Focus on “In The Sands of Babylon”.

In this Blog, I will attempt to set out why the film In The Sands of Babylon is of particular interest to people in the UK, as my Evaluation Team have highlighted this Project.
The first point is that Public Opinion in this country has been skewed by Media Coverage. Recent reports from Afghanistan have been in terms of British Casualties, without the context of the military successes. Losses in the past weeks have been particularly high, due to the Armed Forces being active in engaging the Taliban, prior to the Afghan Elections. It is therefore not surprising, on a daily diet of casualties, with no balancing information on ground that has been won, that many Voters now question Britain’s involvement in that war. Indeed, it has only recently dawned on the Electorate that this is not just a “military operation”, it is actually an all-out war now.
I suspect that the military has stated its preference to the media, that Taliban losses should not be mentioned at all, in order not to inflame radical Muslim opinion. The result of his approach has been to appease hard-liners, but it has also had the interesting effect of generating immense public sympathy for the families of the Fallen, where the question of why we are fighting a war in Afghanistan has been entirely devolved onto Politicians.
Faced with the enormous cost of funding the solutions to the world-wide economic slowdown, Politicians will be eager to conduct the self-same Review of Britain’s Military Capability, which General Sir Mike Jackson has called for anyway. This Review will be far-reaching, as it will be asking what role we intend to play in the world and the practical issues of the pieces of equipment we need to do it.
It seems highly unlikely that the United Kingdom will in future stop supporting the United States in military intervention abroad. British troops are highly prized by any NATO Commander, precisely because they are battle-hardened, as few other NATO countries are willing to face domestic criticism, when the casualties are repatriated. It therefore seems likely that the UK will continue to support UN Motions of the future with military action, so the Armed Forces are caught in a pincer movement between the “Mission Creep” in Afghanistan, demanding greater expense in terms of personnel and materials and the need to curb all Government spending to finance measures like Quantitative Easing.
The outgoing New Labour Administration has been noticeably unwilling to tackle either a full Defence Review or indeed start the process of rebuilding the Public Finances in their final days. The character of Prime Minister Gordon Brown is such that he will cling to power for as long as possible, meaning that these great matters of State will not be resolved until 2010 and beyond. As the Public are keenly aware of the growing numbers of casualties in the war, the specific question of why we are in Afghanistan will continue to burn in the background, along with the wider issue of the UK’s role in the world. In the short term, these dilemmas will recede, as British losses will fall to lower levels, once the Afghan Election is over.
These twin questions will, however, return with a vengeance, as the General Election Campaign among the major parties gets underway.
Furthermore, it is entirely likely that the Iraq Inquiry. led by Sir John Chilcot, will keep the issue of why we were in Iraq alive for a considerable period of time, until it presents its findings long after the Election of 2010. http://bit.ly/R2wnc
It is set against this political debate, that the two Projects of “Son of Babylon” and its Prequel, “In The Sands of Babylon” that the pro-war case will be aired. If the Iraq War is generally considered to be the political legacy of Tony Blair’s Administration, then the plight of the Kurds in Iraq, where Saddam Hussein murdered a million of his own people, is sufficient justification. Unfortunately, “Regime Change” is ruled out by the UN rules for invasion of a sovereign nation, which led to Allied Forces stopping at the borders of Iraq, after the liberation of Kuwait – the First Gulf War – the period of history during which “In the Sands of Babylon” is set.
In conclusion, if this film receives the attention it deserves from an educated and discerning audience, then you might hear the counter-argument of “Have you seen In The Sands of Babylon?”, as a riposte during a political debate on the UK’s Foreign Policy.

****************************UPDATE*************************************

In The Sands of Babylon has been selected to screen at the San Sebastian Film Festival in the Cinema In Motion section http://bit.ly/uOhFn

Second First Media Syndicate Pitching Event

The second FIRST MEDIA SYNDICATE “Pitching” Event in London for a variety of Media Projects raising finance from Investors was a great success, as I had many opportunities to speak to all sorts of people and had to tear myself away, before I missed the last train home!

Investors, or people who have the ear of Investors, were present in greater numbers than the Inaugural Event, so the formula of the evening is gaining effectiveness. That is for a seven-minute presentation per Project, with the ability to ask public questions, followed by informal discussions with Producers and Directors.

I have previously written about the Foreign Language Film In The Sands of Babylon, and nothing surrounding the current UK political climate has weakened my view, that the issue of Iraq will be topical and remain so, until the next General Election and beyond.

In the Creative Package, the Director chastises the West for allowing Saddam Hussein’s genocide of the Kurds. This film is strongly in favour of the Allied intervention in the first Gulf War, as hope of release is given to Political Prisoners in the jail of the film, when they hear of the Uprising of the Marsh Arabs, in support of the re-taking of Kuwait. However, as the United Nations’ Charter forbids invasion in order to implement “Regime Change”, the Allied Mandate was only to liberate Kuwait, therefore the Uprising was not supported by the Western Powers, leading to its being crushed.

Stalin observed that the death of one man is a tragedy, but the death of millions is a statistic, so the main character of this film stands as an Everyman for the million or more who died under the Ba’athist Regime. It is no exaggeration to say that this film has the ability to inform the choice of the Elector as to our next Government.

Following on from the theme of the individual opposing an oppressive Regime, Stopping Hitler from 1A Productions deals with a Theologian abandoning an attempt to defeat the Nazi Regime through reason, instead bringing it to an end by appearing to co-operate, while actually planning the assassination of Hitler. The Script is extremely well-constructed with good use of humour and a love story within it. Clever twists in the writing lead the audience to expect one event, when an entirely different one happens.

