The Script Factory SCENE at
The Times bfi London Film Festival 2004
Wed 27 October - Saturday 31 Oct (plus a few extras!)
 
Welcome to SCENE – a festival of events exploring the art of creative filmmaking honing in on some of the most interesting voices in the business and pairing filmmakers with articulate hosts in order to give you more in-depth insight and analysis than is possible in a regular Q&A. An essential tool for serious filmmakers who want to understand how their favourite screenwriters and directors work, SCENE is also a place where the line between maker and fan blurs. With a space for socialising in the Curzon Soho Bar and events for a variety of tastes, The Script Factory’s SCENE sessions are for everyone interested in the story behind the movie…
 
SCENE has a new home this year - the Curzon Soho in London’s west end - and promises a busy social time alongside some fascinating events.
 

Tickets are on sale NOW. Call the Curzon box office on 020 7734 2255 with your name & membership number (For information about joining us as a Member click here).
 
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Details about SCENE VENUES and HOW TO BOOK are at the bottom of this page
 
Given the changeable nature of Festivals, The Script Factory reserves the right to alter the scheduled programme.
 
If you want more from your SCENE experience, don’t forget The Bigger Picture. A brand new training programme and a major part of SCENE and a chance to network with other filmmakers, The Bigger Picture explores the construction of scripts, from managing the relationship between audience and character, to defining story conflict! Find out more about The Bigger Picture.
 
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Don't miss the pre-SCENE preview of Garden State with Natalie Portman and Zach BraffPRE-SCENE event!
MONDAY 25 OCT
Odeon Covent Garden
6.30 doors for 7pm start, ends at 9.30pm (£10/8)
Tickets: 0871 22 44 007
Garden State
Preview in association with BAFTA
Followed by a conversation with Zach Braff
Scrubs star Braff makes a sparkling writing/directing debut in this fresh and tender comedy about 20-something ennui, with nods to The Graduate and Beautiful Girls. Braff stars as a TV actor from LA who heads home to New Jersey for his mom’s funeral intending to get in and out with the minimum fuss but finds life complicated when he meets a girl who refuses to let him get by that easily.
Courtesy of Buena Vista International
 
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WED 27 OCT
National Film Theatre – Workshop Rooms
11-4pm (£3) Limited tickets available from 020 7323 1414
Teen Script To Screen
A day event for 12-15 year-olds offering the chance to work on a short film script led by the LFF Education team and award-winning short film writer/director Phil Traill, whose feature script is currently being directed by Peter ‘The Full Monty’ Cattaneo.
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
1.30-2.45pm (£3)
State of the Nation: with UK Film Council chair, Stewart Till
With a career spanning studio production, distribution and now at the helm of the UK Film Council, Stewart Till joins us for a personal examination of what has been achieved and what lies ahead for the UKFC and for British cinema generally.
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
3.30-4.30pm (£6/5)
In Her Hands: The World According to Annette K. Olesen
Danes have more than their share of the world’s most exciting filmmaking talent; Annette K. Olesen (Minor Mishaps) continues the trend. In Your Hands (written with Kim Fupz Aakeson), establishes her as a filmmaker with a keen eye for human behaviour and a strong sense of story. Having made what is apparently the ‘last’ Dogme film, Olesen joins us to explain how she gives ordinary life a sense of the miraculous. Courtesy of MetrodomeDistribution
 
Book tickets to see In Your Hands at the LFF
 

Gregg Araki's Mysterious SkinCurzon Soho Screen 3
4.45-7.30 (£8/6)
Mysterious Skin preview screening
Followed by a conversation with Gregg Araki
In the late 80s Araki’s nihilistic road movie The Living End announced him as both enfant terrible and one of the most promising talents of a generation. Still making provocative and uncompromising works, Mysterious Skin is being hailed as his best yet. Based on the dark hit novel by Scott Heim, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Manic) and Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), it explores the relationship between two young men tied together by the shared memory of sexual abuse.
Courtesy of Tartan Films
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
7.45-9pm (£8/6)
Mike Figgis’ 3 Essential Films for Filmmakers
In this perfect companion to viewing the best new works at LFF, Mike Figgis (screenwriter, director and composer, Timecode, Leaving Las Vegas) selects the three classic films which have made most impression on his career. Choosing extracts from films he loves, Figgis will analyse what makes them extraordinary, inspiring viewing for fellow writers and directors.
 
