Case sTUDies
Is Britain failing to sustain its film
producer John Giwa-Amu (Little White UK in such a concentrated scheme.”
Lies), actor/playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah Kara Miller agrees: “I signed up with a
talent? This question was brought to
(Casualty) and director/writer Kara Miller brilliant US manager and I’m in the process of
the fore again recently when Directors
(Nobody the Great). setting up my two features… Breakthrough
UK, a newly formed group that includes The program began in London with a Brits has done a warp speed acceleration on
the Bourne Trilogy’s Paul Greengrass
series of business roundtable discussions led the progress of my career and I’ll never
by established players such as Tim Bevan, forget it.”
and Charles Sturridge (Brideshead
before all 13 honourees were flown to Los It is only right that these talented men
Revisited), spoke out about the issue.
Angeles during the Hollywood Black Film and women gain such recognition and
In June, it warned that unless the UK Festival. There, they were presented to support. But the scheme does highlight the
invested more in its own success
renowned ex-pat filmmakers that included fact that the same opportunities do not
producer Barry Spikings (The Deer exist for them on home soil. “They just
stories, it would continue to lose much
Hunter) and production exec Katy Haber make more films in Hollywood than we
of its talent to the US.
(Blade Runner). Their week-long stay do,” explains Miller. “They need more
also included meetings with celebrated US talent and more good projects. Money isn’t
By Liz Hobbs
filmmakers and diversity representatives necessarily the limiting factor.”
from the major guilds such as the WGA and As for the Film Council, the question
BREAKTHROUGH BRITS
B
reakthrough Brits, a pioneering the DGA, and culminated in a presentation remains: are they doing the UK industry a
scheme launched in recent years by ceremony where they met studio heads, disservice by tempting the US market with
the UK Film Council, would seem to independent producers and agents from outstanding British talent? Arit Eminue of
confirm that the real opportunities for Hollywood. Diva Films, who acted as program
filmmakers—and certainly filmmakers from If this sounds suspiciously like a case of consultant, doesn’t think so: “Far from
minority groups—lie across the Atlantic. It pomp and circumstance on the part of the depriving the UK of home-grown talent,
was created with the brief to take the cream UKFC, it wasn’t. “Not to take away from we are showcasing a selection of the very
of the UK’s diverse talent and introduce it the magnificence of the ceremony itself, best in terms of Black and Asian film
to key industry players in LA. The inaugural but [the overall] experience has been talent, in what is after all a global
scheme featured British women filmmakers anything but ceremonial,” says Giwa- industry… Their success internationally
that included producer Mia Bays (Oscar
®
- Amu, who also met with some top agents can only be good for the UK industry.”
winning Six Shooter), actress Emily Blunt whilst there to discuss his first feature. Whatever the opinion, one thing seems
(The Devil Wears Prada) and director Speaking of these meetings, he points out certain: the US still seems to be the most
Amma Asante (A Way of Life). that “even if a representation does not attractive proposition to filmmakers
This year, the focus is on Black and Asian materialise, this is an opportunity for a everywhere. As Giwa-Amu says, “they
filmmakers and the honourees include actor/ wealth of advice and contacts which make movies Hollywood, and that’s what I
writer/director Noel Clarke (Adulthood), would be near impossible to receive in the want to do when I grow up.” n
08 By FilmmakeRs. FoR FilmmakeRs.
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 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84