20/06/2006

Leading British filmmakers Nick Broomfield, Mike Figgis, Kevin Macdonald and Penny Woolcock will be onhand at the new UK documentary film festival BRITDOC 06 in Keble College, Oxford (July 26-28), to discuss the relationship between documentary and fiction filmmaking in Fact vs. Fiction, presented by the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund.

Fact vs. Fiction will examine the ways in which documentary filmmaking can contribute to fiction directing, with panellists exploring the similarities and differences between the genres and using their personal experiences to give advice on how to cross over from one to the other.

Penny Woolcock’s forthcoming feature filmMischief Night, for instance, is based on extensive documentary research on Asian communities. In Nick Broomfield’s Ghosts, his second non-documentary feature after 1989’s Diamond Skulls, the main characters are played by former illegal Chinese immigrants who drew on their own life experiences to give authentic performances. Finally, Kevin Macdonald’s first feature film, The Last King of Scotland, a portrayal of the relationship between former dictator Idi Amin (Forrest Whitaker) and his Scottish doctor (James McAvoy), mixes historical and fictional characters.

Mike Figgis said: “As we become overly familiar with the tricks of mainstream cinema, more and more people are turning to documentary with the realisation that truth is definitely more interesting than fiction. I certainly have become more fascinated with that line between feature and documentary and obviously the changes in technology have further blurred the definitions in an interesting way.”

A total of 12 panels will be organized during BRITDOC 06, with other debates focusing on co-production and co-financing or distribution and marketing.

For further information, please visit www.britdoc.org/festival.