Film London Lodestars 2020
News Story
In its second year, our Lodestars programme broadened its reach to include all of the areas of Film London’s work, and also that of our sister Games London, to present a more diverse range of talent representing the breadth of the capital’s screen industries.
Our jury for Lodestars 2020 included Roxana Adle, Katherine Bidwell, Catherine Bray, Noirin Carmody, Ed Fletcher, Hanna Flint, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Ben Luxford, Li Ma, Lila Rawlings, Rubika Shah, Jessica Simmonds and Noémi Varga.
Artist Filmmaker category
Marianna Simnett
Marianna Simnett is a London-based artist, challenging how bodies are perceived and imagined. Solo exhibitions include Kunsthalle Zurich (2019); Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (2020); Frans Hals Museum, Amsterdam (2019); Copenhagen Contemporary (2019); FACT, Liverpool (2019); the New Museum, New York (2018); Museum fur Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt (2018); and Zabludowicz Collection, London (2018). Marianna was supported through the Jarman Award with The Needle and the Larynx.
Mikhail Karikis
Karikis is a Greek-British artist based in London. His work in moving image emerges from his long-standing interest in sound as a sociopolitical agent. Karikis collaborates with diverse communities of people who may have been overlooked or marginalised, and creates projects that focus on collectivist dynamics, human agency and social justice. Mikhail’s project Hyottoko the God of Fire was supported through the Jarman Award.
Roz Mortimer
Mortimer is a London-based artist, writer and filmmaker. She initially trained as a textile artist and exhibited installation and sculptural work before starting to make films in 1995. Her award-winning and socially engaged films have been widely screened around the world in cinemas, galleries and on TV. Recent festival screenings include Oberhausen, Hamburg, Guangzhou, London, Courtisane, Kassel, Thessaloniki, Ji.hlava. Roz was funded through FLAMIN Productions round 7- The Deathless Woman.
Crew category
Miranda Harcourt
Harcourt is a celebrated acting coach work focuses on screen naturalism. Inclusive in her inspiration, she has developed a series of on-set and rehearsal tools that get actors to where they need to be, fast. Miranda worked with the actors who were cast in BFI NETWORK Short, Our Sister.
Om-Kalthoom Bashmailah
Om-Kalthoom Bashmailah has completed work experience as a Runner, Librarian, Editor Assistant and Audio Assistant at The Farm Group. Once she graduated from City, university of London, she continued to pursue her career in film and TV. Om-Kalthoom was hired as a Runner across various high-scale productions through the EAN.
Shehroze Khan
Khan is an up and coming Writer/Director. He has had strong success with his short films which have won awards at the likes of TriBeca, Flickerfest and Hamptons Film Festivals. Shehroze came through the Equal Access Network.
Director category
Matt Houghton
Houghton is an award-winning filmmaker with an eye for crafting intimate human stories. His films experiment in particular with form often treading the line between fact and fiction. Matt directed Landline, a London Calling short in 2017.
Moin Hussain
Hussain is a London based Film Writer and Director. His short films have screened in competition at festivals around the world, including Cannes Semaine De La Critique, Sitges, BFI London Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. Moin directed Naptha, a 2018 London Calling short.
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Nosa Eke
Eke was picked for the BFI Flare/BAFTA mentorship programme and wrote an episodic narrative on the Amazon Alexa for the BBC. Her debut interactive feature film, The Young And The Dopeness, is in development with the British Film Institute, produced by Marshmallow Laser Feast. Writer/director of Something in the Closet, a BFI NETWORK Short film.
Exhibitor category
Bounce Cinema
Mathieu Ajan (also a BFI NETWORK talent executive) founded Bounce Cinema, a pop-up cinema dedicated to bringing people together and celebrating exciting new filmmaking talent. Bounce Cinema was awarded funding through Film Hub London’s Exhibitor Activation Programme.
Rio Cinema
Legendary independent community cinema in Dalston, East London. The grade II listed cinema has a stunning 400-seat art deco auditorium with stalls and circle, and retains the feel of a 1930’s super cinema, while it has state of the art digital projection and sound. The Rio Cinema was awarded through Film Hub London’s Cinema Incentive Scheme.
We Are Parable
We Are Parable is an events company that specialise in film exhibition. Over the past 7 years they have created experiential film screenings for Black audiences. We are Parable was awarded funding through Film Hub London’s Exhibitor Activation Programme.
