UK projects revealed for BFI, BMW Filmmaking Challenge led by Michaela Coel

Five UK projects have been shortlisted for the first BMW Filmmaking Challenge, which aims to support aspiring filmmakers and uncover fresh perspectives in the industry.

The initiative was launched earlier this year by Bafta winner Michaela Coel as part of a partnership between BMW and the BFI, and the five teams were shortlisted from 400 applications, awarding each a £10,000 ($12,800) production budget, access to 8K camera equipment and mentoring from Coel.

The shorts are Blades, Daytimers, Rice Ball, Hen Do and We Collide.

The filmmakers have been tasked with bringing their stories to life in just 90 seconds with the theme of ‘evolving perspectives’.

Blades is directed by Christopher Chuky, written by Eno Mfon and produced by Tony Longe Amara Rossell. It follows a group of young Black boys who run into a building, one of whom is about to do the unimaginable.

Daytimers will provide insight into the South Asian DJ collective that are breaking new ground in Britain and is written and directed by Tulsi Shivaanand, and produced by Eliza Lewis.

Rice Ball is an animation about a young Taiwanese schoolgirl who is afraid to bring her lunch to school for fear of being ridiculed for being different. It is written and directed by Kristina Pringle and produced by Samantha Locock and Harry Shaw

Hen Do centres on a bride-to-be who kills the vibe while en route to her hen weekend with a bombshell confession. It is written and directed by Alia Ghafar, whose shorts have screened widely at film festivals and is developing her debut feature. Producer is Misha McCullagh.

We Collide is described as “a queercore romance’ and is about finding love in the most unlikely of places. It is written and directed by Jason Bradbury, who is also developing his debut feature, and produced by Cheri Darbon.

Now in production, the films will be completed in September and the winning film is set to premiere as part of the closing of the 67^th BFI London Film Festival on October 15, before being made available of BFI Player. The judges are actor Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education, Doctor Who), journalist-turned-screenwriter Terri White and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia.

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