There is a huge amount of work being done across the sector in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The Screen Sector Taskforce, coordinated by the BFI, is a group of the UK’s leading film, TV and moving image bodies and organisations working together to identify challenges and develop policy recommendations for Government in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Originally brought together in response to the Brexit referendum, the Taskforce membership has grown from 30 to more than 100 senior representatives from film, TV, animation, VFX and video games. It currently operates through five sub-groups focusing on different aspects of the screen sector value chain, which are chaired by leading bodies in this area – distribution and exhibition (chaired by UKCA and FDA) inward investment (British Film Commission), independent film production (BFI), TV production and broadcasting (Pact), and video games (Ukie). Each working group will develop policy interventions designed to get the sector back up and running as quickly as possible, with these presented to Government as a single package of measures designed to help right across the sector.
Quantifying the cost of re-opening cinemas in line with social distancing and the impact on consumer demand have been priority workstreams for the distribution and exhibition sub-group. This will inform asks to Government designed to mitigate this cost and keep the exhibition sector sustainable in the aftermath of lockdown. This work complements that by the UKCA to develop guidance and safety protocols for cinemas on how to reopen in line with social distancing, which is with UK and devolved governments for consideration.
Here is a list of those involved in the Distribution and Exhibition subgroup:
If you have a COVID-19 related enquiry, please contact covid-19.queries@bfi.org.uk which acts as a centralised point for all COVID-19 enquiries, and from where BFI can also signpost you to the most relevant advice if necessary.
BFI FAN Covid-19 Resilience Fund
London, Friday 12 June 2020: The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) has allocated emergency funding to independent exhibitors across the UK through the BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund. £1.3m National Lottery funding, plus a £150,000 contribution from the Mayor of London’s Culture at Risk Business Support Fund, has been made available to provide grants to those in critical financial need as they continue to face months of closure and uncertainty. BFI FAN – a unique collaboration of eight Film Hubs managed by leading film organisations across the UK – targeted the fund to help small and medium sized audience-facing organisations with a particular focus on venue-based exhibitors.
Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences, BFI, said:
“Redirecting National Lottery and Mayor of London funding to make emergency grants to our independent exhibitors has proved to be a lifeline, enabling our fantastic venues, cinemas and festivals across the UK to remain in business in the immediate term. However, it is clear that these vital and unique organisations, which are crucial to the rich cultural fabric of their local communities, are still in crisis. When allowed to reopen, safely implementing social distancing guidance will not only be logistically impossible for some, but many are also unlikely to cover their costs when operating at reduced capacity. Losing these exhibitors would be a huge cultural loss for UK audiences, so I am pleased FAN has been able to help them keep the lights on while we all face the oncoming challenges.”
The Fund has supported 130 FAN Members across the UK with awards ranging from £415 to £23,000 each. These include MacRobert Arts Centre in Stirling, Jam Jar Cinema in Whitley Bay, Magic Lantern in Tywyn, and Bounce Cinema in London, supporting exhibitors who often representing the only cultural offer in their local area. Helping to ensure they can survive is crucial, particularly to provide an offer to audiences to support wellbeing after a prolonged period of lockdown and isolation.
The BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund was administered through each of FAN’s regional and national based Film Hubs, working with the BFI, set up to support exhibitors and festivals which have faced unprecedented challenges, with many at risk of making staff redundant and permanent closure. The Independent Cinema Office (ICO) conducted a survey – Reopening Cinemas the Independent Way – to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the independent exhibition industry. It found only 59% of respondents considered they could reopen with social measures in place, with 63% stating they could survive for only three months. Almost half of the 59% believe they will be able to open in September at the earliest.
The Resilience Fund is part of a package of support the BFI has quickly responded with in order to support individuals, productions, organisations and businesses that have been hardest hit by COVID-19.
The BFI also continues to work closely with industry and Government to develop and implement a robust, sector-wide strategy for recovery. Out of its Screen Sector Task Force, a number of working groups are focused on key areas: inward investment; independent film; distribution and exhibition; and television and broadcasting. The BFI has up-to-date industry advice for the sector at www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/covid-19-answering-questions-screen-sectors.
The UK Cinema Association and the Film Distributors’ Association have been developing guidance to support cinemas reopen. In the first instance it is likely only multiplexes and larger chains and will be able to open once Government guidance allows, with smaller independent venues hoping to follow later in the year.
Dan Ellis, Managing Director, Jam Jar Cinema, (FAN Hub North member) said: “Jam Jar Cinema has become a hub for our community, a key attraction for our high street and most importantly something that local people love, and are proud of, in the town. The reality is that without BFI Resilience funding all of the hard work, audience development and local buy-in would be lost as we probably wouldn’t survive this crisis. This support gives us a fighting chance to reopen and we’re using this time to figure out what we need to do differently, as well as identifying the important bits – the ones that make us who we are – to keep the same in the future. But it’s not just enough to survive, it’s about coming back and being there for the people who use us, need us and are yet to discover us. It’s about cinema for all. It’s about local people, finding local solutions to local problems. It’s about being the best we can be. With this support we hope we can work together with our audiences so that our organisation, our community and our town can thrive once again.”
Natalie Jode, Executive Director, Creative Arts East (FAN Hub South East member), said: “BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience investment for Creative Arts East will make a significant difference to our survival, both this year and next. This year it will allow us to balance the books, maintain employment for our staff and continue to support our network of 64 community cinema groups with remote training and digital programming. Crucially, this investment affords us the time and capacity to move out of a financial firefight for 2020-21 and begin looking to and preparing solutions for the medium and longer-term challenges that we are facing alongside our colleagues in the wider arts and cultural sector.”
Jessica Brewster, Director, The Roses Theatre, (Film Hub South West Member) said: “The BFI Resilience Fund is a game changer for The Roses at an incredibly difficult time. As well as ensuring our survival through the next few months, it will give us the staff capacity to innovate our film programme to better serve our communities while the doors are closed, allowing us to reach new audiences and start new conversations around independent film.”
Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, Festival Director & Cinema Co-ordinator, Wicked Wales Film Festival and Cinema, Rhyl (Film Hub Wales member), said: “Having the support and funding from the BFI and Film Hub Wales means a great deal to our team of young volunteers who run the Wicked Pop Up Cinemas at Rhyl Little Theatre in North Wales. With Film Hub Wales support we started our community cinema 3 years ago bringing affordable cinema back to some of the most deprived communities in Wales. This period of lockdown meant losing contact with the audiences we had worked so hard to build up. This funding will enable our volunteers to continue to have a place to work from and an opportunity to reach out to our existing and new audiences ready for when we open the doors again.”
