The very first
2 Days Laughter Short Film Competition Screenings and Awards,
which took place at Margate’s Theatre Royal on Saturday
5th April, was voted a resounding success.
Filmmakers from around the country packed out the historic
Georgian building to watch no less than 26 funny films, of
five minutes or less, in an entertaining and very diverse
matinee and evening performance. The venue is provided courtesy
of Thanet District Council.
 2 Days Laughter Co-director, Mick
Etherton, says: “There
was a fantastic atmosphere on Saturday and it was great to
see so many previous 2 Days Later Horror Competition filmmakers
now making comedies. 12 of the 26 films were from Kent and
the wonderfully diverse styles made it very difficult for
the judges to agree on clear winners as the standard was
so high".
The judging panel – which included Ramsgate-born actress
Brenda Blethyn, Time Out Magazine’s Comedy Editor,
Tim Arthur, comedian turned academic, Dr Oliver Double of
the University of Kent, and promoter of live comedy in Kent,
Richard Coughlan – eventually decided that the film
that raised the biggest laughs was Going Postal, about a
young man waiting for a post-card from his girlfriend. Winning
directors, Will Hitchins & Tom Brookes, were particularly
delighted as they had travelled all the way from Diptford
in Devon. They won a selection of filmmaking courses with
Insight Education. They also triumphed in the Best Student
Film category, making this the first short in a ‘2
Days’ event to pick up both awards. Ben Sutton, of
Worthing, with 5 Minute Call were the runners-up along with
Christina Atesh and Matthew Sutton, of Sandwich, with Big
Memories Wow!
 Also closer to home, Margate’s Martin Solomon took
the Best Stand-Up Comedy prize with a tour de force performance
delivered straight to camera, while the audience voted the
energetic Welcome to Margate, complete with it’s Tracey
Emin references, as their favourite film of the day. This
popular choice was directed by Gareth Fairlie of Herne Bay.
[Box] Fresh, a spoof on Youth TV from Dan Thompson of Hartley
in Kent, was also one of the day’s big winners. It
was awarded Best Editor and was a runner-up in a number of
other categories, including Best Director, losing out only
to Lewisham’s Matt Mitchell, whose Super Lucky Kitten
Fist, a hilarious take on the martial arts genre, also picked
up Best Cinematography and Best Sound.
Other winners included Dominic Currie,
Surrey, as Best Actor for Wise Guise and Amy Sutton, Worthing,
for 5 Minute Call. Facebook Friends, from Islington’s Keeley Lawrence,
won the Best Screenplay award and a place for its writer,
Jo Romero, on a Raindance 2-day Comedy Writing course with
Dave Cohen, one of the founders of the famous ‘Comedy
Store’ and former writer of ‘Not the Nine O’Clock
News’.
 Presiding over events was Gary Colman, stand-up comedian
and a founder of Electric Mouse Comedy, who host live comedy
events at 18 events around the UK and run comedy writing
workshops. They have been proud sponsors of 2 Days Laughter
throughout the event.
Comedian, writer, broadcaster and
2 Days Laughter judge, Jon Holmes presented the prizes,
along with Jo Nolan, Chief Executive of Screen South, the
regional branch of the UK Film Council and the funders
of 2 Days Laughter. No stranger to controversy, Mr Holmes – who co-created TV’s
Dead Ringers and has written for such names as Stephen Fry
and Graham Norton – treated the audience to an awards
ceremony delivered in his own energetic and inimitable style,
with much audience participation. The Radio 2, 4 & 6
presenter is not for the faint-hearted but his razor sharp
wit and delivery ensured the evening ended with the audience
in the highest of spirits and looking forward to what proved
to be a most enjoyabe after party at the Front Bar in Margate,
with music provided by that popular Kent duo, The Dualers.
*****************************************************
FULL RESULTS
BEST STAND-UP
MARTIN SOLOMON
Martin Solomon
Margate, Kent
BEST STUDENT ENTRY
GOING POSTAL
Will Hitchins & Tom Brookes
Diptford, Devon
BEST AUDIENCE VOTE
MATINEE SCREENING
LAUGHING AT SOMETHING SERIOUS
Amy Butterworth & Sadie Wilde
Leytonstone, London
BEST AUDIENCE VOTE
SHORTLIST SCREENING
WELCOME TO MARGATE
Gareth Fairlie
Herne Bay, Kent
BEST FEMALE ACTOR
5 MINUTE CALL
Amy Sutton
Worthing, West Sussex
BEST MALE ACTOR
WISE GUISE
Dominic Currie
Ashtead, Surrey
BEST SOUND
SUPER LUCKY KITTEN FIST
Matt Mitchell
Lewisham, London
BEST EDITOR
[BOX] FRESH
Dan Thompson
Hartley, Kent
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
SUPER LUCKY KITTEN FIST
Matt Mitchell
Lewisham, London
BEST SCREENPLAY
FACEBOOK FRIENDS
Jo Romero
Islington, London
BEST DIRECTOR
SUPER LUCKY KITTEN FIST
Matt Mitchell
Lewisham, London
BEST SHORT FILM/COMEDY SKETCH
GOING POSTAL
Will Hitchins & Tom Brookes
Diptford, Devon
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