James (2008 film)

James is a 2008 Northern Irish coming-of-age short film. The film marks the directorial debut of Connor Clements and stars Niall Wright as James, a teenage boy attempting to come to terms with his burgeoning homosexuality.

Plot summary

James (Niall Wright) is a withdrawn and secretive teenager, coming from a family with long-buried secrets. With no friends and a refusal to confide with his parents (Margaret Goodman and Gerry Doherty), he faces an inner battle as he comes to terms with his sexuality. His literature teacher, Mr. Sutherland (Matt Jennings), is his sole beacon of hope, believing that he may understand the trouble he faces. However, in his moment of need, Sutherland, concerned by the risks involved, fails to provide James with the support he needs. Devoid of hope, he makes an audacious decision to turn to seemingly the last person who can help, an old man (Louis Rolston) that he meets in the public toilets.

Reception

The film won Best Northern Irish Short at the Belfast Film Festival, the Iris Prize for Best UK Short, and Best International Short at the St. Louis International Film Festival in 2008. In January, it beat 6,000 other entries to be one of 22 short films that was selected for the International Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival. It was also part of the Sundance iTunes 10/10.

2008 in film

The year 2008 involved many major movie events. Its highest-grossing films included Kung Fu Panda, The Dark Knight, WALL-E and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Highest-grossing films

On August 4, The Dark Knight reached a $400 million domestic gross in a record time of 18 days. The previous record was held by Shrek 2, which reached it in 43 days. On August 31, after 45 days in release, The Dark Knight reached $500 million domestically, becoming only the second film in history after Titanic to cross the half-billion-dollar domestic milestone, as well as the only film of the 2000s decade. For 2008, the top ten films consisted of three superhero films, three animated films, three action films and one musical film. Mamma Mia! became the highest grossing film in UK history until it was surpassed by Avatar in 2010. In the domestic box office, 2008 came very close in passing 2007 as the highest grossing year, falling short by just $30 million.

Events

Awards

2008 Wide-release films

Film festival

A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon the festival's focus, can include international and domestic releases. Some festivals focus on a specific film-maker or genre (e.g., film noir) or subject matter (e.g., horror film festivals). A number of film festivals specialise in short films of a defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events. Some film historians do not consider Film Festivals as official releases of film, like Jerry Beck. The best known film festivals are the Venice Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival, the latter being the largest film festival worldwide, based on attendance. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest major festival. The Melbourne International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the oldest in the world. A 2013 study found 3,000 active films festivals worldwide—active defined as having held an event in the previous 24 months.

James

James is a common English surname and given name:

James or James City may also refer to:

People

Places

Science and technology

Media

Film

A film, also called a movie, motion picture or photoplay, is a series of still images which, when shown on a screen, creates the illusion of moving images due to the phi phenomenon. This optical illusion causes the audience to perceive continuous motion between separate objects viewed rapidly in succession. A film is created by photographing actual scenes with a motion picture camera; by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques; by means of CGI and computer animation; or by a combination of some or all of these techniques and other visual effects. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to the industry of films and filmmaking or to the art of filmmaking itself. The contemporary definition of cinema is the art of simulating experiences to communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty or atmosphere by the means of recorded or programmed moving images along with other sensory stimulations.

The process of filmmaking is both an art and an industry.