Nerve Centre/ Foyle Film Festival (Film Hub NI Member) said: “BFI Covid 19 Relief Funding will strengthen our resilience to the impact of COVID-19, by helping us to maintain our connection with our strongest supporters our film audiences and the young people who make the Nerve Centre what it is – a hub for youth culture in Derry-Londonderry. We’re a venue that’s open for business, building new ways of reaching out and welcoming new audiences, online and in venue.”
Beth Bate, Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee (Film Hub Scotland Member) said: “DCA is delighted to be a recipient of the BFI FAN Resilience Fund: this vital funding will support our cinema team during a time of immense pressure and change to ensure we can reopen our doors to our audiences as soon as possible, with a programme that’s as diverse and exciting as ever.”
Paul Carr, The Northern Light Cinema, Wirksworth Derbyshire, (Film Hub Midlands Member) said: “We’re a small rural independent cinema tucked away in Derbyshire and although we have a terrific community around us, it’s still easy to feel pretty isolated as far as the cinema is concerned. Independence comes with a price. So the BFI Resilience Fund did more than just throw us a financial lifeline. It connected us back to the big picture, reminded us we weren’t alone and gave us the breathing space, and the confidence, to plan our way back.”
Watermans (Film Hub London Member) said: “We are delighted to have been selected to receive this funding from the Mayor of London, BFI and Film London. Watermans is a small independent cinema facing huge challenges at this difficult time – along with so many others – and this grant will help us to weather the storm. But it isn’t just about keeping a cinema going during hard times; it’s about supporting a place that is at the heart of its community in Hounslow, a place where people meet, make connections, are inspired by talks, festivals and an eclectic selection of film. It’s a place where we welcome people whatever their background and put increasing access to the inspiring world of cinema at the heart of our programming. At a time when life may be difficult for so many in the coming years, places that bind communities in all their diversity will be more important than ever, and this grant recognises the role that a cinema like Watermans can play in that.”
Media Release: 15th June 2020
Film Hub Wales (FHW) has awarded National Lottery funding totalling £100,000 to 16 Welsh independent cinemas and film festivals that have been severely impacted by Covid-19. Forced to close their doors at the start of UK lockdown, these venues will potentially be some of the last organisations able to reopen as the pandemic eases.
With months of potential closure and uncertainty ahead as a result of the pandemic, these funds will help cinemas in urgent financial need.
To maintain vital income in the short term and keep in contact with audiences, some venues are developing online activities. In Tywyn, the Magic Lantern will run a bilingual digital memory project to explore the cinema’s role in the community. In Barry, the Memo Arts Centre is planning a visceral multi-media project working with vulnerable groups to identify the complexities of re-engaging audiences during and post Covid-19.
They are also seeking further funding to explore business survival plans for the future. Including ideas for socially distanced events, which will be essential in order to avoid permanent closure. From Cellb’s idea of ‘Mwoo’ outdoor cinema, where audiences would social distance at a cow’s length; to Neuadd Ogwen’s ‘Ein Dalgylch’ platform, which aims to take artists of all disciplines out of the venue to perform in the valleys, forests and mountains.
Cinemas and festivals are being driven during this difficult time by dedicated people working behind the scenes, striving to bring communities back together through film. FHW is working closely with the 16 partners to understand how Covid-19 has impacted them, so that the greatest choice of cinema can be brought back to audiences across Wales.
Hana Lewis, Strategic Manager of Film Hub Wales, explains:
“Cinemas do so much for us; they’re there when we want to escape, they bring us together and connect us to the world. We’ve been amazed by the capacity of cinema staff to care for their audiences, from delivering local supplies, to meeting their financial commitments. We wanted to take the opportunity to share their stories.
“As a result of lockdown, income from ticket sales and concessions stopped overnight, putting many independent organisations and their teams at immediate risk. There’s a long journey ahead and cinemas will need ongoing support. We hope that the BFI FAN resilience fund can start the journey to reopening.”
Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences, BFI, said:
“Redirecting National Lottery and Mayor of London funding to make emergency grants to our independent exhibitors has proved to be a lifeline, enabling our fantastic venues, cinemas and festivals across the UK to remain in business in the immediate term. However, it is clear that these vital and unique organisations, which are crucial to the rich cultural fabric of their local communities, are still in crisis. When allowed to reopen, safely implementing social distancing guidance will not only be logistically impossible for some, but many are also unlikely to cover their costs when operating at reduced capacity. Losing these exhibitors would be a huge cultural loss for UK audiences, so I am pleased FAN has been able to help them keep the lights on while we all face the oncoming challenges.”
Rhys Roberts, Cinema Coordinator at CellB, adds:
“Past events at Blaenau Ffestiniog’s CellB cinema have at times rivalled the drama usually seen on our cinema screen. We’ve seen our community and Hollywood stars lining up to support a bright future for this most precious of our shared community assets.
“Recently, we’ve faced the surreal threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, and thanks to Film Hub Wales and BFI FAN support, we see this plucky independent cinema fighting back once more, stepping into a new and different world driven by our young creatives, who we call ‘The Quaran-teens’. We are ready for the next chapter in our drama.”
Lauren Orme, Director of Cardiff Animation Festival adds:
“Covid-19 has had a massive impact on Cardiff Animation Festival, as it has on so many arts organisations. Having to make the decision to postpone our festival just three weeks from our scheduled dates could have meant the end for us as an organisation.
“Film Hub Wales have been massively supportive throughout this time. This new relief funding is a lifeline that will enable us to support freelancers and contractors, to develop new and exciting work to serve the community that has built around our activity over the past five and a half years, and to help our audiences feel connected through independent animation while we’re all apart.”
The resilience fund is made possible thanks to National Lottery funding, repurposed by the British Film Institute (BFI) via its Film Audience Network (FAN). The fund offers critical relief and business continuity to exhibitors across the whole of the UK.
Funds in Wales are administered by FHW via Chapter as the Film Hub Lead Organisation. They will be used towards irrecoverable costs, to deliver creative online activities during closure, and staff time to plan towards safe reopening.
BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts sets out how the task force is working to secure screen sector recovery.
There is a huge amount of work being done across the sector in response to the COVID-19 crisis and it’s been brilliant to see the way everyone has come together. I just wanted to express my own thanks for the support I have had and also to give you an update on the progress of the Screen Sector Task Force and our work with Government as we turn attention to the recovery phase. The Task Force is convened by the BFI and brings together organisations from across the full breadth of the UK”s screen industries, to develop a co-ordinated response to the COVID-19 crisis and shape how to get the sector back up and running quickly and safely.
