Training
Leaving Baghdad, directed by Koutaiba Al-Janabi (below, left), has won the IFT-backed Raindance Award at the 14th Moet British Independent Film Awards (BIFA). The award, given to the film which best illustrates the spirit of independent film-making, was presented to Al-Janabi on the 4th of December 2011 and gives him the right to an IFT-funded Raindance Training Scholarship.
"Thank you for supporting the film, it was fantastic to be nominated and that Leaving Baghdad actually won in the Raindance category was a great surprise and honour,” said Hanna Heffner, who produced the film in partnership with Al-Janabi. Many thanks again to you and to the IFT for supporting independent films and Leaving Baghdad”
The RTS finances the winner to participate in a variety of Raindance courses and events, as well as one-to-one mentoring sessions with leading film-makers. The current scholarship is linked to the Raindance Award for the film which best illustrates the spirit of independent film-making.
The first RTS was awarded in 2007 to Tim Barrow and Charles-Henri Belleville, respectively the writer/producer and the director of the feature film The Inheritance, which won the Raindance Award for outstanding achievement in production at the British Independent Film Awards at The Roundhouse on November 28.
This scholarship was made possible by a generous donation from Elena Ambrosiadou of Ikos, pictured here with Barrow and Belleville (left) and Elliot Grove (right) at the BIFA awards ceremony at The Roundhouse in London.
The scholarship allowed Barrow and Belleville to select and attend a number of Raindance courses and masterclasses, as well as to participate in mentoring sessions with top filmmakers which were specifically designed for them by Raindance. The late lamented Simon Channing-Williams (producer of Mike Leigh's films) gave up an hour of his time to talk to them about career development.
"All in all the whole prize is hugely appreciated," said Belleville, "and we are extremely grateful for the opportunities this scholarship will give us."
More on the subsequent progress of Barrow and Belleville here!
The second RTS was awarded at BIFA in November 2008 to Sam Holland (writer/director) and Ana Atanesyan (producer), the makers of Zebra Crossings, which won that year's Raindance Award. See Elliot Grove interviewing Sam and Ana after the awards here, together with Richard Wheatly, who presented the RTS award.
And by early 2009 the winners were already feeling the benefit. "For me, winning the RTS has not only been a great honour, but has given me the unique opportunity to go on many courses that I otherwise would have been unable to attend," said Sam. "I see this chance to learn from many seasoned professionals as invaluable to my growth as a filmmaker, and I would like to thank Elena Ambrosiadou for her generous contribution, which has enabled this all to take place. The film industry is a constant learning curve, so the expertise delivered from these courses will be priceless when tackling my next project, which is currently under production... Hopefully the benefits will show!"
"I very much would like to thank BIFA (and Elliot Grove) for giving us this fantastic opportunity"; said Ana."It just goes to show that little money but hard work and dedication DOES work eventually. Along with our win at the BIFAs, we were lucky to also receive the RTS. I have already started on the Producer’s Foundation Certificate and see it to benefit me in many ways. As I have gone through one production, and saw it through from the beginning until the very end, this time round, I am more prepared for the next project we are working on, and the courses will give me an extra boost of confidence and reliance that I am on the right track with the paperwork and a creative style that any producer should hold."
In March 2009 Zebra Crossings won The Best European Film Award at The European Independent Film Festival (ECU) in Paris. See a trailer for the film here!
The third RTS was awarded in December 2009 to the production team of Andy Starke, Ben Wheatley and Robin Hill, who respectively acted as producer, director/writer and lead actor/writer of Down Terrace, described by Empire Online as "Surreal and sinister...a splendid exercise in anti-social realism."
"It was a real thrill to be selected for Raindance and Bifa and to win the Raindance Training Scholarship. The accompanying press really helped to lift the profile of Down Terrace. Without these organizations independent films like ours run the risk of being completely overlooked. Thanks to the IFT for the scholarship, which members of our team look forward to taking advantage of", said Ben Wheatley on what winning the RTS meant to him.
Down Terrace has already received many international accolades, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, as well as being shown at the Rotterdam, Berlin and Slamdance festivals. It is now to be distributed worldwide by Magnet Releases, a genre arm of Magnolia Pictures.
The fourth RTS was awarded in December 2010 to Isabelle Stead, producer of the feature film Son of Babylon.
This is a multinational co-production, shot in Iraq. It tells the story of a young boy and his grandmother who travel across the country in an attempt to discover the fate of a missing man – his father and her son – who never returned from war. The film was Iraq’s official entry for the Oscars in 2011. It has won several other awards including two prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival for director Mohamed Al Daradji.
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"I am sure that Raindance Training Scholarships will benefit those lucky enough to receive one. The festival and the independent film awards have established themselves as an important part of the film year and I hope this training scheme is equally successful. It's always good to learn from the mistakes of the old guard!"
Ken Loach
Director - The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Sweet Sixteen, My Name is Joe, Looking for Eric
