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The Spring 2022 BFI NETWORK Short Film Funding call out will be the only funding call out from BFI NETWORK in 2022. They are therefore hosting one Connect + Collab event for interested filmmakers.

Connect + Collab is an event designed to match producers with emerging writers and/or directors from across the South West, Midlands & South East who have fresh and exciting short film ideas. Taking place online via Deal Room on Thursday 17th February, you will be able to book 1-on-1 video calls with writers and/or directors that you are interested in collaborating with to discuss their projects further.  This event is the perfect opportunity to meet the best new talent in these regions and expand your slate of short film projects.

New connections can then be built after the event, to form filmmaking teams to apply to BFI NETWORK Short Film Funding, which opens again on Monday 14 March 2022.

All producers who take part in Connect + Collab will be invited to join a free masterclass on producing short film as part of the event on Thursday 17 February, with Screen International Star of Tomorrow & BAFTA Breakthrough producer Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, hosted by NFTS Wales.

You will also automatically get the chance to book a 1-on-1 slot with a regional Talent Executive; to talk about any ideas they are interested in putting forward as an application for our BFI NETWORK Short Film Funding.

In order to apply for BFI NETWORK Short Film Funding, teams need to have a minimum of two individuals across the three creative roles, e.g. separate individuals who are a writer-director and producer respectively, or a director working with a writer-producer. Director-producers are not eligible to apply.

Apply to Connect + Collab

Connect + Collab is open to Writers and/or Directors who have not been funded by BFI NETWORK previously. You must be aged 18+ and not in full-time education. Producers based in the UK from all creative disciplines with aspirations to produce short films are eligible. We encourage those who are looking to take on new projects to expand their slate to apply. Writers and/or directors from the South West, South East, and Midlands of England as defined by the BFI (BFI UK nations and regions map) who are actively working on a short film project. Please ensure the film idea would be eligible for BFI NETWORK Short Film Funding (download the guidelines here).

Please note that writers and/or directors will be asked to provide a 1-page A4 treatment that outlines their short film idea, this will be shared with all producers who register for the event. By sending us your treatment you agree for it to be shared in this way.

As space is limited, there is a selection process before your attendance is confirmed, based on the strength of your ideas and suitability for BFI NETWORK funding.

Due to spaces being limited we will take into consideration as part of the assessment process if you applied and were accepted for our last event on Thursday 12 August 2021. If you were, then you will only be eligible to re-apply for this upcoming event in February with a new short film project idea, not the idea you used when you applied previously.

The deadline to apply for Connect & Collab is Friday 21st January

Source: watershed.co.uk

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A teacher’s lifelong dream of having a film premiere is set to be fulfilled when his movie plays later. Director and writer James Mason saved up his day job salary to finance “To Catch A Fish”, to be shown at the Imax in Birmingham’s Millennium Point. It tells the story of Noel, a young, failing writer, coming to terms with the reality of his talent.

Mr Mason said he was “determined to be sole financier”, with the 30-minute film costing about £7,000 to make. “While my friends have been saving for mortgages, I have been saving for the film,” said the English and media teacher at St. John Henry Newman Catholic College in Solihull.

Although the project left Mr Mason financially “dry”, he was able to find a production crew through online forums and spend money on “a high-end production team”. Television and film scriptwriter Tim Prager, whose credits include Silent Witness, said the 25-year old’s project was “nothing short of exceptional”.

The film is a family affair, with the teacher’s father being cast as evil character “The Gent”, and his mother as a voice-over artist. The family home in Stratford-upon-Avon was also used as a set. It was not just the budget that was tight for Mr Mason, but also “the seven-day shoot itself”. “During one scene, we had to stop halfway through and allow my mum to finish her dinner at the table,” he said. “As the director, it felt a bit awkward telling the crew that my mum had to eat her bowl of pasta before I could say ‘action’ again.” The film is the first of an anthology series called The Unfortunate Tales, with university friend and actor Huw Brentnall playing the main part of Noel.

Source: www.bbc.com

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At the age of 12, Theo Johnson witnessed a drive-by shooting near his home in Handsworth. He had to grab a little girl playing next to him and pull them both to the ground to keep them safe. Sadly, this was not to be the only trauma he would go on to endure. By the time he was 16, Theo had lost four of his friends to knife crime and two friends to gun crime – including his best friend’s brother who he had grown up with. Theo decided he wanted to do something positive for the city – and has been raising awareness of the issue ever since by making films that have become so successful they’ve been picked up by Amazon Prime.

