End of the Pier International Film Festival

Let's Rebrand Britain is all about exploring kids talents. So The End of the Pier International Film Festival is a perfect example of the kind of competition event we are looking for. The festival, now in it’s 7th year, takes place at The Ritz Cinema, Worthing. The festival is an open competition, aimed at new young independent and low budget film makers from around the world. Film makers as young as 5 years old are invited to submit entries – don't be shy – you could be an Oscar winner one day!

So come on – if you know of any budding film makers, or you are indeed one yourself – now is the time to be bold, be proud and submit your entry. Visit the End of the Pier International Film Festival website for further information now!

The Festival takes place 23rd April to 1st May 2010. This time around, there will be over 40 awards, including:

• 5-11 age group
• 11-15 age group
• 15-19 age group
• The End Of The Pier Best Short Script Award
• The Miracle Screenings Award for Best European Feature Film

Last year's winner, Vicki Psarias, who happens to be a Cypriot, won Best Director and Best Short Film last year. Now she has been nominated for Woman of Year Award. Vicki’s film was a short drama about Cypriots and you can read more about Vicki at: http://www.myspace.com/brokenthefilm.

We would love to hear about happy stories from parents of kids of have followed their dreams and explored their talents. Remember, Let's Rebrand Britain is all about happy stories!

Making Great Britain Green Britain

Hey look! The boss has gone greentastic! She’s only recycling her old recycle bins from Worthing Borough Council as plant tubs. What fantastic planters these tubs make! Vicky has planted sugar snap peas, and potatoes and they are almost bursting out the planters waiting to be eaten! Can you get more eco than that?

Along with recyling all her empty wine bottles (and there is a lot of them) we are well on the way to be carbon neutral, along with celebrities like Matt Bellamy, frontman of rock band Muse.

We’ve found these cool websites if you are interesting in following in our footsteps!

• www.Carbonoffset.com
• www.globalcool.org
• funkyeco.sourcingeco.com/

If you fancy saving money on your print bills, plus help save the planet at the same time, why not call The Brand Surgery, who designed this website. The Brand Surgery have lots of green e-marketing solutions such as blogging and e-shot, e-zine, and e-newsletter design, and of course, brilliant website design and development. Call Vicky on 01903 824229 for a confidential, no obligation chat.

Worthing's Got Talent! Davide Arbisi

We are helping to launch this former Worthing High School student and general all-round talent into the Heineken FIB Festival in Spain this Summer. A lot more voting between now and the 12th is required. Click here to vote!

On Monday 1st June, Davide Arbisi found out that he had secured enough votes in the SupaJam contest to secure a place in the Top 20 nationally and to go on to the next stage. The next step in the public voting happens between 1 - 12th June. So you need to hurry! At the end of this period two bands will be selected by public vote and three by SupaJam to play at the London final on June 23rd at the Pigalle Club.

If people haven't already registered on Supajam.com to cast their vote they can do so now.

So, please, this is the last stage at which we need your votes! Please go to:
http://www.supajam.com/story/title/souled-out-1

If you get a moment, please go and vote - if you haven't already registered go to www.supajam.com and register then click on the Top 40 Artists box/link and go and vote - we have until the 12th!


After logging in, cast a five star vote and leave a comment as before! Not much time left but Davide will really benefit from your vote.

Davide was told that his fans provided superb support at the first stage and Davide needs everyone who voted last time to do it again. Not only is Davide in with a chance of reaching the live final at the legendary Pigalle Club in London on June 23rd but could go on to win a trip to Benicassim, Spain where he will play alongside Kings Of Leon, Oasis, The Killers, Lilly Allen, Franz Ferdinand, Paul Weller and many more in front of thousands at the FIB festival between July 16 - 19th this year. Additionally, his track ‘Souled Out’ will be available globally on iTunes and digital download stores worldwide.

Host of the competition, SupaJam has partnered with Apple to promote the top 40 finalists on the Apple QuickTime player which is viewed several million times a week internationally. Apple has also agreed to fast track the top 40 finalists on to iTunes stores around the world.

Many, many thanks

Roy

Happy British Kids!

We may have been slack with our blogging, but we've been keeping up with the British research!

Having just watched "Make My Kids Happy" we were happily reassured to see how happy kids are without their gadgets! Why do British children have such low self esteem? In a unique social and scientifically-tested experiment, the Tonight show stripped a group of typical teens from Baines School, Lancashire. These teens had to sacrifice their make-up, their laptops, mobile phones, Ipods, computer games and latest fashions to see if breaking the attachments to modern musthaves would make them happier. It did! If you missed the ITV Tonight show, you can watch it again by clicking here. Let's Rebrand Britain wants to encourage kids just like the one's one this experiment to lead a new fashion and make volunteering cool!

