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2006 TROUT Starring: Jamie Michie, Lorna Craig, Frank Gilhooley, Robert Harrison and Carrie Lambert Writer / Director: Johnny Barrington Producer: Anna Duffield KISSING, TICKLING & BEING BORED Starring: Megan Davis, Farren Morgan and Louise Ludgate Writer / Director: Jim McRoberts Producer: David Smith THE HARVEST Starring: Kate Dickie, Garry Cooper and Paul Clarkson Writers: Joseph Briffa & Paul Welsh Director: Joseph Briffa Producer: Suzanne Reid Tartan Shorts 2006 For further information contact: Julie Whiteside, BBC Scotland Press Office, Tel: 0141 338 2254 Linsey Denholm, Scottish Screen, Tel: 0141 302 1749 1
TROUT A kooky tale of true love triumphs, Alex and Mari are highland lovers living in an isolated caravan in the west of Scotland. Caught between their mundane jobs and cramped living conditions, their relationship is held together by emotional gaffer tape and plagued by Alex losing his job, getting it back again and then losing it once more. When Alex is given one last chance by his fish farm boss he decides to celebrate and surprise Mari. However, the surprise triggers an absurd chain of events involving a highland cow, a superhero costume and a faulty light socket. But, as Alex soon discovers, Mari holds the biggest surprise of all. Jamie Michie plays Alex, Lorna Craig plays Mari, Frank Gilhooley plays the boss, Robert Harrison plays the barman and Carrie Lambert plays the mother. Writer/Director: Johnny Barrington Johnny Barrington trained at Glasgow School of Art and spent time studying photography in Sweden. Whilst growing up on the Isle Of Skye, Johnny made experimental short films, developing his passion for writing and directing. Based in Glasgow, Johnny has completed a short, Trawler, for the DigiCult film scheme and has also made several pop promos. He currently has two feature scripts in development. Producer: Anna Duffield Over the past five years, Anna Duffield has worked closely with Gillian Berrie at Sigma Films, assisting in the development and production of feature films such as Wilbur (Wants To Kill Himself), The Last Great Wilderness and Hallam Foe. Anna is currently Associate Producer on Advance Party Films, the first of which is Andrea Arnold s Red Road, winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes. Other credits include producing a short film for Zam Salim as well as directing a music documentary on Scotland s Triptych festival. Trout is a Sigma Films Production for BBC Scotland / Scottish Screen 2
KISSING, TICKLING & BEING BORED Maddy is fifteen and everything in her life feels totally dead. Her boyfriend, Daz, is emotionally stagnant and, like most teenage boys, thinks with the wrong head. He s been pressurising her into having sex and maybe, one day, she ll give in. Sometimes, Daz s older brother sniffs around Maddy. She knows exactly what he s after and kind of likes that game, even though she hates herself for it. As pressure builds on Maddy, something has got to give. The cigarette getting closer to her skin might not be the answer but, so far, it s the only release she s found. Megan Davis plays Maddy, Farren Morgan plays Daz and Louise Ludgate (High Times, Taggart, Sea Of Souls) plays Maddy s mum. Writer/Director: Jim McRoberts A screenwriting graduate of the National Film and Television School, Jim McRoberts writing credits have won awards at film festivals around the world including Cannes, Chicago and Edinburgh. He has storylined over 50 episodes of River City, won commissions to write for EastEnders and later this year will direct episodes of BBC s daytime drama, Doctors. In 2004, Jim wrote and directed his first short film, Who Do You Love?, which picked up the BBC New Director s Award, Best Short Film at the Tehran Film Festival and Best Short Film at the Soho Rushes Festival. Producer: David Smith David Smith s experience in filmmaking has included him managing Cineworks, Scotland s entry level short film initiative, funded by Scottish Screen, the UK Film Council and BBC Scotland. His many films have won a raft of awards including four Scottish BAFTAs and the Golden Bear award for Milk at the Berlin Film Festival in 2005. Screen International magazine recently hailed David as a Star Of Tomorrow. His first feature film as producer, White Male Heart, featuring a script by acclaimed Scottish playwright David Harrower, has a planned shoot for spring 2007. Kissing, Tickling & Being Bored is a Brocken Spectre Ltd production for BBC Scotland / Scottish Screen 3
THE HARVEST The future. Bovey, Wilson and Stoichita are the crew of The Akhenaten, a tiny deep space research vessel experimenting with crop growth under alien sunlight. When Wilson, Stoichita and the wheat crops are unexpectedly exposed to an alien energy, their deeply repressed underlying urges come to the fore. As the crops grow more intensely and unchecked, Wilson becomes increasingly depressed and Stoichita grows ever more scientific and emotionless. Amongst these startling changes, Bovey must fight for command of the mission and, ultimately, her life. Kate Dickie (Red Road, Tinseltown) plays Emma Bovey, Garry Cooper plays Paul Stoichita and Paul Clarkson plays David Wilson. Co-Writer/Director: Joseph Briffa Joseph Briffa is a Content Director at Glasgow-based award-winning creative consultancy, 55degrees. He has directed three short films Six Hours Of Daylight, Events Immediately Leading Up To (And Including) The First Time I Killed and The Harvest. Joseph s other credits include the music documentary, I Only Came Here To Use The Toilet, which won the Triptych music festival film competition in 2003. Joseph is currently being mentored by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93) under the UK Film Council s Guiding Lights Scheme. Co-Writer: Paul Welsh Paul s poetry, journalism and plays have been published nationally, and The Harvest forms his second Tartan Shorts commission following The Lovers (2000). As executive producer, Paul has previously collaborated with Joseph Briffa through DigiCult, the award winning Scottish digital film project funded by the UK Film Council, GMAC and Scottish Screen. As producer, he runs an independent production company developing a slate of features with international talent and emerging Scottish writer/directors. Working closely with ex-eiff Artistic Director Lizzie Francke, Paul currently heads-up feature and short film development for one of the UK's largest regional screen agencies, EM Media. Producer: Suzanne Reid After training to be an actress, Suzanne Reid moved to London and worked in advertising before going on to work at Channel 4 producing programme promotions and sponsorship idents. It was while she was at Channel 4 that Suzanne produced her first short film Noid. In 1998 Suzanne moved back to Scotland, producing high end commercials. In 2005 she decided to concentrate her talents on features and short films, working as Production Manager on The Flying Scotsman. The Harvest is a 55degrees production for BBC Scotland / Scottish Screen 4
2006 2005 Trout Run Kissing, Tickling & Being Bored At The End Of The Sentence The Harvest Sweetie 2004 2003 Baldy McBain All Over Brazil No Man s Land Sredni Vashtar Tumshie McFadgen s Bid Wise Guys For Ultimate Bliss 2002 2001 Cowboys & Indians Manji That Old One Cry For Bobo Billy Bongo Tangerine 2000 1999 Birthday Poached Rice Paper Stars Billy & Zobra The Lovers Marcie s Dowry 1998 1997 Duck Gasman First It s Dark Karmic Mothers Spitting Distance Candyfloss 1996 1995 The Star The Pen Dead Sea Reels Fridge Initiation Dancing 1994 1993 Latin For A Dark Room Franz Kafka s It s A Wonderful Life Narance Small Deposit Daddy s Gone A Hunting Rain 5
Tartan Shorts 2006 For further information contact: Julie Whiteside, BBC Scotland Press Office, Tel: 0141 338 2254 Email: julie.whiteside@bbc.co.uk Linsey Denholm, Scottish Screen, Tel: 0141 302 1749 Email: linsey.denholm@scottishscreen.com