RISE: Qtipoc Representation and Visibility in Film

*FREE EVENT**

In collaboration with The Art Machine, BFI Flare is delighted to present RISE – an exploration of QTIPOC representation in film. #RiseFlare

Please note, this is a free event, but tickets will need to be reserved in advance via the BFI box office on 020 7928 3232.

Link to website - http://bit.ly/2FSKhN9

Elevating the narratives of QTIPOC (queer, transgender and intersex people of colour) characters, this one-day series of free events will provide a platform to examine the importance of inclusion, both on and off screen, whilst inspiring a generation of directors, screenwriters, filmmakers and producers to develop work which best reflects their stories.

**FULL PROGRAMME***

12:00
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
Michael Blyth – Senior Programmer, BFI Flare
Andrew Odong & Urbain Hayo – The Art Machine

Short Film - MIRRORS

12:15 – 13:15
FINDING YOUR VOICE
Everyone has a story to tell, but it's not always easy to know how to tell it. We kick off RISE with Finding Your Voice - an exploration of how to find and develop your cinematic voice, and discover the narrative potential of your lived experience and unique perspective on the world.

Moderator: Jenn Nkiru
Jenn Nkiru is an award winning visionary artist and director from and based in Peckham, London. Named as one of the 200 women redefining the creative industries in 2018 by The Dots, Her first film En Vogue shot by Bradford Young & Arthur Jafa screened internationally to critical success. Previous credits include a documentary series for Redbull and a campaign for photographer Rankin where he selected Nkiru as one of 20 of the "industry's top directors and most creative talent". Additional credits include short films for the BFI, Condenast, Channel 4 and the Tate. Current cover star of Pitch Magazine's 2018 New Talent issue, her most recent credit, Rebirth Is Necessary is a dreamlike art film commissioned by NOWNESS centred on Blackness past, present and future and winner of the 2018 Canal+ Award.

Blain Ho-Shing
Writer, Director (and Singer) of short film Batty Boy (in Post) funded by the Creative England/ Sky Arts short initiative shortFlix for emerging filmmakers aged 18-25

Dior Clarke
Writer, Director and Actor in/of short film Batty Boy (in Post) funded by the Creative England /Sky Arts short initiative shortFlix for emerging filmmakers aged 18-25

Rachelle Constant
BBC Writers Room Development Producer, Film Producer, BFI Vision Awardee, Former BFI Flare Mentee.
Producer of short film Two Dosas and Exec Producer on BAFTA nominated Wren Boys.

Iman Qureshi
Writer for stage and screen. As a screenwriter, she adapted her play Speed into a short film in 2014 and in 2017 she was selected by Film London for their 2018 London Calling short film slate with Home Girl. Iman has also written for the Guardian, Independent, Time Out and the Huffington Post, she has been writer in residence at various schools and she was shortlisted for the Muslim Writer’s Award in 2011.

[BREAK]

13:30 – 14:30
BUILDING YOUR NETWORK
Filmmaking is a collaborative process, and no one can achieve success entirely alone Building Your Network will look at how to find those first entry-points into queer filmmaking communities and the wider film industry, and how to surround yourself with valuable and supportive people. We will explore opportunities that exist in online platforms and television, and how a filmmaker can begin to explore their craft and develop an audience while building a sustainable career.

Moderator: Rob Berkeley
Award-winning, self-acclaimed ‘busybody, recovering academic and reformed social reformer’, Rob currently plies his trade advising the BBC on accountability and audience engagement. Impatient with injustice and exasperated by wasted potential, he volunteers on the boards of Baring Foundation, Doc Society, and the Collaborate Foundation, has previously served on the boards of LGBT rights charity Stonewall, the Equality and Diversity Forum and the Oxford Access Scheme, and been Chair of Naz Project (NPL) and BGMAG. Dr Berkeley was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to equality.

Faryal Velmi
Filmmaker, Director of short films Pictures of Zain and What Are You Looking At. Currently writing on the second series of Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge

Stephen Isaac Wilson
The emerging director has created work for I-D magazine, the Tate Galleries and Channel 4’s Random Acts.
He was part of the BBC’s prestigious production trainee scheme and was commission by the Tate to produce a film on the depiction of the Diversity of the LGBTQ experiences in Britain. His work to date has explored Queer Black identity in Britain, and has screened at the Fringe! Queer festival, The Barbican and the ICA.

Cyril Nri
Actor and Filmmaker, most recent work as an actor is in Channel 4’s Banana and Cucumber and the theatre play Barbershop Chronicles.

Nadira Amrani
Director, Producer and Photographer having had work commissioned by Tate, Channel 4, and the Guardian. Founder of People of Colours (a digital and physical space showcasing VR and film work directed by People of Colour). This year’s Film London Calling recipient for Fly a film about a female rapper Flohio from Bermondsey.

Francesca Castelbuono
Francesca is a director and award winning writer, co-founder of production company Strange Machine. With a background in the performing arts, she transitioned to film and gained experience on feature films and in the broader industry with companies such as RPC, Universal, New Regency, See-Saw, and Porchlight Films, assisting producer Liz Watts. Francesca's films and music videos have screened at festivals worldwide and online on Dazed & Confused and Promo News. Clients include Warner Records and Hyperdub. Her short film script, Faded, won a Live Script Reading Award at the British Urban Film Festival supported by Channel 4. Her first (co-written) feature film screenplay was awarded research funding from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and is now in development. In 2017 Francesca was selected as a participant on the professional development programmes, BAFTA Crew, and Widening the Lens: Shorts 2 Features run by Encounters Film Festival.

[BREAK]

14:45 – 15:45
RISING UP
A successful career is about more than just having something to say - it's about opportunity to make people listen. In Rising Up we will hear from filmmakers who have managed to fund bold, exciting and original work, and examine the complexities of getting these projects funded, produced and exhibited. Further, we will explore the importance of such stories for QTIPOC audiences around the UK.

Moderator: tbc

Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
Joy is a producer and writer, producing work that is both exceptional and pushes boundaries. Her second feature film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, 2016, and was also up for the IWC Filmmaker Award. She was part of the BFI Flare Mentorship Scheme 2016. She is currently developing her third feature with the help of the BFI.

Campbell X
Director and Content Producer, Director of feature film Stud Life. Director of TV mini-series Different Girls. Their work documents black LGBT culture and they are a leading creator of contemporary British queer cinema. Their latest short, Des!re, is screening in this year’s Festival.

15:45 – 16.00
Conclusion

**AFTER-PARTY WITH BBZ FROM 9PM**
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