FilmG Theme Competition - Image 3

Here’s the final image.

Have you been keeping a close eye on the clues?  So, what do you think the FilmG 2013 theme is?

Send your answers through Facebook, Twitter or email at us fios@filmg.co.uk.

Remember the competition ends at midnight on Thursday.

FilmG Theme Competition! Image 2

Here is the second image.  

What is the connection between what you saw on Thursday and today’s image? Have you guessed the theme yet?

Send your answers to us through Facebook, Twitter or email fios@filmg.co.uk.

Remember you could be in with a chance of winning a iPad!

FilmG Theme Competition!

Guess this year’s FilmG theme and be in with a chance of winning an iPad.

FilmG is back for another year, but before the competition starts, we have a challenge for you!

What do you need to do?

Here’s the first of three images – we’ll show you the second on Monday and the final image on Tuesday.

Send us your guesses through Facebook, Twitter or email fios@filmg.co.uk. You’ve got until midnight on Thursday 6^th September to enter.  All correct answers will be put into the FilmG Hat and the winner selected by an independent guest on Friday 7^th September.  We’ll also announce the FilmG 2013 theme on the same day.

Give it a go and tell us what this image means to you!

£30,000 funding for FilmG schools’ training programme

Victor MacConnell, MG ALBA Chairman Maggie Choineagan, The First Minister Alex Salmond, Seumas Mehan.

This year’s FilmG training programme for schools will soon be underway thanks to the provision of £30,000 funding from the Scottish Government, in addition to the £20,000 already pledged by Bòrd na Gàidhlig.  The highly successful series of workshops managed by Cànan and delivered through the medium of Gaelic throughout Scotland, will be initiated when schools return after the summer break.

The project, now in its fifth year, has seen an increase in the number of films submitted by young people each year, and in 2012/13 the training programmes hopes to encourage in excess of the 50 films produced in the 12-17 category last year.

The total funding of £50,000 will ensure the quality and range of FilmG’s training, and continue to develop inspiring new films as well as encourage a new generation of Gaelic-speaking film makers.

With the focus on using Gaelic in fun and innovative settings, young people will learn new skills through the language. The training will incorporate all aspects of production for drama and documentary projects, including story development, scripting and performance skills as well as organisational skills and technical expertise.  FilmG will also raise an awareness of exciting career paths for young Gaelic speakers throughout the country.

If your are a Gaelic speaker aged between 12 and 17, and would like FilmG to visit your school or youthgroup, visit our website at www.filmg.co.uk or get in touch at fios@filmg.co.uk. 

DOUBLE NOMINATION SUCCESS FOR MG ALBA AS FILMG AND TRADS SHORTLISTED FOR SCOTTISH EVENT AWARDS

MG ALBA has warmly welcomed the news that FilmG, its Gaelic Short film competition and the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards have both been shortlisted for awards at the Scottish Event Awards 2012. FilmG has been nominated in the best Cultural Event category while the Trad Awards have been nominated in the Best Traditional category. This follows on from the Trads nomination in the Arts and Business Scotland Awards which was announced recently.

FilmG, which has been nominated in the Best Cultural Event category, has been running since 2008 and is managed by Cànan on behalf of MG ALBA. To date over 250 films have been submitted since the competition began. For further information go to  www.filmg.co.uk.

Guest presenter Michelle McManus (centre) with FilmG Winners

The MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, which are organized by Hands up for Trad has been shortlisted in the Best Traditional Event category. MG ALBA has sponsored the Scots Trad Music Awards since 2008.

 MG ALBA Scots Trad Awards 2011 at Perth Concert Hall

Donald Campbell, Chief Executive of MG ALBA said “This has been a great week for MG ALBA and our partners. Following on from the news that the Scots Trad Music Awards had been shortlisted in the Arts and Business Scotland Awards, we are delighted now to hear that we have been nominated in two categories at the Scottish Event Awards. We congratulate Cànan and Hands up for Trad for the work that they do with MG ALBA which helps to bring the Gaelic language and culture through music and film to young and old alike in communities throughout Scotland.”

The Scottish Event Awards in association with EventScotland, are now in their fourth year and are judged by an independent panel of individuals with extensive experience within the events industry. The 2012 Awards will be presented in Glasgow on Thursday 6^th September.

