Panel discussion about future of film industry with Jes
Benstock, Olivier Kaempfer & Courttia Newland


Jes Benstock


Jes started acting while stillat school in Glasgow,Scotland. He set up asuccessful comic theatrecompany, The Merry MacFun Co, in the 1980s. Whiletouring, winning numerous awards and making TVappearances, Jes developeda passion for photography and film.He moved full time into film and video, experimentingin interactive art and making music promos. His shortfilm starring Tilda Swinton, "The Box" (for the bandOrbital) won awards around the world and has over1.5 million hits on Youtube.His latest work "The British Guide To Showing Off"builds on his same unique blend of styles, his lighttouch and humour.


Olivier Kaempfer


Olivier founded hisproduction companyParkville Pictures in 2007.Amongst those was thenomination for the BAFTAaward Olivier received as aproducer for the short film"Ralph" in 2009.“The First Days of Spring” was theatrically released inJuly 2009 and was distributed internationally throughVerve Pictures and Mercury Music Group.In February 2010, Olivier’s first feature project“Borrowed Time”, developed with writer and directorJules Bishop, was selected by the Film London and BBCFilms award-winning Microwave scheme for funding.


Courttia Newland


Courttia Newland’sfirst novel, TheScholar, waspublished in 1997.Further criticallyacclaimed workincludes SocietyWithin (1999) andSnakeskin (2002).He is co-editor ofIC3: The PenguinBook of New Black Writing in Britain (2000) and hasshort stories featured in many anthologies. His recentbooks include a novella, The Dying Wish(2006), and acollection of macabre short stories, Music for the Off-Key (2006). His career has encompassed both screenand playwriting; plays include B is for Black, and anadaptation of Euripedes Women of Troy. He wasshortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award2007, the Alfred Fagon Award 2010, and longlistedfor the Frank O’ Conner Award 2011. His latestanthology, which he co-edited with Monique Roffey, isTell Tales 4: The Global Village (2009) A Book ofBlues, a new collection of short stories, was publishedin March 2011.