A who's who of British filmindustry insiders have volunteered to serve as mentors for people startingcareers in the film business, as part of a new mentoring programme announced bySkillset.

Guiding Lights is a year-long programme of mentoring, advice, andsupport that will boast mentors including Michael Kuhn, Paul Greengrass, FrankCottrell-Boyce, Lynne Ramsay, Graham Broadbent, Alison Thompson, and dozens ofother film veterans.

Lighthouse, the non-profitprofessional development organisation based in Brighton, will run the scheme.The new initiative is part of A Bigger Future, a project run jointly by Skillset and the UK FilmCouncil.

"Training in film is very difficult as most skills used inthe movie business from producer to production runner are learnt on the job.This is why the concept of mentoring is such a good one for our industry," saidTim Bevan, co-chairman of Working Title and chair of the Guiding LightsSteering Committee. "Having a formal bond where someone learning about their chosencareer in the industry can have ongoing advice from someone with greatexperience should be invaluable and help in the demystifying of all of ourroles."

The call for menteeapplications will close on November 1. Applications are open to writers, directors,producers, distributors, exhibitors, marketing executives, film publicists,sales agents, talent agents, and business affairs executives. Guiding Lightswill select 25 participants per year. (Forms and information are available fromwww.guiding-lights.org.uk or www.skillset.org.)

Once selected, the 25mentees will be paired with a mentor and will have monthly interaction withthem as well as potentially shadowing them in the workplace. Each youngfilmmaker will have a personal development plan during the programme.

The confirmed mentorsare:
Agents:
Natasha Galloway (PFD)
Jodi Shields (Casarotto)
Tim Corrie (PFD)
Nick Marston (Curtis Brown)
Sean Gascoine (Lou Coulson)
Michelle Kass (Michelle Kass)
Sue Rogers (ICM)
Leo Davis (casting agent)

Writers:
Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
Shawn Slovo (Captain Correlli's Mandolin)
David Scinto (Sexy Beast)
Frank Cottrell-Boyce (24 Hour Party People)
Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead)
Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liasons)
Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty)
William Osborne (Twins)
Will Davies (Johnny English)
Deborah Moggach (Pride & Prejudice)
Juliette Towhidi (Calendar Girls)

Directors:
Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham)
Nick Love (The Business)
Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy)
Asif Kapadia (The Warrior)
Paul McGuigan (Gangster No. 1)
Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher)
Gilles McKinnon (Hideous Kinky)
Richard Loncraine (Richard III)
Dominic Savage (Out of Control)
Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead)
Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice)

Producers:
Margaret Matheson (Kin)
Norma Heyman (Dangerous Liasons)
Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor)
Marc Boothe (Bullet Boy)
Sarah Radcliffe (Wish You Were Here)
Kevin Loader (Enduring Love)
Michael Kuhn (Kinsey)
Andrew Eaton (24 Hour Party People)
Jon Finn (Billy Elliott)
Frances Higson (Orphans)
Stephen Woolley (The Crying Game)
Ruth Caleb (Bullet Boy)
Elizabeth Karlston (Little Voice)
Barnaby Thompson (Spice World)
Graham Broadbent (Hilary and Jackie)
Allan Niblo (The Business)

Distributors:
Michael Williams-Jones (ex Miramax)
Nick Manzi (Redbus Distribution)
David Kosse (Universal)
Jane Wright (BBC Films)
Ian George (Pathe)
Rupert Preston (Vertigo)

Exhibitors:
Tony Jones (City Screen)
Ian Riches (Curzon)
Margaret Taylor (ex UGC)

Sales Agents:
Alison Thompson (Pathe)
Jane Barclay (Capitol Films)
Alex Stone (Hanway)
David Garrett (Summit Entertainment)
Joy Wong (The Works)

Business Affairs:
Guy Avshalom (Redbus Distribution)
Pierre du Plessis (Little Bird)
Angela Morrison (Working Title)
Jo Smith (DNA)
Andrew Hilderbrand (Film Four)
Sheeraz Shah (Working Title Films)
Paul Grindey (Film Four)
Lyndsey Posner (ICM)
Peter Watson (The Recorded Picture Company)
Will Evans (UK Film Council)

Marketing and publicity:
David Livingstone (Working Title Films)