Award Winning Film Director Jan Dunn's Festival Workshop
Date: Tuesday 28th April Time: 4pm Venue: Furze Platt Senior School, Main Hall
Award winning film director Jam Dunn will return to her school, Furze Platt Senior School, to present a workshop on her career in the film industry The workshop will take the form of an interview and a question-and-answer session which Jan will illustrate with clips from her films. Tickets are £3 and are available from the Festival Box Office, The Stationery Store, Station Parade, Cookham Rise.
In 2006 following the UK release of her first feature film, Gypo, starring Paul McGann & Pauline McLynn, The Hollywood Reporter stated the film had marked Jan out as “a filmmaker to watch” with Screen International calling her “a very promising new British Talent.”. The film became an internationally acclaimed, multi-award winning film including picking up a British Independent Film Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production. The film was actually made on a micro-budget as a calling card but at its very first screening was picked up in the UK by Lionsgate Films and was one of the very few independently financed films at the Cannes Film Festival Market that year to secure a coveted US distribution deal.
The success of the first film lead to working in the same way to make a second micro-budget film, Ruby Blue, starring Bob Hoskins and French screen legend, Josiane Balasko in her first English language role in a part written especially for her. This film released in UK cinemas in summer 2008. Already the film is picking up similar accolades to her first film, recently picking up Best Film Award at the London Independent Film Festival and in the US awards including Grand Jury best film award at Washington DC independent Film Festival and a Moondance Spirit Award for best film directed by a woman. Jan has numerous other awards and nominations for screenplay, directing and acting.
Her micro-budget “trilogy” concludes with her next film, currently completing, The Calling, starring Brenda Blethyn, Susannah York, Rita Tushingham, Amanda Donohoe and regular collaborator, Pauline McLynn.
Prior to this, Jan had produced and directed several short films which achieved both critical and financial success, particularly her two comedies, Mary’s Date and Joan and documentary, The Lumber-Jills about women in world war two who took over the running of British forests from physically chopping trees down to haulage and pit building.
She has now acquired the film rights to the best selling novel by British novelist Rose Tremain (OBE), Sacred Country, she will be adapting the screenplay herself and the film will be produced by renowned UK producer, Pippa Cross.
Jan went to Furze Platt School in the late 70's and played Hockey for Maidenhead and Bray and was in plays with Maidenhead Drama Guild and Maidenhead Youth Theatre.
For more information please contact Judith Diment Judith@thediments.co.uk or 07860 162313
