked with all year; Najan, Duane, Abiola, Daniel Bailey (you know its a powerful brother when you can’t mention an individual without including the surname), Sebastian Thiel, Aisha of Red Pepper Agency. Thank you for putting up with the idiosyncrasies of a mad scientist – I hope I’ve made it interesting for you. And of course, Miss Kyle Frye and Shomari Brown: the future of black British cinema whose talent has found that perfect balance between refinement of the craft and raw talent. Ryan Samuda, my director and friend [thank God we’re still cool after this film] and the entire Zion team. I respect the inspirational entrepreneurs I’ve met this year like Dexter Simms, Ismael South, Raymond Douglas – inspired visionaries that build and strive day in and day out for the people and not just for material gain or status.

I respect people like my dear friends and mentors, Stephen Lloyd Jackson and Andy Mundy-Castle. I respect people like Richie Campbell, Sway and Ashley Walters who have managed to stay so grounded, down-to-earth and humble despite their massive success and achievements, actors and artists who have refined their art with mastery, and not at the expense of their sense of humour and good manners.

I respect people like Jahnoi Cranston and Alesha Pryce, who love their art and work hard to achieve their dreams and have an impact in whatever piece they are working on, and do so with a smile. I respect people like Kamara Bacchus and Dionne Reid and Anisa Kissoon, who are smiling high-achievers with such grace and elegance and inspiring other sisters to dream big and never lose themselves. I appreciate and love my mum and my dad who put up with this black sheep through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, and taught me to follow what I believe in. My family is the best and without their support, I’d have nothing to celebrate.

I would like to celebrate the British Urban Film Festival for providing a platform for us to present the fruits of our labour for public scrutiny, praise, constructive criticism and thought-provoking discussion. I was greatly humbled that this year I discovered by chance that I had 3 films I worked on accepted in the festival (David is Dying, Special Delivery, Drink, Drugs & KFC). Had Zion been ready earlier it would have been four, but I stubbornly refused to hasten the process, advised by wise words from Wil Johnson at the Screen Nation nominations launch by the bar. Emmanuel’s kind words and support for me this year have been so encouraging. Thank you Emmanuel and also to the stunning actress Anjela Lauren-Smith, who is often seen with him. Thank you Anjela.

And as we celebrate together we give all thanks and praise to the One to whom it all belongs. The final curtain is drawn as we enter the last few weeks of 2011 and the energy at the moment is buzzing with anticipation as the promise of 2012 draws closer. As the world gets crazier, some aspiring filmmakers are zealous with drive and passion, and others crazed with an unquenchable thirst for prestige and power, success and fame.

With the social entrepreneurs building new doors to previously inaccessible pathways, and the game-changers marching into the brick wall (which used to seem so high and wide and solid before) brick by brick it crumbles away and the army begins to march through, together, to a triumphant fanfare. Together, as romantic as it sounds, seems to me to be the only way to progress. Competing with anyone would suggest that I think success is much more dependant upon my competence and determination than it really is. I’m not saying that I don’t work really hard, but I know Who gives and Who takes away. Everything is written. So I just do the best I can and try to trust Him. Yet, I have seen ego drive people to the point of loneliness, paranoia and writers block. The concept of all three frighten me. (You need to be open to bring anything into being) It’s nearly 2012.

Time has flown by like a jet-fighter and whether or not you entertain a conspiracy theory or two, or have any religious inclination indicating the dawn of a terrifying New World Order, then you will at least know this: by the time you have finished reading this you are closer to your death than you were before you started reading this, and let this undeniable fact encourage you to make the most out of every second and every opportunity to achieve true success in this life and the next.

So that was today’s message – just when you think you had nothing left to say, remind yourself of all that you are grateful for and give thanks for what you have been blessed to achieve so far. And just when you think you had nothing left to say, remind yourself of how much work we have yet to do and how much further we have to go to honour the struggles of those who came before us and prepare the way for those who are yet to come.

In the words of Kelis: Learn from losing, Cherish winning.

Happy New Year everyone.

 

(C) Sheila Nortley/BUFF Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.

