BLISS - RITA OSEI
REVIEW BY MICHELLE OLLEY
Confucius said “Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it.” With Rita Osei’s remarkable directorial debut, Bliss!, we get to see many shades of beauty above and beyond the breath-taking coasts of the north east of England and the fjords of Norway, which is saying something.
This South Shields-based coming of age adventure, adapted from Writer’s Guild Award-winning Alex Ferguson’s original stage play, is a love letter to the intensity of teenage experience.
The film’s main protagonist, Tasha (a note-perfect performance from Freya Parks) is the middle child in a typical 21st century modern family, with a struggling single mum (Montserrat Lombard from Ashes to Ashes) deadbeat dad (David Leon, RocknRolla, Vera) and older step-siblings eager to flee the nest.
Her older brother Danny (a wonderfully warm and understated performance from Reece Noi who plays Wormtail in Game of Thrones) is dealing with family problems of his own, while her elder sister Jenny, (the luminous Lauren Johns from Pride) is moving out, taking with her Tash’s main pillar of support.
This South Shields-based coming of age adventure, adapted from Writer’s Guild Award-winning Alex Ferguson’s original stage play, is a love letter to the intensity of teenage experience.
The film’s main protagonist, Tasha (a note-perfect performance from Freya Parks) is the middle child in a typical 21st century modern family, with a struggling single mum (Montserrat Lombard from Ashes to Ashes) deadbeat dad (David Leon, RocknRolla, Vera) and older step-siblings eager to flee the nest.
Her older brother Danny (a wonderfully warm and understated performance from Reece Noi who plays Wormtail in Game of Thrones) is dealing with family problems of his own, while her elder sister Jenny, (the luminous Lauren Johns from Pride) is moving out, taking with her Tash’s main pillar of support.
When her dad, Charlie, returns home from prison after doing time for his latest violent outburst, Tasha tries to sabotage his attempts at reconciliation with her mum, resulting in a shock revelation that he is not, in fact, her real dad. This news sends Tasha on her own personal odyssey, in search of ‘The Viking’ – a man who worked on the Norwegian ferries that her mum probably met on a booze cruise from Shields to Bergen.
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Stowing away on one of the many ferries that orbit her hometown, Tasha goes in search of her birth father, ending up in a children’s home, where she finds friendship and an accomplice to help her escape and navigate her way to her through a strange land and find her father, possibly at a music festival in the hills… Bliss! is a story of adolescent yearning – for adventure, escape and life lived on your own terms. What it categorically is not, is working class misery porn or salacious teen romance. |
@RitaOsei Twitter
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It’s a refreshing, truthful look at what family in all its messy glory can be. Even ‘bad dad’ Charlie – thanks in no small part to a wonderfully nuanced performance from Leon - reveals layers of human complexity that elevate this Nordic saga beyond kitchen sink clichés of heroes and villains.
www.wnfc.no/news/2015/9/1/rita-osei-shooting-bliss
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The Music score for Bliss being recorded at 20th Century Fox - Newman scoring stage -
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- 225 FILM CLUB -
Rita Osei the director of Bliss set up 225 Film Club as forward momentum one year on from the organic formation of Bafta’s Lucky 225.
The below article by Spirit de la Mare will explain.
The below article by Spirit de la Mare will explain.
Michelle Olley
Bafta’s Lucky 225 One Year On Article by ©Spirit de la Mare 27/04/2018
Many of you will remember the trending British Academy of Film & Television’s (BAFTA’s) faux Pas back in 2017 whereby 225 applicants to BAFTA’s Elevate initiative were accidentally CC’d collectively into a rejection email. One year on, I take a look at the perpetual success stories the directors have enjoyed, the fantastic female led, female-scentric films they have created and how undeterred by the rejection of the past; they have joined forces in a plethora of different ways.
The BAFTA initiative Elevate is designed to assist female professionals seeking to progress in high end television. The inaugural scheme in 2017 selected only 15 directors out of over 200 applicants thus leaving a fairly big group of women in the rejection pile. A rejection pile made of some of the industries most accomplished filmmakers, writers and directors. The semi-public rejection was met mostly with sarcasm and good humour as BAFTA had inadvertently put some of the most phenomenal women in the industry in contact with one another. This good sense of humour naturally progressed to the twittersphere and became a top ten trending topic at the time. The happy accident quickly prompted the group of UK female filmmakers to set up a Facebook group to support women in the industry. Bafta’s Lucky 225 were getting into formation.
