Birmingham Film Market, supported by The Producer’s Forum will launch later this year.

The BFM is a professional, exclusive pitch and networking event designed to facilitate film production and further careers. This marketplace event provides opportunities for Midlands-based filmmakers and investment and distribution bodies to connect and close production deals. Completed films, films in development or production stage, as well as film concepts are all included. The BFM wants to give more stories the chance to be told in their best way possible.

About the event

Birmingham Film Market is scheduled for November 26, 2021 in the iconic ballroom at The Grand Hotel Birmingham. 50 filmmakers/teams will be selected by a panel of international Industry professionals to pitch their projects to leading production companies, sales agents and distribution teams. There are incredible attendees on the day, and an amazing partnership surprise at the exclusive drinks reception later in the evening.

If you are seeking funding or have a film ready for release then this is the event for you!

For more info and submissions, visit www.birminghamfilmmarket.co.uk.

For more industry information, visit Film Birmingham’s news page. Or add us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Coventry Moves starting June 5th is part of the celebration of Coventry’s designation of City of Culture 2022. Highlights include 6 short films to be streamed during the day.

About Coventry Moves

Coventry Moves will start at 8am and is scheduled to run at intervals throughout the day. It is being created for people in Coventry, Warwickshire and across the UK to experience from home – online, on their radio or on their social media feeds.

The city’s past, present and future is highlighted by six Energies played by well-know people from Coventry.

The stories will be told through a series of films throughout the day that will also include the legend of Lady Godiva – a pioneer for activism and social justice whose story is known throughout the world. Fourteen modern day Godivas have been chosen to represent the famous figure after a public nomination process.

When and Where to Watch

You can watch the whole day unfold from your home, online or on your timeline.

The whole event can be viewed at coventry2021.online. There will be also be live coverage on the BBC News Channel and on BBC CWR and BBC online.

Coventry Moves Schedule – June 5th

A SINGLE VOICE | 8am – LIVE STREAM

Pauline Black, our energy of Sustainability, celebrates our hidden river with a song written specifically for Coventry Moves in a magical moment that starts our journey.

THE RIVER RUN | 8.30am – SHORT FILM

Five Friends,  River Runners, trace the path of the hidden river which runs under Coventry. Exploring through Parkour, BMX Biking and Dance.

SUSTAINABILITY | 9.30am – SHORT FILM

An introduction to the city’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and protecting our environment. The story behind the name of Coventry, Cofa’s Tree, will be explored as we look to the future and the impact we can have across the world.

PEOPLE POWER | 10.30am – SHORT FILM

Focusing on the personal stories of individuals and communities who have traveled from across the world to build Coventry.

POWERED BY PEOPLE | 11.00 LIVE STREAM

We meet Navin Kundra, the energy of People Power, as city residents and some well-known faces, bring the streets alive in a whirl of music and dance celebrating our car manufacturing history and the people who made Coventry.

INNOVATION | 1.30pm – SHORT FILM

Meet some of the people who inspired the stories of Coventry Moves, with a focus on our theme of Innovation.

INNOVATION | 2pm – LIVE STREAM

The energy of Innovation, Daniel Lismore, guides us as the spokes turn and we’re off again. Coventry created the bicycle and we’ll celebrate the city’s innovation from past, present and future with extravagant custom trikes.

RESILIENCE | 6pm – SHORT FILM

Meet some of the people who inspired the stories of Coventry Moves, focusing on our theme of Resilience, before we meet our energy, Kare Adenegan.

SOCIAL JUSTICE | 6.30pm – SHORT FILM

Meet some of the 14 Godivas, who share what being a Godiva means to them.

RISING UP | 7pm – LIVE STREAM

Meet our energy of Social Justice, Sue Bent, as 14 powerful modern day Godivas arrive at their destination after riding on horseback from across the city. Then River Runners and Pauline Black will help us look to the future. A gift from Coventry’s schoolchildren will appear with an incredible AR experience ready for in person enjoyment over the coming weeks in Coventry.

As the tree starts to pulse, vibrating with energy. The sounds of children’s voices will sound in the canopy above ushering in the future, moving us towards the end of our journey.

Get involved

The day will culminate at 20:21 with Coventry Moves Together with a piece of music composed by Dan Jones. The whole city will form an orchestra – simply by switching on radios or web-based devices and tuning into one of several local or community radio stations taking part.

The track has been split into multiple streams and will come together as a full piece of music when radio stations can be heard at the same time.

So, families, friends and neighbours are being asked to head out to their doorsteps, into their gardens or on their balconies and tune into different streams so that the whole city can hear the full, eight-minute piece.

It is being broadcast via BBC CWR, Hillz FM, Radio Panj, Radio Plus, Vanny Radio, Fresh Radio, Arawak, Block Radio and Radio Abbey to create a world first moment – a city-wide surround sound musical performance.

If you miss it…

The BBC are providing major support for the event, not only with live coverage but also with the creation of a fast turnaround documentary called Curtain Up On Coventry, which will bring the energy of Coventry City of Culture’s signature event into people’s homes.