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THURS 28 OCT
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
1.30-2.15pm (£3)
The Exorcist: revisiting the horror of horrors with Nigel Floyd
Resident horror film journalist, expert and fan Nigel Floyd joins us to dissect what makes the scariest movies really scary. On the eve of the release of Exorcist: The Beginning - a film which has had a fascinating journey to screen (complete with three writers, and two directors including Paul Schrader and Reny Harlin) - Nigel takes a closer look at this and the original to consider what filmmakers risk in making horror accessible to a wider audience. In this lunchtime chat, Nigel will be talking to directly to a screenwriter audience from the journalists’ perspective and invites you to join in the debate.
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
2.45-4.15pm (£6/5)
Directing with a Writer’s POV: making Touch of Pink
Hugely talented This Life writer Ian Iqbal Rashid makes his long-awaited feature debut as writer/director with a sweet and magical cross-cultural romance. South Asian Canadian Alim (Jimi Mistry) and his British lover Giles get a little help from the ghost of Cary Grant (Kyle MacLachlan) when Alim’s Muslim mum comes to visit. Together with key members of his team, Rashid talks about bringing a writer’s sensibility to directing, the challenges of a first feature, and making comedy with serious themes.
 
Book tickets to see the screening of Touch of Pink at The Times bfi London Film Festival
 

Vanity FairCurzon Soho Screen 3
5-6.30pm (£8/6)
Revealed & Concealed: Julian Fellowes’ Dialogue Masterclass
Screen and theatre writers grapple with the issue of how to write strong authentic dialogue on a daily basis. As a hugely accomplished actor and one of the UK’s best screenwriters, Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Vanity Fair, Gosford Park) has a better sense than most of what makes for lively, credible dialogue. For SCENE he lets us in on a few secrets!
 
Buy tickets to see Vanity Fair at The Times bfi London Film Festival
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
7-8.30pm (£8/6)
How to make Millions: Danny Boyle & Frank Cottrell Boyce
The heavyweight screenwriter of 24 Hour Party People and Hilary and Jackie and director of 28 Days Later and Trainspotting have joined forces to create a comedy about two young brothers who find - and have a deadline to spend - a hidden stash of cash. Danny and Frank walk us behind the scenes on Millions which looks like another hit for two filmmakers who can do just about anything - be it award-winning biopic, zombie flick, or smartly funny film about kids. Courtesy of Pathe
 
Buy tickets to see Millions at The Times bfi London Film Festival
 

 
FRI 29 OCT
 

Producers can be friendly... Curzon Soho Screen 3
1.30-2.45pm (£6/5)
Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright: a cult comedy class on Shaun of the Dead
Since their smash hit Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have been picking up celebrity fans by the dozen. Raimi, Romero and Tarantino have all spotted that Pegg and Wright are the UK’s most talented comedy-team since Monty Python. Here they talk about exploiting genre for comic effect, the joys and pains of co-writing, and how Brit humour travels.
 

Roads to KoktebelCurzon Soho Screen 3
3.15-4.15pm (£6/5)
Road Movies the Russian way: Roads to Koktebel
A father and son leave Moscow on foot for a resort at the Black Sea in search of a better life. Along the way, the father’s distractions (women and booze) erode the boy’s belief of ever finding one. Young Russian co-writer/directors Khlebnikov and Popogrebsky have delivered a debut of great heart and beauty and join us to talk about their original take on the road movie genre. Courtesy of Artificial Eye
 
Buy tickets to the screening of Roads to Koktebel at The Times bfi London Film Festival
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
7.30-8.45pm (£8/6)
Director/writer head to head: Joe Penhall & Roger Michell on Enduring Love
Festival Gala Enduring Love sees a constellation of stellar British talent orbiting Ian McEwan’s brilliant original novel: director Roger Michell (The Mother, Notting Hill); screenwriter Joe Penhall (The Long Firm); producer Kevin Loader (Captain Corelli…); and a cast that includes superstars Craig, Morton and Ifans. In this session, Michell and Penhall reveal some of the creative secrets behind their subtle and complex psychological thriller. Courtesy of Pathe
 
