The BUFF Blog (March 2011)

Some people call it a newsletter, most delete it from their inbox, others try to emulate it, and for the rest of you – well, going online isn’t quite the same until you’ve received it... its’ the BUFF Blog!!!

Until recently, most BUFF blogs were written by the BUFF ghostwriter. In the 2 years since the advent of the UK’s 1st ever film festival monthly blog, a variety of voices from the world of film and TV have been invited to offer their own unique voice on the industry by which they make their name and their living. This month’s edition is guest written by an Oscar award winner no less (albeit by association) and arguably one of the busiest men in the business. It was during the FIFA World Cup last summer when BUFF was fortunate enough to have asked actor Wil Johnson when would be his next day off such was his demand at the time – and continues to be. The day in question just happened to be that very day itself – a day England football supporters would rather forget – and sure enough, that match was soon forgotten and in next to no time, we were discussing Wil’s ideas to pen a script for a cop drama whilst tucking into some delightful king fried prawns.

The next time BUFF met Wil was the day before the Notting Hill Carnival only this time we were in situ at the Bernie Grant Centre in Tottenham putting together the final preparations for the British Urban Film Festival. It was during this juncture that Wil mentioned another script which had just been finished by actor Adam Deacon which he was very excited about – the script was billed as an urban comedy in which I was told to imagine as a cross between Adulthood and the film Friday which was written by and starred Ice Cube. That was August the 28th 2010 and so fast forward to March 2011 and the UK premiere of Anuvahood. High time we hear from Wil Johnson himself – in his own words...

Ok people!
Wil Johnson here...
Greetings! This is my first blog! Never written one before, but as they say, there's a first time for everything. What an interesting last six months people, lots of changes, developments and potentially really interesting projects on the cards!!! I first met Emmanuel, the man behind BUFF a few years ago and found him to be a sound brother with integrity...Something that is very rare in this business. A person prepared to go out on a limb and make a difference...For that I salute him. I approached Emmanuel with a film that I had co-produced and starred in called 'DISORIENTED GENERATION' which he very kindly screened at the BUFF festival back in 2009...Since then I supported and attended various screenings of the BUFF Festival in 2010.

Right! What's been happening with me since then???? Fortunately quite a lot....
2010 was a brilliant and busy year filming WATERLOO ROAD, WAKING THE DEAD, ANUVAHOOD and the provocative new feature THROW OF A DICE hitting our screens later this year! Phew!
WATERLOO ROAD was well received and went onto win the NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARD for Best Drama series 2011, WAKING THE DEAD is being aired to huge appreciation nationwide, and to cap it all, a Danish feature I shot in Kenya 2009 Directed by Susanne Bier called IN A BETTER WORLD went onto win the GOLDEN GLOBE and OSCAR for Best Foreign Film 2011!!!! Not bad for a boy from Tottenham eh????

Currently, I'm co-producing another feature with my business partner, Writer, Director, Producer Christian Ashaiku called AMINA starring the brilliant and multi talented Nollywood Actress Omotola Jalade, Ghanian Star Van Vicker and Myself...A powerful drama about a woman who after suffering a series of traumas in her life, has a breakdown and ends up in a mental instituition under the careful guidance of Dr Johnson (Played by myself) Amina begins the slow road to recovery but not without powerful discoveries along the way...We're in pre production and start shooting next month...
I don't want to come on this blog and bemoan the challenges that our industry faces, but celebrate our achievements and potentially what's to come...

MIRROR BOY had an amazing Premiere at the Empire Leicester Square, ramming out the venue to capacity, further displaying the need for more African stories told through the medium of cinema..yaaaaay!!!! Long may the films success continue...
ANUVAHOOD, the British urban comedy opened last Friday and was the number one film across London over the weekend...

Right across the board film makers young and old are opening up their laptops and writing!!! Getting things together...Young blood Ashley Chin has a feature coming up this year - VICTIM - hopefully we'll see this film hit the cinemas this year. Q, a legend, released the very brilliant DEADMEAT on dvd this month and is in post production on his current feature - FEVER - which judging by the teaser clips I've seen so far is gonna be cooking with gas!!!!
Well people, slowly but surely with the demise of the UK film council, independent companies are springing up and people are hiring those RED 1 cameras and CANNON cameras and getting out there and shooting!!!!!

