All the latest from WFTV and around the film and TV industry... No images? Click here Monday 03 February 2020 Hi Everyone, Welcome to this week’s edition of our newsletter, with Miriam, our Senior Awards and Event Producer’s weekly update on WFTV events and our round-up of news and events across the industry. This year, in addition to our London-based mentoring scheme, we are also for the very first time running a scheme in Northern Ireland. I am very pleased to say that our inaugural Northern Irish mentees have just been selected. Huge congratulations to all of them and we really look forward to getting to know them better. In the meantime, you can find out more about our new mentees in an article below. Some great winners at the BAFTAs last night, but clearly for all of us, there has been a huge disappointment in the lack of women and diverse candidates nominated. If you haven’t already seen it, TIME’S UP UK is running a social media campaign this week celebrating the women and people of colour they feel should have been recognised at this year’s awards. It’s very definitely worth a look and a powerful reminder of some of the brilliant and talented names who were overlooked. Best Liz Following a highly competitive selection process, we are now delighted to announce that the first seven mentees for our new WFTV Northern Irish Mentoring Scheme are: Margaret McGoldrick Margaret has produced, written and directed several short films as well as producing the award winning web series Farr and micro budget feature Braxton. She is currently developing her next directorial project a short documentary Madlug. Grace Sweeney Grace is a producer and director, who has just completed her first documentary feature, The Sherif. She moved into production in 2012, having spent the previous 8 years working as a camera assistant on drama productions including The Fall, Game of Thrones and Your Highness. Karen Donnelly Karen is a factual television producer specialising in current affairs and live topical programmes. Her credits include Sunday Morning Live, How To Spend It Well and FYI. Niamh Minihan Niamh is a producer at Alleycats. She began her career at the company in 2012. She has been instrumental in the delivery of a range of fact-ent and documentary programmes over the last eight years, including the award winning Keepin Er Country and How to Defuse A Bomb - The Project Children Story. Órfhlaith Ní Chearnaigh Órfhlaith is a producer and director specialising in Irish language documentaries. She recently made a series exploring women in sport, and has previously produced music and history documentaries. Later this year, she will be working on an Irish language feature drama. Dee Harvey Dee is writer and director specialising in virtual reality. She co-wrote and directed IF, a VR180 film about infertility that was commissioned by YouTube in 2018. It was shortlisted for an RTS award in 2019. Milène Fegan Milène is a director and producer with over ten years’ experience working in the television industry, with particular expertise in Irish Language productions. Over the past ten years, she has accumulated credits for top broadcasters including RTÉ, UTV, STV, BBC, TG4 and Channel 4. The new scheme will be run by Sarah McCaffrey, our Northern Ireland Mentoring Scheme producer. We are very grateful to her and to Netflix for sponsoring the scheme. We can’t wait to see what Sarah and our new mentees achieve over the next year!