FilmG at GoNorth

Having just returned from another great festival at GoNorth in Inverness, we thought you’d like to hear all about it.  As usual, FilmG had a table at the festival, where we got to know some fascinating new people whilst catching up with familiar faces. We also met industry professionals running some very interesting projects, and with some fantastic resources on offer.


During the two-day festival a diverse collection of short films were screened at the Mercure Hotel, Church Street. Amongst them were some of the entries from the FilmG 2012 competition: “Taistealachd” by Alison Laing, “Deòir Shona” by Ro Goodwin, “A’ Phàrlamaid” by Sgioba Drama Uibhist, “An Tionnsgalair Craicte” by Tain Royal Academy, “Faradh” by Dolina Munro, “An Àite Eadar na Facail” by Sam Love, “Air Cùl na Gàire” by Stephen MacLeod and “Oidhche Shàmhach” by Elly Welch. Also screened was Tain Royal Academy’s “Gaisgeach gun Fhios”, which won the FilmG Theme Award in 2010.


Northern Lights
Have you heard of the Northern Lights project? We met project director Nick Higgins who told us all about it. Described as a documentary “About you made by you”, the Northern Lights project is looking for raw footage from all over Scotland to create a unique feature-length documentary. They are running workshops throughout the country to help you create your footage ─ anything entered as a result of a workshop is automatically eligible for the Best Workshop £1k award fund. There is also a £750 Best Non-English award - the winner will be chosen by Chris Young, producer of the Inbetweeners. Incidentally, Chris was also on this year’s FilmG judging panel. Visit the website to find out more about the awards on offer.


If you’re interested in entering but not quite sure where to start, here are some questions to think about:
What Can you see? What do you Wish You Had seen? What would you Like to see?


The deadline for entries is in less than a fortnight -- Thursday 21st June -- but there’s still enough time. To find out more have a look at Northern Lights online.


Doddle 
We were also pleased to meet Harvey Osborn from Doddle. Now, what is Doddle? Doddle is a fantastic mobile and online directory designed specifically for the media industry, full of news and industry tools. Since starting 3 years ago, it’s become world-wide ─ you can find anything on Doddle, from Camera Operators to Visual Effects, in Glasgow or in Hollywood. Doddle also features a new Call Sheet App which is taking the production world by storm. Whether you are an industry newby or veteran, if you haven’t heard of Doddle, we’d highly recommend you check it out.


Kiltr
FilmG is now on Kiltr. Come and visit!

MICHELLE MCMANUS TO BE GUEST PRESENTER AT NATIONAL GAELIC FILM AWARDS

TICKETS NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

MG ALBA will next month (Friday 9^th March) be celebrating its annual Gaelic screen talent awards, FilmG, at The Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow.

This event has become a highlight in the creative and broadcasting industry calendar and a limited amount of tickets has now been made available to the public who will have the opportunity to mingle with Scottish TV stars and industry professionals as well as meet some of the promising film-makers and actors of the future.

An array of special guests will be in attendance to present awards including singer-songwriter and television presenter Michelle McManus, who has started learning Gaelic since being the subject of a BBC ALBA documentary and has subsequently joined the Govan Gaelic Choir.

Television stars who will be presenting awards alongside Michelle McManus include actor and producer, Tony Kearny and STV weatherman, Sean Batty.  

Fiona MacKenzie, continuity broadcaster for BBC ALBA and Sarah Cruickshank, BBC Birmingham weather girl will, for the second year running, be the main event presenters hosting this year’s ceremony.   

Popular Gaelic television presenter, Anne Morrison will be presenting two awards in the adult category, with the Dè a-nis? duo, Siobhan MacInnes and Derek McIntosh awarding a number of prizes in the 12-17 competition.

Joining the line-up of special guest presenters will be the fantastic up-and-coming alternative folk band ‘Donald McDonald & the Islands’, kicking off the event with their single ‘Blown Away’ and providing entertainment throughout the ceremony. 

The event promises to be a night not to miss. Tickets are now available to the public on a first-come first-served basis, so please contact Katie.macleod@mgalba.com if you’d like to attend this prestigious event at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow on Friday 9^th March, at 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start.   

All entries in this year’s competition, as well as the shortlisted films, can be viewed online on the FilmG website www.filmg.co.uk. 

