Reclaim The Frame, the UK’s gender equality in cinema charity, has set the filmmakers from across the UK who will take part in the eighth edition of professional development programme, Filmonomics, with BFI Filmmaking Fund director Mia Bays and Bafta chair Sara Putt among the mentors and speakers offering their support.
Among the 18 filmmakers taking part for this edition are director Jessica Bishopp, who has had documentary shorts premiere in BFI London Film Festival and SXSW; Bafta Scotland-nominated producer and founder of Lothian Films, Laura McBride; writer Maja Bodenstein, whose script The Manikin was placed third on this year’s Brit List; and director/producer Natalie Hewit, whose feature doc Endurance is in the works with National Geographic.
Also taking part are writer-directors Amit Kaur, Amy Coop, Carys Lewis, Em J. Gilbertson, Kelly Holmes, Lotus Hannon, Noemie Nakai, Solène Guichard and Tracy Spottiswoode.
Directors for this edition include Carina Haouchine, Isa Rao and Juliana Kasumu. Further producers are Sarudzayi Marufu and Seemab Gul (who also writes and directs).
Filmonomics 8 is funded by ScreenSkills Film Skills Fund with contributions from UK film productions.
Each of the participants are in development, production or post with their debut feature. Two-thirds are based outside of London, with one-third based in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. The projects represent a mixture of fiction and documentary.
The training course aims to bridge the gap between development and distribution, and brings the cohort together over four months, starting December 12 2023 and culminating at Glasgow Film Festival in March 2024.
Reclaim The Frame (formerly Birds’ Eye View) director Melanie Iredale will lead the course, alongside training manager Simone Glover.
Mentors and speakers in addition to Bays and Putt taking part include director at BFI Doc Society Shanida Scotland; distribution consultant and box office analyst Delphine Lievens; BFI Filmmaking Fund senior production and development exec Ama Ampadu; Cornerstone Films’ co-president Alison Thompson; Film4’s head of creative Farhana Bhula; Mubi’s co-director of global acquisitions Cate Kane; filmmaker Prano Bailey-Bond; and Allison Gardner, CEO at Glasgow Film.
Filmmakers and projects previously supported by the programme include Blue Story and Boxing Day producer Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor; Paul Sng, who developed Bifa-winning Poly Styrene I Am Not A Cliché on the programme and is returning as a mentor for this edition; Thembisa Cochrane and Georgina Paget, who made The Colour Room for Sky in 2021; and Cassandra Sigsgaard and Joy Wilkinson, who have just completed their feature 7 Keys.
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