The group has since become an invaluable resource to its members and accepts requests from producers and executives who may want to hire these talented directors. The page is also used for advice and introductions, in fact anything that supports directors in making the best work they can, including connecting with crews, locations, writers and producers. The facebook page is managed by Eline Van Der Gelden, Creator of BBC Three’s Miss Holland comedy series and Eva Sigurdardottir, a BAFTA nominated Film Producer, and Icelandic Academy Award Winning Writer/Director. Original 225 members include: Screen International Star of Tomorrow, Kat Wood (Home), Breakthrough Brit Rita Osei (Bliss!), Stella Corradi (Little Soldier), documentary Filmmaker Virginia Quinn (Mankind the Story of All of Us), Caris Rianne of Rianne Pictures who through her company’s website put together a female directors season interview series featuring many of these women, and Isabelle Sieb (Three Women Wait for Death). Skyla van der Pols, founder of women in film platform Booth, is a member of the wider group, boasting over three times its original members. It is a busy hive of female professionals interacting and sharing ideas and advice. It mixes established women in film with those just starting out, all presented on an even, status free platform for female led discussion regarding the film industry.
Following the formation of the Lucky 225, and in celebration of the one year anniversary of this perfect faux pas; Film Director Rita Osei created 225 Film Club in order to “Promote Female Excellence in Direction”. Made possible by Great Films and support from Molinare, 225 Film Club is a celebration of the collectives’ previous short film work, and a modest fundraiser for organisations supporting the progression of female directors. Raising Films is the first beneficiary of that fundraising. I was lucky enough to be invited to Molinaire’s Jack Cardiff Theatre to view ten shorts that Osei felt were a great introduction to the Club’s mantra, as well as meeting some of the original BAFTA’s Lucky 225. We were also treated to viewing the trailer for Osei’s cinematic beauty Bliss! Rita’s first feature film, whereby a teenage Tasha Robson runs away from home in search of her unknown “Viking” father. Bliss! is represented internationally by Kew Media Group.
All the titles screened at the first 225 Film Club were uplifting. Sea Change, directed by award winningdirector and script supervisor; Marinella Setti follows the despairing Carol Stewart (Jo Hartley) as a teacher in a school for special needs children. Joel Jenkins writes of Carol’s yearning to make a difference, which appears to have curdled into self-doubt and despondence. By all accounts she appears to have given up drowning in the monotony of her frustration. Following a meeting with her colleague,played by Toby Jones and her suitably awkward and uneventful leaving drinks, Carol is left locked inside the school. She then encounters a mysterious somewhat Dickensian stranger and is given the opportunity to watch snippets of her own life as she wanders the corridors. The stranger ensures Carol’s tale is intrinsically woven into that of one of her pupils; a young man with Asperger’s and a flair for Shakespeare. The film comes to an ultimately positive and beautifully performed finale by Patrick Elue.
Marinella Setti’s understanding, sensitivity and depiction of life through the young man’s eyes is flawless, kind, humorous and spot on. Having worked with teenagers with Asperger’s; I am familiar withthe positive effects the arts can have. The film was miraculously shot in two days and is a testament to Setti’s exemplary story-telling and drive.
“Directing Sea Change was the ultimate test of my ability: working to a tight schedule under pressure, to single handedly inspires a star like Toby Jones to join our shoot, and to achieve all that on less than £4K. I’ve worked with a lot of male directors as a script supervisor, and I think directing Sea Change has proved to me that women directors are a little better at multitasking within a project, and steering the emotional journey actors go through (with honourable exceptions of course).” - Marinella Setti Director “Sea Change”
Produced by Celyn Jones; Sea Change has been shown at Cork International Film festival, Brest International Film Festival, Filmnorth and Huntsville International Film Festival and will be shown at BUFF film festival later this year. It has also been named winner of the Grand Jury Prize, SouthWest International Film Festival, Platinum Remi Award, Best Dramatic Short, WorldFest Houston, Best Actress Jo Hartley at Florida International Christian Film festival. Marinella Setti is without a doubt proud to be a member of The Lucky 225 adding it to her twitter bio and utilising the contacts she makes extensively.
