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Three Edinburgh College TV graduates will walk the red carpet at the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards later this month after receiving nominations for their film and writing work.
Michal Wdowiak, Wayne Mazadza and Scott Willis – all graduates from the HND Television course at the college – have made the list of nominees for the awards, which celebrate the best rising talent in Scottish film, TV and game production.
Michal has been shortlisted in the Editor and Writer categories for a short drama, Yogi, which he shot in Edinburgh last summer during his time at Edinburgh College. Yogi (above) tells the story of a man who wanders the streets, breaking into flats in search of food and comfort.
Scott is nominated in the Factual category for his personal documentary Dear Peter, (above) inspired by his journey to track down the owner of a collection of handwritten postcards. Dear Peter is also the winner of the Scottish Audience Award at this year’s Glasgow Short Film Festival.
Wayne is nominated in the Editor category for Microcosm, a documentary he made since graduating from the college. The story is told first-hand by a man called Colin, who reflects on his past life and his home in Hamilton Wynd.
Michal and Wayne both graduated from Edinburgh College last year, and Scott completed the same course in 2010.
Michal is now employed as a cinematographer for a production company, The Gate Films, in Manchester. Wayne is in year two of his studies at Edinburgh College of Art, while Scott finished at ECA two years ago and continues to produce his own films that have been televised and screened at international film festivals.
He said: “I am incredibly pleased to be nominated for the BAFTA award for my final college drama – I definitely didn’t expect to be nominated as a writer. This was the first script I have ever written and English is not my first language. I hope it is a good sign for the future.
“I had just moved to a different city for work after college and I was busy settling in. I owe my lecturer Fergus Robb a big thank you for mentioning this opportunity to me.”
Scott said: “Dear Peter is a documentary that’s very personal to me so the nomination has encouraged me to remain honest to my vision as a filmmaker. I am grateful to have studied at Edinburgh College. Fergus was influential in developing my understanding of storytelling and gave me practical knowledge on how to communicate through moving image.”
Fergus Robb, Creative Industries lecturer at the college added: “These guys were all excellent and highly motivated students, and aware of the opportunity the course afforded them to develop their skills and explore their potential as filmmakers. I’m delighted to see them do so well.”
The BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards 2016 take place on Thursday 14 April at Drygate Brewery in Glasgow.
Yogi, Michal Wdowiak – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsqD7a-lDU4
Dear Peter, Scott Willis – https://smlwillis.wordpress.com/dear-peter/
Microcosm, Wayne Mazadza – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDCuQUkn-M&feature=youtu.be&a
‘Children’s theatre is not just for Christmas!’ says new Imaginate Festival Director
Tickets for the Edinburgh’s International Children’s Festival, which runs from 28 May to 5 June 2016, are now on sale to the public with popular shows expected to sell out quickly. Continue reading Just Imaginate …
Local community theatre group St Serf’s Players have won the Edinburgh round of the SCDA’s 2016 One Act Festival with their production of Erica & Me by Alan Robinson, directed by Philip Wilson. Continue reading Encore! St Serf’s Players triumph at One Act Festival
Opera company launches search for performing pooches
The Bohemians Lyric Opera Company has launched a competition to find two dogs to star alongside its cast of the Legally Blonde the musical in March in Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre. Continue reading Pup Idol! Desperately seeking Bruiser and Rufus
The UK’s body for championing participation in creative cultural activities, Voluntary Arts, has launched the Epic Awards
Thousands of people across the UK give up their time to share their passion for arts and creative activities. Leading groups of young and old, these people improve the lives of millions of people across the country.
The Epic Awards offer the opportunity to celebrate and reward these volunteers and groups and spread the word about the huge range of activities enriching our lives in all areas of Scotland.
https://youtu.be/Ncad5dgSv2U
Are you involved in an arts or crafts group that is doing something new and interesting? Have you struck up an interesting collaboration, inspired others or solved a problem in your home town?
From singing to knitting, amateur dramatics to painting, over 60,000 amateur arts groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland are making a difference to lives in their local areas. The Epic Awards shines a spotlight on their achievements.
You can nominate your group for an award by filling in the form on www.epicawards.co.uk and put them forward for national recognition and a range of prizes from financial support to advice, partnership and performance opportunities.
Winning groups have usually run initiatives or activities that involve interesting collaborations, or engage with their local community or beyond, undertake creative activity that inspires others or increases participation, or use new ideas in innovative ways.
Last year’s Scottish winner, Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail (below), is a volunteer-led arts trail which has grown to include over 100 venues filled with work created by over 200 participants attracting audiences from far and wide.
Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail’s Pauline Saul reflected on what winning the Epic Award meant for the group. She said: “We were delighted to be short listed for the Epic Award for Scotland. When the email came saying that we had won we were extremely proud of our achievement, wanting to run outside and tell everyone!
“The Epic Award has given the trail some good publicity through local papers and town folk have been really pleased both for us and for Kirkcudbright. Following the Epic Award we have grown in confidence, and become more forward thinking, planning a Christmas event and our theme for 2016.”
Last year’s runner-up in Scotland DD8 Music is a group run by volunteers in Kirriemuir, which provides free lessons, jams and recording equipment for young people. DD8 Music also picked up the UK wide award for exceptional work with young people.