The Task Force has been split into five sub groups (inward investment, independent film production, TV production and broadcasting, distribution and exhibition and video games) where immediate priority has been given to the following three cross-cutting issues – health and safety codes of practice; insurance; and the knock on impact on the cost of production. The drafting and evidence gathering work on each of these strands is being led by a specialist group and then shared with the other Task Force groups and beyond. We are working to ensure that recommendations from the Task Force to Government are well evidenced and scalable to meet the needs of different parts of the screen eco-system, and also work together to ensure that no part of the sector or its workforce is left behind and that all specificities are considered.
With a focus on health and safety, the sub groups have been developing codes of best practice that are endorsed by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to ensure that film and TV productions of all sizes and cinemas can get back up and running as quickly and as safely as possible.
The inward investment group led by the British Film Commission (BFC) has drafted a set of codes of practice for film and high-end television drama production. These have been out to consultation and shared with Government and the hope is to have them completed and rolled out for productions by the end of May and provide detailed and comprehensive guidance for returning to work and resuming production as safely as possible. They have been developed to meet the needs of both studio and independent production, although productions will still need to make sure they satisfy any requirements put in place by insurers, financiers or completion bonders. The codes of practice are designed to act as a resource for productions based in each nation of the UK as lockdown is eased in each of them respectively. They will also read across to the guidelines developed for television produced and published by the broadcasters and Pact today and which you can read here.
The UKCA and FDA have led a working group for Distribution and Exhibition to develop plans for the reopening of cinemas. The Government’s recovery strategy states that cinemas in England will potentially be able to open on 4 July at the earliest and the Task Force is working with the DCMS to ensure this change to lockdown rules is introduced at the best possible time for all venues. At the same time it is gathering evidence to propose what additional support might be needed specifically for the exhibition sector.
Cover for COVID-19 is an issue for both film and TV productions and could be a barrier to the Government’s return to work plans. A specialist insurance sub-group is looking at potential solutions to this problem (led by Pact as part of the TV and broadcasting group). The Task Force is working hard to ensure that the scale of the problem is evidenced for Government and that the sector is represented on any wider insurance conversations across Whitehall. Insurance is also an issue to be considered with regard to Distribution and Exhibition.
The working groups are calculating how much it could cost to implement codes of practice for returning to work in their respective areas. Different budget production levels are being costed out and in the case of exhibition, the anticipated reduced audience capacity as well as unknown levels of audience anxiety are being factored in. This will allow us to understand the financial viability of a return to work for productions and exhibitors of all sizes and will inform Task Force discussions with Government regarding support for this process.
The BFI are updating information regularly on our website about working in the industry during COVID-19, support packages and further sources of information can be found here.
Lockdown might have put a stop to Cardiff Animation Festival’s physical 2020 edition, but it hasn’t stopped the Cardiff Animation Festival team. Since restrictions on gathering were introduced, Cardiff Animation Festival have sprung into action, taking events to online platforms like YouTube Live, Slack and Zoom to keep audiences and animators connected during social distancing. Now Cardiff Animation Festival have four new online events to bring animation fans from around the world together – an online masterclass with Cartoon Saloon Animation Director Lorraine Lordan, an online workshop with Welsh animator Kyle Legall, and curated online screenings of some of the best independent animation from around the world for families and adult audiences.
Cardiff Animation Nights, the CAF team’s free bi-monthly independent animation screenings, takes to YouTube Live for a second time on Thursday 30th of April at 8:15pm, with 12 brilliant new animated short films. The team took Cardiff Animation Nights online for the first time earlier this month, reaching nearly three times their usual audience numbers – over 500 people from around the world tuned in to watch independent animated short films together apart.
On Saturday morning, young animation fans can swap the usual cartoons for an hour of family-friendly independent animation. Cardiff Animation Kids will stream live on Saturday 2nd of May at 10:30am, including the world premiere of stop-motion animated short film Sum of its Parts directed by Alisa Stern.
On Saturday 2nd of May at 4pm, Animation Director Lorraine Lordan joins Cardiff Animation Festival live online from Ireland for a masterclass sharing insight from her varied and international career in animation, presented in collaboration with ScreenSkills. For much of her career Lorraine has worked at renowned Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, including as Animation Supervisor on the Annie-nominated TV Series Puffin Rock, Sequence Animation Supervisor on Oscar-nominated The Breadwinner and Assistant Director on the new Puffin Rock feature film; her work in animation has taken her around the world, to studios in the Czech Republic, Germany, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Cambodia and the UK. Lorraine talks life in lockdown, how she’s been able to balance making a short film with lead roles on features, and shares what she’s learned along her impressive career journey.
Aspiring animators and those looking to brush up on their skills can join an online character design workshop with Welsh animator and multi-disciplinary artist Kyle Legall on Tuesday 5th of May at 6pm, presented in collaboration with Cinema Golau. Kyle began his career making animated films about black history and his community in Butetown, Cardiff, writing, directing, designing and animating short films for Channel 4 and S4C. Having since worked extensively across numerous different art forms, including spoken word, live music, performance art, graffiti and clothing design, Kyle is now bringing his eclectic skills back to animation. Emerging and aspiring animators can draw along with Kyle as he shares tips on evoking emotion through character design.
Cardiff Animation Festival is funded by Arts Council Wales, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Film Hub Wales as part of the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), BFI NETWORK Wales, and Ymddiried through the Owen Edwards Scholarship Fund, and sponsored by Cloth Cat Animation, Picl Animation, Creative Europe Desk UK – Wales, the University of South Wales, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Jammy Custard Animation, the British Animation Awards, S4C and by the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund with contributions from UK animation productions.
To keep up to date, follow Cardiff Animation Festival on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and sign up to their mailing list for more updates and announcements as they are released.
Curated streaming service and theatrical distributor MUBI has created a UK Cinema Fund to help support the exhibition sector across the UK impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The fund has been started with a £10,000 donation from MUBI, and the campaign aims to raise £100,000. The total raised will be donated to the BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund, which was set up this month by the BFI and its UK-wide BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) to offer critical relief and business continuity to exhibitors across the UK.
Donations will be used to support independent cinemas, film festivals and other organisations whose mission to bring fantastic cinema to audiences across the UK is now impossible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these small and medium sized businesses are now facing permanent closure. These organisations will range in scale and type but they all share a passion for the best and broadest in UK and world cinema.
To raise awareness of the initiative and drive further support, MUBI has collaborated with cinemas across London to hire their marquees to display a defiant message of solidarity. Cinema partners include the Phoenix Cinema, which was built in 1910, the family-run Genesis Cinema, which has been central to the arts community since the mid-nineteenth century, the Grade II listed Rio Cinema and Catford Mews, which only opened seven months ago and quickly established itself as a key community cinema.