“I saw a drive-by when I was 12 and another shooting when I was 14,” said Theo, now 28, who has two older sisters and two younger brothers. And, in that same year, I saw three different people stabbed right in front of me. Two were stabbed to death and the third was alright. My best friend’s brother died. I was with him the day before. Me and his older brother, we looked after him, he was a nice, good kid, not in a gang, not causing any trouble. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was stabbed in the leg and he bled out and ended up passing away. We’d been friends since primary school.”

Having never really engaged well at school, Theo found his niche in drama classes at high school.

“I found I was really good at drama,” he explained. “Rather than being the one the teacher said not to follow, the drama teacher started saying do what he does. I’d found my calling. There wasn’t anything I could do other than use the skills I had in drama by making a short film to try to make people think twice about carrying a knife. I wanted to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Now I try to get that message to people through film.”

He made a short film about the dangers of carrying a knife called One Knife Affects Many Lives, which reached many people on social media and made him realise this was what he wanted to do going forward.

Becoming a youth ambassador, Theo went on to make another film called It’s Your Fault Now about the impact of drink driving. It went viral and he amassed more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and millions of views on YouTube, which led to his work being picked up by Amazon Prime. This was followed by another film called Just One Drop which he wrote to raise awareness of the horror of acid attacks.

And now he’s about to release a follow-up called Just Two Drops under Opulent Films, which he co-founded with his business partners Carlito Montana, Joella Sawyer, Andrew Keane and Jane Bolton.

It is set in a prison and Theo appears alongside Peter Andre and Katie Price’s son Junior Andre, rapper C Montana and stars from Love Island.

He has also appeared as Callum in Channel 4’s Raised by Wolves by Caitlin Moran, in Netflix’s Intent 2 and in the controversial film Blue Story which was banned from Vue Cinemas following rioting at Star City in Birmingham.

“People don’t always understand how powerful film can be, that’s why I always try to have a positive message,” said Theo, who is now splitting his time between London and Birmingham. “When I put the action in there, it helps to engage people. I always try to include Birmingham actors and talent in my films alongside known London talents.”

He added: “Some people don’t have these chances, they don’t have positive role models, they see no way out. Luckily I have something in me that means I’m able to create my own luck. My mum and dad are proud. They always told me that whatever I wanted to do, they would be happy with it. They’ve both always been there for me and that helps a lot. It’s important to seek good role models.”

Theo says he would like to become the ‘Adam Sandler of Birmingham’: “Sometimes people say I should change my Birmingham accent and I think it’s only because my sketches went viral that opportunities have come to me.

“I’d like to give more opportunities to unknown people and I always like to include Birmingham in my work.”

Source: www.birminghammail.co.uk

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

A film shot in Bedworth, Warwickshire, and featuring ‘Anne’ star Maxine Peake is ready for the big screen. The actress has won huge acclaim for her role as Anne Williams, the Hillsborough campaigner, who lost her young son in the Hillsborough.

Director Kevin Proctor, who is Bedworth born and bred, told CoventryLive that his hometown will be hosting the premiere within the next few months.

About the Film

She will be among the cast at the world premiere in Bedworth. This is set to be followed by London premiere is set to be held at the Curzon on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Source: www.coventrytelegraph.net

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

Chapters are made up of a minimum of 100 BAFTA members who hold specialist knowledge in the relevant craft. Members are also invited annually to opt-in to up to three feature chapters including Outstanding British Film, Documentary, Film Not in the English Language and Animated Film, plus British Short Film and British Short Animation.  Juries are made up of industry experts, with each jury comprised of BAFTA members from a diverse range of backgrounds, experience, gender, location and age groups.

Round One voting, which took place from 10 December 2021 to 4 January 2022, produced the longlists in all categories announced this week. Every category in this round was voted on by a craft chapter, opt-in chapter or jury, with the exception of Best Film which was voted for by all film voting members. As part of Round One voting, all film voting members were assigned a randomly selected sample of 15 films as recommended viewing ahead of voting. This ensured all entered films were each individually viewed hundreds of times and encouraged voting members to consider a wider range of films.

Round Two and Three Voting

Round Two voting, which takes place from Friday 14 January, will determine the nominations which will be announced on Thursday 3 February. Then, Round Three voting will take place from Wednesday 9 February and will determine the winners, to be announced at the EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday 13 March. The EE Rising Star Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday 1 February. All qualifying films were made available on BAFTA View, BAFTA’s online viewing platform. Voting members were able to access every entered film, allowing them to watch as many films as possible from a much earlier stage in the process than in previous years, and there have been over 134,000 streams to date.

