28/09/2015 - Two female filmmaking teams sought for £15,000 shorts

Film London, in partnership with the British Council, is looking for female filmmaking teams for a short film fund that will address gender inequality within the film industry. Titled Shakespeare’s Sister, the initiative will form part of the 2016 400th anniversary celebrations of William Shakespeare. The project will offer two teams £15,000 in production funding and support and mentoring from Film4. The selected teams will also receive a year’s free membership for Women in Film & TV. 

Applications should draw from the works of Shakespeare, and filmmaking teams must comprise female writers, directors and producers and wherever possible, senior crew posts and heads of department should also be filled by women. The deadline for applications is November 3, 2015, and the finished films must be delivered by 1 April, 2016.

Deborah Sathe, Head of Talent Development and Production at Film London, said, “This is an exciting project and dovetails with one of our main aims when it comes to supporting the best new storytelling talent. As much as this is the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense – research shows the huge commercial potential of projects penned and directed by women and that these films successfully connect with audiences. Making people aware of this while showcasing female filmmaking talent should be very much at the top of the industry’s agenda.”