Earlier Deadline Announced for 5th Annual Directors Finders Series 2009
The Screen Directors Guild of Ireland, in association with the Directors Guild of America, has announced the 5th Annual Directors Finders Series 2009 and is looking for applications. This year the deadline is two months earlier than last year and applications will be accepted until 27th April 2009.The Directors Finders Series Award supported by the Irish Film Board, presents an Irish director with an opportunity to showcase their film in the state-of-the-art Director's Guild of America Theatre, Sunset Boulevard, L.A, to an audience of American distributors and industry personnel with a view to securing a U.S distribution deal.
The Directors Finders Series spotlights works of fiction, documentary or drama submissions from Irish directors who have not secured U.S distribution for their films.
An international panel of experts, which this year includes a representative from Pathe UK will select the winning director and film. The director will then travel to L.A where an official screening of the film will take place on Friday 7th August.
This year, SDGI will launch the film on Thursday 16th July in The Morrison Hotel in Dublin at a special awards ceremony hosted by internationally acclaimed directors Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan, to precede the L.A launch.
Last year, 15 Irish directors submitted their films and an esteemed panel of judges decided on THE SECRET OF KELLS, by Tomm Moore as the winner. Tomm travelled to LA, where he had meetings with highly regarded distributors, studios and agents. This culminated in the screening of his film to an invited audience of major U.S film agents, distributors, press and other industry professionals and was followed by a Q&A session chaired by international director, Paul Quinn.
Tomm is still in communication with a number of distributors regarding the film as well as a number of companies in regards to collaborating on new projects. He was awarded the Director of the Year at Cartoon Movie earlier this year while the critically acclaimed THE SECRET OF KELLS screened as the closing gala film at the recent Jameson Dublin International Film Festival and is currently screening in cinemas nationwide.
This award is supported by The Irish Film Board, The DGA, Culture Ireland, American Airlines, Paulaner and The Morrison Hotel.
The deadline for applications for this years' event is 27th April 2009.
Applications are available on http://www.sdgi.ie/
For further information contact the Production Manager, Michelle Connolly on michelle@sdgi.ie