A recent dip in female-led theatrical releases in the UK - back to 2018 levels of 26% reminds us that our work is far from over; that we cannot be complacent.
Below you can read about the research we conduct into gender representation in film and the wider industry, tracking the release landscape to present an accurate picture of investment in films by filmmakers of marginalised genders.
Here you can also find out about news and opportunities at Reclaim The Frame, along with curated film recommendations, filmmaker interviews, and creative responses.
Updated: May 11, 2023
The Writers Lab is the pioneering programme devoted exclusively to script development for women and non-binary screenwriters over 40, with Untamed Stories’ Julia Berg and Ruth Spencer partnering with the TWL founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon to bring the Lab to the UK & Ireland for a second time.
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The programme starts in September 2022 running until February 2023, with a six month programme of rigorous script-development work through one-on-one meetings with Mentors, focused work in peer groups, panel discussions followed by marketplace; networking, attachments and sustainable pathways forward into the industry. All selected participants will be issued a Stipend of £1,000 per participant to contribute to expenses incurred from freeing up time to dedicate to the Lab.
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Submissions are now open, learn more and apply via this link – deadline to apply is Monday 30 May
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Angela Franklyn (Participant of 2021 TWL UK + Ireland): Writing is my second chance at life after I had to give up my career as an actress and singer due to a health condition. As a woman in my 40’s, trying to prize open the doors to this competitive industry felt like an impossible task. The Writers’ Lab has been a life-changing experience for me. Not only were those doors opened, but an incredible and supportive group of talented women held my hand as I walked through them, and continue to nurture me as I begin the exciting journey towards production of my first movie.
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ABOUT THE WRITERS LAB UK & IRELAND
Created by TWL co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon with Julia Berg and Ruth Spencer of Untamed Stories, and developed with support from New York Women in Film & Television, The Writers Lab UK & Ireland is dedicated to developing narrative scripted content by diverse women over the age of 40 in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. We are industry veterans who elevate the work of women screenwriters in their prime through mentorship, advocacy and exposure.
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For more information visit thewriterslab.nyc.
Follow at @The_Writers_Lab
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ABOUT UNTAMED STORIES
Founded by Julia Berg, now partnered with Ruth Spencer. Untamed Stories is a film/TV development hub for new voices that nurtures projects by underrepresented talent and ensures an exciting pathway for greater access to the industry. The company founders are also producing content with top tier writers, directors and financiers including Emily Ballou (HUMANS, TABOO) Stuart Page (TOTAL CONTROL) and Maven Pictures (AMERICAN HONEY) Julia is a development consultant for Bruce Goodison and Kate Cook´s Indefinite Films across their C4 slate.
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For more information visit www.untamedstories.com
Follow @UntamedStories (twitter) / @UntamedStoriesJR (Facebook/instagram)
Updated: May 11, 2023
BIRDS EYE VIEW CALL FOR NEW MEMBERS AS PART OF BOARD
OF TRUSTEES AND ADVISORY GROUP
Birds Eye View is a UK-wide charity with a mission to bring a broader perspective of the world through cinema.
Our aim is to support films by women & non-binary people, and to build a community for those who make, show, release and watch them.
We do this through bringing ever greater audiences to films by marginalised social groups, developing safe and accessible spaces for conversation, promoting a de-patriarchal and de-colonised lens on the world, and advocating for social justice in all film spaces.
Following an internal review of how Birds’ Eye View can renew its commitment to values-led charity work, we are welcoming applications for Trustees and Advisory Group members. The successful applicants will have the opportunity to bring their professional and lived experience to guide the work we do, and help us fulfil our mission in line with our values.
We’re looking to collaborate with people with a range of different voices and experiences from across film, the arts, social justice campaign work and beyond, who can join us at this exciting time of change for the charity and help enrich our perspective. If you think you could aid our mission and joining us would help you achieve your aims, then you’re likely an ideal candidate for us.
Closing Date: 17 June 2022 (10:00am)
This open call welcomes expressions of interest to join Birds’ Eye View as Trustees and / or as Advisory Group members.
Updated: May 11, 2023
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Following the first two successful editions, this year’s festival will bring films, audiences and filmmakers together in the cinema, while continuing to offer a chance to experience rarely-seen queer cinema from East and Southeast Asia to viewers across the UK.
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At its heart, Queer East aims to amplify the voices of queer Asian communities, to challenge normative definitions of gender and sexual expression, and to introduce UK audiences to LGBTQ+ cinema that they might not otherwise get a chance to see. This year’s programme includes feature films, shorts, programmes of boundary-challenging artists’ moving image work, a Virtual Reality experience, and a TV miniseries, alongside filmmakers’ Q&As.
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Says Yi Wang, Festival and Programme Director “Both queer and Asia are words that represent a wide spectrum of meanings culturally, linguistically, historically and politically. I hope that Queer East can play a role in combating stereotypical and generalised portrayals of queer Asians, and unlock the endless possibilities for bold, complicated, three-dimensional expressions of cinematic queerness.”
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Beautiful Boxer
Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham
The festival opens on Wednesday 18th May at Genesis Cinema with Beautiful Boxer and It’s All Because of a Katoey. Beautiful Boxer by Ekachai Uekrongtham tells the story of Parinya Charoenphol, the transgender Muay Thai boxer who mastered the combat sport in order to pay for her gender reassignment surgery, subverting gender expectations, and challenging the popular perception of Muay Thai. It will be preceded by It’s All Because of a Katoey, a restored short film made in 1954. This surprisingly progressive silent comedy is the oldest existing Thai film to feature a ‘katoey’, a pre-LGBTQ+ movement term referring to a trans woman.
Girls’ School (1982)
Directed by Lee Mi-Mi
+ Q&A with Chun-Chi Wang, Executive Director of Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute.
Click HERE for more event info
Click HERE to see QUEER EAST FILM FESTIVAL full programme.
Queer East 2022 is supported by the British Film Institute (BFI), awarding funds from the National Lottery; and Necessity. Its artists’ moving image programmes are supported by Arts Council England. The VR Cinematic Experience is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan.
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@queereast