The BUFF Blog (December 2010)

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THE 2010 BUFF PRE-CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Over the past 12 months, BUFF has invited filmmakers and journalists to offer their thoughts and experiences of the industry. Now its’ my turn. In what has been a year of exciting developments, BUFF was the first media outlet to announce the winners of the Film London Best of Boroughs awards – one of whom submitted their entry into the British Urban Film Festival only weeks before. The awards just happened to take place in the same week it was announced that the UK Film Council was to be abolished – arguably the biggest story of the year as far as the UK film industry was concerned.And so as the arts brace themselves for funding cuts – and regardless of the number of A-list actors and directors brought forward to argue the case against, regardless of the success of British cinema in the last 12 months, the way we see arts is about to change bigtime.

And as with anything connected with change, technology seems to be the undisputed driving force behind it all. Big screens have enabled events like BBC Proms in the Park to work for huge audiences; Internet streaming is beginning to make great events accessible to far wider audiences. We use Facebook to communicate with many more people and Twitter to react instantly to shared experiences. Everyone worth their salt has never had it so good in terms of being armed with these technological tools to get the word out. That said, it does need navigation.
Having been a festival director and programmer for nearly a decade, I’d like to think that I can identify quality material when it reaches my desk – week in, week out. And with so much that is out there, presented as ‘quality’, my role as a gatekeeper will have to adapt whilst maintaining my ability to organise, select and mediate the very best quality to audiences. For most people, the BBC is seen as a trusted guide as to what’s available in terms of the best quality and putting it out there on all their networks. It goes without saying that a world where only the BBC is seen as a trusted guide cannot be a healthy one. We are no longer constrained by broadcast networks (we are no longer constrained, period – thanks to Julian Assange).

Arts organisations should be collaborating, not only with the BBC but with other technology providers to create the richest possible offer for all. The demand for participation rather than passive observation, and for using technology in the process, is especially critical for a younger audience hence the increasing focus of cutting-edge arts venues like the Roundhouse in North London where the short film ‘Stick With Me’ (co-produced by BUFF) was screened earlier this year. The Barbican Theatre’s partnership with Theatre Royal Stratford East enabled “The Harder They Come” (starring Lateef Lovejoy) to bring in a whole new crowd earlier this summer. At the time of writing, “Fela” is wowing audiences at the National, thanks in no part to messyrs Jay-Z, Wil Smith & Jada Pinkett-Smith – the executive producers of the musical biopic.BUFF continues to screen some of the most iconic independent cinema produced by the UK’s finest including “Sus” (adapted from the original stageplay), “Adulthood”, “Hip-hop Opera”, “Rappin at the Royal”, “Disoriented Generation”, “N-Dubz: the way we were” plus the very best in short film talent from across the country. But you knew all that already didn’t you? Course you did…

You probably also knew that Dappy will be delivering this year’s alternative Christmas message on Channel 4. The N-Dubz rapper declared recently that his speech will be “real and relevant” to young people in the UK today. Since 1993, Channel 4 has broadcast a speech from a celebrity or political figure at the same time as the Queen’s traditional Christmas message. Previous speakers have included Ali G, Jamie Oliver, Sharon Osbourne and Marge Simpson. Dappy is reported to have said: “We thought it would be cool to do a special Christmas message to rival the Queen’s speech but I’ll be giving a very different take on things to Her Majesty. I’m going to be talking about things that matter to young people today, keeping it real and relevant.”

Keeping it real and relevant was behind BUFF’s decision to be a media partner in Manorlogz – the online poetry slam which was launched this summer as the UK’s answer to Def Poetry Jam, the HBO series produced by US entrepreneur Russell Simmons. Billed as “extreme spoken word”, the competition has secured broadcast rights on Sky and this year’s inaugural final will be shown on December 21st, 4 days before Dappy disrupts everyone’s Christmas dinner – needless to say, most people at BUFF tend to have their dinner after 3pm…

Dappy (or to give him his full name Costadinos Contostavlos) also just happens to feature in the BUFF 2011 promo which is currently doing the rounds on You tube and also on the new and improved BUFF website which recently announced its’ all important submission deadlines and festival dates for next year (Deadline: July 25th, Festival: September 3rd – 5th).

And so that has been the year that was. We’re all off to slap ourselves on the back (some more quietly than others), for one individual in particular, an open invitation to gorge on tap and knock back a few stiff ones before tackling the new year head on. We hope that as an organisation, BUFF continues to entertain and provide insight and understanding of the film business. And who knows, after the year we’ve had, we may even start our own PR agency… happy new year!

(c) BUFF Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.