06 December 2015
Newsdesk
A host of stars from the world of TV and film including Adrian Lester, Nicholas Pinnock and Kacey Ainsworth took to the red carpet last night for the TriForce Short Film Festival 2015.
With a focus on recognising and supporting emerging diverse talent, the TriForce Short Film Festival, now in its fourth year, was set up to showcase talent in short film production, helping filmmakers access opportunities to further their careers. The 16 shortlisted films screened across the day at BAFTA to an audience of peers and key industry representatives were whittled down to four finalists, selected by industry judges including Noel Clarke and Marianne Jean Baptiste. The winning filmmakers are awarded with career development prizes as well as cash prizes supported by Channel 4, Shiver, Directors UK and Red Planet Pictures.
The winners of the annual TriForce Short Film Festival 2015, including the Best of the Fest Award, the Audience Choice Award and the inaugural Best Documentary Award, were announced at the red carpet gala event at BAFTA.
Director/producer David Kitchen was awarded the Best of the Fest Award for his piece, Family Reunion, from a selection of four finalists. Family Reunion is produced by Kitchen and Karen Bryson, and directed by Kitchen. Starring Karen Bryson, Clint Dyer and Trevor Laird, Family Reunion tells the story of a London family debilitated by the recent loss of their mother and uncle. In the build up to a family event, two siblings discover secrets that could potentially tear the family apart.
The winning film, Family Reunion, was credited for its good storytelling, whilst utilising the short film medium perfectly and surprising the audience with a clever twist. The winning film-making team were awarded £1000 towards their next project and a career development opportunity with supporter Channel 4.
Other awards on the night included The Best Documentary Award supported by factual production company Shiver, a category introduced for the first time this year, which was given to Teddy Nygh for The Amy Winehouse Foundation Appeal. The documentary acknowledges the organisation’s work to support, inform, and inspire vulnerable and disadvantaged young people to help them reach their full potential and prevent them from the effects of drug and alcohol misuse.
Nygh won £250 towards his next project and a career development opportunity with Shiver.
Jimmy Akingbola, co-founder of the TriForce Short Film Festival, says: “It’s been a really tough job choosing our winners, as the standard of entrants was incredibly high yet again. It was fantastic to see so many great films submitted for the festival, because it’s hugely important for the industry that voices from all backgrounds are given the opportunity to be heard. At TriForce we are committed to achieving a greater diversity of experience on screen and behind the camera in both TV and film-making.”
The Audience Choice Award, voted by the audience on the night, went to Vintage Blood. Vintage Blood is a film directed by Abigail Blackmore and produced by Ed Barratt, which tells the unnerving tale about the owner of a quirky vintage shop who discovers that her fiancé’s life is in danger when a cursed Ouija board comes into her possession. Vintage Blood is a hilariously dark expose on the lengths people will go for a loved one. Blackmore received £500 supported by Red Planet Pictures and Directors UK.
The other finalists were Could You Be My Match and Prey.
Could You Be My Match is directed by Maddie Gatabaki and produced by Jordon Cushing. Starring Matthew James Ovens and Corey Campbell, Could You Be My Match is an emotional appeal for bone marrow and blood donors for the charity ACLT.
Prey is a film directed by Sunny King and produced by Stefano Moses. Starring Weruche Opia, Oc Ukeje and Steve Mace, this tense thriller follows a young woman who is stalked by a psychopath in a car park. The woman encounters the stranger whilst on her way home from a night out and desperately tries to find safety.
Triforce Creative Network boasts a wealth of high profile patrons which include Homeland actor David Harewood, writer, director and actor, Kathy Burke, The Walking Dead star David Morrissey, Broadchurch’s Marianne Jean Baptiste, actor David Oyelowo (Selma, Nightingale), actress Kacey Ainsworth, (EastEnders, Grantchester), producer Hilary Bevan Jones (The Escape Artist, Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot), Oscar winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play), actor, writer and director Noel Clarke (Star Trek Into Darkness, Kidulthood), Nicholas Pinnock (Top Boy, Fortitude), Zawe Ashton (Dreams of a Life, Fresh Meat) and award winning writer Roy Williams OBE.