The Director, Norman Stone, intends to film in Hungary, as a fair representation of Germany, while keeping the costs down.
The second project which 1A presented was The End Time, which deals with Columba’s attempt to bring Christianity to a pagan Ireland. Following on from the previous Project’s subject of a historical character operating in a religious context, this film differs in the use of the Supernatural of miracles to bring about the Conversions. Modern Theologians question whether Christianity “needs” the magical aspect of miracles in order to talk about the Gospel of Redemption.

However, set in the illiterate times of Dark Ages Ireland, the use of Columba’s “sword wounds not bleeding” was effective propaganda and reflects the historical way of influencing the masses.

The Supernatural is very firmly on the agenda of Black Seal’s Vampyres II, which will be the sequel to Vampyres of 1974. A brief clip of the former was shown at the Event. The follow-up will harness the entertainment proposition of 3D, where the main issue for the Investor will be how quickly the Consumer embraces this new(ish) technology in order to view it.
News that Panasonic will launch a 3D hand-held camera may lead demand for the new format in the Household, which in turn leads to demand for the additional content of Feature Films, like Vampyres II, where the genre suits the medium well.

Whether the Epic Love Story demands to be seen in 3D is debatable, but Aleksander Rouge should provide the emotional high and lows in either format. Winning the 2006 Best Screenplay Award at the European Film Festival in Paris, this Project promises to appeal to audiences across three main geographical areas. At home and Ireland, Bob Hoskins is the attached Actor, which should comfort the Cinemagoer enough to part with money and buy tickets. For Russia, Oleg Menshikov should do likewise and for Asia, Sara Malakul Lane is the Big Name.

I suspect that those who saw Shine with Geoffrey Rush starring in it, will also find this Project appealing.

Finally, Transfer At Aachen, is a Heist Thriller set in the modern day, which features the Eurostar and the brand-new St Pancras International Station as the backdrop. Again, the locations in a variety of different European countries should bolster its international appeal, increasing its attractiveness to the Investor. The Script has many twists and turns, although the McGuffin in this case is diamonds, whereas it could equally be another item, that the competing Baddies will stop at nothing to get their hands on.

Let’s hope that this film will achieve the spectacular 1833% of Budget Grossed for Reservoir Dogs, which the Sales Package cites as a Comparable, as opposed to The Score, which only managed 104%. These figures are only “to date”, so that should be taken into consideration by the Media Investor.

In conclusion, I would recommend that Investors attend the next FIRST MEDIA SYDICATE Event on 28th September at the Hospital Club in London and talk to the people behind the next batch of Presentations. Follow this link for more details: http://bit.ly/xgUpY

An appealing aspect is the ability for the Investor to have their say in the Projects, as most are still flexible enough at that stage to incorporate any brilliant ideas. It’s a dialogue, not a soliloquy.

Preview of projects pitching at The Hospital Club on Monday 27th July

I have one word for you: technology. It has shaped film-making of the past and will do so in the future. In The Graduate (1967),the Zoom Lens had just been invented and its Director, Mike Nichols, exploited this new technique to the full!

Similarly, technology is having a marked effect on how films are being made today. 3D cinema has been given a new lease of life from Philips, the electronics manufacturer. They are developing the 3D TV set, without the need for those glasses, which you may have seen from photographs of the 1950s. It therefore follows that Content for this new TV set will be required and the cinema world has responded.

Black Seal Films have a slate of four films in that format in the Horror Genre. Vampyres II will be directed by Jose Ramon Larraz in 3D, following on from his original Vampyres of 1974 in 2D. As Horror films will work well in the new format, the Producers aim to be at the forefront of providing fresh material and gain the corresponding commercial advantage over their rivals.

Investors will be interested in learning that this project qualifies for a 20% Tax Credit on its production costs, due to the filming taking place in the UK. Well done, Mr. Darling! The Producers are also open to feedback from those providing funding, as to the filming order of the other projects on the slate. Add this to the Enterprise Investment Scheme structure for Investors as individuals, with 20% Tax Relief on subscriptions, Capital Gains Tax breaks and you have a powerful package! Read more by following this link: http://bit.ly/r9Uzc

Technology (or the lack of it) has also been troubling our political conscience recently, regarding the inadequate number of helicopters in Afghanistan. Now that Iraq has been handed back to the government there, I can foresee that there will be a reappraisal of that particular war, with a view to implementing the lessons learnt in Afghanistan. Working on the premise of Gordon Brown delaying the Election until mid 2010, involving a prolonged run-up, together with a review of the Defence Budget, the stage is set for a film, which draws all of these strands together.

In the Sands of Babylon is part of a series of films about Iraq, where the concentration of all the issues raised can be embodied in the life of one particular character. Much as Missing (1982) dealt with the theme of trying to find the “Disappeared” of a brutal military regime, this film is the Prequel to Son of Babylon, where the circumstances of his detention and eventual State-Sponsored Execution are explained. Drawing on the comparisons to the Holocaust, the Director is keen to impress upon the West that it has not succeeded in stopping this particular genocide of the Kurds. I believe that this film will capture a great deal of the swirling maelstrom of debate prior to our own General Election and is extremely timely in its Release. The West’s superior technology, on the second attempt, helped to defeat the well-aimed rifle butt on a political prisoner in his prison cell.

Transfer at Aachen promises to be a very interesting project. The Director, Paul Warner, has clearly given a lot of thought as the look and feel of the film, referencing the futuristic elements of 2001: A Space Odyssey to accent the inner turmoil of his main character, who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As far as I am aware, this is the first time OCD has featured in the Cinema. With European locations, such as Germany, Paris, Belgium and London, there is plenty of interest in the outer world as well.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this Blog and welcome your thoughts. I am contactable on 020 8349 1003.

Promo trailer of the FMS Pitching Events

Please check out the promo trailer of the FMS Pitching Events at The Hospital Club