Awards update

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 08:05:24 +0000

I Love Luci continues to garner awards across Europe. The latest festivals to laud the film have been the Prague Int’l Short Film Festival and the Almeria Short Film Festival in Spain. At both we scooped the audience award (my favourite) and we also won Best Screenplay at Almeria.

I’d like to say a personal thank you to everyone who voted for the film at both the festivals. It’s really a great honour to win these prizes. It’s very reassuring to be recognised by your peers but getting the vote from the audience is the big one for me, that’s who we make films for so it seems that much more gratifying to know that people are enjoying the film.

Sundance 2011

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 06:44:56 +0000

I am just back from the amazing winter feast of film that is Sundance. I was there with the Sigma Films gang for our world premiere of David Mackenzie’s latest offering Perfect Sense (starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green). We were fortunate enough to have with us a couple of our wonderful actors, Eva Green and Ewen Bremner, who entertained the press with tales of all things sensory and the craziness on the set of that film.

It was an eye-opener for me. I’ve been to plenty of festivals and they’re all different. But there was an unusual aspect to this one that came in the form of the gifting suite. I’d heard of this but remained sceptical until we were offered all sorts of things for free - from boots to sunglasses and games consoles - as we did the rounds of the various press in preparation for our premiere.

Soon enough the big night was upon us. In the lead up we’d had pipers stationed around Park City playing some of the haunting melodies from Max Richter’s score for the film and they were there to greet us as we stepped on to the carpet (it’s blue at Sundance). There are plenty of photos online so I won’t put any here that you can get elsewhere.

Our hectic few days had all been for this moment. So it was with a mixture of excitement and ‘big night’ nerves that we settled into the event. Post-carpet and pre-film there is a brief trip backstage where you go and meet John Cooper, the festival director. He’s very calm and clearly used to waiting backstage with the stars before the screening. It’s an odd moment, gathered together before the you parade on stage and the audience seals your fate right there in front of you.

I’m pleased to report that the reaction to the film was very good. Opinion in the press has also been 80% positive and the film has sold to IFC so will be in your cinemas sometime in the not too distant hopefully.

Before it had barely begun our time in Park City was over. 72 hours after we’d arrived and we were back on the plane again for my fourth flight over the Rockies in the last 3 months. And the pressure isn’t about to let up. We’ll be continuing to more festivals throughout the course of the year with Perfect Sense and also You Instead. It’s going to be a nutty year for sure, and somewhere in there I have to squeeze in my first feature.

crazy award winning summer

Wed, 3 Nov 2010 23:57:49 +0000

It’s been a mega summer for I Love luci. The film has won a clutch of awards and mentions throughout Europe - Italy, Portugal, Norway, Scotland, England - all good stuff and great for the film.

This month you can catch the film across the world in all sorts of places. Starting in the east it’s playing in International Competition at AISFF, Seoul, Korea. Head over to Europe and it’s playing at the Grand OFF Awards in Poland. A little further north an you can see it at Brest International Short Film Festival in competition or as part of the UK talent showcase. Keep heading north and it’s one of the many great films at Brief Encounters in Bristol, England. It’s also showing at the Inverness Film Festival in Scotland as well as having a cinematic release across Scotland showing before feature film Donkeys.

So it’s all going pretty well for I Love Luci. I am not going to be in any of those places however as I Love Luci is also competing at AFI Fest in Hollywood. AFI Fest happens at the same time as AFM so I am going to be there with Sigma’s New York producer Douglas Graham. We;re going to be drumming up business for a number of Sigma projects, very excitingly including my first feature film.

I’m hopeless at writing the blog so probably best to keep up with me via @colinkennedy on Twitter, or possibly even the I Love Luci page on Facebook.

If you’re at AFI/AFM and want to have a chat, drop me a line or say hello if you see me knocking about.

Rushes

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:55:47 +0100

I Love Luci is one of 14 films selected for the Short Film Category at the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival which started last night. All 14 films will screen again at the ICA this Saturday 24th July and next Wednesday 28th July.

This is the second year running Brian Coffey (producer) and myself have had a film at the festival. This time last year the music video we made together for We Are The Physics track You Can Do Athletics, BTW was in competition.

ADDENDUM:
I Love Luci was runner-up at the Rushes Short Film Festival. Congratulations to Deborah Haywood and everyone else behind Sis which took the main prize at the festival and many thanks to everyone who went to see the films.

beeb Film network menshie

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:46:07 +0100

This blog is self-deprecating in the main, but, there are occasions I am happy to report that I am a little bit chuffed for myself and the team behind I Love Luci. Todays mention on the BBC Film Network is one such moment. Having been a director in other guises for many years it’s nice to have a film in the public domain, it’s exceptionally nice for it to be so well received and an absolute pleasure when I am mentioned in the company of other directors and touted as talented.

In the spirit of self-deprecation I will go on to say that most people don’t readily associate directors with the qualities of doubt or uncertainty; it is our lot to make decisions quickly, with confidence, to live with the consequences and make them work. This ability does not preclude practitioners of the medium from reliving those moments a thousand-fold after the act and being persistently riddled with anxiety each and every time their work is exposed to an audience and judgement is passed. All this means that compliments are well received, probably far more so than those that bestow them will ever realise (unless of course they are directors / producers / writers et al themselves).

palm springs

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:58:44 +0100

I Love Luci will have its North American premiere at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival in 10 days.

The film will be screening in the Love Gone Bad strand on the 23rd June at the Camelot Theatre. I hope some of you will be able to get along to see it. (That goes especially to my few LA chums, it’s only a short trip into the desert away!)

