SDI Blog from 2000 to 2019

It was a big year at Edinburgh IFF for SDI. Alongside the UK Premiere for our feature film Donkeyote we had our annual Bridging the Gap shorts showcase screening, the Edinburgh Pitch and appeared on our fair share of panels! 

Now that we've had a few days R&R we've compiled a round up of some interesting doc screenings we managed to catch and we have a short piece from one of our Bridging the Gap filmmakers, Thomas Hogben, on his first time at the festival as a participating filmmaker. Enjoy!

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Another epic cycle of Bridging the Gap comes to an end, but as ever with this leading new talent initiative, the end is really just the beginning. It's the beginning of the lives of the films commissioned during the intensive and competitive 9-month process. This year, six of the seven films commissioned will receive their premieres at Edinburgh International Film Festival, with the seventh film premiering later in the year. Here's a little bit about each of the films, and their trailers.

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We popped over to Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary film festival and we managed to catch up with Gorrión, who plays the animal lead in Donkeyote, which received its Canadian premiere at the festival.

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According to his Twitter biog, writer, director and comedian Vito Gesualdi "directs weird video game trailers". Recently he's channeled his many talents into producing a rather clever short YouTube documentary about a clash between anti-fascist protestors and Trump supporters in Berkeley, California. Ben Cohen of The Daily Banter (where we found out about Vito and his exploits), describes it as "the greatest thing on the internet right now." 

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Advice for your This is Scotland submission from Elizabeth Partyka, Deputy Director of Channels at STV.

With This is Scotland in its third season, we’re keen to inspire and entice the best up-and-coming filmmakers to make submissions. Earlier in the month we organised an Inspiration Workshop in Glasgow, when we were lucky to be joined by Elizabeth Partyka, Deputy Director of Channels at STV. Elizabeth shared her experience, knowledge and tips on how to make the best submission to the initiative.

Still from 2016 This Is Scotland film 'Black Rat Island'

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It might be a good idea to have a look through the notes on your phone. You might find that your past ramblings hold the keys to future success and happiness. When filmmaker Duncan Cowles took a trip down digital memory lane it was a meander that led him to his first funded short: Directed by Tweedie, and to a meeting with Kate Winslet (evidenced below). Directed by Tweedie has inspired a new project so we have every reason to believe that the note will go on... Duncan told us about the impact the note had on his career and about his new project.  

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Has International Women's Day crept up on you this year and now you're in dire need of a stimulating event to attend in celebration? ...Well search no more friends because we at SDI have rounded up a couple great ideas for you to head to TONIGHT!

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Mining Poems or Odes, produced as part of last year's Bridging the Gap: Resilience programme, is currently a Top Staff Pick on Vimeo and it's great to see it's getting a warm reaction in the comments feed!

When Lisa Clarkson saw "Mining Poems or Odes" for the first time, it inspired her to write this response. Lisa is a graduate from Screen Academy Scotland. She says she wants to be a writer when she grows up, or a Foley Artist. Lisa lives and works in Edinburgh. 

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If you're anything like us you'll have sussed the real meaning of Christmas a long time ago ... it's all about the movies isn't it! DVDs are one of the few gifts that probably aren't going to get returned and what is Boxing Day for if not a marathon sofa sesh with some old and new classics on the TV? So let us help you out a little with some curated suggestions for those stocking fillers and some great stuff to stream to the smart telly...

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