Looks like BUFF is gonna be busy this year with features flooding their gates....
Until the next time people I'm out...
Pre Production calls...

Blessings
Wil Johnson (c) March 2011

The opinions published in the BUFF blog are a copyright of Buff Enterprises Ltd © MMXI all rights reserved – and is available to view on a monthly basis via Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Hi5, Ning, Meetup, Blogger, Wordpress, Linkedin, Flickr plus other selected blogs and web pages. For more information about Buff Enterprises visit www.buffenterprises.co.uk For more information about film submissions to the British Urban Film Festival visit www.britishurbanfilmfestival.co.uk

BUFF is an official media partner of The ACLT Manorlogz Xtreme Fundraiser featuring Wil Johnson. Watch the video at www.manorlogz.co.uk

The 2011 British Urban Film Festival - BUFF Blog (February 2011)

This month’s blog is guest written by Janice Charles, newly appointed social media strategist for BUFF Enterprises.

Well first of all, I don’t want to be seen as a guest because I actually work for BUFF Enterprises. I was actually given permission to hijack Emmanuel’s email accounts and write whatever I liked which in my opinion would continue to get the word out regarding BUFF. Now we all know that Emmanuel could speak for England when it comes to BUFF so I actually offered to put a few things out there on his behalf (and mine whilst I’ve got the opportunity) – needless to say, he reluctantly agreed. Between you and me I think he wanted Valentine’s Day off to make himself useful – whatever making yourself useful means on Valentine’s Day. Of course I wouldn’t know anything about that because I only work for Emmanuel anyway that’s far too much information for a blog of this repute!!!

So here we are then, another month down the line, another blog with which to inform, educate and hopefully entertain the fans and followers of the British Urban Film Festival. As a social media strategist it would be unremiss of me not to acknowledge the fact that this blog is not a one-way street which is what blogs tend to be. This blog should always be about feedback, response and debate from you lot – so please, after you’ve digested this month’s BUFF blog, get in touch and let us know what you think: email us: info@buffenterprises.co.uk, post your comments on the facebook wall, or tweet us: @buffenterprises. In fact, whichever social network you’re reading this blog – please feel free to get in touch accordingly – we’d love to hear from you. So what do I want to talk about from the confines of Pretoria in South Africa? Well let’s talk about the BAFTA’s shall we and for a moment during last night’s ceremony there was the distinct possibility that if the publicity-shy Banksy had won the BAFTA for outstanding debut then he would’ve had to have outed himself in public. Though given the choice, if Banksy wins the OSCAR he may have no choice but to come out of hiding. That said, he could rely on Jaimie D’ Cruz, producer of the nominated documentary ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’ to do the honours or better still take the credit, why not? As it turned out, the BAFTA went deservedly to writer/performer Chris Morris for ‘Four Lions’. The thing that makes Morris stand out for me anyway, is his ability to infiltrate the system and disrupt it with what I can only describe as Morris’s unique subtlety if there is such a thing. One look at Morris’s track record would seem to suggest that there is – and long may it continue. Congratulations also to David Fincher who won best director for ‘The Social Network’ which also won best adapted screenplay and best editing. ‘The King’s Speech’ won 7 out of the 14 awards it was nominated for including best actor, supporting actor and supporting actress. ‘The King’s Speech’ is a bittersweet victory for the British Film Industry because by the time we come to the giving out of the Oscars, the film will have made over £125 million pounds at the box office – all great PR collectively but with the UK Film Council now little more than another victim of the UK recession one has to ask where do we go from here?