The BAFTA initiative Elevate is designed to assist female professionals seeking to progress in high end television. The inaugural scheme in 2017 selected only 15 directors out of over 200 applicants thus leaving a fairly big group of women in the rejection pile. A rejection pile made of some of the industries most accomplished filmmakers, writers and directors. The semi-public rejection was met mostly with sarcasm and good humour as BAFTA had inadvertently put some of the most phenomenal women in the industry in contact with one another. This good sense of humour naturally progressed to the twittersphere and became a top ten trending topic at the time. The happy accident quickly prompted the group of UK female filmmakers to set up a Facebook group to support women in the industry. Bafta’s Lucky 225 were getting into formation.
The group has since become an invaluable resource to its members and accepts requests from producers and executives who may want to hire these talented directors. The page is also used for advice and introductions, in fact anything that supports directors in making the best work they can, including connecting with crews, locations, writers and producers. The facebook page is managed by Eline Van Der Gelden, Creator of BBC Three’s Miss Holland comedy series and Eva Sigurdardottir, a BAFTA nominated Film Producer, and Icelandic Academy Award Winning Writer/Director. Original 225 members include: Screen International Star of Tomorrow, Kat Wood (Home), Breakthrough Brit Rita Osei (Bliss!), Stella Corradi (Little Soldier), documentary Filmmaker Virginia Quinn (Mankind the Story of All of Us), Caris Rianne of Rianne Pictures who through her company’s website put together a female directors season interview series featuring many of these women, and Isabelle Sieb (Three Women Wait for Death). Skyla van der Pols, founder of women in film platform Booth, is a member of the wider group, boasting over three times its original members. It is a busy hive of female professionals interacting and sharing ideas and advice. It mixes established women in film with those just starting out, all presented on an even, status free platform for female led discussion regarding the film industry.
Following the formation of the Lucky 225, and in celebration of the one year anniversary of this perfect faux pas; Film Director Rita Osei created 225 Film Club in order to “Promote Female Excellence in Direction”. Made possible by Great Films and support from Molinare, 225 Film Club is a celebration of the collectives’ previous short film work, and a modest fundraiser for organisations supporting the progression of female directors. Raising Films is the first beneficiary of that fundraising. I was lucky enough to be invited to Molinaire’s Jack Cardiff Theatre to view ten shorts that Osei felt were a great introduction to the Club’s mantra, as well as meeting some of the original BAFTA’s Lucky 225. We were also treated to viewing the trailer for Osei’s cinematic beauty Bliss! Rita’s first feature film, whereby a teenage Tasha Robson runs away from home in search of her unknown “Viking” father. Bliss! is represented internationally by Kew Media Group.
All the titles screened at the first 225 Film Club were uplifting. Sea Change, directed by award winningdirector and script supervisor; Marinella Setti follows the despairing Carol Stewart (Jo Hartley) as a teacher in a school for special needs children. Joel Jenkins writes of Carol’s yearning to make a difference, which appears to have curdled into self-doubt and despondence. By all accounts she appears to have given up drowning in the monotony of her frustration. Following a meeting with her colleague,played by Toby Jones and her suitably awkward and uneventful leaving drinks, Carol is left locked inside the school. She then encounters a mysterious somewhat Dickensian stranger and is given the opportunity to watch snippets of her own life as she wanders the corridors. The stranger ensures Carol’s tale is intrinsically woven into that of one of her pupils; a young man with Asperger’s and a flair for Shakespeare. The film comes to an ultimately positive and beautifully performed finale by Patrick Elue.
Marinella Setti’s understanding, sensitivity and depiction of life through the young man’s eyes is flawless, kind, humorous and spot on. Having worked with teenagers with Asperger’s; I am familiar withthe positive effects the arts can have. The film was miraculously shot in two days and is a testament to Setti’s exemplary story-telling and drive.
“Directing Sea Change was the ultimate test of my ability: working to a tight schedule under pressure, to single handedly inspires a star like Toby Jones to join our shoot, and to achieve all that on less than £4K. I’ve worked with a lot of male directors as a script supervisor, and I think directing Sea Change has proved to me that women directors are a little better at multitasking within a project, and steering the emotional journey actors go through (with honourable exceptions of course).” - Marinella Setti Director “Sea Change”
Produced by Celyn Jones; Sea Change has been shown at Cork International Film festival, Brest International Film Festival, Filmnorth and Huntsville International Film Festival and will be shown at BUFF film festival later this year. It has also been named winner of the Grand Jury Prize, SouthWest International Film Festival, Platinum Remi Award, Best Dramatic Short, WorldFest Houston, Best Actress Jo Hartley at Florida International Christian Film festival. Marinella Setti is without a doubt proud to be a member of The Lucky 225 adding it to her twitter bio and utilising the contacts she makes extensively.
