Filmmakers invited to UK launch of new international film festival in Cyprus

British Cypriot actor & GIIFF patron Tamer Hassan in the Nicosia Buffer Zone in May

NEWS/UK

British filmmakers and organisations working in the fields of Environment, Human Rights, and Women, are invited to attend the launch of the Golden Island International Film Festival in North London on Thursday 10 July. This new annual event will take place in Cyprus in November 2014. GIIFF patrons, actor Tamer Hassan and Baroness Meral Ece OBE, will form part of the panel of speakers on the night.

The festival was launched in Cyprus in May, through a party in the stunning grounds of Bellapais Abbey and a press briefing at the Home for Co-operation in the UN-administered Buffer Zone in Nicosia. The GIIFF team are now bringing their festival news to Britain, aiming to court the large Cypriot Diaspora and the British film industry.

GIIFF will be hosting an open evening at the Turkish Cypriot Community Centre in Harringay – the traditional heart of the British Cypriot community – from 6pm-7.15pm. Speakers on the night are the two GIIFF patrons, together with festival director Yeşim Güzelpınar and British Cypriot director Erim Metto.

Festival director Yeşim Güzelpınar

Thursday’s briefing will explain what the festival hopes to achieve, how filmmakers can submit their films, competition details and ways to get involved with GIIFF 2014. Following the briefing, there will be refreshments and a chance to network.

To attend Thursday’s event, simply email your details to RSVP@prickly-pear.org by Thursday midday. The venue holds 100 people, so early responses are advised. The venue is located at 628-630 Green Lanes, Harringay, London N8 0SD. Parking restrictions apply, so attendees are advised to use public transport – nearest tube is Turnpike Lane (Piccadilly line).

Journeys form one of the film strands for GIIFF 2014

British filmmakers interested in submitting their films – shorts, documentaries or features – to the festival can do so now. There are several strands for GIIFF 2014: Cypriot Cinema (any subject), guest country UK Cinema (any subject), Environment, Human Rights, Journeys, and Women. Cypriot filmmakers also have a chance to win prizes for their submissions as part of GIIFF’s commitment to supporting the Cypriot film sector. It’s free to enter films – full rules and contact details are online: www.GoldenIslandFilmFestival.org . Deadline for film submissions is 31st July 2014.

GIIFF is backed by partners such as the Independent Film Trust, Raindance Film Festival, the University of East Anglia (Film Dept), and the Home for Co-operation (UN Buffer Zone, Nicosia). The main sponsors are Creditwest Bank and Girne American University. The festival is organised jointly by UK-based Balik Arts and the Golden Island Arts Association.