Efe Cakarel, Founder and CEO of MUBI said:
Cinemas and their staff are our partners, friends and colleagues. We have been working closely with UK festivals and cinemas for years and have been deeply saddened seeing the impact of the closures. We want to support them in any way we can during this incredibly difficult time, because we can’t imagine a world without them. We hope this fund gives them some of the support they need to reopen as soon as it’s possible.
Ian Wild, CEO of Showroom Workstation said:
In these unprecedented circumstances it is heartening to see MUBI support the independent exhibition sector with this initiative. We hope that the fund reaches its target to help us provide more vital support through the BFI FAN Resilience Fund.
The fundraising campaign runs until Monday 25 May 2020 and the webpage for the fund is now open to donations from anyone that wants to contribute here: gofundme.com/dearvirus
When we think about Welsh films, some classics come to mind (The Proud Valley, Tiger Bay, Twin Town) but where can we watch them while we can’t get to our nearest cinema?
We’ve put together a list of 50 features and short films with Welsh connections to keep you entertained this weekend and during the weeks to come.
Whether you’re pressing play on an old favourite, or discovering something new, join us in celebrating everything that’s great about Wales on screen.
*Not all of our favourites are available on VOD just yet but keep an eye on our Made in Wales catalogue where we’ll be updating our film listings.
1. American Interior: Welsh cult musician Gruff Rhys documents his latest musical road trip, retracing the fantastical American journey of his 18th century ancestor, the explorer Don Juan Evans.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent HD £3.49, Buy HD £7.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99)
2. A Way of Life: Directoral debut of Amma Asante set and filmed in Wales. At 17 LeighAnne Williams has a six month old baby to look after, with only the help of three teenage squatters who flog stolen gear to make ends meet. A Turkish neighbour across the street becomes a target to her growing paranoia that Social Services are going to take her daughter, Rebecca, away from her. Her behavior becoming increasingly desperate as her delusions over her neighbour grow.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent HD £1.99, Buy HD £3.99), iTunes (Rent £1.99, Buy £3.99)
3. Bastards: Documentary about illegitimate children in Morocco, the fathers who abandon them and the single mothers fighting for justice.
Available on: iTunes (Rent £3.49 / Buy £4.99)
4. Being Frank: The Chris Seivey Story: It’s a documentary about the life of eccentric comedian Frank Sidebottom who wore a huge papier-mache’ head and whose true identity was a closely guarded secret until after he died.
Available on: NowTV (Start 7 day free trial Entertainment Pass), Amazon Prime (Buy £9.99 HD), BFI Player (Rent £3.50), Youtube (Buy £7.99 HD), iTunes (Buy £7.99)
5. Blue Scar: Miner’s daughter Olwen Williams leaves her small Welsh village and her sweetheart, Tom, to take up a singing scholarship, and eventually marries a collar-and-tie man. Tom has ambitions of his own and becomes manager of the colliery.
Available on: BFI Player (Rent £3.50)
6. Britannia: Joanna’ Quinn’s satirical swipe at the British character showing how, in the pursuit of wealth and power, they robbed other nations of
their pride and national wealth. A biting and savage indictment of the development and demise of British Imperialism.
Available on: Vimeo (Free)
7. Britain on Film: Choose from 1,000s of beautifully preserved films, capturing 120 years of Britain on Film. Whether you want take a trip to North Wales in 1902 or join a carnival in the 1960’s Dulais Valley, there’s something for you.
Available on: BFI Player (Free or a rental fee may apply)
8. David: This drama-documentary about the everyday life of a Welsh caretaker and ex-miner was the first film produced by the BFI, in 1951.
Available on: BFI Player (Free)
9. Delight: Starring Jeanne Balibar (Grace of Monaco, Va Savoir, The Duchess of Langeais) in her first leading role in a British film, Tim Dutton (The Rendezvous, The Bourne Identity, Tom and Viv) and Gavin Fowler (2014 Ian Charleson Theatre Awards Nominee), as well as an all-star Welsh cast including Eiry Thomas, Iestyn Jones, Naomi Everson and Sue Jones-Davies, Delight tells the story of a female war photographer who comes to terms with her buried trauma through a relationship with the son of a former lover and comrade-in-arms.
Available on DVD: A DVD Box Set of Gareth Jones’ three feature films ‘Desire’, ‘Delight’ and ‘Delirium’ collectively known as ‘The D-Trilogy’, are now available.
10. Dark Horse: Set in a former mining village in Wales, against the backdrop of the current recession, Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a working men’s club who decide to take on the elite ‘sport of kings’ and breed themselves a racehorse.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £4.49, Buy £5.99), BFI Player (£3.50), iTunes (Rent £5.49, Buy £5.99)
11. Ethel & Ernest: Based on Raymond Briggs’ award-winning book, this hand-drawn animated feature is an intimate and engaging depiction of the life and times of two ordinary people living through extraordinary events and immense social change.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent HD £3.49, Buy HD £7.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), Sky Store (Buy £7.99)
12. Dial a Ride: Journeying through rural South Wales, passengers on a Dial-a-Ride bus reveal all the joys, challenges and quirks of growing older. Dial-a-Ride is a funny, uplifting documentary about a bus – a Welsh community bus to be precise – which provides door-to-door transport for elderly and disabled people living in remote areas of the Brecon Beacons. The film follows the passengers and their stories through the changing seasons, and is a touching, heartwarming look at what it means to grow old in rural Britain.
Available on: Vimeo (Free)
13. Gwen: In the stark beauty of 19th century Snowdonia, a young girl tries desperately to hold her home together. Struggling with her mother’s mysterious illness and her father’s absence, a growing darkness begins to take grip of her home, and the suspicious local community turns on Gwen and her family.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £2.99, Buy (£4.99), BFI Player (Rent £4.50), YouTube (Rent £4.39, Buy £9.99), Sky Store (Buy £7.99), iTunes (Rent £4.99, Buy £9.99), Google Play (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), Talk Talk TV Store (Rent £4.95, Buy £9.95), Virgin Movies (Watch through app/set-top box)
14. Hedd Wyn: A young poet in North Wales competes under his bardic name of Hedd Wyn for the Chair, the most coveted prize of all in the National Eisteddfod, but before the winner is announced he is sent to fight with the English in the trenches of the First World War. The wonderful cinematography that starkly contrasts the beauty of his home in Meirionnydd with the horrors of Passchendaele demonstrates the futility of war in this, the first film from Wales to be nominated as Best Foreign Language film at the American Academy Awards.
Available on: BFI Player (Free)
15. How Green was My Valley: At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans, he stern, she gentle, raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life.