Another potential victim of the UK recession is the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust. I say potential because its’ still in our hands so to speak. I know that over the past few months that Emmanuel has been working in his capacity as a co-producer for 4front Films, the company behind the online poetry slam ‘Manorlogz’ which has thrown its weight behind the ACLT and supporting it with the concept of a charity manorlog – a poem specially commissioned with the ACLT in mind and performed by numerous actors, artists, and other high profile names in showbiz and entertainment who have come together in a relatively short space of time and given up their time to take part. The poem will launch via the 4front i-player service from Tuesday March the 1st and will be widely available on all of the main social networks (www.4fronttv.com). At the time of writing, there are ongoing talks with other media outlets and an announcement will be made shortly regarding when and where you’ll be able to watch the ACLT Manorlogz Extreme Fundraiser featuring amongst others Wil Johnson, Ashley Walters, Terri Walker, Henry Bonsu, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Akala, Ty and Judith Jacob. It is hoped that audiences who will watch the manorlog will be encouraged to donate to the charity as a result. By the time of the next BUFF Blog we will get some idea as to whether Britain’s best known black healthcare charity will be in a stronger position to raise the £80,000 pounds it needs to survive (www.manorlogz.co.uk).

By the time of the next BUFF blog we will have witnessed what’s been reported as the UK’s biggest Nollywood film event with the Leicester Square premiere of Obi Emelonye’s ‘The Mirror Boy’ (www.mirrorboythemovie.com). Emelonye has certainly come a long way from his debut movie ‘Echoes of War’ back in 2003. 2003 was also the year when London audiences were 1st introduced to Melvin Cartright – otherwise known as the self-deluded narcissist who milked everyone in his midst with no apparent ounce of remorse in his body. From that description one may question quite rightly why they would want to spend good money immersing themselves with such a lowlife character (I couldn’t help myself at this point but Emmanuel doesn’t bear any resemblance to this character at all LOL!!!). I digress... Here at BUFF we like to think that we have the answers to most questions and for this particular one look no further than the man behind ‘Melvin: Chronicles of a Player’, award-winning director Lawrence Coke, the latest filmmaker who has just launched a scheme designed to create associate producers who will be encouraged to invest in the movie which is currently nearing completion (www.indiegogo.com/melvinthemovie).

You could do worse like say invest in certain PR agencies but let’s not go there shall we?? I’m sure that as long as Emmanuel is still breathing, there will have to be one blog devoted to PR agencies. Until then, I hope you’ve enjoyed my 1st proper contribution to BUFF (famous last words)... Whatever you’re watching this month, long may the passion continue…

Janice Charles (find me on facebook)

The opinions published in the BUFF blog are a copyright of Buff Enterprises Ltd © MMXI all rights reserved – and is available to view on a monthly basis via Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Hi5, Ning, Meetup, Blogger, WordPress, Linkedin, Flickr plus other selected blogs and web pages. For more information about Buff Enterprises visit www.buffenterprises.co.uk / For more information about film submissions to the British Urban Film Festival visit www.britishurbanfilmfestival.co.uk

BUFF is an official media partner of Manorlogz – the UK home of extreme spoken word.

The 2011 British Urban Film Festival - BUFF Blog (January 2011)

No matter how many times BUFF ventures down to Soho to get entertained, the result is always the same. And no matter how you dress it up, January is almost invariably a month-long period of attrition, angst and apathy. So it seemed perfectly reasonable to expect a good time to be had when yours truly was invited down to Soho on a cold and wet Friday evening for a preview screening of ‘David is Dying’ – the debut feature-length drama penned, and produced by Stephen Lloyd Jackson and Andy Mundy-Castle. Needless to say, Friday nights in Soho rarely disappoint.

It has to be said that there’s nothing like watching a really, really good film ‘in secret’ so to speak. The sensation that one gets coming away from the screening and wanting to bang on about how transfixed they were by the whole experience – whether it be the acting, the writing, the direction, the lighting, choice of music etc. For most people, these attributes should be a given. The one thing that stood out after watching 2 hours of raw, unadulterated, mental torture – both beautifully told and shot – was the authenticity of the main character and the sense that BUFF was amongst friends with this tortured soul. The tortured soul in question is played by Lonyo (yes, that Lonyo) whose music can also be considered an acquired taste. As for Lonyo Engele the actor and the film tells the story of David Brown, a very confused and tormented man, haunted by his past, in which, as a boy he fell in love with his mother. She was a beautiful woman and a courtesan who entertained men for money. She eventually dies from a drug overdose in David’s arms. In his adult life, David finds a woman (Carla), who is identical in appearance to his mother. He falls deeply in love and plans to marry her. However, through an intense therapy session with his psychiatrist, we observe how David tirelessly attempts to control and possess Carla as a replacement for the love he so yearned for from his mother – cue the fireworks… One is reminded of similar experiences having recently seen Tyler Perry’s ‘For Colored Girls’ – a film which beautifully portrays its characters who all are ultimately f***ed up. Some people compare ‘Precious’ to ‘For Colored Girls’, ‘Precious’ is a better film. The labour of love that is ‘David is Dying’, though not quite in the same genre but very much geared at a female audience, is a quality film and carries more kudos in that although the plot is not entirely original, there is a freshness about it – and besides, the other 2 films are American and are based on adaptations.