During their gadgetless month, The Baines School kids helped raise nearly £500 for Blackpool Bears (and really enjoyed their task). Blackpool Bears promotes sports activities for people with physical and learning disabilities. It is open to all ages and abilities, and provides qualified coaching/supervision in team games, sporting and active play, cycling etc. Sessions are divided by age/ability which allows the more active/physically able to do football and other ball games and the younger/less active to do games like boccia/cycling/active play or even table top games. Suitable and trained members may also access the fitness suite (subject to availability). Members can attend as they feel able. There is no need to pre-book and each 3 hour session is £2 for disabled residents.

We were really impressed with Danielle Lloyd who bared all (removed her make-up) in front of a class of kids from Baines School for this TV show, PLUS Danielle proudly admitted to her magazine shots being photoshopped.

We want to invite the headteacher of Baines School, Mr R J M McCowan, to be the flagship school to assist Let's Rebrand Britain in similar nationwide projects.

Last, but by no means least ... Let's not forget the Classical Brit Awards 2009. If you missed it ...

1. 

   Composer Of The Year

   Howard Goodhall

2. 

   Male Artist of the Year

   Gustavo Dudamel

3. 

   Critics Award

   Sir Charles Mackerras

4. 

   Young British Performer/Group

   Alina Ibragimova

5. 

   Female Artist Of The Year

   Alison Balsom

6. 

   Soundtrack Of The Year

   Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight

7. 

   NS&I Album Of The Year

   Spirit of the Glen – Journey - The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

8. 

   Lifetime Achievement Award

   José Carreras

Well, we are now off to watch Britain's Got Talent and Eurovision, (Go Jade!)

Diversity - Transformers - Britains Got Talent - Streetdance UK 2008

Did you see last night's Britain's Got Talent. Wow! It seems that Susan Boyle may have some tough competition with the Diversity dance group, and Hollie Steele! At Let's Rebrand Britain, we believe that everyone has a hidden talent. Unfortunately to date, many British schools don't seem to want to encourage kids to explore their dreams and their talents. Instead, they are told to, 'stop daydreaming', and to follow the school curriculum instead.

We happened to work with Horsham Montessori a few years ago. The Montessori way of teaching encourages kids to explore. If a child is concentrating when solving a puzzle or drawing, Montessori teachers will allow the child carry on discovering and learning it's own way and in it's own time (uninterrupted). Perhaps if Montessori was introduced to all children, we would see more talent like Susan Boyle or Diversity.

We applaud ITV for screening Britains Got Talent! We also want to work with organisations who encourage kids to follow their dreams, and explore their talents.

My granmother was mugged and badly beaten ten years ago in Croydon by a group of kids who were simply 'bored'. These kids got off with a caution and have probably committed the same kind of crimes since. If these kids had been encouraged to follow their dreams, and explore their talents from a kindergarden age, they may have instead been performing on Britain's Got Talent, and they may even be performing for the Queen at the Royal Variety Show.

If we all work together, we could make anti-social behaviour and street crime a thing of the past, or at least drastically reduce it. We have approached several celebrities who so far don't want to be involved with Let's Rebrand Britain unless they are paid a fee.

If anybody wants to encourage kids to appreciate the quality of life and explore their talents (celebrity or non-celebrity) happens to read this blog, and would like to help us on our mission to give kids a hope, and make Britain, Great Britain again. Please contact us on our contact form. We need your support.

Are you English or British?

Did you see The One Show last night? To celebrate St. George's Day, The One Show was joined by Ricky Tomlinson from The Royle Family. Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley wanted to know why why the British prefer to call themselves English, rather than British, so Arthur Smith, comedian and narrator of Life of Grime, went out to investigate.

So why do the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and the Scots celebrate Burns Night, but us English not celebrate St. George's Day? Is it because we are ashamed of being English or British? Professor Jon Tonge, University of Liverpool thinks its because we can't distinguish between English and British as England represents about 80% of Great Britain. So what is Englishness? And what is Britishness? What does being British mean to you?

Tell us what you think. We want to hear from you!

Britain's Got Talent

We've got two words to say to you: Susan Boyle. Wow! This is a definitely case of 'Don't judge a book by its cover'! Susan's performance of Elaine Page's 'I dreamed a dream', shocked Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden were so shocked, as was the audience. If you didn't catch the programme, you can see it on YouTube if you click here.

Good ol' ITV for bringing us Susan Boyle in Britain's Got Talent. You can see the Britain's Got Talent website if you click here.

So, if you've got some talent, or a great positive achievement, yet you never made it through the Britain's Got Talent auditions, then we want to hear from you. We promote your YouTube movies on this website – because we need more people like you!

Contact us by clicking here. We would love to hear from you.