The short Shadow Man written and directed by Afia Nkrumah, produced by Mirko Pincelli and Enrico Tessarin is a comic short film noir set in London exploring immigration, big dreams and unexpected relationships as well as some peculiar cuisine. The story follows Okokobioko a young, African man passionate about food and cooking newly arrived in the UK. He attempts to keep one step ahead of the immigration police with the help of a bossy ghost and a saucepan wielding neighbour with unexpected consequences. This is an excellent account of the stories hiding within these communities, stories of heightened emotion, drama, bountiful humour and triumph. Spurred into action by the controversial and distasteful UK government campaign featuring threatening, fear inducing trucks requesting that migrants hand themselves in or face arrest; Afia has created an alternative loving story that does more than counteract the representations some media outlets would have us believe. I laughed often, recognisedcharacters, and the clever use of props throughout kept up the visual comedy. BAFTA and BIFA nominated Kierston Wareing (Fishtank, It’s a free world) is excellent, charming and Emeka Sesay’severso subtle eye movements and expressions are amusing and a joy to watch.
“Through my film I got to work with Film London for the first time. The finished film led to me getting a great agent and a directing job at Eastenders!” - Afia Nkrumah Director, “Shadow Man”
The film was selected for the San Francisco Black Film Festival in 2015, Dhaka International FF, Black Harvest FF Chicago 2016 and was a winner of the Excellent Vision Award- Reel Sisters of The Diaspora FF New York.
With a well thought out running order Rita Osei then selected Making History, co-directed by Karen D McKinnon and Caecilia Tripp, produced by Stephanie Charmail. This is phenomenally beautiful film fusing an unedited conversation between cultural critic and Nobel Prize nominated Edouard Glissant and Linton Kwesi Johnson, the first black poet to have his work published in Penguin’s Modern Classic Series. The pair wander around New York as they discuss openly and in real time; questions of identity. An enlightening, provocative conversation ensues between the two Caribbean intellectuals as they reflect upon the struggles and successes of a constructed Caribbean identity. I felt honoured to be a fly on the wall, as though I had accidentally walked into a poignant, historical moment unfolding.
“Our film has helped my co-director, Caecilia Tripp and myself form a strong powerful women led partnership across many projects. - Karen D McKinnon, Co director of “Making History”.
The film was selected for Encounters Short Film & Animation Festival, Athens International Film & Video Festival, Urbanworld Film Festival and is a critics favourite.
American director Daphne Schmon's short film “All of Me” premiered at the 2017 Cannes Marché du Film, and was selected “Best of Cannes shorts to screen” by Creative Market Group. Led by a pioneering all female team the film tells the story (written by Emily Carlton and Daphne Schmon, produced by Jemma Moor) of an incredibly talented, gender fluid musician called Viv. Played by British actress Chereen Buckley. Viv, unfortunately faces late stage Leukemia that threatens the life she’s built in London. Her best hope is a bone marrow transplant from her estranged family, but reconnecting means her having to confront a difficult past. Backstage tales of actress Chareen Buckly harnessing her morning sickness on set to enhance the character’s pain and anguish only added to an intense feeling of female power running through the film. All of Me is an evocative impassioned narrative directorial debut from Daphne Schmon.