Previous BUFF blogs have observed the strategy, flexibility, diversification, call it what you will, of musicians and performing artists making the seamless transfer over to cinema and to that you can add our man Lonyo to the list. Lonyo dominates the screen as does his impressive female lead Isaura Barbe-Brown and in keeping with recent BUFF screenings – think ‘Sus’ just last year – we truly have another british urban classic on our hands. Without wanting to pre-empt the choices of the BUFF viewing panel – September the 3rd can’t come soon enough!!!
One was reminded of ‘Sus’ recently when the nominations were announced for this year’s BAFTA’s. BUFF had high hopes of Barrie Keefe’s adapted stageplay making it onto the shortlist but alas, no cigar. Having seen Oscar-winning Danny Boyle’s latest, ‘127 Hours’, students of cinema will have noticed striking similarities if you’ve been fortunate to have watched both films – and yet ‘127 Hours’ is up for several BAFTA’s. And Sus? Well at least we have the network television premiere on the BBC to look forward to. And off the back of that, BUFF will be putting together a special programme featuring interviews with Clint Dyer, Ralph Brown, Anjela Lauren Smith, Rob Heath and Barrie Keefe. Watch this space for further details. BUFF can also announce that last year’s chosen online screenings which formed part of the festival – can now be seen in full via the BUFF website – many thanks to the filmmakers for their patience and support – it has been a while. That said, we’re delighted that audiences can now get a chance to see the depth and breadth of UK film talent that was on show at BUFF 2010 in addition to the other films that were showcased last September.

This time a year ago, ‘Precious’ was the most talked about film in the industry, the year before that it was ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. On both occasions the hype was justified and they both duly obliged to pick up some very big prizes. At the time of writing, BUFF has yet to watch ‘The King’s Speech’ – and from all accounts, the people behind this will be making a fair few more in the weeks and months ahead if the Golden Globes are to go by, the Golden Globes being the self-appointed indicator as to what wins the big prizes at the Oscars. We’re not quite at the end of January but already, the die is cast for the year ahead. BUFF predicts that Justin Timberlake will walk off with an Oscar for his part in ‘The Social Network’. The Social Network was a big winner at the Golden Globes though Colin Firth did pick up best actor.

One cannot complain being in the seasoned position of watching films both for business and pleasure and its’ going to be an interesting night on February the 27th. Just who will get what? Its going to be an interesting blog next month – so much to talk about, and that’s before we get around to passing comment on the Oscars of which BUFF has no vested interest, well not yet anyway. And if you must know, Lonyo (also known as Comme Ci Comme Ca) was a 2-step producer and MC. He had a hit in 2000 with the single, ‘Summer of Love’, which reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart. The follow up ‘Garage Girls’, released in April 2001, peaked at number 39. He later joined forces with fellow producer, Kevin McPherson and released a single record under the moniker of Bon Garçon, (‘Freek U’) in 2005. Whatever you’re watching this month, long may the passion continue…

The opinions published in the BUFF blog are a copyright of Buff Enterprises Ltd © MMXI all rights reserved – and is available to view on a monthly basis via Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Hi5, Ning, Meetup, Blogger, WordPress, Linkedin, Flickr plus other selected blogs and web pages. For more information about Buff Enterprises visit

http://www.buffenterprises.co.uk/ For more information about film submissions to the British Urban Film Festival visit http://www.britishurbanfilmfestival.co.uk/

BUFF is an official media partner of Manorlogz – the UK home of extreme spoken word.