Available on: Google Play (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), Amazon (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99)
16. Human Traffic: Five friends spend one lost weekend in a mix of music, love and club culture. The Cardiff club scene in the 90’s: five best friends deal with their relationships and their personal demons during a weekend. Jip calls himself a sexual paranoid, afraid he’s impotent. Lulu, Jip’s mate, doesn’t find much to fancy in men. Nina hates her job at a fast food joint, and her man, Koop, who dreams of being a great hip-hop d.j., is prone to fits of un-provoked jealousy. The fifth is Moff, whose family is down on his behavior.
Available on DVD: World of Books (£4.99) or various eBay sellers
17. Hunky Dory: Set in a Welsh comprehensive school during the long hot summer of 1976, keen drama teacher Vivienne fights sweltering heat and general teenage apathy to put on a glam rock musical version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest of which David Bowie might be proud.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £3.49 HD, Buy £6.99 HD), YouTube (Rent £3.49 HD, Buy £6.99 HD), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £5.99), Google Play (Rent £2.49 HD, Buy £5.99 HD)
18. I am not a Witch: After a minor incident in her village, nine-year-old Shula is exiled to a travelling witch camp where she is told that if she tries to escape she will be transformed into a white goat. As she navigates through her new life, she must decide whether to accept her fate or risk the consequences of seeking freedom.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £2.49, Buy £4.49), BFI Player (Rent £3.50), YouTube (Rent £3.49, Buy £5.99), Sky Store (Buy £5.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £4.99), Google Play (Rent £2.49 HD, Buy £4.99 HD)
19. MR. JONES: A Welsh journalist breaks the news in the western media of the famine in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s.
Available on: Google Play (Rent £1.99, Buy £7.99), Youtube (Rent £1.99, Buy £9.99 HD), Curzon Home Cinema (£4.99), BFI Player (Rent £4.50), Amazon (Rent £1.99, Buy £3.99), Sky Store (Rent £5.49, Buy £3.99)
20. Obey: The clashing of two very different worlds results in a tragic love story in the heady days leading up to dramatic social unrest.
Available on: NOWTV (7 day free trial, then Sky Cinema Pass auto-renews at £11.99 a month), iTunes (£5.99)
21. Orion, the Man who would be King: The Rollercoaster rise and tragic fall of the mystery masked man with the voice of a legend. A film by Jeanie Finlay tells the story of Jimmy Ellis – an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight as part of a crazy scheme that had him masquerade as Elvis back from the grave.
Available on: Itunes (Rent £3.49 / Buy £9.99)
22. Patagonia: Marc Evans’ visually stunning and inspirational film about the journey of two women, one looking for her past and the other for her future. Patagonia stars, Matthew Rhys and Grammy Award winning singer Duffy, in her acting debut. A truly original film with dialogue spoken in both Spanish and Welsh, the impressive international cast also includes Nia Roberts, Nahaul Perez Biscayart and Marta Lubos.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £1.99, Buy £2.99), iTunes (Rent £1.99, Buy £2.99)
23. The Personal History of David Copperfield: A modern take on Charles Dickens’s classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.
Available on: YouTube (Pre-order £13.99), Amazon (Pre-order £11.99), iTunes (Pre-order £13.99), Sky Store (Pre-order £11.99)
24. Pin Cushion: Together, Iona (played with startling screen presence from newcomer Lily Newmark) and her eccentric single mum Lyn (Joanna Scanlan on top form) move to a new town in the Midlands. Iona is determined to reinvent herself at school and quickly jumps through hoops to befriend the popular girls. Meanwhile, Lyn, used to being her daughter’s best friend, feels left out and attempts to woo their neighbour Belinda by lending her a ladder. But Belinda really isn’t interested in making new friends. As the fragile veneer of forced friendship slips, both Lyn and Iona find themselves seeking fantastical and fabricated alternative realities.
Available on: Amazon (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), BFI Player (Rent £4.50), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99)
25. Pink Suede Shoes: Jasun Watkins brings his pink, brash and very camp Elvis impersonation act to the biggest Elvis tribute festival in Europe. We join him in the days leading up to the competition, as he recalls how his troubled family life and childhood suffering fed his desire for fame. Will Pink Elvis win over the residents of this small Welsh seaside town?
Available on: Vimeo (Free)
26. PINK WALL: Six scenes. Six years. Six moments that shaped the relationship of Jenna and Leon. Pink Wall examines what defines us, the pressures of gender expectations, and our perpetual struggle between life and ambition.
Available on: Curzon Home Cinema (£4.99), Amazon (Rent £4.49, Buy £9.99), Google Play (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), BFI Player (Rent £4.50), iTunes (Rent £4.49, Buy £9.99), Sky Store (Rent £5.49, Buy £9.99)
27. Pride: Realising that they share common foes in Margaret Thatcher, the police and the conservative press, London-based gay and lesbian activists lend their support to striking miners in 1984 Wales.
Available on: Youtube (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), Google Play (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), BFI Player (Rent £3.50), Amazon (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), Sky Store (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99)
28. Queerama: Created from the treasure trove of the BFI archive, the story traverses a century of gay experiences, encompassing persecution and prosecution, injustice, love and desire, identity, secrets, forbidden encounters, sexual liberation and pride. The soundtrack weaves the lyrics and music of John Grant, Goldfrapp and Hercules & Love Affair with images, guiding us intimately into the relationships, desires, fears and expressions of gay men and women in the 20th century – a century of incredible change.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Included with Prime or Rent £1.99, Buy £6.99), YouTube (Rent £4.49, Buy £6.99), iTunes (Rent £1.99, Buy £6.99), Google Play (Rent £1.99, Buy £4.99)
29. Ray & Liz: Turner Prize-nominated and Deutsche Börse Prize-winning artist, Richard Billingham, returns to the striking photographs of his family during Thatcher-era Britain. The film is based on Billingham’s memories, focussing on his parents Ray and Liz, their relationship, and its impact on Richard and his younger brother Jason.
Available on: Curzon Home Cinema (£3.99), Amazon Prime (Buy £5.99), BFI Player (Rent £3.50), YouTube (Buy £5.99), Sky Store (Buy £5,99), iTunes (Buy £7.99), NOWTV (7 day free trial, then Sky Cinema Pass auto-renews at £11.99 a month), Google Play (Buy £5.99)
30. Resistance: After all the women in a remote valley on the Welsh border awaken to find their husbands have left to serve in the covert British Resistance, German occupiers arrive in this alternate-reality thriller set in 1944 where D-Day has failed and the United Kingdom has been invaded by Nazi Germany. Facing a harsh winter, the women and soldiers find they must cooperate with one another to survive.
