Poplar film-maker off to cannes

By John Hill on April 24, 2008 9:00 AM |

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A DOCKLANDS director will rub shoulders with the fashionable film-makers of Cannes.

The world-famous festival has accepted Charles Michel Duke’s short comedy Caution Wet Paint for its Short Film Corner, which showcases movies from around the world.

Indie film-maker Charles, who is based in East India Dock Road, will also see his creation on MTV Europe this summer.

Caution Wet Paint is a tale of two people at a bus stop, shot locally on a budget of just £100.

Charles said: “It was quite a shock. It’s a great opportunity and hopefully something will come out of it.
“We’re just a small operation and but we’re up against films with budgets in the thousands and big film company backing.
“I hope to catch a few screenings but I’ll also be plugging my film in the market. After all, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

The Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 14 to 25, and is one of the oldest and most prestigious film showcases in the world. Previous winners of the top prize, the Palme D’Or, include Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver and Apocalypse Now.

Charles’s productions have previously been screened at last year’s Canary Wharf Film Festival and on Canada’s Emmy Award-winning Bite TV.

He heard the news of his Cannes success on his return from the Seychelles, where he was shooting a documentary on the spread of country and western music in the islands.

He said: “I visited a few bands backstage, and interviewed people in the area about why they’re so into the genre.
“It’s absolutely huge over there. About one per cent of the total population is involved in it in some way.”

For more information on Charles’s work, visit his company’s website at www.babarouge.com or see Caution Wet Paint at www.myspace.com/caution_wet_paint