Manorlogz 2010 Xtreme Spoken Word - Finals

Manorlogz TV schedules announced

4front TV has confirmed plans to join Showcase 2 as an official broadcast partner for Manorlogz Extreme Spoken Word - the UK’s first extreme spoken word championships.

Under the agreement, the online TV station will share transmission with the award-winning Sky Digital broadcaster of the inaugural Manorlogz launch highlights show on Tuesday December 7 at 10pm. The deal also includes coverage of the semi-finals on Tuesday December 14 and the Christmas grand final on Tuesday December 21.

Manorlogz was launched earlier this summer as the UK’s answer to Def Poetry Jam - an HBO television series produced by hip-hop music entrepreneur Russell Simmons.

The series presents performances by established spoken word poets, as well as up-and-coming poets, the latter of whom feature in an online poetry slam voted for by the public at www.manorlogz.com

Bernard Kordieh, executive producer of Manorlogz, said: "We consider ourselves fortunate to have two committed television partners who are able to reach both new and established audiences throughout the UK. This agreement was successful in both establishing a long-term partnership and adding a new dimension to our multiplatform coverage."

The actor & comedian Lateef Lovejoy will anchor 4front's Manorlogz coverage starting from December 7 and continuing with the semi-final broadcast on December 14 with the grand final climax on December 21. The lineup of acts performing at the launch feature Indigo Williams, Polar Bear & Floetic Lara - one of this year's competition judges alongside former Daily Mirror journalist Jessie Grace Mellor and Tshaka Campbell – a household name on the spoken word circuit.

A spokesman for 4front TV said: “Manorlogz is a unique and entertaining series which will help define the direction of online TV and through Extreme Spoken Word will change the way audiences in the UK watch poetry on television”.

The free-to-air satellite coverage will be available to all Sky Digital subscribers on channel 203.

Tickets are available to attend the TV recordings of the semi-finals and the final on Saturday December 4 in Bethnal Green. More details can be found at http://manorlogzlive.doattend.com

Ends

Notes: 4front TV will launch its new online TV channel www.4fronttv.com on December 7 with a simulcast of Manorlogz in addition to the UK short film drama ‘Stick With Me’.

For all enquiries regarding 4front TV please contact the following:
VJ Davidson (Series producer): vj@manorlogz.co.uk
Juanita Rosenior (Co-producer): nita@manorlogz.co.uk
Yvonne Ossei (Marketing & Press): info@manorlogz.co.uk

The 2010 BUFF pre-Christmas message

Over the past 12 months, BUFF has invited filmmakers and journalists to offer their thoughts and experiences of the industry. Now its’ my turn. In what has been a year of exciting developments, BUFF was the first media outlet to announce the winners of the Film London Best of Boroughs awards – one of whom submitted their entry into the British Urban Film Festival only weeks before. The awards just happened to take place in the same week it was announced that the UK Film Council was to be abolished – arguably the biggest story of the year as far as the UK film industry was concerned.

And so as the arts brace themselves for funding cuts – and regardless of the number of A-list actors and directors brought forward to argue the case against, regardless of the success of British cinema in the last 12 months, the way we see arts is about to change bigtime.

And as with anything connected with change, technology seems to be the undisputed driving force behind it all. Big screens have enabled events like BBC Proms in the Park to work for huge audiences; Internet streaming is beginning to make great events accessible to far wider audiences. We use Facebook to communicate with many more people and Twitter to react instantly to share experiences. Everyone worth their salt has never had it so good in terms of being armed with these technological tools to get the word out. That said, it does need navigation. Having been a festival director and programmer for nearly a decade, I’d like to think that I can identify quality material when it reaches my desk - week in, week out.

And with so much that is out there, presented as ‘quality’, my role as a gatekeeper will have to adapt whilst maintaining my ability to organise, select and mediate the very best quality to audiences. For most people, the BBC is seen as a trusted guide as to what’s available in terms of the best quality and putting it out there on all their networks. It goes without saying that a world where only the BBC is seen as a trusted guide cannot be a healthy one. We are no longer constrained by broadcast networks (we are no longer constrained, period – thanks to Julian Assange).

