Good grief! Poor old Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian spy who recently succumbed to a hunk of radioactive sushi, is barely cold in his grave and already two major Hollywood players are in competition to develop a film based on his story.
In the one corner stand Johnny Depp and Warner Brothers. In the other we find Michael Mann and Columbia Pictures. Depp and Mann are reported to have acquired the rights to two separate books currently being written about the late intelligence operative. How many people will still remember poor Alex's name when - or, rather, if - the movies eventually emerge?
Shorts in the south-east
It was the good weather that originally lured the movie studios to Hollywood, so we should, perhaps, not be surprised that our own sunny south-east appears to be harbouring a new generation of film-makers.
From the January 29th until February 4th, Waterford Youth Arts will be hosting Scene 15, a youth film festival featuring 13 short movies made by young people from the city. Check out the Waterford Youth Arts website for further details.
www.waterfordyoutharts.com
Voting for the IFTAs
Trivia buffs will be interested to hear that the nominees for the AIB People's Choice prize for best Irish movie at the Irish Film and Television Awards have just been announced and are awaiting the public's votes at IFTA's website. So, what were the most popular Irish films with domestic audiences in 2006? The inclusion of The Wind that Shakes the Barley and Breakfast on Pluto will surprise nobody. Sharper box-office pundits may, quite correctly, have expected Studs to make an appearance. Those who guessed that the fourth and final nominee was Lassie should reward themselves with an extra-large bowl of Chum. The polls are open until February 4th and prizes for lucky voters include a spa weekend away and a shopping trip for two in - of all places - lovely Brighton. See www.ifta.ie for more information. The winner will be announced on February 9th.
Star man
Pádraic Delaney, the charismatic actor who shone alongside Cillian Murphy in The Wind that Shakes the Barley, has been named as the Irish Shooting Star at next month's Berlin Film Festival. The Shooting Stars scheme, which seeks to promote the most exciting young actors on the continent, has previously lauded such coming supernovas as Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Franka Potente.
Moore funds short prize
John Moore, the Dundalk-born director of Behind Enemy Lines and the recent Omen remake, has always seemed like a good egg. So, though we were impressed, we were not altogether surprised to hear that the Hollywood bigwig has not forgotten where he came from. Last week the Louth, Newry and Mourne Film Commission announced a new short film competition, the winner of which is to receive €1,000 and a specially commissioned trophy. Despite being entirely paid for by Moore, the award does not appear to carry his name. Information about the DIY Short Film Award, which is open to all independent filmmakers resident in the island of Ireland, can be found at http:// www.filmcommission.ie/.
Pundits positive about Pan
It's official. Pan's Labyrinth, nominated for eight BAFTAs last week, is, in America at least, the most positively reviewed film of recent years. Metacritic, the website which rates and collates US film reviews with the greatest accuracy, awarded Guillermo del Toro's fantasy an eye-watering 96 points out of 100. No other film on first-release since 1999, the year the site properly kicked into action, has achieved a score so high. Meanwhile Bio-Dome, a notorious eco-comedy starring the ever-hideous Pauly Shore, retains the bottom spot with an overly generous one out of 100.
Frears leads Cannes crew The perennially self-deprecating Stephen Frears, director of Prick up your Ears, The Van and, most recently, The Queen, has been named as the Jury President for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. "God bless Cannes! (as well as the queen)," Frears quipped on hearing the news. This year's event, the 60th, kicks off on May 16th.
