Latest news with #Static
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Sean Connery Talent Lab debuts at Edinburgh Festival
This year, the foundation premiered one of its most ambitious projects to date. In doing so, it gave a hand to two groups close to the late actor's heart: emerging talent and the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF). The Sean Connery Talent Lab is a 12-month programme for writers, directors, producers, cinematographers and editors delivered in partnership with the National Film and Television School (NFTS). The lab accepts Scottish and UK national students from across the disciplines, and they come together to form six filmmaking teams. Each receives a £25,000 production budget and access to the NFTS's equipment and facilities. At the 2025 EIFF, the first cohort of filmmaking teams debuted their films in front of audiences. Jason Wardle, NFTS Director, said that the range of styles and narratives on display showcased the importance of connecting emerging talents with the resources they need to bring their stories to the big screen. "From the gritty tension of Gowk to the haunting surrealism of Nora Can't Score, the powerful Isle of Skye-set Lady MacLean, the raw reflections of the pandemic in Twenty Twenty, the quiet intensity of Static, and the darkly comic brilliance of Checkout, each film showcases the talent and dedication of 26 unique voices." The first cohort of the Sean Connery Talent Lab premiered their projects at the 2025 Edinburgh International Film Festival. (Image: Kat Gollock) Writer and director Miranda Stern, whose film "Static" debuted at the EIFF, said that the talent lab not only gave her a degree of resources that she had never worked with before, but it also threw her completely out of her comfort zone. As a natural documentarian, she said that she has spent most of her time as a filmmaker solo. Learning to work with a crew, making sure everyone was "telling the same story", and being the guiding vision for that story was an entirely new experience. And she loved it. "There's no road map, there's no paint-by-numbers way to make a film," she said. Having access to the resources and mentors available through the NFTS and talent was like having "handholds in the dark", which she said is crucial in a project, particularly when it can be such a financial and creative risk to the uninitiated. "There's something brilliant in the alchemy of people coming together to make a film." Read more: Ryan Pollock is one of the many Scottish filmmakers in the first cohort of the Sean Connery Talent Lab, and he said that he was incredibly grateful for the resources the partnership provided and the opportunity it gave him to shine a light on a part of the world that matters to him, but is unlikely to have been seen by many on screen. "My film is based on a true story from my dad's youth, about a young boy who starts to unravel a secret within his family, but isn't quite able to understand what he's finding. "It's set in the real scheme where it happened and my dad grew up, Gowkthrapple, in Wishaw. "The main character, the lead, we found a boy at my old school, a boy called Jack Maven, who was just tremendous. Ryan Pollok was proud to bring his corner of Scotland to the big screen thanks to the opportunities made available by the NFTS and the Sean Connery Talent Lab. (Image: Pako Mera) Jason Connery, Sir Connery's son, said that the Foundation was established in part to support filmmaking in Scotland. It has played a crucial role in growing the EIFF since its brief hiatus in 2021, particularly by sponsoring the £50,000 Sean Connery Prize for Filmmaking Excellence. Jason said that the talent lab and the culture around the EIFF exemplify what he thinks his father envisioned when he set aside some of his fortune before he died. "All of the filmmakers have one thing in common – they are really talented and just needed help getting to that next stage. "The thing with Dad, he very much wanted to help people who were talented but just didn't have the resources. Not people who were thinking of giving filmmaking a try. "There are many programmes for people to learn and understand, and perhaps decide later whether they really want to do it as a vocation. Whereas Dad was very much about people who really want it. "If we can give access to those talents, then in the long term we can create a pipeline of talented Scots artists who don't always feel they need to leave to get the help they need." Jason said that he was happy to see so many Scots like Ryan in the first cohort, and many more in the lab's second group, which was also announced at the festival.
Black America Web
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
BLERD ALERT! Cartoon Characters We All Can Agree Are Black
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU Black animation has been on our minds since the start of this year with the bittersweet ending of Cartoon Networks' Craig Of The Creek , which left us feeling a bit worried for the niche culture overall and future entertainment of Blerds everywhere. In a surprising twist though, things have been rolling out with optimism over these past few months with the introductions of Iyanu , the hilarious Oh My God…Yes! , the highly-anticipated Eyes of Wakanda and (finally!) a new season to look forward to of The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder . RELATED: BLERD ALERT ! Is A 'White' Black Panther On The Horizon? With the future looking so bright, we'd be remiss if we didn't give a shoutout to the pioneering Black cartoons of the past — props to Static, Storm, Susie Carmichael, Huey and Riley just to name a few. If we're being honest, you've even got a few of the ambiguous ones that can always come to the cookout as well. Think about it: we all have a favorite character that either comes from a race-free universe, is an anthropomorphic animal or was specifically written in a way that kept their racial identity elusive for the sake of universal marketing. At the same time though, you can't help but notice the AAVE in their dialogue, a wardrobe design inspired by urban attire and in some cases a voice actor that pretty much seals the deal. Remember when Jaleel White (and Tahj Mowry as Young Sonic!) voiced the titular role in the classic 1990s cartoon series adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog ? We believe the term kids nowadays are calling it is 'Black-coded.' Don't think of this as a deep race debate; it's just us Blerds having a little fun. You can choose to agree or disagree, but either way it's strictly about expanding your imagination even further to see the argument that we're trying to make. Does Lola Bunny give off Mariah Carey vibes like she does for us? Doesn't Elmo feel like the universal lil bro we must protect at all costs? Is the hair on the heads of Marge and all her sisters in The Simpsons not kinky like ours?! SEE ALSO
NDTV
19-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Video: SpaceX Starship Explodes During Routine Static Fire Test
Elon Musk's commercial space flight company SpaceX suffered a loss on Wednesday after its tenth Starship exploded at its testing sites in the United States' Texas. According to Texas authorities, no one was injured in the explosion. In a post on X, SpaceX said the incident took place on Wednesday, at around 11 pm CT (9.30 am on Thursday IST) when the Starship was preparing for the 10th flight test. Massive explosion as Ship 36 explodes on the Static fire test stand. This will be a major setback as there is likely significant damage to the entire back half of Massey's — Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) June 19, 2025 "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," it said. "Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue," it added.