Arts organisations should be collaborating, not only with the BBC but with other technology providers to create the richest possible offer for all. The demand for participation rather than passive observation, and for using technology in the process, is especially critical for a younger audience hence the increasing focus of cutting-edge arts venues like the Roundhouse in North London where the short film ‘Stick With Me’ (co-produced by BUFF) was screened earlier this year. The Barbican Theatre’s partnership with Theatre Royal Stratford East enabled “The Harder They Come” (starring Lateef Lovejoy) to bring in a whole new crowd earlier this summer. At the time of writing, “Fela” is wowing audiences at the National, thanks in no part to messyrs Jay-Z, Wil Smith & Jada Pinkett-Smith – the executive producers of the musical biopic.

BUFF continues to screen some of the most iconic independent cinema produced by the UK’s finest including “Sus” (adapted from the original stageplay), “Adulthood”, “Hip-hop Opera”, “Rappin at the Royal”, “Disoriented Generation”, “N-Dubz: the way we were” plus the very best in short film talent from across the country. But you knew all that already didn’t you? Course you did…

You probably also knew that Dappy will be delivering this year's alternative Christmas message on Channel 4. The N-Dubz rapper declared recently that his speech will be "real and relevant" to young people in the UK today. Since 1993, Channel 4 has broadcast a speech from a celebrity or political figure at the same time as the Queen's traditional Christmas message. Previous speakers have included Ali G, Jamie Oliver, Sharon Osbourne and Marge Simpson. Dappy is reported to have said: "We thought it would be cool to do a special Christmas message to rival the Queen's speech but I'll be giving a very different take on things to Her Majesty. I'm going to be talking about things that matter to young people today, keeping it real and relevant."

Keeping it real and relevant was behind BUFF’s decision to be a media partner in Manorlogz – the online poetry slam which was launched this summer as the UK’s answer to Def Poetry Jam, the HBO series produced by US entrepreneur Russell Simmons. Billed as “extreme spoken word”, the competition has secured broadcast rights on Sky and this year’s inaugural final will be shown on December 21st, 4 days before Dappy disrupts everyone’s Christmas dinner – needless to say, most people at BUFF tend to have their dinner after 3pm…

Dappy (or to give him his full name Costadinos Contostavlos) also just happens to feature in the BUFF 2011 promo which is currently doing the rounds on You tube and also on the new and improved BUFF website which recently announced its’ all important submission deadlines and festival dates for next year (Deadline: July 25th, Festival: September 3rd - 5th).

And so that has been the year that was. We’re all off to slap ourselves on the back (some more quietly than others), for one individual in particular, an open invitation to gorge on tap and knock back a few stiff ones before tackling the new year head on. We hope that as an organisation, BUFF continues to entertain and provide insight and understanding of the film business. And who knows, after the year we’ve had, we may even start our own PR agency… happy new year!

Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe

BUFF teams up with Islington Council to stage anti-bullying screening on December 1

In its’ highest profile screening to date, BUFF On Tour – part of the British Urban Film Festival’s outreach programme – will be premiering its’ latest short film (co-produced by Buff Enterprises) at Islington Town Hall on Wednesday December the 1st. In association with the Homes for Islington project, BUFF has teamed up with award-winning filmmaker Lawrence Coke to produce ‘Stampout’ – a short docu drama which examines the issues of bullying and anti-social behaviour in the London Borough of Islington. The screening, which is free, will be followed by a facilitated question and answer session with a panel of leading experts and practitioners.

Speaking ahead of the launch for the new BUFF film festival website, the founder of BUFF, Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe said “Through its commitment to the industry, BUFF has played a key role in the promotion and growth of urban independent cinema in the UK and i’m looking forward to extending that commitment over the next 3 years”.

It was also announced that next year’s British Urban Film Festival will take place on the weekend of September the 3rd, 4th and 5th. The call for submissions is already open to filmmakers and companies who wish to showcase their latest work at the annual London showcase.

The Stamp Out event will take place at the Assembly rooms in Islington Town Hall on Wednesday 1 December 2010 and will start at 10.30am. There will be a facilitated panel debate with Q&A, stalls, hot food and refreshments. For more information email stampout@ymail.com or call 07956 445 490

www.homesforislington.org.uk