We are delighted that Palm Springs has taken our proverbial cherry and hope this will open the gates for many more American festivals.

Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to get to the festival myself. I have tried to make the time, but, things are just too hectic here in Scotland with a new film about to start up at Sigma Films and several other projects waiting in the wings. As always, if anyone has any feedback from the festival would love to hear about it so please post either here or on the FB page or let me know your Twitter name and I’ll follow you.

Moonlighting

Sun, 6 Jun 2010 08:23:35 +0100

It seems that making my own poster for I Love Luci has led to another gig. Yesterday I was asked to design a poster for new Sigma film Donkeys. The inspiration came from old Polish movie posters of the 40’s and also a Jacques Tati poster that managed to lodge itself in my brain many years ago.

Let me know what you think, if there are ideas out there that could improve it I’d like to hear them.

Jim Poole Award 2010

Wed, 26 May 2010 17:23:22 +0100

Somewhat unbelievably this weekends screening of a selection of the best Scottish short films to be made in the last 12 months is absolutely free! This is a great thing indeed if it can help to get people to see short films, although, I can’t help but think many might be persuaded to part with some of their hard-earned to see 10 short films of this calibre.

I am delighted to be able to say that I Love Luci will be included in the line up, an honour indeed, there are some wonderful films in the mix. You can see a full list of the contenders on the award’s website.

Personally, I am looking forwards to seeing Just Enough Doubt by Martin Smith. There are a couple I’ve seen before and I’ll Be Right Here stands out as one to watch.

mediterranean-baltic axis

Thu, 20 May 2010 10:11:37 +0100

This summer will see the usual slew of blockbusters for those rainy weekends indoors, but elsewhere in Europe there are plenty of events for those seeking more esoteric film fare. All across the continent there are film festivals of every size and scale, each niche and genre covered from north to south, east to west. No matter your preference of language, format or venue there is a festival for you among the myriad.

I Love Luci will be screening at no less than 7 of these in the month of June. To those festivals we’ve had to turn down I apologise - we only have so many copies of the film, I hope you’ll consider showing it next year. For those of you who would like to see I Love Luci there is a comprehensive list on our FESTIVALS page. But, just to make life a little easier, I have made a map so people can see at a glance if there is a screening nearby.

Some of the sumer festivals have outdoor screenings at night, if you can get to one I recommend it, there’s something genuinely romantic about watching a film projected outside at night. My favourite so far is Motovun in Croatia where they screen the films in the medieval square and project from someones apartment on to a giant screen while the audience drink beer / grappa / wine in the warm breeze. If you’re from Scotland this is a real treat.

Enjoy the summer and stay tuned for new festivals being added to the map.

reading list

Tue, 4 May 2010 12:11:00 +0100

This is just the sort of thing I am always on the look out for, Sight & Sound publish a list of the most inspirational books on film as voted for by 51 different film critics in their June issue. Maybe next time they’ll create a list as voted for by filmmakers? I think I could make room for more than one shelf dedicated to film books.

Sight & Sound article: http://bit.ly/9adKLx

Home show

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:51:19 +0100

As well as jet-setting around Europe I Love Luci is also gaining a little interest at home. For those looking to see the film, but not likely to be travelling to Italy, Norway or Bratislava in the coming months, then here is an ideal opportunity to see it in Scotland.

I Love Luci will be screening as part of the Paisley Film Society’s Shorts Night on the 18th of May, so get yourself down there and have a gander.

Quiz time

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:47:02 +0100

Name two things Iron Chef UK and I Love Luci have in common?

Please submit answers in the ‘comments’. I’m afraid anyone who worked on Luci is out of the running on this one. There will be a prize of some description for whoever can come up with the best two commonalties between the productions.

Greenberg opens indielisboa

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:19:37 +0100

Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg opens the IndieLisboa International Film Festival tonight in Portugal. Meanwhile, Europe is still in a chaotic travel spasm and I am packing my case to enter the fray in a bid to get to the festival myself. I’m looking forwards to seeing Lisbon and watching Luci with an audience again, but, the thought of getting into the middle of a continent-wide snarl up is not a thrilling prospect.

If anyone fancies a beer after the screening drop a line into the blog or FB fan page. See you in Lisbon.

I Love Luci, screening room 3, Sao Jorge Cinema, 21:30 Friday 23rd April.

Portugese translated

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:18:12 +0100

Thank you to my dear old pal for getting in touch and translating the IndieLisboa blog post about the first program of shorts at IndieLisboa which begin this Friday at 21.30, Cinema Sao Jorge, Lisbon.

It reads a little like this I believe:

“Says the blurb that I Love Luci is a comedy about a lack of teeth, unrequited love and a dog who is behind all this. But the film by Colin Kennedy is much more than that. It's a fun movie and with grace, pace and has fled to the common stories about British junkies. To begin the session, one of the movies that most spoke at the last festival in Clermont-Ferrand.”

No escape

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:22:47 +0100

If you live in Europe there is literally no escaping the effects of the ash cloud. Everyone is affected in some way or another be it by the primary inability to travel by air or the thousands of other knock-on problems. It suddenly got me to thinking this morning, our print might not be able to get to Lisbon for the festival screening on Friday. Thankfully, it turns out the print went to Lisbon at the beginning of the month so there will be no trouble screening it, whether or not myself or any of the thousands of people planning to be at the festival will be able to get there to watch, well, that’s another question altogether. Hopefully some of Lisbon’s film fans will be able to get along to the cinema.