FOCAL

FOCAL INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCE FINAL NOMINATIONS

FOR PRESTIGIOUS FOOTAGE AWARDS CEREMONY

CEREMONY TO BE HELD LANCASTER LONDON HOTEL,

LONDON 27 APRIL, 2010

FOCAL International the trade body representing the world’s footage archives, professional footage researchers, consultants and facility houses is pleased to announce the shortlisted final nominations for the 2010 FOCAL International Awards in association with AP Archive.

These accolades represent the only global competition dedicated to the celebration of the use of footage by producers together with the recognition of achievements of professionals within the archive industry.

Over 160 submissions from 20 countries were competing for this year’s FOCAL International Awards spanning 18 categories designed to recognise productions which have used library archive and stock footage in an imaginative and innovative way. Further awards will go to the best archive restoration work, the best footage library and researcher, plus the annual Lifetime Achievement Award, acknowledging the professionals who preserve, restore, catalogue, access and facilitate the use of footage. This year there will also be a special acknowledgement, led by Lord (Melvyn) Bragg, of all the work carried out by professional Film Archive Researchers during the more than 30 years of ITV’s former flagship arts strand, the South Bank Show.

The multi-national Awards Jury comprising more than 40 industry professionals have shortlisted the final nominations, which represent the world’s media production companies and cover the use of archive in all forms of content creation from factual through to entertainment, the arts, sport, natural history, commercials, full length features, training and corporate communications aired on any platform or channel.

Awards organizer Julie Lewis, General Manager, FOCAL International is delighted to have such a strong showing from production companies outside the UK.

“There is stiff competition in the Best use of Footage in a Factual production category with three titles from France being shortlisted and two from Spain. The BBC alone have produced 11 of the shortlisted titles overall, and it is the UK in general that dominates the Best use of Footage in the Entertainment and Arts/Music categories. Another category to note is the Best Use of Footage in a Cinema Release category where we have a shortlist from France, Switzerland and The Netherlands. The USA has some strong contenders in the Factual and Home Video sections, and watch out for the two hopeful nominations from Hungary!”

Having lent his support for 6 years, this will be the last time that celebrated British film-maker Lord Puttnam, FOCAL International’s Chair of Patrons hosts the awards ceremony at the Lancaster London Hotel, 27 April in London.

“The annual FOCAL International Awards in association with AP Archive are, without doubt, the world’s leading event to promote and reward the best use of footage in the creative media and the professionals who make it possible,” commented FOCAL’s Chair Sue Malden, “And we are so grateful to have had the support of Lord Puttnam for so many years.”

Lord Puttnam said, “I have enjoyed supporting the footage archives through these Awards, and highlighting the skills that help make effective use of library material and the creative contribution they make to audio visual production. Besides which, it is a jolly good evening!”

Tickets for the gala dinner and awards ceremony, marking the highlight of the footage industry calendar, go on sale immediately.

“It’s a perfect opportunity for networking with the leading figures of the audiovisual community and it is a great platform for sponsorship, so if you are interested, we’d love to hear from you!” concludes Anne Johnson, Commercial Manager, FOCAL International.

Ticket Reservations: info@focalint.org

FOCAL International Awards: www.focalint.org/focalawards.htm

Notes to Editors:

The full list of submissions and final nominations with comprehensive details and supporting text can be accessed on the FOCAL website at www.focalint.org/focalawards.htm

A Summary of the nominations for the FOCAL International Awards 2010 in association with AP Archive can be found below:

Awards for Best Use of Footage in Factual Productions (3 separate Awards will be presented)

Sponsored by BBC Motion Gallery + Getty Images + INA

A Wall in Berlin (Un Mur à Berlin) - Kuiv Productions (France)

Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil – BBC (UK)

Dear Elena Francis (Querida Dona Elena) – Televisio de Catalunya (Spain)

Franco and Fidel: An inconvenient Friendship - Televisio de Catalunya (Spain)

Iran and the West - Brook Lapping Productions (UK)