Available on: iTunes (Rent £2.49, Buy £4.99)
31. Salam: Salam follows a female Lyft driver, who has to navigate the night shift in NYC while waiting to hear life or death news from Syria.
Available on: Vimeo (Free)
32. Separado!: In 1880, following a controversial horse race and an unresolved death, Gruff Rhys’ family split as Dafydd Jones took his young family to join the burgeoning Welsh community in Patagonia, South America. Director Dylan Goch follows Gruff Rhys on a tour that takes in the theatres, nightclubs and desert tea houses of Wales, Brazil and the Argentine Andes as he discovers what became of his family, the Welsh Diaspora and its legacy.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £2.49, Buy £5.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £6.99)
33. Set Fire to the Stars: An academic tries to rein in the wild man of Welsh poetry during a hell-raising tour of America. Celyn Jones stars as legendary Welsh writer Dylan Thomas alongside Elijah Wood in this playful, humorous and moving snapshot of the literary force of nature.
Available on: BFI Player (Rent £3.50), Sky Store (Buy £5.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £5.99)
34. Sleep Furiously: A poignant portrait of a rural Welsh community undergoing irrevocable change. Gideon Koppel’s award-winning feature documentary boasts a score from maverick electronic musician Aphex Twin.
Available on: BFI Player (Rent £2.50), Amazon (Rent £3.49, Buy £6.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £6.99)
35. Submarine: 15-year-old Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) has two objectives: To lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £3.49 HD, Buy £5.99 HD), BFI Player (Rent £3.50), YouTube (Rent £3.49 HD, Buy £7.99 HD), Sky Store (Rent £3.49, Buy £5.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £5.99), Google Play (Rent £2.49, Buy £5.99)
36. Solomon & Gaernor: A young Orthodox Jew (Ioan Gruffudd) in 1911 South Wales tries to make his living by peddling fabrics door to door in the South Wales Valleys, but to do so he decides he must hide his ethnicity.
On one of his sales he meets and falls in love with a demure young Gentile woman (Nia Roberts) with a strong-willed father (William Thomas) and a violently anti-Semitic brother (Mark Lewis Jones). The two fall in love and she becomes pregnant, but only then does she learn he is Jewish.
Available on: BFI Player (Rent £3.50), Amazon Prime (Included with Prime, or Rent £3.49), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £3.99)
37. The Lighthouse (2016): Based on real events which saw two lighthouse keepers stranded for months at sea in a freak storm, the film tells a tale of death, madness and isolation; a desolate trip into the heart of human darkness.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £4.49 HD, Buy £7.99), BFI Player (£3.50), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99), Sky Store (Buy £5.99)
38. The Machine: Set in an impoverished world plunged into a cold war with a new enemy, Britain’s Ministry of Defence is on the brink of developing a game-changing weapon. Lead scientist Vincent McCarthy (Toby Stephens) provides the answer with his creation. ‘The Machine’ – An android with unrivaled physical and processing skills, a mechanised soldier and thinking robot that would not only have the ability to fight, but to negotiate and keep peace too.
Available on: YouTube (Buy £7.99 HD), Google Play (Buy £5.99), iTunes (Rent £.99, Buy £4.99), Amazon Prime (Included with Prime, or Rent £0.99, Buy £4.99)
39. Third Star: A touching and disarmingly charming tale of brotherhood and friendship in the face of tragedy. Benedict Cumberbatch stars in Western Edge Pictures’ comedy drama shot in Pembrokeshire’s beautiful Barafundle Bay, which has attracted dedicated fans from across the globe.
Available on: iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £6.99), YouTube (Buy £5.99), Google Play (Buy £5.99)
40. Misbehaviour: A group of women hatch a plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London.
Available on: Google Play (Buy £9.99), YouTube (Buy £9.99 HD), Amazon (Buy £9.99), Sky Store (Buy £9.99)
41. The Proud Valley: David Goliath, a Black American, arrives in Wales and wins the respect of the very musically oriented Welsh people through his singing. He shares the hardships of their lives, and becomes a working-class hero as he helps to better their working conditions and ultimately, during a mining accident, sacrifices his life to save fellow miners.
Available on: BFI Player (Rent £3.50), Amazon Prime (Rent £3.49, Buy £5.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £5.99)
42. The Tell Tale Heart: Stanley Baker enacts the classic Edgar Allan Poe story in this chilling short film, only recently rediscovered after being lost for 50 years.
Available on: BFI Player (Rent £1)
43. The Quarryman / Y Chwarelwr: Y Chwarelwr’ (‘The Quarryman’) was the first ever talkie in Welsh made by Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards and John Ellis Williams.
Slate is the lifeblood of Blaenau Ffestiniog, but its dust can be deadly, with a painful legacy for family and society. This drama portrays aspects of the quarryman’s life in Blaenau Ffestiniog – work, home, chapel, courtship – and indicates the importance of education to the younger generation. The story highlights the hardships and tough choices that were part and parcel of life in such a society, alongside its cultural vibrancy and community spirit.
Available on: BFI Player (Free)
44. Three Identical Strangers: Three Identical Strangers tells the astonishing story of three men who make the chance discovery, at the age of 19, that they are identical triplets, separated at birth and adopted to different parents. The trio’s joyous reunion in 1980 catapults them to fame but it also sets in motion a chain of events that unearths an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes far beyond their own lives – a secret that might one day answer key questions at the heart of all human behaviour.
Available on: ALL4 (Free), Netflix, Google Play (Rent £2.99, Buy £7.99), YouTube (Rent £3.49, Buy £9.99), Amazon Prime (Rent £3.49, Buy £4.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £4.99)
45. Tiger Bay: Gille Jenkins, a 12 year old tomboy and compulsive liar, living in a sordid tenement with her single parent mother, witnesses the murder of an immigrant Polish woman living in an nearby apartment by her former boyfriend, Bronislaus Korchinski. The young merchant marine becomes distraught when he discovers that she has become the mistress of a married British sports announcer and shoots her with her own gun. Gillie lies about the circumstances in order to keep the gun which she discovers where Korchinsky hid it. She ultimately bonds with him and misleads the police in their investigation.
Available on: YouTube (free)
46. Twin Town: The Lewis brothers live with their parents and sister in a caravan on a mobile home site and spend most of their time joking around, taking drugs and stealing cars. Their father falls from a ladder while doing roofing work for Bryn Cartwright, a wealthy, prominent local businessman and small-time gangster. The brothers go to Bryn demanding compensation, when he refuses they seek revenge. The film stars Rhys Ifans, his brother Llŷr Ifans and Dougray Scott.
