UK Global Screen Fund: BFI backs nine more projects

The BFI has made a further nine awards through its UK Global Screen Fund, boosting global opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector. Financed through the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the awards allocate over £1.2 million through the fund’s International Co-production strand, supporting UK producers to work as partners on international co-productions and help create new global projects. To date the strand has now awarded over £5 million to 33 co-productions.

This latest round of awards sees the UK co-producing with 12 territories and will be the first time the fund has supported collaborations with India and Finland. The funding will also support partnerships with Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.

The awards, in the form of non-recoupable grants, support UK independent companies as minority co-producers for feature films of all genres, and as majority and minority co-producers for TV projects in animation and documentary genres. This latest funding round supports seven feature films, including two documentaries, plus two TV projects, including one documentary and one animation.

Creative Industries Minister John Whittingdale said: “The UK Global Screen Fund has played a starring role in supporting our talented independent film, TV and video games companies to deliver growth and maximise the potential of Britain’s creative industries around the world. We’re helping even more creators showcase their films to global audiences and grow their international sales. I look forward to seeing these nine new projects achieve international success.”

“It is fantastic to see such a strong and diverse slate of co-production projects from companies across the UK, collaborating with a growing and exciting mix of international territories, many for the first time,” said Denitsa Yordanova, BFI head of the UK Global Screen Fund. “The UK Global Screen Fund is proud to support the UK independent screen sector with ambitious plans for reaching new international audiences and this range of film, TV, documentary and animation projects has great potential to capitalise on and deepen international partnerships and achieve success in new global markets.”

“We are immensely proud of the UK Global Screen Fund award which was pivotal in making this international co-production a reality,” commented Nefeli Zygopoulou, producer at I Made it Films. “It is indeed befitting that ‘In the Black’, a narrative that elevates and celebrates diversity, is also a testament to the synergy of diverse cultures and minds coming together to create it.”

Productions to receive UK Global Screen Fund International Co-production awards are:

Barbie Uncovered, an unofficial majority UK co-production with New Zealand. The UK producers are Scotland-based Ross Wilson from RW Productions and Alan Clements from Two Media Rivers who will co-produce with New Zealand’s Daniel Story and Cass Avery from Augusto. The TV documentary will be directed by Eddie Hutton-Mills and focuses on the unknown history of the global icon Barbie, and the dramatic and dark story behind the creation of the world’s most famous doll.

Beast, a minority UK co-production with Denmark and Sweden made under the European Convention. The UK producer is Scotland based Hopscotch Films (John Archer) who will co-produce with Danish Bullitt Film (Vibeke Vogel) and Swedish Plattform Produktion (Alex Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck). The feature documentary is directed by Max Kestner and focuses on one of Denmark’s most turbulent scandals – the killing of a healthy giraffe in a zoo – to inform a global discussion about science, climate, animal welfare and humanity’s responsibility.

Chennai Story, a minority UK co-production with India made under the official bilateral UK-India Treaty. The UK producers are Welsh ie ie Productions and Ripple World (UK) who will co-produce with Guru Films (Sunitha Tati). The film, which will be directed by BAFTA winner Philip John (Moon Dogs, Downton Abbey, The Good Karma Hospital) is adapted by Philip John and Nimmi Harasgama from Timeri N. Murari’s bestselling novel ‘The Arrangements of Love’ and is a romantic comedy about love, self-expression and acceptance, set between modern-day Britain and India.

In the Black, a UK-Canada co-production made under the official bilateral UK-Canada Treaty. UK producers Daniel Florêncio and Nefeli Zygopoulou from I Made It Films are co-producing with the Canadian CaribbeanTales Media Group, led by Nicole Brooks. Adding to the UK team are Shani Hinton, acting as executive producer, and cinematographer Roman Osin. The feature film is also backed in the UK by LIPSYNC Productions and in Canada by Telefilm, CBC, and the Canada Media Fund. Directed by Frances Anne Solomon, it is an adaptation of the memoir ‘In The Black: My Life’ by Jamaican businessman Denham B. Jolly that chronicles his remarkable twelve-year battle to launch Canada’s first Black music radio station.

Justice for Magdalenes [working title], an unofficial minority UK co-production with Ireland. The UK producer is Farah Abushwesha of Rocliffe who will co-produce with Rachel Lysaght of Ireland’s Underground Films. The feature documentary is directed by Aoife Kelleher and tells the story of an extraordinary group of women, supported by the activist organisation Justice for Magdalenes, whose battle to hold the Irish government accountable for the abuses of the Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby Home institutions and forced family separation, takes them all the way to the United Nations.

Mojo Swoptops, an unofficial majority UK co-production with Belgium. The UK producer is Blue Zoo Animation Studio who will co-produce with Belgian Hotel Hungaria. The 52 x 11 3D animation will be directed by Dominic Minns and the story follows Mojo, a little swop-topping truck, and her best friend Bo, as they help out those most in need.

Our Island, a minority UK co-production with France, Belgium and Finland made under the European Convention. The UK producer is Good Chaos (Mike Goodridge) who will co-produce with French Haut et Court (Carole Scotta), Belgian Versus Production (Jacques-Henri Bronckart) and Finnish Silmu Films (Jenni Jauri). The feature film, directed by French Vladimir de Fontenay, follows a haunted young Scottish man remembering his younger days on a wild and secluded Island off the coast of Finland with his troubled father.

Sisters, a minority UK co-production with Ireland, Germany and Greece made under the European Convention. The UK producer is Rachel Dargavel from Crybaby Films who is co‐producing with Irish Sackville Film and Television Productions (Ed Guiney and Lara Hickey), German production arm of The Match Factory (Michael Weber) and Greek Akran Creative Company (Romanna Lobach). This first-time feature film by French director and actor Ariane Labed follows two sisters born ten months apart and an encounter which forces shocking revelations about the girls’ past and future.

The Return, a minority UK co-production with Italy, Greece and France made under the European Convention. The UK producers are James Clayton and Uberto Pasolini from Red Wave Films who will co‐produce with Italy’s Picomedia (Roberto Sessa), Greece’s Heretic (Konstantinos Kontovrakis and Giorgos Karnavas) and France’s Kabo Films (Stephane Moatti) and Marvelous Productions (Romain Le Grand, Marco Pacchioni and Vivien Aslanian). The feature film directed by Uberto Pasolini is an adaptation of Homer’s classic ‘The Odyssey’ from a script by John Collee, Edward Bond and Uberto Pasolini and will star Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari and Claudio Santamaria. Hanway Films are handling international sales.

UK Global Screen Fund applications are currently open for:

• International Distribution Festival Launch Support, assessed on a rolling basis
• International Distribution Film Sales Support, assessed on a rolling basis
• International Distribution P&A Support, assessed on a rolling basis

UK Global Screen Fund applications coming soon are:

• International Co-production, opening on 3 August.

In addition to awarding funds for International Co-production, the UK Global Screen Fund has extended support to Ukrainian filmmakers through the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films. The emergency fund brings together 19 partners from 16 different countries, together with the EFAD association and some of its members as well as cultural ministries. Co-ordinated by France’s CNC, it offers dedicated support for Ukrainian filmmakers to help them complete their films and develop new projects while fostering co-productions. The fund is now open to UK companies which have a co-producing contract with a Ukrainian production company. The deadline for the second call of projects is September 1st, 2023 and full fund guidelines are available in English and Ukrainian at esfuf.eu.