Welcome to February! I am delighted that spring is officially a little bit closer and am looking forward to seeing some daffodils begin to make their appearance soon. We’ve got a packed month ahead of us here, and we can’t wait to see you all at our events. A big thank you to the team at Entertainment One, who are very kindly hosting two screenings of Queen & Slim for us this week. Also, to our friends at Acuity Law who have invited us to a breakfast event on Wednesday, where we’ll hear more about the legal implications when joining and exiting productions; especially helpful for anyone with cash, assets or intellectual property at stake. Looking further ahead in this month, we’ve got some new events to announce; On Monday 24 February, UKTV are hosting a screening of Flack season 2, followed by a Q&A with director Alicia Macdonald and writer Oliver Lansley. On a personal note, I watched the whole of the first season in one sitting, and am particularly excited about this! Wrapping up the month on Thursday 27 February, we’ve got a panel of social media experts lined up to offer us some insider tips on how to best engage with social media on a professional level. So whether you’re already a social media whizz, or are just dipping your toes in, this is an excellent opportunity to hear more about ways in which you can best utilise social media as a marketing tool, from a panel of industry experts – read more here. On a final, and VERY exciting note, we’ve got our inaugural Bristol networking event on Thursday 20 February. We visited Bristol at the end of 2019, and were hugely inspired by the wonderful women we met there. Encouraged by the success of our ever-growing activity in other regions last year, we’re really looking forward to seeing a new hub developing in Bristol in 2020. The Women who will be running our Bristol WFTV EventsA big thanks to all the WFTV members on our Bristol committee who are helping us run events there. You can read more about them below and sign up here! Keira Malik, TV Director and Producer. Her work lies in films that raise discussions and awareness of social and political issues as a call to action. Keira has produced award winning documentaries for BBC, C4 and most recently, since moving to Bristol, on the Emmy award winning Our Planet Halo series for Netflix with David Attenborough. A short message from Keira, “I have worked in both drama and documentaries for Film and TV. Having relocated from London, where WFTV helped my peers and I hugely with our careers, I am looking forward to offering that same support to women in the industry here to Bristol.” Jayne Chard, Producer at Hummingbird Films. Jayne has produced feature films Two Heads Creek (2020); B&B, the winner of nine awards at international festivals and Best LGBT Film at the London Independent Film Festival (2017); Dartmoor Killing, Best Thriller at the 2016 National Film Awards. Jayne has also worked as a TV producer on the BAFTA winning series Casualty and documentaries for UK broadcasters. A short message from Jayne, “I work on the drama side of TV and film and I’m particularly interested in helping regional women writers and producers have a voice in a London centric industry. Coming together under the banner of WFTV we will be able to achieve greater diversity and equality on the small and big screen and make our voices heard.” Helen Sampson, Assistant Producer and Photographer. Helen began her career working in conservation and then transitioned into wildlife documentary. Helen has worked on two feature films for Disney Nature (Bears and Dolphin Reef) and became Producer and Principal Camera for the feature length film Diving with Dolphins. A short message from Helen, “I am keen to see more female camera talent emerging over the coming years, as well as producers and directors. Many women underplay their talents and experience, which can hinder recognition and promotion. I hope, through the WFTV platform, we can provide a network in Bristol that will help build confidence, offer support and encouragement, and be an open forum to share knowledge and experiences with each other.” Hannah Cartwright, Freelance Composer and Music Supervisor. Hannah has worked in composition, sync and music supervision for the TV and film industries for the past 13 years. Her music has been used in trailers for X-Men: Apocalypse and BEAST, and in programmes including How to Get Away with Murder, The Grand Tour and Our Girl. A short message from Hannah, “I spent 10 years in London working in composition, sync and music supervision but have always worked closely with Bristol and moved here in 2017. With Bleeding Fingers Music, I had the pleasure of working on Planet Earth 2, Blue Planet 2 and Frozen Planet, which certainly influenced my desire to move to this wonderfully creative hub. I am passionate about supporting women in both the TV and music industries.” Fern Scott, Freelance Self-Shooting Director and Documentary Maker. Fern works in digital media and is interested in exploring the potential of short form content. A short message from Fern, “I recently moved back to Bristol and realised how much I had benefited from the community of filmmakers who attend the WFTV events in London. I’m looking forward to helping to bring events that support women in the industry to Bristol and to be a voice in helping to achieve equality.” ___________________________________________________________________________ Congratulations to WFTV Member, Tania Freimuth who recently won an award for Best Cinematography for the short film Pitfall. Pitfall follows the horror and