Johanesburg born and London bred director Vicki Kisner’s Sheila follows the story of a domestic worker in South Africa. Fearing her overpowering and controlling boss will not give her time off to attend a relative’s wedding; she fabricates an alternative tale of a Grandmothers funeral, naturally the lie escalates. Sheila is a reflective short drama offering an insight into life in Johanesburg that has seen Kisner’s film awarded with the Emerging Talent Award at the British Urban Film Festival. The film written by Katey McDonagh and produced by Guy Hurlock Vicki Kisner and Matthew Muscat-Drago has been selected forAesthetica Short Film Festival 2015, Durban International Film Festival, Zimbabwe International Film Festival. An acknowledgement of the ever present power struggles within South African homes,especially in regards to the relationships the domestic workers have with the children. Kisner has gone from strength to strength since the formation of the Lucky 225 stating:
“My short film Sheila has helped secure me an agent, is a great illustration of the feature I'm working on which is also about a maid and madam in South Africa and has got me in the room for continuing dramas in television such as Hollyoaks and Emmerdale which I hope to be directing soon.” - Vicki Kisner Director, “Sheila”
Further more, Without; a film by director Natalia Andreadis, written by Annelie Widholm and produced by Jonathan Smith. Initially we are led into what appears to be a room in a disused house, mattress on the floor with a young woman tied to a rusty metal block. An aggressive Doberman sleeps on the floor as the woman struggles to loosen the ropes. The woman’s wrists and ankles are raw from struggling against the ties, and her face is stained with tears. I think it’s safe to say she had been there for some time. With just the hum of an air vent, and no natural light entering the room she miraculously manages to wriggle free, one hand at a time. The dog begins to bark intensely which adds to the overall panic of the situation. The dog has successfully alerted the kidnapper or captor, and we hear the approaching footsteps as the young woman tears down the plastic covering the windows. The windows are covered in mesh, her captor is coming. I will not spoil the ending for you, but its most definitely the last thing I was expecting. A great momentum builder that saw Without selected for the Cambridge Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival and Winner of Best Short Film at Milan International Film Festival. Natalia has more than utilised the BAFTAS Lucky 225 group making friends and has joined forces with two other members ahead of a future project. Andreadis says
"Without" was my first short film and yet it performed the little miracle of being distributed across 150 cinemas. It gave me confidence; most of all of my own convictions since I was told it couldn't be made on my budget. It also allowed me to put the famous words "award-winning" before my name, which is a whole lot better than "permanently day-dreaming".
She goes on to say about the Lucky 225 “most of all, it's been really supportive and inspiring to have this whole group”.
The Penny Dropped, which just picked up a Best Short Film Award at the 2018 Women’s Only Entertainment Film Festival, brought a darker twist to proceedings; an amazing horror short screened atthe Final Girls Berlin Festival. Directed and written by A.D. Cooper, who openly loves anything gritty or sci-fi, certainly bought us to the edge of our seats with a gripping performance by actress Phillipa Peak. A desperate woman calls to an unlikely source for help as she is forced to go to a dark place. The film was executed with a heightened intensity as Phillipa Peak’s character was disturbing and paradoxically relatable. Faced with what the character may lose she grapples with the pain. A great twist at the end too to keep us on our toes.
In considerable contrast to both the previous films; Snail is a playful glimpse into the imaginative mind of six year old Milly. With her bambi eyes and missing teeth she decides to mischievously poke a snail in the eye thus plunging her world into total darkness. With her mother’s voice echoing for her to come inside throughout; Milly watches the world return to light with the eye of the snail. A perfect demonstration of one little girl’s imagination, and symbolic of global warming. So plausible, so relatable and shot often from the child’s eye level with close ups of her toys and the unfolding garden drama. We are reassured on the night by Casey that no snails were harmed in the making of the film. Snail was written and directed by Casey Hennessy, produced by Barbara Nanna, Diana Tatarca and was the Winner of Best Film at Earl's Court Film Festival.
“I’m relatively new to the industry so for me, 225 has helped give a sense of community beyond just meeting people on set. (Most of which tend to be male). It’s encouraging and a great reminder for why I got into film in the first place. It also feels like a really nurturing place to share our work.” - Casey Hennessy Director “Snail”
With the running order coming to a close, we are transported to Ireland “My passion for visual storytelling has always been paramount, As a director I am drawn to stories that evoke real emotion through loss”, says writer, director and producer of ‘Deidre;’ Jo Southwell. Her love of character driven films with a darker element is perpetuated with this dark Irish love story inspired by folk-law. A film of great visual beauty, angst inducing themes but ultimately love as teenager Deidre navigates to find a happy place in the world. The film saw Southwell collect: Winner Best Short Drama Award, Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, Best Director NYC Indie Film Awards (2017), and LA Shorts Awards (2017). Next month Jo is confirmed to pitch her feature film idea to a room of carefully selected investors, producers and financiers at a private event in Cannes organised by one of the 225.
Overall I was blown away with the positive attitudes of these women as well as the excellent selection of films bought to us by The Lucky 225, and curated by Rita Osei. Many of these directors have had to endure intolerance and rejection over the years just for being female in a male dominated industry, lucky for them it has led to phenomenal resilience. They have unequivocally turned rejection into a force to be reckoned with, only highlighting further what we can do when we support each other, as we all work towards women, as a whole, being adequately represented within the film and television industries.