The public have their chance to vote and award a prize to one of the shortlisted groups through The People’s Choice Award. Last year’s winners were Knitted Knockers UK, a group of over 650 people across the UK who co-ordinate online to create and send 100 per cent cotton breast prostheses to women who have had mastectomies.
Jemma Neville, director of Voluntary Arts Scotland, said: “The Epic Awards demonstrate the scale and diversity of self-led creative cultural activity in Scotland. From volunteer-led festivals to community radio stations, and poetry groups to choirs, there are creative people across the country with the passion and initiative to provide opportunities for people to take part in voluntary arts activity. I strongly encourage groups thinking of applying to do so.”
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “The Voluntary Arts Epic Awards showcase excellent examples of inclusive and local participation in the arts and the initiative and drive of many dedicated volunteers across the country who set up and run thousands of arts and cultural groups.
“Voluntary arts contribute much to Scotland’s rich and varied cultural life and Voluntary Arts Scotland’s support helps enable more people to get involved in creative activities.
“These awards demonstrate an ongoing commitment to ensuring that communities across Scotland are supported to create and participate so that all the hard work and imagination that contribute to the cultural life of our communities, often undertaken by volunteers, is recognised.
“I’m looking forward to hearing more about the exciting work taking place the length and breadth of Scotland in the run up to this year’s awards and encourage Scottish nominations to be put forward.”
The Epic Awards are supported by Spirit of 2012, an independent trust created to sustain the spirit and opportunities from London 2012, and are themselves supporting BBC Get Creative. Spirit has also helped to create two new categories of Epic Award as well as the Epic Places project. Voluntary Arts also acknowledges funding from Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Creative Scotland and Arts Council Northern Ireland.
Debbie Lye, chief executive of Spirit of 2012, said: “We at Spirit are delighted to be supporting the Epic Awards again in 2016. I was blown away by the sheer breadth of high-quality award nominations last year – it’s clear we’ve got a voluntary arts scene to be proud of.
“The Epic Awards really do showcase the cream of the UK and Ireland’s amateur artistic and cultural crop, and I am eager to see who’s in the running in 2016. Best of luck!”
Remember that closing date for nominations: Monday 7 December
The fabulous Edinburgh Gang Show is back!
Over 250 young people from Scouting and Girlguiding will swap their camping gear and the outdoor life for the glitz and glamour of the theatre world when the annual Gang Show returns to the capital next week. Continue reading Gearing up for The Gang Show
Tonight at NEA: The Bridge and Remembering Tomorrow
We are delighted to be presenting not one but two fantastic events on Friday 23 October, from Annie George, and the North Edinburgh Theatre project:
7pm THE BRIDGE by Annie George
TICKETS: £8 full/£5 concession/£3.50 Good Neighbours
Box Office 0131 315 2151, admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk
Written and performed by Annie George
Directed by Sarah MacDonald
Composer, Niroshini Thambar
Design by Alice Wilson
The Bridge is a compelling and inspiring piece of visual theatre, which tells a remarkable story of the short life and lost work of PM John, a poet and author from Kerala India, living in the days running up to Independence from the British in 1947. His story is interwoven with that of his family, their struggles, and journeys they took across continents to new lives and opportunities.
8.30pm Remembering Tomorrow
A short film from the North Edinburgh Theatre project as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival
Join us for the premiere of a short film devised and presented by the group who brought you the sell-out 1D Tenement Opera in January this year, The North Edinburgh Theatre group (above) have used film, scripted and devised pieces to reflect on their own and others’ experiences around wellbeing.
Director: Stephanie Knight
Filmmaker: Elliott Hatherley
Free – but contact the box office to book. The cafe will be open serving light refreshments, wines and beer so why not join us for the evening?
With two free fun courses starting in October, The Prentice Centre in Granton Mains is the place to be for fans of Scottish culture this autumn …
‘Guid fer a Laugh’ takes a seriously funny look at Scottish comedy over the years. The course starts on Tuesday 6 October from 6 -8pm and runs for ten weeks (and maybe more if there are calls for an encore!)
A bit more highbrow (but only a wee bit!) is ‘An Introduction to the History of Scottish Theatre’. This free ten-week course starts on Monday 5 October from 1.30 – 3.30pm and includes theatre visits.
Both courses are free. To book your place or for further information call The Prentice Centre on 552 0485.
A pure cornucopia of Scottish culture, so it is!
An exciting new project is coming to North Edinburgh Arts next week …
The Otesha Project UK
Invites you to come and see the Otesha UK cycling and performing extravaganza this summer at North Edinburgh Arts.
Get involved as they collect ideas on how to create a better world – from composting to clothes swapping!
The Otesha Project is a mobile community of young people who are spending three weeks cycling through Scotland visiting schools, youth clubs and communities to perform the magnificent Otesha UK Play, and running workshops about how global issues meet everyday lives.
They won’t be counting carbon. They will, however, be having a brilliant time discovering how to live in a way that makes good things happen without harming others or the planet.And they invite YOU to do it with them and help them to do it better.
Book your FREE space now:
0131 315 2151
admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk