Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

First-time Filmmakers Win �50,000 Prize

By Staff
posted May 5, 2009, 13:42

(London, UK) -- Co-directors David Mills and Danielle Boucher took the grand prize at the London Independent Film Festival over the weekend for their debut feature film The Burial. The film, telling the story of three French brothers taking their dead mother on a road trip to fulfil her final wish, was the festival's closing night film. The prize, sponsored by Prime Focus London, secures a significant portion of the finance for Millsand Boucher's next feature.

UK director Sam Holland took the festival's prize for Best Director for Zebra Crossings -- his brutal portrayal of London youth culture. Maeve Murphy took the prize for Best UK Feature for Beyond the Fire, a harrowing tale of sexual abuse and sexual healing. And Nick Pilton won for Best No-Budget Feature with Reservations.

Oscar nominated director Mike Figgis and the British Film Institute each received the festival's "Champion of Independent Cinema" award, which annually recognizes one celebrity and one organisation for outstanding service to the UK independent filmmaking community.

Hosted at several screening venues across London, including the Coronet, the Roxy, and Curzon cinemas, the 2009 London Independent Film Festival screened over 110 films over 10 days. The festival highlights the best in micro-budget filmmaking every April and has been called "A treasure trove of undiscovered cinematic gems. One of Europe's top indie film fests" by British Film Magazine, 2008.

More information about The Burial can be found on the film website:
http://www.theburial-film.com/

Full information about the festival and press photos can be found at:
http://press.londonindependent.org

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