Welsh star Rhys Ifans has lent his support to Wales\' first international film and music event.
The Ruthin born actor who is due to star in director Richard Curtis\' The Boat That Rocked, a comedy based on the real-life exploits of Radio Caroline, said of the festival, which is being staged for the first time this November in Cardiff: \"I\'m really interested in SOUNDTRACK - it\'s a festival that appeals to me as an actor and a musician. There\'s not any film festival in the UK that celebrates this make or break element of the film - the soundtrack - and those who excel creatively in this field. I\'m pleased to be associated with SOUNDTRACK, and pleased this new festival will draw attention to Wales.\"
The Boat That Rocked will be Ifans\' first collaboration with Curtis since Notting Hill launched him to worldwide fame as Hugh Grant\'s housemate Spike in 1999. The feature, about an infamous 60\'s pirate radio station, is set to start filming in London next March and will also star Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy and Oscar-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Ifans currently divides his time between stage, screen and rock and roll (as lead singer in Welsh psychedelic rock band Y Peth), and has become the next homegrown talent to sign up as an advocate for SOUNDTRACK.
Notable stage appearances include A Midsummer Night\'s Dream at the Regent\'s Park Theatre and Under Milk Wood at the Royal National Theatre. He gained notoriety for his role in the Welsh produced film, Twin Town, in which he starred with his actor brother, Llŷr Evans, and drew critical acclaim as Jed in Ian McEwan\'s Enduring Love. In 2005, Ifans picked up a BAFTA for TV film Not Only But Always, for his portrayal of iconic comedian Peter Cook.
Ifans is undoubtedly the musicians\' actor of choice, guesting in music videos by fellow Welshmen the Super Furry Animals, Catatonia, and the Stereophonics, and Oasis, in the video for their single The Importance of Being Idle.
Having been in an early line-up of Super Furry Animals, Ifans is also encouraging aspiring musicians and film students to enter \'The Soundtrack Film Scoring Prize\'. Open to all ages and across the globe, \'The Soundtrack Film Scoring Prize\' offers the opportunity to create an original score for a clip of archive film, and be in with a chance of winning £1,000.00.
Entrants will be provided with a piece of archive footage, courtesy of The Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, for which an original score will need to be created. Submitted scores will then be assessed by a panel of experts, with the winner being screened at the inaugural Soundtrack Film Festival in November.
All interested parties should visit www.soundtrackfilmfestival.com for details on applying for a competition pack.
Soundtrack is the International Film and Music Festival for Wales. Hosted by the Film Agency for Wales, this is the first year of this annual event, an exciting and distinctive film festival celebrating the most creative, ingenuitive and exciting use of music in film. The festival will be taking place in various venues in and around Cardiff Bay from the 26th until the 29th of November 2008.
Tickets and information are available by calling 08700 40 2000 or on www.soundtrackfilmfestival.com