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED IN NATIONAL GAELIC FILM COMPETITION - FILMG

MG ALBA’s national Gaelic online media shorts competition, FilmG has now announced the short-listed films for this year’s award ceremony which takes place next month at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow.

Having received a record 76 entries from all over Scotland and beyond, it was a difficult job for the judges to pick out the best in each category. The jury panel comprised BBC ALBA executives and experienced broadcast industry representatives, including Chris Young, producer of hit Brit movie, ‘The Inbetweeners’ and former ‘River City’ actor turned producer/director, Tony Kearney.

The judges were particularly impressed with the entries in the 12-17 categories with producer Morag Stewart commenting: “It was extremely challenging to choose only four films for each shortlist category, especially as there were so many entrants, and having worked with a lot of the schools on media projects, I know how much work would have gone into producing the films. This year’s award ceremony is sure to be an exciting event as each category has some excellent contributions.”

Donald Campbell, chief executive of MG ALBA, said: “We are very excited about this year’s competition having received a record number of entries and a high calibre of short films and imaginative interpretations of this year’s theme ‘On the Threshold ’.

“It is very encouraging that young and old alike embrace this competition from within the Gaelic and non-Gaelic communities both home and abroad, and we would like to encourage as many people as possible to get behind the short-listed finalists by watching the films online.”

All of this year’s FilmG entries and a breakdown of the short-listed films are now available to view on the FilmG website at www.filmg.co.uk.

The prestigious awards ceremony will take place at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow on Friday 9 March, where up-and-coming band ‘Donald MacDonald & the Islands’ will provide live entertainment whilst an array of special guests will be there to present awards.

RECORD NUMBER OF ENTRIES IN NATIONAL GAELIC FILM COMPETITION - FILMG

MG ALBA’s national Gaelic short film competition, FilmG, has received a record 76 films this year – more entries than ever before.

All entries can be viewed online from today (Monday 16 January) on the FilmG website www.filmg.co.uk, where you can vote for your favourite film until the 31^st of January. Your vote will help determine who receives this year’s esteemed People’s Choice award.

The FilmG Jury, composed of representatives of the broadcast industry in Scotland – including Chris Young, producer of box office hit and award-winning film ‘The Inbetweeners’ and ‘River City’ actor Tony Kearney – will work alongside BBC ALBA executives  to judge the films and compile a shortlist of finalists.  

This year’s entrants have come from throughout the country and further afield from Canada and offer an impressive mix of traditional and contemporary interpretations of this year’s theme ‘Air an Stairsnich’ / ‘On the Threshold ’.

The adult category has seen an increase in the number of documentaries made by those keen to explore and share a slice of real life from their own home turf. Among the documentaries submitted include a short film from the Isle of Eigg about a local resident and her famous clootie dumpling, whilst a local from Stornoway has submitted a film about two siblings who, being deaf, have never known a word of Gaelic despite their upbringing in a Gaelic speaking family in Harris.

The 50 short films in the 12-17 category feature a variety of storylines ranging from ‘X-factor’ parodies to haunting hijinx!

The entry from Mallaig High School offers their own take on the infamous ‘A-TEAM’ in the form of the ‘G-Team’ helping to protect Gaelic from their arch enemies, whilst Plockton High School’s short film depicts a scientist creating a new cleaning product with the help of a monkey!

As well as an exceptional increase in the number of schools entering this year, there have also been individual young film-makers eager to go it alone. Having previously entered the competition through her school, Ardnamurchan High, Caitlin Ferguson (17) borrowed equipment available from FilmG and shot her own film – a moving story about a young pregnant girl who finds herself up in court. 

Caitlin said: “I’d like to thank FilmG for their guidance in past years which gave me the confidence to take this year's competition on alone. When I first thought about producing my own film it was a bit daunting, but having had the support from FilmG’s mentors I was amazed at how enjoyable and rewarding the production process was. I’m very excited about this year’s competition and look forward to hearing the shortlisted films.”

Donald Campbell, chief executive of MG ALBA, said: “Each year more and more people enter FilmG, and this year is no exception. The appetite of the schools and youth sector in particular to embrace the competition and produce high quality short films is extremely encouraging. We are also particularly pleased with the number of entries submitted from young people and schools both within and beyond  the Gaidhealtachd.”

The winning films will be announced at the prestigious FilmG Awards ceremony to be held at the Fruitmarket in Glasgow on the 9^th of March.