A screening was a superb way to celebrate the growth of this thriving community of women in film and demonstrate a commitment to supporting one another, as their careers progress. With an ever growing network of supportive mentors and focus groups out there, as well as film companies such as Boudicca Films flying the flag and funding female led movies; I firmly believe a long overdue boom and celebration of women-led film is about to happen. The post Weinstein saga and TimesUp movement may just see a total overhaul of the industry where these talented, capable directors are given a seat at the table, recognised for their contribution and equally represented on boards, together with an increase in women directors in Hollywood. If that doesn’t happen I’m certain women will band together and create their own industry, after all; a setback is just a set up for a comeback.
“Through my film I got to work with Film London for the first time. The finished film led to me getting a great agent and a directing job at Eastenders!” - Afia Nkrumah Director, “Shadow Man”
The film was selected for the San Francisco Black Film Festival in 2015, Dhaka International FF, Black Harvest FF Chicago 2016 and was a winner of the Excellent Vision Award- Reel Sisters of The Diaspora FF New York.
With a well thought out running order Rita Osei then selected Making History, co-directed by Karen D McKinnon and Caecilia Tripp, produced by Stephanie Charmail. This is phenomenally beautiful film fusing an unedited conversation between cultural critic and Nobel Prize nominated Edouard Glissant and Linton Kwesi Johnson, the first black poet to have his work published in Penguin’s Modern Classic Series. The pair wander around New York as they discuss openly and in real time; questions of identity. An enlightening, provocative conversation ensues between the two Caribbean intellectuals as they reflect upon the struggles and successes of a constructed Caribbean identity. I felt honoured to be a fly on the wall, as though I had accidentally walked into a poignant, historical moment unfolding.
“Our film has helped my co-director, Caecilia Tripp and myself form a strong powerful women led partnership across many projects. - Karen D McKinnon, Co director of “Making History”.
The film was selected for Encounters Short Film & Animation Festival, Athens International Film & Video Festival, Urbanworld Film Festival and is a critics favourite.
American director Daphne Schmon's short film “All of Me” premiered at the 2017 Cannes Marché du Film, and was selected “Best of Cannes shorts to screen” by Creative Market Group. Led by a pioneering all female team the film tells the story (written by Emily Carlton and Daphne Schmon, produced by Jemma Moor) of an incredibly talented, gender fluid musician called Viv. Played by British actress Chereen Buckley. Viv, unfortunately faces late stage Leukemia that threatens the life she’s built in London. Her best hope is a bone marrow transplant from her estranged family, but reconnecting means her having to confront a difficult past. Backstage tales of actress Chareen Buckly harnessing her morning sickness on set to enhance the character’s pain and anguish only added to an intense feeling of female power running through the film. All of Me is an evocative impassioned narrative directorial debut from Daphne Schmon.
Johanesburg born and London bred director Vicki Kisner’s Sheila follows the story of a domestic worker in South Africa. Fearing her overpowering and controlling boss will not give her time off to attend a relative’s wedding; she fabricates an alternative tale of a Grandmothers funeral, naturally the lie escalates. Sheila is a reflective short drama offering an insight into life in Johanesburg that has seen Kisner’s film awarded with the Emerging Talent Award at the British Urban Film Festival. The film written by Katey McDonagh and produced by Guy Hurlock Vicki Kisner and Matthew Muscat-Drago has been selected forAesthetica Short Film Festival 2015, Durban International Film Festival, Zimbabwe International Film Festival. An acknowledgement of the ever present power struggles within South African homes,especially in regards to the relationships the domestic workers have with the children. Kisner has gone from strength to strength since the formation of the Lucky 225 stating:
“My short film Sheila has helped secure me an agent, is a great illustration of the feature I'm working on which is also about a maid and madam in South Africa and has got me in the room for continuing dramas in television such as Hollyoaks and Emmerdale which I hope to be directing soon.” - Vicki Kisner Director, “Sheila”
Further more, Without; a film by director Natalia Andreadis, written by Annelie Widholm and produced by Jonathan Smith. Initially we are led into what appears to be a room in a disused house, mattress on the floor with a young woman tied to a rusty metal block. An aggressive Doberman sleeps on the floor as the woman struggles to loosen the ropes. The woman’s wrists and ankles are raw from struggling against the ties, and her face is stained with tears. I think it’s safe to say she had been there for some time. With just the hum of an air vent, and no natural light entering the room she miraculously manages to wriggle free, one hand at a time. The dog begins to bark intensely which adds to the overall panic of the situation. The dog has successfully alerted the kidnapper or captor, and we hear the approaching footsteps as the young woman tears down the plastic covering the windows. The windows are covered in mesh, her captor is coming. I will not spoil the ending for you, but its most definitely the last thing I was expecting. A great momentum builder that saw Without selected for the Cambridge Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival and Winner of Best Short Film at Milan International Film Festival. Natalia has more than utilised the BAFTAS Lucky 225 group making friends and has joined forces with two other members ahead of a future project. Andreadis says
"Without" was my first short film and yet it performed the little miracle of being distributed across 150 cinemas. It gave me confidence; most of all of my own convictions since I was told it couldn't be made on my budget. It also allowed me to put the famous words "award-winning" before my name, which is a whole lot better than "permanently day-dreaming".