Available on: DVD from Amazon (£11.38), HMV (Buy £5.99)
47. Under Milk Wood / Dan y Wenallt (2015): Adapted into Welsh by T. James Jones, and with a screenplay by Murray Lachlan Young, Michael Breen and director Kevin Allen, Dan Y Wenallt explores the rich imagery of Thomas’ dreamlike verse. Allen notes of his visceral and visual interpretation “I was determined to craft a cinematic rendition that challenged the common perception; that poetry should remain in the domain of the reader.”
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £3.49, Buy £9.99)
48. Very Annie Mary: When Annie Mary was 16, she was offered a scholarship to sing in Milan, but was never allowed to go because her mother was dying. Now Annie Mary is 33 and no longer sings. She lives under the shadow of her chapel-strict father. When she finally rebels, the whole village becomes involved.
Available on: DVD from World of Books (£4.49) or Amazon (£4.61)
49. Y Llyfrgell / The Library Suicides: At a national library in Wales, a dead author and her demons may be behind some mysterious occurrences affecting the library’s staff.
Available on: Amazon Prime (Rent £4.49 HD, Buy £9.99 HD), BFI Player (£3.50), Sky Store (Buy £5.99), iTunes (Rent £3.49, Buy £7.99)
50. Yr Ymadawiad / The Passing: When two young lovers crash their car into a ravine in the remote mountains of Wales, they are plunged into a lost world. Dragged from the river by a mysterious figure, they are taken to a ramshackle farm, a place untouched by time. As events unfold we learn the explosive truth about the young couple’s past. More unsettling still, we discover the ghostly truth about Stanley, and the tragedy of the valley he once called home.
Available on: BFI Player (£3.50)
National Lottery funding through the BFI Film Audience Network available to members of the UK-wide network in critical need due to the COVID-19 crisis.
London, Wednesday 15 April 2020: The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) today opens the BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund, making £1.3m of National Lottery funding available to the exhibition sector across the UK, which is in critical financial need as a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. BFI FAN – a unique collaboration of eight Film Hubs managed by leading film organisations across the UK – is offering emergency relief for small and medium sized audience facing organisations with a particular focus on venue based exhibitors. The Fund is being administered through each of Film Hubs, working with the BFI, and the deadline for applications is Wednesday 6 May 2020.
Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences, BFI, said:
Our entire industry is feeling the ramifications of COVID-19, but financially the exhibition sector is one of the most immediately hit. These innovative, creative businesses, often run on limited resources by dedicated and passionate people, exist to bring rich and diverse films to audiences across the UK. We hope this Fund will help them survive and retain their staff, so they can continue their vital work.
Exhibitors and festivals have faced immediate closure and cancellations, presenting them with unprecedented challenges. Many businesses are at risk of permanent closure and making staff redundant. The Fund sees the BFI working with the Film Hubs to repurpose BFI FAN National Lottery activity funding to alleviate some of this pressure.
Accessible to all FAN Members across the UK, eligibility is outlined in the Fund Guidelines, and those interested in applying are encouraged to contact their local Film Hub to discuss their position bfi.org.uk/fanresiliencefund.
The Fund is part of a package of support from the BFI for individuals and businesses that have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. This includes a number of new funds, repurposing £4.6m in National Lottery funding to target specific areas of the sector including freelancers and producers, as well as the exhibition sector.
The BFI is also leading an industry-wide Screen Sector Task Force, and working closely with Government to ensure all of the ramifications and wide-ranging impacts of COVID-19 on the sector are considered, and can help shape measures to address them. The BFI has up-to-date industry advice for the sector at bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/covid-19-answering-questions-screen-sectors.
The BFI has announced a programme of support worth £4.6m ($5.7m) to aid the UK film sector, which has been badly affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
The re-purposed National Lottery funding will target specific areas of the sector including exhibitors, freelancers and producers. It comprises:
BFI-funded projects will be given flexibility on the scheduling of payments to support cash flow, and on delivery against activity targets. This applies to the 28 exhibitors, festivals, distributors and archives who received £3.8m ($4.7m) through the Audience Fund Organisational Awards in March.
The BFI has also adjusted its criteria on existing schemes. This includes the annual £2.5m ($3.1m) Development Fund, which now offers greater flexibility in the scheduling of payments and frontloading fees, and can now cash flow funds up to 80% for each step.
A portion of BFI Locked Box funds, previously only accessible for future project development, production or training, will now be made available to support overheads to help protect businesses during the next six months.
All of the BFI’s existing funds for shorts, features and talent development funds – which total £21.9m ($27.2m) in 2020/21 – are still operating, including production funding; the £2m ($2.5m) Vision Awards, set to be announced this month; and the Young Audience Content Fund.
In a statement, BFI chief executive Ben Roberts said:
The impact of the Covid-19 crisis has been devastating and far reaching, and we are working with colleagues across the industry to support those who have been hardest hit, and ensuring that we thrive as we recover.
We remain in close collaboration with government and a wide range of partners through the Screen Sector Task Force, through which we have already helped to shape measures introduced to support our industry. The government has been really supportive throughout this process, and while this vital work continues, we are also focused on developing a strategy for our recovery.
Organisers of Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival have today (9 April 2020) confirmed they are making three short films from the Iris archive available for free on their YouTube channel. The films are all directed by women who have made short films with the £30,000 Iris Prize, sponsored by the Michael Bishop Foundation.
The focus on successful Iris Prize female filmmakers is presented in anticipation of the world premiere of Lara Zeidan’s A Beautiful Form to See, starring Alicia Agneson (Vikings). The eleventh Iris Production will screen as part of the 2020 Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival in Cardiff on opening night – Tuesday 6 October. Director Lara Zeidan, from Lebanon, will be in Cardiff to introduce her film which is described as a hypnotising celebration of the female gaze.
The focus goes live today (Thursday 9 April 2020) on the Iris Prize YouTube Channel with Dee Rees’ Colonial Gods. In May we’ll be sharing Daisy & D by Arkasha Stevenson, and in June Susan Jacobson’s Wild Geese will be available.
In September we will also be sharing a short film on the making of A Beautiful Form to See, which includes interviews with both Lara Zeidan and Alicia Agneson, in anticipation of the big screen premiere in Cardiff this October.
Berwyn Rowlands, Festival Director, commented:
One of the primary reasons for Iris to exist is to get more people to see LGBT+ stories. I hope that this focus will combine our enthusiasm for October’s film festival in Cardiff with the reality of today, when people have more time on their hands to access content during this period of physical distancing and lockdown.
