It’s in the can for MMU artist

MMU’s answer to Sofia Coppola has beaten off stiff competition to scoop a place in the finals of a national short film award.

Artist-in-residence Kate Jessop, 28, is one of 12 talented film-makers to be short-listed for Virgin Media Shorts 2008, a competition that champions undiscovered film talent in Britain.

More than 7,000 budding film-makers from across the UK registered for the competition, which received over 1,400 entries, to be in with a chance of winning £30,000 and the opportunity to work with Virgin Media and the UK Film Council to make their next short film.

Impressing the judges

Kate impressed the judges with her short film Desires, an animated adaptation of a verse of poetry. Taking inspiration from a Gaia Holmes poem, Desires combines drawn animation and live action to produce a unique film.

Kate said: “Desires is quite unusual and I’m delighted that it’s been so well received. It has been screened at numerous short film festivals around the world but I’m really excited that millions will now be able to view it as part of Virgin Media Shorts.”

Cinema screenings

Created for the Manchester Literature Festival and screened earlier this year across Canada, the USA and Europe, Desires was chosen by an independent curator and will now be reviewed by a prestigious judging panel, including Oscar-winning stage and film actor Kevin Spacey.

It will also be screened at 212 independent cinemas up and down the country for a year and feature on Virgin Media’s Movies on Demand platform, which has 3.5 million customers.

Kate will attend a glitzy, star-studded awards ceremony in London on 29 September, when the winner of Virgin Media Shorts 2008 will be announced. One film will also receive the People’s Choice award, voted for by the public. Kate’s entry can be viewed and reviewed online at www.virginmediashorts.co.uk