JFK 3 Shots That Changed America - New Animal Productions Productions (USA)

Monsieur Advertising: Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet - Artline Films (France)

The Lost World of Communism – BBC (UK)

Under the Banners (Sous les Drapeaux) - AMIP (France)

Award for Best Use of Footage in an Entertainment Production

Sponsored by Fremantlemedia Archive Sales

Harry Hill's TV BURP - Avalon Television (UK)

The Great British Foreign Holiday - BBC (UK)

The Most Annoying People of 2009 - Shine TV (UK)

Award for Best Use of Footage in an Arts, Music or Drama Production

Sponsorship available!

Arena: TS Eliot - BBC Arena (UK)

Folk America - BBC Music Entertainment (UK)

Legends: The Motown Invasion – BBC Wales (UK)

Award for Best Use of Wildlife and Nature Stock Footage

Sponsorship available!

Operation Deep Sea - Shedding Light in the Darkness - Marco Polo Film AG (Germany)

Shark Nicole - NHNZ (New Zealand)

Walk on the Wild Side - BBC Natural History Unit (UK)

Award for Best Use of Sports Footage

Sponsored by ITN Source

Déchaînées (Unleashed) - Rita Productions (Switzerland)

Farewell - Pieter van Huystee Film & TV (The Netherlands)

L'Enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot (Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno) - Lobster Films (France)

Award for Best Use of Footage on Non-television Platforms

Sponsorship available!

Hunky Blues - Filmpartners Ltd (Hungary)

It felt like a kiss – BBC (UK)

Newsreels Online (Filmhíradók Online) - John von Neumann Digital Library and Multimedia Centre (Hungary)

Award for Best Use of Footage in a Home Video Release

Sponsorship available!

British Invasion: Small Faces: All or Nothing 1965-1968 - Reelin' In The Years Productions (USA)

Over Our Dead Bodies - Stewkley Film Archive (UK)

The Norman Lear TV Collection - DVD Bonus Featurettes - Authorized Pictures (USA)

Award for Archive Restoration or Preservation Project

Sponsored by BBC Studios & Post Production

Accident (1967) - Studio Canal / Optimum Releasing / BFI / Deluxe Digital London (UK)

Are You Being Served (1972) - BBC / BBC Studios and Post Production (UK)

Now and Then (1967-68) - BFI National Film Archive / Prime Focus (UK)

The Red Shoes (1948) - ITV/BFI/The Film Foundation/UCLA Film &Television Archive (UK/USA)

United Press International Television News Collection – AP Archive (UK)

The Jane Mercer Footage Researcher of the Year Award - Sponsored by AP Archive

Award for Footage Library of the Year- Sponsorship available!

Award for Footage Library Person of the Year - Sponsored by Deluxe Digital

Award for Lifetime Achievement

The individual winners of these final 4 categories will be announced at the Awards ceremony 27 April, 2010.

Celebrated British film-maker Lord Puttnam, FOCAL International’s Chair of Patrons will host the awards ceremony at the Lancaster London Hotel, 27 April, 2010 in London.

For ticket reservations and sponsorship opportunities contact:

info@focalint.org +44 (0)20 3178 3535

About FOCAL International:

The Federation of Commercial Audiovisual Libraries International Ltd, is a not-for-profit professional trade association for content industry professionals:

FOOTAGE LIBRARIES selling clips, archive, footage, stock shots, stills, audio FOOTAGE RESEARCHERS with the professional skills to find and deliver the material, on time, within budget, rights cleared FOOTAGE CONSULTANTS to advise on content management solutions and use of valuable library assets FACILITIES with the technical equipment and expertise to store, restore or deliver the material on any format MEDIA LAWYERS specialising in media and copyright issues. Use FOOTAGE FINDER, RESEARCHER FINDER and FACILITY FINDER – FREE services giving fast easy access to footage and its professionals.
Contacts:

E: info@focalint.org

Tel: +44 (0)20 3178 3535

www.focalint.org