In Round Two of voting, members are required to watch all longlisted films before they can vote for the nominations in Best Film, their craft chapter and opt-in chapters to ensure all films are given due consideration.

Longlist and Ceremony

The longlists can be accessed HERE.

The EE British Academy Film Awards will take place on Sunday 13 March and will be broadcast in the UK on BBC One. Further details regarding the ceremony will be revealed in due course.

The eligibility period for the BAFTA Film Awards 2022 is 1 January 2021 – 11 March 2022 (31 March for Documentary and Films Not in the English Language). For the 2022 Film Awards only, films which have a confirmed release between January-March 2022 may move their release date up to 30 June 2022 and remain eligible, as release schedules may be disrupted because of the continuing uncertainty about the ongoing pandemic.

Feedback

BAFTA Film Committee Chair Anna Higgs said: “2021 continued to be a difficult year for so many, including the film industry with cinemas in the UK remaining closed until May last year and shoots continually adapting to restrictions.  Throughout the ongoing uncertainty, BAFTA has remained dedicated to making the Awards fairer for entrants, to celebrate excellence, and support a more inclusive industry. We are delighted to announce this year’s longlist. Such an exciting range of films, different genres and incredible performances being recognised is a real testament to the strength, ingenuity and resilience of our crews, talent and filmmakers.”

BAFTA Chair Krishnendu Majumdar said: “The breadth of films and talent recognised in the longlist announced today shows the enduring creativity and resilience of the film industry against a backdrop of more challenges and uncertainty over the last year.  At the same time, BAFTA has made considerable changes to our rules and voting processes. This is to level the playing field for all film awards entries and importantly to ensure more titles are watched by more voters.

“While nothing beats the theatrical experience of watching a film on the big screen, this year all titles have been made available to members on BAFTA View which has seen voters watching more films on average than previous years as well as a significant increase in the number of views of films overall. Over 134,000 have been streamed already before we begin the second round of voting.  This is a positive step in our work to promote and enable a more inclusive, accessible and sustainable industry. I’m encouraged by the support of our members in the changes we’ve made. And cannot wait to find out the nominations for the EE British Academy Film Awards on 3 February.”

About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For advice and inspiration from the best creative minds in working in film, games and television, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.

Source: www.bafta.org

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Join Digital Cities Virtual on Tuesday 18th January for an exciting three day programme of masterclasses, panel discussions and practical sessions.

This is a great opportunity to polish your digital skills and discover jobs, schemes and opportunities within the creative industries. All sessions are available free of charge and open for creatives and content-makers to register and watch live.

Registration links

• Day one: Digital tools for short-form success
• Day two: Successful social campaigns
• Day three: Jobs schemes & opportunities
• View the full schedule here

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

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

As we await season 6 of Peaky Blinders and continue to debate season five’s cliffhanger (seriously, who betrayed Tommy?), word on the street is that the previously teased movie is most definitely going into production next year.

While we don’t have all the details yet, it seems very possible that Tommy and the Shelby family could soon follow in the footsteps of Downton Abbey’s Crawley family and end up on the big screen at a cinema near you.

Filmed and Set in Birmingham

The latest we’ve heard about a spinoff or movie is from the Peaky Blinders mastermind himself, Stephen Knight. “I am going to write the feature which will be set in and shot in Birmingham,” Knight said to Variety at the BFI London Film Festival in Oct 2021. “And that will probably be the sort of the end of the road for ‘Peaky Blinders’ as we know it.” Knight also told the publication that he’s not ruling out spin-offs either, but he’s likely to “pass on the baton” to someone else if they did take place.

About Future Peaky Blinders Plots

Knight has confirmed that neither the movie or the potential spinoff will be a prequel. “The problem with a prequel is you’re limiting yourself as to where it can go. You can’t kill a character who can show up in the series, he said to Radio Times. While further details about the movie or spinoff are sparse, Knight has been very clear about wanting the TV series to end with the first air raid siren in Birmingham in 1939. “The destination for the whole show has always been the start of the Second World War, so the show is the story of the family between the wars,” Knight told NME. “I just know that there could be stuff that happens subsequently,” he continued. Could a spinoff take us to America with Michael? Or would a movie see the youngest Shelby brother, Finn, head to war?

Peaky Blinders Spinoff 

Knight has confirmed that the movie would be set and shot in Birmingham, and while we can’t imagine Peaky Blinders set anywhere else, it’s hard to know where a spinoff would be set without further details. America does seem like a good bet (especially given the international interest in the show since it hit Netflix in the US). But there are so many options: maybe Knight and Tom Hardy are considering a show focused on Alfie Solomons’s semi-retirement in Margate? Or perhaps a movie would flash forward to a grown-up Charlie and Ruby leading a new generation of Shelbys in the 1960s?

