Advance Party II Launched
Glasgow’s Sigma Films, Zentropa and Subotica are forming a partnership under the banner of Advance Party II to develop eight new films from some of the most exciting filmmaking talent emerging from the UK and Ireland.
The writer/directors taking part in Advance Party II which is backed by Scottish Screen, the Irish Film Board, Zentropa and the UK Film Council’s Development Fund are Paul Wright, Adrian McDowell (Scotland), Esther May Campbell, Daniel Mulloy (England), Enda Hughes (Northern Ireland), Rory Bresnihan, Ciaran Foy (Ireland) and Steph Green (Ireland/ USA).
Gillian Berrie of Sigma Films says, “The combination of these talented filmmakers and the intriguing and challenging constraints of the Advance Party project is creating an environment for eight memorable and ground-breaking debut features.”
Advance Party II (APII) builds on the success of Glasgow Film Office supported projects Red Road, and Donkeys, which were produced under the innovative conditions of Advance Party I. Taking a lead from the competitive, creative community of the Dogme movement (which spawned films such as Festen and The Idiots), Advance Party I imposed new rules on its filmmakers. These primarily concerned the use of a pool of pre-determined characters, which had to be played by the same actors in all the films.
A new set of rules are central to the structure of APII, and will be given to the filmmakers in a workshop at the Berlin Film Festival. The rules will reflect the creative challenges of Advance Party I and Dogme, but will also incorporate the filmmakers’ tastes and wishes, tailored to both their strengths and their weaknesses.