UK exclusive for Oscar nominated film at Salford event

A top European script-writer and a UK exclusive showing of a 2009 Oscar-nominated film will be part of a showcase of the best work from University of Salford students on 12 February.

Toyland, a film set during the Holocaust, will appear at the University of Salford's Shortznite in its only showing in the UK before the Oscars, where it is up for the Best Short Film (Live Action) award.

The film will be introduced by Spanish writer and film festival director, Oscar de Julian, who'll be speaking to the audience about how it is possible to make a profit on short films and pave the way to greater success - including Hollywood - from his experiences directing the international short film festival Almeria en Corto.

The free event will feature examples of top short films selected by de Julian, as well as the best efforts from Salford students on media courses in 2008. The student films were selected by a panel of judges, including de Julian and Elliot Grove, founder of the Raindance independent film festival.

Salford has been running the Shortznite festival for a number of years and this year has enlisted the support of Candella Films, a company which promotes short films in the lucrative European festival market, in order to make the University one of the top student short film makers in the country.

Mariela Artiles from Candella said: "Short films are hugely under-rated in Britain. In Europe they are valued as a way for filmmakers to express themselves and take risks that improve their overall ability.

"They can also be extremely profitable. Many of the European festivals award prizes of thousands of Euro to winning films. As well as the immediate rewards, many film makers, go on to work on feature films and other projects in Hollywood. This event will be very informative for film makers across the region."

Shortznite takes place at 6.00pm on Thursday 12 February at the Instituto Cervantes, Deansgate. Admission is free.

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Notes to Editors
Toyland at the Oscars. http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn=detail&nominee=Spielzeugland%20(Toyland)%20-%20Short%20Film%20(Live-Action)%20Nominee
Faculty of Arts, Media & Social Scienceshttp://www.famss.salford.ac.uk/
Candella Films http://www.candellafilms.com/