Who Will Be in the Cast?

Unfortunately, when it comes to a Peaky Blinders spinoff or movie, nothing has been said about the cast, and this will depend on the fate of the family in the next two seasons. As we know, Knight has no qualms in killing off major characters (or, indeed, finding ways to bring them back later on). We can only hope that at least some of the current Peaky Blinders cast members return, particularly favorites like Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby and Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons. At this point, anything is possible.

Who Will Direct?

Again, nobody’s gone on record to say who would direct the spinoff or movie, however, given Steven Knight generally likes to work with different directors each season, a spinoff or movie could see almost anyone step into the role.

Peaky Blinders, the Musical?

Yes, you read that right. Stephen Knight has even mentioned the potential for a Peaky Blinders musical. “The film is of interest, the ballet is of interest, the musical is of interest. I just like doing different things,” Knight told NME. The series has seen success of the soundtrack with the show’s fans, including the late David Bowie.

Source: www.popsugar.com

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

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

The Electric Cinema on Station Street proudly holds the title of ‘The UK’s oldest working cinema’ – but in order to truly live up to that billing its new owner knows he needs to get the picture palace performing again. Unlike the multiplexes. the cinema has not reopened after closing its doors in March 2020 at the time of the first national lockdown but the good news is film fans won’t have to wait too much longer, Omicron permitting.

On November 2, BirminghamLive enjoyed an exclusive interview inside the cinema with passionate new owner Kevin Markwick who told us of his dream to have the two screens flickering into life before Christmas. Except that he had a funeral to go to in Europe, the projectors didn’t work and the building desperately needed its heating back on to feel comfortable again. Work to get The Electric fit for purpose has taken longer than expected, partly because Kevin’s first cinema is the 104-year-old Picture House and it’s 170 miles away in Uckfield, East Sussex.

Since he acquired the keys from former owner Tom Lawes and paid his first proper visit to the cinema on November 2, the country has been hit by the uncertainty of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Moving Forward

Although Kevin’s dream of opening before Christmas has been dashed, missing that target merely confirms the accuracy of his own personal website which says: “I’m in the dark. It’s my job. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail.”

And so this irrepressible cinephile is still defiantly optimistic it won’t be too long before the site is welcoming films fans once again. “Now the heating is on, it’s warm and toasty,” says Kevin. “And I think people are going to love what we do once we finally get over the starting line.”

Not being able to reopen this year means The Electric Cinema will be closed for its second birthday running. Nobody could have foreseen what would happen next after its 110th birthday was celebrated at the end of December, 2019.

On December 27 it should have jumped to having 112 candles on one of its famous handmade cakes – but then there’s always next year’s 113th birthday bash to look forward to.

Asked if he’d been renovating the cinema, Kevin said: “That’s too strong a word. Resurrecting, I’d say. We are getting there, but there has been more to it than expected, which is fair enough considering how long it’s been closed. Still, we’ve got new toilets! And I’ve hired some digital projectors to get us going… hopefully we’ll have laser ones coming in February and we’re keeping 35mm too, though I’m the only one who knows how that works.”

The seats have been cleaned up, too, but replacing some or all of them might take two or three years as and when funds allow.

Electric Cinema Reopening

“The current plan is to reopen on Friday, January 21,” said Kevin. “I’m booking films so let’s hope that events don’t overtake us – if they do, there’s not going to be a lot we can do about that. What I don’t really want to do is to open and then have to close again – (so if things worsen) do we then wait a bit longer. But our website will be going live, our social media will be active and we’ll be rolling out the kind of subscription service we run in Uckfield where we have 4,000 members and up to 160,000 admissions per year in a town of 15,000 people. Who knows what the take-up will be at The Electric, but young people especially seem to like it in Uckfield.”

Interviews have been held in the past few days to recruit staff to run the cinema which is expected to create ten jobs.

One reason Kevin took on The Electric was to give members of his own team the chance to “spread their wings a bit”. And so the cinema will be managed by his own daughter Katie, 32, who is moving up to Birmingham with her partner. She has learned all about the trade from Kevin, who inherited the Uckfield site in 1994 following the death of his own father who’d taught his son everything he knows.

After relinquishing The Electric, former owner Tom told BirminghamLive in November: “Kevin is definitely the best man for the job. Unlike me, cinema exhibition is his full-time career.

Source: www.birminghammail.co.uk

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