It’ll be broadcast across the Midlands on BBC One on Monday, June 7, at 7.35pm and nationally on BBC Four at 19.00 on Wednesday 9th June.

Source: coventryobserver.co.uk

For more industry information, visit Film Birmingham’s news page. Or add us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

The London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) unveiled the line-up for its 2021 edition as a “love letter to India”. This is amid the ongoing hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic in the sub-continent. The Bagri Foundation backed annual film festival will also be screening across Birmingham and Manchester until July 4. This is with support of the British Film Institute (BFI) and funds from the National Lottery.

LIFF Screenings

The festival will open on June 17 with a UK premiere of ‘W.O.M.B. (Women of My Billion)’, an inspirational feature documentary on Srishti Bakshi as she walks the entire length of India (nearly 4,000 km) over 240 days to explore the experiences of other women in its billion-plus population.

Another highlight of the festival is a special focus on British filmmakers of South Asian origin and their continued contribution to British cinema’s success.

“We will be showcasing the unstoppable force that is India’s rich and diverse filmmaking, and of course the festival will be helping to highlight and support COVID charities working in South Asia,” said LIFF Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney. “In this year when ”Britishness” is being re-defined, we offer our ”Great British Asians” strand which will celebrate British Asian filmmakers and throw a spotlight on exciting emerging talents.

Special Events

The year’s highlights include on stage “Special In Conversations” with filmmakers like Asif Kapadia and Gurinder Chadha. The festival also has a new strand dedicated to ecology-related films, called “Save The Planet”, screening features that in different ways reflect lives affected by deforestation and rising sea levels.

“It was a difficult year for many these past 12 months, and we are pleased to support a little escape for you via LIFF’s hybrid festival this year,” said Alka Bagri, Trustee of the Bagri Foundation. “Our seventh year as title sponsor showcases classic films and Q&As, as well as a range of UK premieres from some top British Asian and South Asian talent. Whether you attend in person, or watch from the comfort of your sofa, we hope you feel as excited as we are to see fresh faces and legendary stories from across Asian cinema.”

Films will be across several languages with English subtitles, including Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu, Malayalam, Marathi and Gujarati.

The festival also premieres the feature documentary ‘Ahimsa: Gandhi The Power of the Powerless’ and celebrates the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray on his 100th birth anniversary. We see one of Ray’s greatest actors, the late Soumitra Chatterjee, in the premiere of ‘Abhijaan’. Also, there are some light-hearted moments with the Bengali drama ‘Searching For Happiness’, plus black comedy in ‘Ashes On A Road Trip’.

The Tiger Award winner at the 50th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Tamil film ‘Koozhangal’ (Pebbles) makes its UK debut at the cinema, as does Sanal Kumar Sasidharan”s ‘Kayattam (A’hr)’ in Malayalam.

Source: www.outlookindia.com

For more industry information, visit our news page. Or add us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

The first image from the highly anticipated upcoming four-part drama You Don’t Know Me, has been released today. See it here. Based on Imran Mahmood’s bestselling novel, the adaptation is written by Tom Edge (The Crown, Vigil) and produced by Snowed-In Productions (Too Close, Mrs Wilson) and co-produced with Netflix for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama was filmed in Birmingham, and facilitated by Film Birmingham.

The drama centres on a young man, who, with overwhelming evidence against him, stands accused of murder. At his trial, Hero (Adewunmi) tells an extraordinary story. It is about the woman he loves, Kyra (Wilde) who got into terrible trouble. It’s about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he’s innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this: do you believe him? See the first released image here.

Cast and Crew of You Don’t Know Me

You Don’t Know Me stars Samuel Adewunmi (The Last Tree, Angela Black), newcomer Sophie Wilde, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (Tomb Raider, Sixteen), Tuwaine Barrett (The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Last Tree), Yetunde Oduwole (Carnage, Meet The Adebanjos) and Nicholas Khan (Transformers: The Last Knight, Exodus: Gods and Kings) alongside Bukky Bakray (Rocks, Self-Charm) who recently became the youngest ever winner of the Bafta Rising Star Award at the age of 19; she also earned a Bafta Best Actress nomination for her role in the film Rocks.

Directed by Sarmad Masud (My Pure Land, Bulletproof, Ackley Bridge). The series producer is Jules Hussey (Guilt, Catherine The Great) and the producer is Rienkje Attoh (Noughts + Crosses). Executive producers are Ruth Kenley-Letts, Neil Blair and Jenny Van Der Lande (Too Close, Mrs Wilson) and Kate Crowe (Taboo, Great Expectations). Lucy Richer and Nawfal Faizullah are executive producing for the BBC.

Training with Film Birmingham

The production, with support from the BBC, is also running a remote HETV training programme with Film Birmingham for ten trainees from underrepresented groups.

Snowed-In Productions previously produced Mrs Wilson with Ruth Wilson for BBC One and ITV mini-series Too Close starring Emily Watson and Denise Gough.

You Don’t Know Me was filmed in Birmingham and will air later this year on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Netflix has world-wide rights outside the UK, Ireland and China. See the first released image here.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

For more industry information, visit our news page. Or add us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.