chaos of war, and amidst this two enemies are forced into an unholy alliance in the battle for survival. You can watch the trailer here. Former WFTV mentee, Ria Hebden, was on ITV's Lorraine this morning discussing the 2020 BAFTA award winners, including the speeches given by Joaquin Pheonix and the Duke of Cambridge on the lack of diversity in this year's awards. If you missed it, watch it again here. Screen Central are now accepting applications for their Leadership and Management Film Course in Birmingham. This course is aimed at screen professionals from any department who are looking to take the next step into leadership and management. Applications close on Wednesday 12 February. The British Animation Awards have announced The Lamb Award for 2020. This award is open to young professionals working in the animation and VFX industry. If you know a female animator with between 1 and 5 years' experience who is showing great future potential, then why not nominate them for this award. Nominations close on Monday 17 February. On Saturday 15 February, South Social Film Festival are hosting One Night, One Country: Japan. Take a trip to Japan with cinema, sounds and flavour, with a screening of Japanese indie film Demolition Girl, a dance workshop led by contemporary performer Yukiko Masui and a menu curated by Japanese chef Keiko Urakawao Urakawa. WFTV members receive a 10% discount on tickets. Save the date, BAFTA Guru Live Cardiff will be on Saturday 21 March. Keep up to date with the full line up, apply for travel bursaries and book tickets here. Don't miss WFTV Board Member, Sara Putt (Sara Putt Associates) who will sharing top tips on presenting yourself, maximising networking and keeping your CV at its best. For aspiring female filmmakers, applications are now open for The Grierson Trust's 2020 training and mentoring scheme. From learning basic camera skills to pitching a concept, this is a chance for 16 aspiring filmmakers to turn their documentary passion into reality. Applications close on Friday 20 March, find out more about the scheme and how to apply here. Breaking Through The Lens is currently inviting submissions to pitch at its 2020 event. 10 film projects will be selected and presented at an invite-only event at the Cannes Film Festival to an audience of Financiers, Sales Agents and Distributors. The guest list is carefully chosen to include a selection of the industry's most respected private investors and companies such as Lionsgate, Headgear and Film 4. Surviving Actors is the UK’s only dedicated trade show for actors. Featuring seminars from various industry professionals, 121 career mentoring and the opportunity to perform for a panel of casting directors and agents. Some of the guest speakers, mentors and panelists include, Nina Gold Casting Associate - Cat Dickie, Casting Director – John Cannon (BBC), Director – Jon East (Killing Eve, Downton Abbey, Last Kingdom) and Actress - Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation St, Boradchurch). Book your FREE general admission ticket. Wanting to branch into writing horror? Euroscript is holding a Writing Horror day course with Ian Long on Friday 13 March. They're offering the concessionary rate to members of WFTV, WGGB, Society of Authors and Directors UK. Raindance Film Festival have opened entries to their Valentines Short Film Competition. The top five films will be screened at The Century Club in London and the winner will be screened at the Raindance Film Festival. Find out all the entry details here. Women currently working in the film sector have a final opportunity to register their interest in a scholarship worth up to £2,500 to support participation in an accredited leadership development program. Funding must be apportioned by the end of February and it is unsure when these grants will be available again. Find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form here before 5pm on Friday 14 February. Screenskills Film Make a Move encourages the on-the-job training of crew identified by productions as ready to move up into a more senior role with some support.They're offering £10,000 towards training and beneficiaries must be from a BAME background. The full programme for Femspectives 2020, the Glasgow Feminist Film Festival is now live! The festival will take place between Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 February at the Civic House in Glasgow. Tickets are now on sale for the UK Women's Leadership Symposium 2020, taking place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June. Bringing together female leaders from every sector and industry, the event programme explores a range of topics including leadership and organisational strategy, diversity and gender equity, career advancement and life fulfilment. Ffilm Cymru Wales is looking for a driven and creative individual to manage BFI NETWORK Wales, aimed at identifying and supporting talented writers, directors and producers born or based in Wales at the start of their careers. Find all the information and job description here. Festival Watch ATTEND: 20 February - 1 March: Berlinale | 26 February - 8 March: Glasgow Film Festival | 7 - 15 March Manchester Film Festival | 1 - 9 April Belfast Film Festival | 12 - 23 May: Cannes International Film Festival SUBMIT TO: 30 April: Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) | 15 February: Cannes International Film Festival | 2 March: Sheffield Doc/Fest (Late deadline)
| 10 March: Women Make Waves Film Festival Taiwan | 12 April: The Shortest Nights (Final deadline) | 31 May: Aesthetica Short Film Festival |