She goes on to say about the Lucky 225 “most of all, it's been really supportive and inspiring to have this whole group”.
The Penny Dropped, which just picked up a Best Short Film Award at the 2018 Women’s Only Entertainment Film Festival, brought a darker twist to proceedings; an amazing horror short screened atthe Final Girls Berlin Festival. Directed and written by A.D. Cooper, who openly loves anything gritty or sci-fi, certainly bought us to the edge of our seats with a gripping performance by actress Phillipa Peak. A desperate woman calls to an unlikely source for help as she is forced to go to a dark place. The film was executed with a heightened intensity as Phillipa Peak’s character was disturbing and paradoxically relatable. Faced with what the character may lose she grapples with the pain. A great twist at the end too to keep us on our toes.
In considerable contrast to both the previous films; Snail is a playful glimpse into the imaginative mind of six year old Milly. With her bambi eyes and missing teeth she decides to mischievously poke a snail in the eye thus plunging her world into total darkness. With her mother’s voice echoing for her to come inside throughout; Milly watches the world return to light with the eye of the snail. A perfect demonstration of one little girl’s imagination, and symbolic of global warming. So plausible, so relatable and shot often from the child’s eye level with close ups of her toys and the unfolding garden drama. We are reassured on the night by Casey that no snails were harmed in the making of the film. Snail was written and directed by Casey Hennessy, produced by Barbara Nanna, Diana Tatarca and was the Winner of Best Film at Earl's Court Film Festival.
“I’m relatively new to the industry so for me, 225 has helped give a sense of community beyond just meeting people on set. (Most of which tend to be male). It’s encouraging and a great reminder for why I got into film in the first place. It also feels like a really nurturing place to share our work.” - Casey Hennessy Director “Snail”
With the running order coming to a close, we are transported to Ireland “My passion for visual storytelling has always been paramount, As a director I am drawn to stories that evoke real emotion through loss”, says writer, director and producer of ‘Deidre;’ Jo Southwell. Her love of character driven films with a darker element is perpetuated with this dark Irish love story inspired by folk-law. A film of great visual beauty, angst inducing themes but ultimately love as teenager Deidre navigates to find a happy place in the world. The film saw Southwell collect: Winner Best Short Drama Award, Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, Best Director NYC Indie Film Awards (2017), and LA Shorts Awards (2017). Next month Jo is confirmed to pitch her feature film idea to a room of carefully selected investors, producers and financiers at a private event in Cannes organised by one of the 225.
Overall I was blown away with the positive attitudes of these women as well as the excellent selection of films bought to us by The Lucky 225, and curated by Rita Osei. Many of these directors have had to endure intolerance and rejection over the years just for being female in a male dominated industry, lucky for them it has led to phenomenal resilience. They have unequivocally turned rejection into a force to be reckoned with, only highlighting further what we can do when we support each other, as we all work towards women, as a whole, being adequately represented within the film and television industries.
A screening was a superb way to celebrate the growth of this thriving community of women in film and demonstrate a commitment to supporting one another, as their careers progress. With an ever growing network of supportive mentors and focus groups out there, as well as film companies such as Boudicca Films flying the flag and funding female led movies; I firmly believe a long overdue boom and celebration of women-led film is about to happen. The post Weinstein saga and TimesUp movement may just see a total overhaul of the industry where these talented, capable directors are given a seat at the table, recognised for their contribution and equally represented on boards, together with an increase in women directors in Hollywood. If that doesn’t happen I’m certain women will band together and create their own industry, after all; a setback is just a set up for a comeback.