Screen Directors Guild of Ireland

On Thursday May 22nd a large and excited group of animation and live action directors gathered to watch acclaimed French director Michel Ocelots 'Azur et Asmar' in Denzille Lane Cinema.

Michel, who travelled from Paris for the screening, engaged in dialogue with SDGI Animation Sub Committee chairman Steve Woods and described how he both wrote and animated the beautifully filmed 'Azur et Asmar' as a follow up to his previous feature 'Kirikou - Princes et Princesses'. 
Attending animation directors felt both inspired and charmed by Michel's comments and his sharing of his experiences as an independent animation director over the past 20 years.

Congratulations to member Stephen Butcher who correctly predicted that Nuri Bilge Ceylons film 'Three Monkeys' would win the Best Director Award at the Cannes International Film Festival.

A dinner for two voucher from Fallon & Byrne is winging its way to you!

SDGI Directors Club Animation Special to screen
Michel Ocelots ‘Azur et Asmar’

The next SDGI Directors Club will feature internationally acclaimed French animation director Michel Ocelot with his latest feature film ‘Azur et Asmar’. Sponsored by the Cultural Service of the French Embassy, Michel will travel from Paris for the screening of his animation feature ‘Azur et Asmar’ on May 22nd in Denzille Lane Cinema at 6.00pm.
 
Michel Ocelot has dedicated his entire career to animated films. He writes all his own screenplays and draws all the graphics for his projects. Michel also spent six years at the helm of ASIFA, the International Association for Animated Film. Michel’s style and work, which includes award winning animation features ‘Kirikou et la Sorciere’, an African tale and also ‘Kirikou, Princes et Princesses’, will appeal to both animation and live action directors alike. The intimate screening will be followed by Michel in dialogue with SDGI Animation Sub-Committee chair Steve Woods.
 
To register your attendance please email Liz Dodd at liz@sdgi.ie or call on 6337747.
 
The Directors’ Club was launched in 2007 to a great start with the award winning director David Gleeson and his film The Front Line. Since its inception, The Directors’ Club has generated great interest and excitement with John Carney’s Screening of Once , Lenny Abrhamson’s Garage, Neil Jordans The Brave One and Jim Sheridan’s Brothers among the films screened to date.
 
The Directors’ Club shows a selection of features, dramas, animation and documentary which have been important moments in the history of film and culture and/or in some cases went under the radar from deserved attention.
The screenings are followed by an intimate and relaxed dialogue between the director and guild members.  The director will share anecdotes about his/her experience of directing, and fellow directors are encouraged to speak about their own work in relation to the work they have seen.  The evening aims to foster and promote a greater sense of the director’s perspective nationally and internationally and, most importantly, have some fun. 

Just for the fun of it we thought we’d run a competition in conjunction with the Cannes International Film Festival to see if any of you could predict who will win Best Director at the Cannes. The winner will receive a Dinner for 2 Voucher kindly sponsored by the lovely people in Fallon & Byrne Restaurant on Exchequer Street.

There are 22 films in the official competition selection – all listed below

Adoration – directed by Atom EGOYAN
Blindness – directed by Fernando MEIRELLES
Che – directed by Steven SODERBERGH
Delta – directed by Kornel MUNDRUCZO
Entre Les Murs – directed by Laurent CANTET
Er Shi Si Cheng Ji – directed by Zhangke JIA
Gomorra – directed by Matteo GARRONE
Il Divo – directed by Paulo SORRENTINO
L’Echange – directed by Clint EASTWOOD
La Frontiere de L’Aube – directed by Phillippe GARREL
La Mujer Sin Cabeza – directed by Lucrecia MARTEL
La Silence De Lorna – directed by Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE
Leonera – directed by Pablo TRAPERO
Linha De Passe – directed by Walter SALLES, Daniela THOMAS
My Magic – directed by Eric KHOO
Palermo Shooting – directed by Wim WENDERS
Serbis – directed by Brillianta MENDOZA
Synnecdoche, New York – directed by Charlie KAUFMAN
Two Lovers – directed by James GRAY
Three Monkeys – directed by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN
Un Conte De Noel – directed by Arnaud DESPLECHIN
Waltz With Bashir – directed by Ari Folman

The Festival runs from May 14th – 25th with winners being announced on the 25th.

All you have to do is send us in your choice. The names of all those who select the correct winner will be put in a hat on Monday 26th and I will then call the winner.

So – why not give it a go – as the lotto people say ‘You can’t win if you’re not in!!’

Best of luck to you all

The next Directors Club Screening is an animation special. Paul Bolgers’ animation feature ‘Happily N’Ever After’ will screen on Tuesday April 29th at 6.00pm in Denzille Lane Cinema. The screening will be followed by Paul in dialogue with feature animation director Tom Moore and a Q&A session.

In 2001 Paul provided conceptual art to a script that was to eventually grow into Happily N’Ever After. His involvement in the development of the film led to his taking of its reins in early 2002 where he began a long and fruitful relationship with the producer John H. Williams. Paul soon brought in animation heavyweights Deane Taylor (Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas) and Dino Athanassiou (DreamWorks’ Sinbad and Spirit, and Warner Bros. Space Jam, etc.) to take the look and performance of the film to new heights. This world-class core team, augmented by equally able traditional and CG animation artists, worked for over 4 years to deliver Europe’s biggest animated production to date.

As always the the event will kick off with drinks at 6.00pm with the screening beginning promptly at 6.30pm and will be of interest to all members both animation and live action directors alike. We encourage live action directors to come along