The mix of films is truly astounding. We have always been proud of the fact that the Iris Prize is a very rare opportunity for filmmakers to do whatever they would like to do. These are the stories they want to bring to the screen, without any interference from a funder or financier.
As we progress during the focus, leading up to the festival in October, we will also have a chance to discuss and contextualise the work by sharing memories of producing these films in Cardiff and the surrounding area.
Colonial Gods, Director / Writer: Dee Rees
The focus starts, appropriately, at the beginning with Dee Rees. It was no surprise for those who remember her award-winning short, Pariah, which won the first Iris Prize in 2007, that Dee Rees was nominated for an Oscar ten years later. Following a meeting with Team Iris at Sundance 2008, Dee returned to Cardiff in October to sit on the Iris Prize International Jury, a tradition that continues to this day, with the winner of the previous Iris Prize taking a seat at the judging table. During her stay in Cardiff, Dee was able to reach out to members of the multicultural community of Cardiff Bay and her story started taking shape. The first Iris Production, Colonial Gods, premiered at the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival in 2009 and the following year it screened in LA at OUTFEST Fusion and London’s BFI Flare.
Colonial Gods can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/9rHXE9hAg-c
Colonial Gods is also available to buy on Boys on Film 9 – Youth in Trouble, from Peccadillo Pictures. You can purchase your copy here: peccapics.com/product/boyson-
Other highlights in the focus include the online premiere in May of Daisy & D, written, directed and edited by Iris Prize winner Arkasha Stevenson. Daisy & D is close to the reality of a night Arkasha witnessed during a photo-journalism assignment. The film explores the complicated love that can exist between two people in the most ugly of circumstances. It’s dark and ugly to watch, if it wasn’t there would be something wrong.
The final online premiere in June will be Wild Geese, directed by Susan Jacobson and written by Katie Campbell and Kayleigh Llewellyn. Full of comedy and human vulnerability, this is a story of recovery and the redemptive nature of love. When Amy catches her husband in the act, she falls down a flight of stairs and wakes up with amnesia – believing she is 16 and that the year is 1999.
The main festival sponsors are: The Michael Bishop Foundation, Welsh Government, the BFI awarding funds from the National Lottery, Film4, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Pinewood Studios Group, Cardiff University, BBC Cymru Wales, For Cardiff, Bad Wolf, Gorilla Group, Co-op Respect, University of South Wales, Ministry of Sound and Cineworld.
The festival also works in partnership with BAFTA Cymru, Pride Cymru and Stonewall Cymru.
The BFI and The Film and TV Charity have partnered to create a new industry-backed Covid-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund to help support the creative community, which like many industries, has been devastated by the pandemic.
Established with a £1m donation from Netflix, the new Covid-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund will be administered by The Film and TV Charity with support from the BFI, and will provide emergency short-term relief to the many thousands of active workers and freelancers who have been directly affected by the closure of productions across the UK.
Alex Pumfrey, CEO of The Film and TV Charity, said:
The film and TV industry is now facing a huge threat. Many freelancers have seen their livelihoods disappear overnight. We’re entering a period of unprecedented isolation and worry for a workforce that we know from our research already suffers from poor mental health.
“Which is why I’m incredibly pleased that Netflix and the BFI are working with us to kick-start this new Covid-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund to support workers across the UK’s film and TV industry.
Ben Roberts, BFI Chief Executive, said:
Freelance professionals are the backbone of our film and television industries, and we hope that everyone will work together to support those who have been hardest hit at this extraordinary time of need. Netflix’s early commitment to this fund is hugely welcomed and we are asking other commercial industry partners to contribute, if they are able, and play their part in helping those most in need get through this crisis.
Anne Mensah, Vice President, Original Series at Netflix, said:
We’re proud to be working with the BFI and The Film and TV Charity to support the hardest hit workers in TV and film production. From electricians to carpenters, hair and makeup artists to drivers – and many more, UK crews have always been vital to Netflix’s success and now we want to help those freelancers who most need support in these unprecedented times.
The Film and TV Charity has supported people working behind the scenes in the film and TV industry for almost 100 years. Founded in the early days of cinema in 1924 with the generosity of entrepreneurs who understood the value of a well-supported workforce in an industry driven by people, the charity has huge experience in distributing hardship funds to those in need.
The Film and TV Charity is currently working on the precise eligibility criteria and level of individual funding but the fund will be open to those working in production, distribution and exhibition. To be the first to hear when the fund launches, applicants should register for the charity’s mailing lists.
Those in immediate and urgent need should apply for support via The Film and TV Charity’s existing hardship fund, offering grants of up to £500 to provide stop-gap support. This hardship fund will sit alongside the new Film and TV Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund. Click here for details on eligibility and how to apply.
The Film and TV Charity and BFI also recognise the significant mental health pressures arising as a result of Covid-19 and, in line with the charity’s existing Whole Picture Programme for better mental health, are developing new advice specifically tailored for our industry on how to stay mentally well at home and creating a new supportive community forum for freelancers. The Film and TV Charity already provides 24/7 mental health support to the industry, including counselling and legal advice, via the Film and TV Support Line on 0800 054 00 00.
The BFI is leading an industry wide Screen Sector Task Force that is looking at the wide-ranging impacts of Covid-19 on the whole industry and its workforce, as well as working closely with Government to ensure that all of the ramifications and impacts are considered. The BFI has up-to-date industry advice for freelancers and other areas of the sector.
Netflix’s donation is part of a broader announcement last week to set up a $100m fund for creatives whose jobs have been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Most of the funds will go towards support for the hardest hit workers on Netflix’s own productions around the world and is in addition to the two weeks’ pay they already committed to the crew and cast on productions that have been suspended. Netflix’s donation to the Covid-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund and to other organisations around the world is to provide emergency relief to out-of-work crew and cast across the broader film and television industry in the countries where the entertainment company has a large production base.
For those of you looking to keep in touch with your audiences through streaming at this challenging time, MUBI are offering you the opportunity to share a 90 day free MUBI subscription with your members or newsletter subscribers.
MUBI have always been a champion of cinemas, for example, through their existing MUBI GO offer which extends the cinema-going experience to all of its members. With many cinemas now temporarily closing their doors, they are offering this partnership as a way of cinemas keeping contact with their audiences.
They can build a bespoke offer landing page with your logo and a customised URL that you can share with your members or newsletter subscribers. This could be a way to stay connected with your audiences and potentially invite them to join in watch-alongs of specific titles, promote donations or friends of schemes and keep independent cinema watching alive during this challenging period.
If you think this offer can add value to your membership, contact MUBI to find out the next steps.
For more information, please contact Irene Musumeci (imusumeci@mubi.com) or Stefana Dragan (sdragan@mubi.com)
