Depict '08
Once again we've got a fantastic group of industry professionals to determine this year's DepicT! winner. They'll also be judging this year's newest prize, the NFTS Special Mention Prize. Both will be announced at Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol, UK, on Sat 29 Nov.
Nik Powell:
One of the UK's top film producers, Nik Powell embarked on an entrepreneurial career in the 1960s, when he set up Virgin Records with Richard Branson. His long partnership with Stephen Woolley, with whom he founded Palace Pictures and Scala Productions, brought an unrivalled slate of award-winning features to the screen, including Neil Jordan's Company of Wolves, Mona Lisa and The Crying Game. Nik's films have garnered many awards and nominations, including an Oscar, several Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe. His more recent films include Little Voice, Calendar Girls and, most recently, Ladies in Lavender starring Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith.
Since becoming Director of the NFTS in September 2003, Nik has introduced several innovative new programmes, keeping the School at the leading edge of film and TV education in the UK. Alongside the day job, he is Chairman and Director of Scala Productions, Vice-chairman of the European Film Academy, a board director of the Northern Ireland Film and TV Commission, an elected member of the British Screen Advisory Council, the Council of BAFTA and the PACT Council, and sits on the board of GEECT, the European Grouping of Film and Television Schools.
Simon Relph C.B.E.:
Simon Relph is an independent film producer. After graduating from King's College Cambridge, he became an Assistant Director until 1974 when he was appointed Technical Administrator of the National Theatre. For four years he supervised the move from the Old Vic into the new National Theatre, ending his time there as Production Administrator. In 1978 he returned to films, serving as Production Supervisor for John Schlesinger's Yanks and as Executive Producer of Warren Beatty's epic drama Reds. In 1981 he became an independent producer and over the next five years, made seven films - The Return of the Soldier, Privates on Parade, The Ploughman's Lunch, Laughterhouse, Secret Places, Wetherby and Comrades. From 1985 to 1990 he was the founding Chief Executive of British Screen Finance Limited. In that role, he co-financed 57 films. He returned to independent production in 1991 as Executive Producer on Enchanted April, he Co-produced Damage and produced The Secret Rapture. He produced Camilla, Look Me In The Eye, Blue Juice and The Slab Boys. He produced The Land Girls, directed by David Leland and was Executive Producer of Hideous Kinky, directed by NFTS graduate Gillies Mackinnon. He is currently developing a film of Sebastian Faulks' novel Birdsong with Working Title and setting up a new venture with Michael Kuhn at Qwerty to produce a slate of ten low budget British feature films.
He has served as Chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts of which he is now a Trustee, on the British Screen Advisory Council, the Executive Council of PACT, the Council of Royal College of Art and as a Governor of the British Film Institute. He is on the board of South West Screen and the Bristol Old Vic. He is the author of The Relph Report on low budget film production.
Kate Taylor:
Kate Taylor is festival director of Abandon Normal Devices, festival of new cinema and digital culture. Based at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), the first AND festival will take place in Liverpool in 2009. Kate has also been co-director of the Halloween/London Short Film Festival for the past five years, winning the Fringe Report Award for Best Festival Director with her colleague Philip Ilson in 2008.
Luis Cook:
Following a degree in Graphic design, Luis Cook has worked as an art teacher, photographer, art director and illustrator. In 1992 he returned to study an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art. After a stint at the BBC, he joined Aardman Animations in 1994. Since then, Luis has directed many commercials, promos and idents. His creative work, which includes the recent animation The Pearce Sisters, has been awarded D&AD, British Animation Awards, Royal Television Awards and a BAFTA.
Kenneth Tan:
Kenneth Tan is Director of the Singapore Film Commission, and concurrently Chief Operating Officer of the Media Development Authority of Singpore. In this dual capacity, he leads the Singapore government’s efforts to develop and promote “made-in-Singapore / made-by-Singapore” feature and short films within the broader ecosystem of the all media platforms – Film, Television, Print, Games, and Interactive Digital Media. A prominent and passionate advocate and public spokesperson in and for the local industry for over twenty years, Kenneth’s extensive experience includes previous appointments as Managing Director of Village Roadshow’s Singapore joint-venture companies; Chief Operating Officer of MediaCorp TV; Chief Executive Officer of MediaCorp Radio; and Managing Director of Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants.
He has been Chairman of the Singapore Film Society since 1984, and is also the current advisory committee Chairman of the School of Film and Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Just specifically at the cinema, Kenneth watches over 400 movies every year. And he always stays till the absolute end of all end credits.
Matthew Walker:
Matthew Walker was the DepicT! ‘07 winner for his film Operator. Recently named one of Screen International’s UK Stars of Tomorrow, Matt’s films, which also include John and Karen and Astronauts, have screened at numerous festivals, including Edinburgh and Annecy. A director at Arthur Cox, he is currently working on the digital short Little Face for South West Screen as well as a web series for Aardman Animations.
David Gilbert:
David Gilbert was the DepicT! ‘07 Shooting People Audience Award winner for his film The Picnic. He has recently completed a degree in animation at University of the West of England, Bristol, for which he made the short film Battery, and is currently working as a freelance animator, illustrator and graphic designer.
Depict '07
- Royston Tan, director 15, 4:30
- David Sproxton, Founding Director, Aardman Animations
- Claire Cook, Senior Producer, BBC Film Network
- James Mullighan, Creative Director, Shooting People
- Philip Ilson, Co-Director London Short Film Festival
- Damien O’Donnell, director East Is East, Inside I’m Dancing
- Gina Fucci, Managing Director, Films@59
- Ruth Meehan, filmmaker and winner of DepicT! ’06 Live Action award
- Leigh Hodgkinson, filmmaker and winner of DepicT ’06 Animation award
- Mark Cosgrove, Creative Director, Encounters and Head of Exhibition, Watershed
Previous Judges
Past panel members include filmmakers Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam and Chris Shepherd, ResFest Head of Programming Jonathan Wells and film critic Nigel Floyd.
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