ScreenSkills Pro-Create @ LFF 2021 Report

SCREENSKILLS PRO-CREATE @ LFF 2021

Prepared by Priscilla Igwe, MD The New Black Film Collective (TNBFC)

SCREENSKILLS PRO-CREATE

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BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2021 Thanks to The Liberation Initiatives, 10 complimentary Silver Passes were given to our mentees and, for most of them, it was their first film festival experience.

Over 12 days from 6 to 17 October, flagship venue BFI Southbank and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, the LFF gala venue for 2021, made London’s South Bank one of two London hubs at the heart of the film festival. Films screened in a number of cinemas in London’s West End, with a selection of films at 10 venues in cities and towns across the UK. Audiences enjoyed a rich and varied programme of fiction, documentary, animation, artists’ moving image, short film, restored classics from the world’s archives as well as programmes of exciting international works made in immersive and episodic forms.

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SCREENSKILLS PRO-CREATE

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ABOUT SCREENSKILLS PRO-CREATE ScreenSkills Pro-Create is a year-long mentoring programme for Black Film Producers within the framework of the educational strand for S.O.U.L. Fest 2021. The programme selected a cohort of 50 Black mentees that were matched with 10 Black mentors from within the Film and High-End TV (HETV) industry, working together in safe spaces to allow their project to live and breathe without cultural constraints.

MISSION AND VISION The aim of ScreenSkills Pro-Create is to ensure mentees leave the programme fully equipped and fit-for-purpose to successfully transition into their next big project - be it from short film to their first feature or fulllength television drama. They will be given opportunities to platform and showcase their talent. Participants of the programme took part in 4 modules in DEVELOPMENT, FINANCE, SALES & DISTRIBUTION, where they will be given key insights into the production lifecycle of releasing a film.

This programme is supported by ScreenSkills using National Lottery funds awarded by the BFI as part of the Future Film Skills programme. Additional support is from the Film + TV Charity.

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THE CHOSEN ONES The talent is now in the room We care deeply about all 50 of our mentees but the 10 below were the best placed to grab this life-changing opportunity with both hands. For some it was too short notice, others could not get time off work or lived too far away. We shall endeavour to get them to LFF or another top tier festival next year. These lucky mentees showed up and showed out at the events, talks, premieres, screenings etc. working the socks off to get themselves in front of the industry and absorb as much knowledge as possible whilst making connections everywhere they went.

AMANDA BRIGHT

RICH WALKER

NATALIE YESUFU ADELE-EDWARDS

CHRISTIEN BART-GITTENS

CHLOE BINGHAM

CRAIG ABBOT

SHERRY DAVIS

SUNNY KING

AVRIL EVANS

JIDE JOHNSON

HUSTLE

Use this QR Code to find out more about the 50 mentees and their 10 Black mentors

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FEEDBACK What did they have to say?

I made a great contact with a talent executive from an independent production company who invited me to meet and discuss my documentary with him after we met at one of the LFF networking drinks events. He gave me some great advice on developing my documentary and I also assisted him with connecting to industry professionals for his film projects.

- Sherry

However, the price of tickets had gone up this year and was more prohibitive for filmmakers especially those impacted by the pandemic through work so meant the free tickets were a godsend for ardent film fans like me especially for those who are marginalised in the film industry.

- Avril

This was my first time coming to the London film festival. It was fantastic to have access to networking events and screenings. The acesss to the festival allowed me to network and build long lasting work relationships with people I would never have met living in Birmingham.

- Natalie

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THE TheLIBERATION space that wasINITIATIVES created on the last networking drinks nightof for Black creatives also brilliant. It felt Overview past growth and howwas we can apply safe and welcoming environment - and a great learnings to gain more followers.

like such a place to

meet to other Black 'The creatives who work for BFI. In response this statement Arts & Entertainment industry is notoriously lacking in diversity and this is particularly evidenced by what we see on our screens.'

- Sherry

It was a very pleasant surprise to get a Silver Industry pass to LFF! I enjoyed attending the premieres but most of all, benefitted greatly from networking, where I got to meet my fellow Pro-Create mentees in real life for the first time and also network with other individuals in the film industry.

- Sherry

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FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS What did we get up to during the 12 days?

Attended Opening + Closing Night Galas The Liberation Initiatives Drinks UK Global Screen Fund Drinks BFI Inclusion Event Various Premieres Talks, Panels, Webinars etc.

Immersive Art + XR Network, Network, Network!

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DATA DASHBOARD Snapshot of the profile and engagement of the beneficiaries.

Low

Animation Experimental 5.8% 6.7%

High

HETV 29.2% Drama 37.5%

Satisfaction 15

Documentary 20.8%

Interests 10

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Attendance

Gender Parity

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SCREENSKILLS PRO-CREATE

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WHAT'S NEXT? We are looking at an investment of £150K per year for 2022-25 from various stakeholders to enable us to flourish and create meaningful impact within the screen industries.

Below is the mandate for delivery of activity that will effect the much needed intervention to break the dependency on public funding from institutions that are still processing reform around systemic inequality. We shall work to build a new infrastructure that gives autonomy, agency and access for this generation of Black talent.

1. TNB XPO (£30K) Annual convention showcasing Black excellence in Film + High End TV from the African Diaspora during awards season. Featuring Keynote Speeches, Screenings, Lectures, Seminars, Exhibition Stands, Recruitment Fair, Networking, Pitching etc. Virtual programme for online visitors thereby unlocking access to a global audience.

2. DELEGATION TO FESTIVALS + FILM MARKETS (£20K) Escorting mentees to top tier film festivals and markets both at home and abroad. The intention is to understand how Black content will travel and explore releasing films in territories more primed for diverse voices or from their country of origin. Tapping in to the African film industry will be a priority especially with the rise of co-production offers.

3. DEVELOPMENT FILM FUND (£75K) We are keen to transition from mentoring to commissioning to set our mentees up for success. We want to break the training cycle and give these creative real jobs or greenlight their work.

4. TNB BHM TOUR (£25K) Through TNBFC's nationwide membership of Black exhibitors, we shall cement our relationships with commercial & community cinemas thereby securing routes to market to enable the content produced by the mentees to have the best chance of box office success (with mainstream crossover) - proving that fresh niche stories are universal.

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MESSAGE TO OUR SPONSOR We are a case in point regarding enabling minority groups to breakthrough. True to their word, The Liberation Initiatives swooped in and answered our humble request for festival passes to the London Film Festival. Not only were we given 10 badges but they were Silver Industry level and it doesn't get much better than that!

We are eternally grateful for this act of benevolence and finally we felt like we were entitled to take up space in this exclusive environment. It was made even more special as we did it as a group and our camaraderie was stronger than ever.

We also like to thank BFI Inclusion and Joshua Llewellyn for making this happen.

Dedicated to starting education at ground level & provide opportunities to marginalised communities to infiltrate the industry...

- The Liberation Initiatives

@TNBFC

k n Tha ! you !