Fostering, promoting and celebrating independent film-making
Buzkashi Boys gets Oscar nomination
Buzkashi Boys, the Afghan short which won the IFT-backed Film of the Festival Award at last year's Raindance Film Festival, has been nominated for this year’s Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short. And another of the nominees is Asad (US/South Africa), which also screened at RFF.
The two films were on the list of five nominees released by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on 10th January. The winner of the award will be announced at the annual Oscars ceremony on 24th February.
The five nominees were selected from the shortlist of 11 films which was unveiled on 29 November 2012. A total of 125 shorts originally qualified in the Live-Action category.
Buzkashi Boys got its qualification as a result of its RFF success on 6th October 2012. Winning the IFT-supported award also means that director Sam French gets the right to make the trailer for this year’s festival.
The film, which was made by a joint international and Afghan crew and shot in Kabul, tells the story of two young boys who dream of playing buzkashi, the Afghan national sport in which horseback riders compete violently for possession of a headless goat. But first the boys must confront the stifling limitations of life for poor Afghans.
Support for the IFT
I am honoured to be patron to the Independent Film Trust with its aim to promote the careers and projects of emerging film-makers who might otherwise have a much more difficult time bringing their work to the forefront of the industry, more so than other independent film-makers.
Tim Roth
Actor - Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Reservoir Dogs, Rob Roy, The Legend of 1900, Youth Without Youth
I think that anything that provides a source of support or provides opportunities for independent films is incredibly worthwhile. In an industry that sometimes seems like all the doors are closed, any help that can be provided to independent film-makers is great.
Joe Oppenheimer
Development Producer - Shooting Dogs, Eastern Promises / Executive Producer - The First Grader, Shadow Dancer
The independent film sector contains very many talented people who need help to learn and advance their craft. This is what the Independent Film Trust has been set up to do.
Ray Winstone
Actor - Scum, The Proposition, Nil by Mouth, Sexy Beast, The Departed, Beowulf
With the support of the Independent Film Trust, the BIFAs and Raindance have become part of the landscape of British cinema. It's hard to believe that they were set up only a few years ago. They are three of the most important champions of independent cinema in Britain.
Michael Winterbottom
Director - 24 Hour Party People, A Cock and Bull Story, The Road to Guantanamo, A Mighty Heart, The Shock Doctrine
We have in the UK so many talented, established and perhaps most importantly emerging young film-makers. It is towards the latter that the Independent Film Trust is perhaps of most use. It is the independent sector on which we all need to concentrate and, therefore, I wish the IFT every possible success and I offer them my full support.
David Suchet
Actor - Maxwell, Poirot, The Way We Live Now, Great Expectations
Most new film-makers need support in order to develop their talent and share it with the world. The Independent Film Trust exists in order to ease that process.
Michael Caton-Jones
Director - Scandal, Memphis Belle, Rob Roy, Shooting Dogs
Please support Raindance and help ensure the future of independent film-making in this country.
Jonathan Pryce
Actor - Brazil, Glengarry Glen Ross, Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, Pirates of the Caribbean
About the IFT
The Independent Film Trust is a UK charity which was set up to advance the cause of independent film-making by various means.
We support initiatives that encourage interest in film production and help emerging film-makers to develop and express themselves.
Our activities include the provision of training for the disadvantaged and scholarships for those who have shown talent but need monetary or other help.
However, we do not fund the development or production of individual films.
We work with groups such as Raindance and BIFA to find and showcase the best in independent film, to promote innovation and to celebrate the vitality and diversity of the sector.
BIFA Patrons
Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Samantha Morton, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Trudie Styler, Tilda Swinton, Meera Syal, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone, Michael WinterbottomRaindance Film Festival Patrons
Guillermo Arriaga, Nick Broomfield, Jonathan Caouette, Andrew Eaton, Mike Figgis, Terry Gilliam, Paul Greengrass, Tom Hollander, Neil Hunter, Armando Iannucci, Mick Jones, Shekhar Kapur, Paul Laverty, Mike Leigh, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Gillies MacKinnon, Michael Madsen, Ewan McGregor, Dave McKean, Christos Michaels, Samantha Morton, Matt Mueller, Bill Nighy, Rebecca O’Brien, Alan Parker, Nik Powell, Jonathan Pryce, Sarah Radclyffe, Marky Ramone, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Trudie Styler, Meera Syal, Jeremy Thomas, Michael WinterbottomIFT Patrons
Nick Broomfield, Michael Caton-Jones, Terence Davies, Faye Dunaway, Bill Forsyth, Kurt Hoffman, John Irvin, Mike Leigh, Sean McCartney, Samantha Morton, Alan Parker, Tim Roth