Buy tickets to see Enduring Love at The Times bfi London Film Festival
 

SAT 30 OCT
 

Mike Leigh on setCurzon Soho Screen 3
1.30-3pm (£8/6)
The Script Factory Masterclass with Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh’s filmography is a catalogue of greatness from Abigail’s Party and Secrets and Lies to Topsy-Turvy. With LFF opener Vera Drake, which won the prestigious Silver Lion at Venice, he delivers yet another highlight. In a Script Factory first, Leigh joins LFF Artistic Director Sandra Hebron to talk about his career and a unique take on scripts.
 
Book tickets to see the screening of Vera Drake at The Times bfi London Film Festival
 
Curzon Foyer Bar
2.45-4.15pm (£3)
Script Stars for Kids
Children from 7-11 years are invited to join us to learn the secrets of screenwriting in this family workshop. Be inspired by a famous film and a special guest or two…
 
Curzon Soho Screen 3
3.30-4.15pm (£3)
Howard Schuman & Mark Cousins tell ‘The Story of Film’
Film fans are guaranteed enormous pleasure any time one of these two eloquent cinephiles talks about his love affair with the movies. Here together in conversation, spurred on by Cousin’s brilliant new book on cinema’s first 100 years, is your chance to eavesdrop on a discussion about the value of cinema history for contemporary filmmakers.
 

Joshua Marston's Maria Full of GraceCurzon Soho Screen 3
6.15-7.30pm (£6/5)
American Beauty: Joshua Marston on Maria Full of Grace
Co-presented by Shooting People
US filmmakers don’t often look beyond their own borders for subjects; with Maria…new young hope Marston uses his resources, intelligence and talent to shed light on the uneasy influence of the US economy on South America as he follows a young Columbian woman who becomes a drugs mule. A sophisticated debut has won awards from Sundance to Berlin, admirers like Anthony Minghella, and comparisons to Ken Loach. Don’t miss this first UK interview with the writer/director. Courtesy of Icon Film Distributors and subject to final confirmation
 
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POST-SCENE event!
TUES 2 NOV
Canada House, Cockspur Street
Trafalgar Square, London SW1
7.30-9pm (£8/6)
Tickets through The Script Factory on 020 7323 1414
Considering Adaptation: Margaret Atwood in conversation
In association with the Canadian High Commission
In a rare visit from her native Canada, Booker prize-winner Margaret Atwood talks specifically about adaptation. With The Handmaid’s Tale her first foray into movies, and a further two features currently being adapted from her novels, Atwood talks to Hay Festival director Peter Florence about writing for different arenas.
 
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SCENE is just one part of The Times bfi London Film Festival's programme of special events and this year is as jam-packed as ever with something for every kind of film enthusiast. Kevin Bacon and David O. Russell are just two of the highlights! For full details of go to www.lff.org.uk/events.php and for the full Festival film programme see www.lff.org.uk
 
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VENUE DETAILS / HOW TO BOOK
 
ALL sessions takes place at
 
Curzon Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, London
Tickets: 020 7734 2255 (box office open 10am-8pm)
Or online at www.curzoncinemas.com
 
except for Garden State which is at
Odeon Covent Garden
135 Shaftesbury Avenue, London
Tickets: 0871 22 44 007
Or on-line at www.odeon.co.uk
 
Teen Script to Screen which is at
National Film Theatre
South Bank, Waterloo, London SE5
Tickets via Script Factory: 020 7323 1414
 
and Considering Adaptation: Margaret Atwood in Conversation which is at
Canada House
Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square, London SW1
Tickets via Script Factory: 020 7323 1414
 
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Sending a clear signal about her respect for writers, Gwyneth Paltrow has just joined us as our SCENE patron:
 

Gwyneth Paltrow is our SCENE Patron
"From my experience in film there is no truer adage than, 'It's very hard to make a good movie from a bad script'. My support for The Script Factory comes from my deep desire for more great screenplays."

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