PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
would respond to such an approach. He responded with delight. “Microschool is an oasis,” he says. “A short but
intensive period carved out of your life where the only agenda is to develop your project. There are many of us in the industry who stand to benefit from processes like this.” Mike Kelly, Microwave business affairs and
finance producer, notes: “This year is set to be one of the most successful in the five-year history of Microwave.” iLL Manors, the directorial debut of Ben Drew (aka rapper Plan B) and starring Riz Ahmed, is being released by Revolver Entertain- ment on more than 200 prints in the UK. Bankside Films has picked up sales rights and is screening it to international buyers in Cannes. Frances Lea’s Strawberry Fields, a story of sibling rivalry and sex- ual awakening, is released theatrically in the UK by Soda Pictures in July. “It is about courage, daring to show your particu-
lar perspective,” says Lea. “Microwave has celebrated and supported my voice on a tough, tiny budget. Because of that, Soda Pictures has now joined them.” A further Microwave project, Jules Bishop’s Bor-
Ben Drew (left) shooting iLL Manors, which is being released by Revolver Entertainment on more than 200 prints
Low budgets hit heights H
Microwave is coming of age in 2012 with two films released theatrically, a festival premiere and three further projects securing the greenlight
igh-profile writers, film-makers and produc- ers are now jostling with complete newcom- ers to shoot their features through
Microwave, Film London’s low-budget production programme founded with BBC Films and Skillset. The positive critical and commercial reactions to Mum & Dad and Shifty, Microwave’s first two films, has helped to make the scheme an appealing and viable option for established talents such as screenwriter Tony Grisoni who is making his direc- torial debut with Microwave. “Creative talent as well as the production com-
munity are saying they want to work with us,” says Mia Bays, the creative producer for Microwave. “It’s not just about the money. We’re becoming
known for our curatorial prowess. We’re not the production company, nor just the executives, we’re not acting like ‘the money’ in the traditional sense. We are bringing great mentors and great training on the job.” It begins with Microschool, the rigorous four-day
‘lab’ with 12 film-making teams participating. Projects are intensively developed with expert advice from directors and producers such as Pete Travis, Asif Kapadia, Clio Barnard and Paul Webster. The Microwave team assesses which projects are ready to go forward and receive funding of up to $97,000 (£60,000) per project, 50% of the total budget. The Microwave team were initially concerned about how a respected veteran such as Grisoni
‘The idea is to launch the careers of new talent. It’s about
taking risks.’ Maggie Ellis, Film London
rowed Time, a comedy about the friendship between a burglar and his victim, starring Theo Barklem- Biggs and Phil Davis, is poised to premiere at a major festival this summer. “The idea is to launch the careers of new talent, a
first step. It’s about taking risks,” says Maggie Ellis, Film London’s head of production and talent devel- opment. “The micro and low-budget features we are now seeing more of, have managed to spark a fire in the UK industry because genuinely good films from talented creatives, across the grades, are being recog- nised and are breathing new life into the industry.” Adrian Wootton, Film London’s chief executive,
believes Microwave is a crucial component of the organisation’s broad portfolio. “We have these big industrial building blocks in place but it felt con- ceivable that if all we focused on was the mature industry we were potentially cutting off our noses to spite our faces. “Where were the crews who were going to crew
those big films brought in to use our services? Where were the film-makers who were going to make those films shown in LUFF? Where were the film-makers who would one day want to pitch at the PFM going to come from if there wasn’t invest- ment in finding and supporting them?” Production of Microwave’s next three features
will be staggered over the next 18 months. In addi- tion to Grisoni’s directorial debut Kingsland, a thriller set in London’s Kurdish community, Micro- wave has greenlit Lilting, written and directed by Hong Khaou, about the unlikely friendship between a mother and her son’s gay lover, and Nicole Volavka’s The Secret Of Jean Baptiste, written by Arinze Kene. Kene is an actor-turned-writer who was brought onto the project after starring in Microwave’s third film Freestyle. The three films take Microwave’s slate to 10 fea-
tures, with Technicolor coming in as a partner for the latest projects. Now the plan is to expand and change the model a little as Film London raises the finance for the next round of applications. It may reach out to both national and international film-makers. “Microwave has combined artistic freedom and
Borrowed Time
nimble film-making with this kind of support to blinding effect,” says Ahmed, the star of both Shifty and iLL Manors. “I have worked on two Microwave films and they have been two of the most impactful I have done, on both audiences and my career.”
www.filmlondon.org.uk/microwave
May 21, 2012 Screen International at Cannes 33 n
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68