Richard Branson and Kevin Spacey pick award winner

30th September 2008

Press Release

Winning Virgin Media Shorts 2008 film announced

Virgin Media has today announced the winner of the first ever Virgin Media Shorts Award. In association with FilmFlex, Virgin Media Shorts is a unique short film competition championing the best undiscovered film talent in the UK.

Winning film makers Phil Sansom and Olly Williams were awarded the grand prize by host Johnny Vaughan at the awards ceremony held at the British Film Institute. The Black Hole beat off stiff competition from more than 1,400 entries, and was chosen from a short-list of 12 by a prestigious panel of film industry experts including film and stage actor Kevin Spacey, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha.

The team behind The Black Hole receive up to £30,000 towards their next film, as well as nationwide exposure to millions of people across the country. Each of the 12 short-listed films are currently being shown at 212 cinemas across the UK for a whole year, until July 2009. The films will also be available to 3.5 million Virgin Media TV customers to watch for free through the FilmFlex Movies on Demand service, and the films can be watched on the website (www.virginmediashorts.co.uk). The winning film will also be shown nationwide on Virgin1 on 18th October. Virgin Mobile customers can download clips of the films through the Mobile Bites site.

Phil Sansom and Olly Williams met in 2001 at the Wimbledon School of Art and have worked together before, but The Black Hole is their first short film and was made specifically for Virgin Media Shorts. It was shot in just one day at an office in Twickenham, with the help of actor Napoleon Ryan, who the duo met whilst working on a music video for British indie band The Hoosiers. In the film, Napoleon plays bored office worker ‘Charlie’, who becomes consumed by greed after accidentally photocopying a black hole, ending with a compelling twist to the tale.

The winner of the People’s Choice Award, voted for by the British public, was also announced at the ceremony. This prize was awarded to Justin Waite for his film The Hobbyist, which secured a staggering 37 per cent of the public vote beating off the other 11 short-listed films. Justin, who is also known as Johnny Vaughan’s former sidekick ‘Welshy’ on his Capital Radio breakfast show, stars in his short film about an unusual hobby. The pair were reunited on stage at the Virgin Media Shorts awards ceremony.

Richard Branson said “Virgin Media Shorts is in keeping with Virgin beliefs in celebrating up and coming talent and I’m sure the exposure this competition gives the film makers will have a huge impact on their lives. The Black Hole is an original, engaging film which audiences will love, I’m sure I speak for all my fellow judges when I say we’re delighted to have been involved at such an early stage in their careers.”

Virgin Media’s chief executive of content, Malcolm Wall, said “The first ever Virgin Media Shorts competition has been a phenomenal success. We were delighted with the quality of the entries and the vast amount of undiscovered talent we’ve uncovered, which proves British film making is fresher and more creative than ever.”

What the rest of the Virgin Media Shorts judging panel thought

Kevin Spacey commented: “I was very impressed with the quality of the 12 short-listed films for Virgin Media Shorts. If these film makers can show the same skill when they move on to larger and more ambitious projects, we should be in for a real treat.”

Film director Gurinder Chadha, who directed Bend it Like Beckham and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, said of The Black Hole “Perfect storytelling within the limited time frame and with a great twist as well.”

Oscar nominated film director Daniel Barber commented on The Black Hole: “A terrific idea, beautifully crafted; the work of a future star director!”

Stephen Mangan, star of Green Wing and Confetti, raved about The Black Hole: “A great story that contains a lot of unexpected twists and turns and beautifully shot."

Film critic James King’s thoughts on The Black Hole: “Eerily simple yet powerfully effective. Excellent technical credits complete this near-perfect short film.”

Lenny Crooks, Head of the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund said “The Black Hole is a deceptively simple idea, perfectly executed.”

Melanie Hussey, who won a competition to be Virgin Media’s Customer Judge, said “I believe a strong message is essential for a good short film. The Black Hole has a strong story and is well structured, with some interesting camera work, making for a great short film. It’s been a real honour to be part of such an impressive judging panel alongside the likes of Kevin Spacey and Richard Branson, and I’ve loved every minute.”

For more information about Virgin Media Shorts, visit www.virginmediashorts.co.uk.

Notes to editors

Media contacts

Verity Jukes
Brand PR Manager
Virgin Media
0207 909 2120 / 07730 897927
Verity.Jukes@virginmedia.co.uk

Virgin Media

Virgin Media is an innovative and pioneering UK entertainment and communications business. For the first time consumers can get everything they need from one company - the UK's only quad-play of TV, broadband, phone and mobile, plus the most advanced TV on demand service, all delivered through its unique fibre-optic cable network. Virgin Media launched the UK’s first high definition TV service, is the only TV platform to carry BBC iPlayer, and offers a high-specification, HD-ready V+ personal video recorder. Virgin Media is the UK’s largest residential broadband provider, the largest virtual mobile network operator and the second-largest provider of pay TV and home phone.

Virgin Media owns two content businesses - Virgin Media Television (VMTV) and sit-up. VMTV owns seven entertainment channels – Virgin1, Living, Living 2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge and Trouble - and is a 50% partner in UKTV which consists of nine channels including Dave, UKTV Gold and UKTV History. sit-up runs retail TV channels bid tv, price-drop tv and speed auction tv.

Virgin Media has been voted the sixth Most Loved Brand in Britain in a Marketing magazine poll, as well as having been voted the Most Trusted ISP Brand 2008 by Reader’s Digest magazine. The Sunday Times also awarded Virgin Media its 2008 Best Buy awards for broadband and movies on demand.

Virgin Media is the largest Virgin company in the world and has almost 10 million customers. To find out more visit www.virginmedia.com/presscentre.

FilmFlex

FilmFlex is the UK’s leading on demand film service with over five hundred film titles available at all times, and the service is fully on demand. FilmFlex is available to all Virgin Media TV customers. FilmFlex is a joint venture initiative between Sony Pictures Television International (a Sony Pictures Entertainment company) and Walt Disney Television International.

The FilmFlex service allows Virgin Media TV customers to choose what to watch, when to watch it and to control the movie like a DVD. More than five hundred films are now instantly available on FilmFlex including new releases, which have never before been seen on TV in the UK as well as an extensive library catalogue. No extra equipment, installation or additional monthly subscription is required for Virgin Media TV customers.

Find out more at www.virginmedia.com/moviesondemand

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