News
Monday 4 February 2008
Soft scoops top filmmaking gong
A fine art graduate of Nottingham Trent University is celebrating after winning an award in the prestigious 2008 Sundance Film Festival in the US. Simon Ellis walked away with the festival’s Jury Prize for International Short Filmmaking in what was the latest in a string of top awards for the independent film director.
Simon – who graduated from the university in 1995 – won with his short film, Soft, a shocking story of violence and revenge in which a father and son are terrorised by a group of youths. The film, which he wrote, directed and edited, has already picked up 30 top awards at film festivals worldwide and has been nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award in the short film category.
The film, one of 17 created by Simon from his Nottingham-based production company, Bub, was funded by the Lottery through the UK Film Council and Film4-partnered Cinema Extreme programme.
Simon, who tried his hand at both photography and painting before turning to the camera as his format of choice, said: “It’s a real honour to have won such an important award against such tough competition from across the world. I have received lots of interest from studios, production companies and agents over the last few months and even more since the Sundance win.”
He added: “It has become increasingly difficult to keep up while simultaneously trying to finish editing my feature film and shoot an MTV series. My biggest challenge now is to stay focused on the film I want to make next while juicy carrots are being offered left, right and centre – I can’t complain though, it’s a great position to finally be in.”
ENDS
Notes for editors: For more on Simon’s Bub production company visit www.bubtowers.com
The Sundance Institute is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. Through its programs, the institute seeks to discover, support and inspire independent film and theatre artists from the US and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work.
Press enquiries please contact: Dave Rogers, Press Officer, on Tel: 0115 848 8782, or via email: dave.rogers@ntu.ac.uk
Or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on Tel: 0115 848 8774, or via email: therese.easom@ntu.ac.uk