Games category
Georg Backer
Between 2012 and 2018 Georg Backer was on the BAFTA Games Committee to help BAFTA with their games strategy. In 2013 he founded his own video games production and development company through which and released their first title: The Bradwell Conspiracy. Georg was selected to pitch at Games London’s Inbound FAM trip investors in 2018. In 2019 he also was selected to join Games London’s outbound trade mission to Slush Tech conference in Helsinki.
Flavourworks
Previously specialising in design, audio, and filmmaking across studios such as EA, Rebellion, Mind Candy, and 22cans, Jack and Pavle co-founded Flavourworks in 2015 to realise their vision for a new form of interactive storytelling. Flavourworks were selected to take part in the 2018 Games Finance Market.
Tara Reddy
Tara is co-founder and CEO of LoveShark. LoveShark make camera game for Gen Z players using cutting-edge technologies such as Augmented Reality and Machine Learning. Tara perfected the art of career-vaulting as she transitioned from the veterinary world to augmented reality and games and recently won UKIE's Future Leader of Games award.
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Head Of Department category
Brian Fawcett
Brian Fawcett is an award winning DOP, including Best Short Film at Berlinale and Best Cinematography at Sulmonacinema for his Film London-funded short Balcony. Brian was the DOP on Balcony and Night Out, London Calling Shorts.
Heather Basten
Heather Basten (CDG, CSA) is a casting director from London. She began at the BFI, and moved on to work alongside world-renowned casting directors Dixie Chassay and Jeremy Zimmermann. Heather is creating a code of conduct with the CDG to ensure after-care of a vulnerable person who has been ‘street cast’ for film or TV. Heather cast the Film London Microwave feature Zero back in 2017 and also cast Our Sister, a BFI NETWORK Short produced in 2019.
Julie Buckland
Julie Buckland took the leap from successful documentary editor to drama three years ago. She recently worked with Roger Spottiswoode on his latest feature film Either Side Of Midnight. Julie worked as Editor on Martha, a BFI NETWORK Short.
Performer category
Harry Alexander
Harry Alexander was awarded ‘Best Emerging Artist’ at the Critics Circle National Dance Awards in 2017. He has appeared in two films by Jasmina Cibic. He is represented by Kult London and has worked with photographers such as Oliver Hadlee Pearch, Bruno Staub and Tim Walker. Harry performed in The Gift, a FLAMIN production.
Khalil Madovi
Khalil Madovi is an actor, music artist and founder of media brand and production house, Gen1-3. He currently studies Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, and aims to use the arts as a means for the progression of social consciousness. Khalil performed in Holy Beef, a 2018 London Calling short.
Nell Barlow
Nell Barlow played Beatrice Gresham in Julian Fellows’ television adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel Doctor Thorne for ITV/Amazon. She played Lucy in Channel 4’s Married To A Paedophile. Film London-Funded Sweetheart is her first lead role. Nell stars in Sweetheart, a Microwave funded production.
Producer category
Ali Mansuri & Tom Kimberley
Ali Mansuri and Tom produced Balcony and Naptha; shorts commissioned through the London Calling scheme. This pair have been taken together given their close collaboration on two Film London-supported projects.
Ali Mansuri is an Italian-Iranian producer based in London where he established his production company Foreign Material as a vehicle to develop and produce emerging UK and European filmmaking voices.
Tom Kimberley and Ali produced both Balcony, winning the Crystal Bear in Berlin and Naptha, which screened at Cannes Semaine de la Critique, through the London Calling Plus Scheme, working alongside Film London and Film4. Tom is currently developing a slate of shorts and features through his company Conspire Pictures, working with established and emerging talent. On his slate are White Lies, written/directed by Lodestar Toby Fell-Holden and Until She Bleeds, which is being supported by the SFTN.
Jennifer Eriksson & Jessie Mangum
Jennifer Eriksson and Jessie Mangum produced Looted as part of the Microwave slate.
Jennifer Eriksson has completed her first feature film Looted, which had its world premier at POFF Black nights festival in Tallin. In addition to Looted Jennifer has produced a number of award-winning short films.
Jessie Mangum recently produced Rene van Pannevis’ feature Looted funded through the Microwave scheme (with partner Jennifer Eriksson), which had its world premiere in the first feature competition of POFF Tallinn Black Nights 2019. He also regularly consults on story development for production companies, film schools and screen agencies including Screen Australia, BAFTA Rocliffe and Met Film.
Michelle Antoniades
Michelle joined Marley Morrison to form Hazey Jane Films, with a shared vision to develop and produce original LGBTQ+ stories. Michelle produced her first feature film, Sweetheart, as part of the Film London Microwave Scheme. Michelle is a BAFTA CREW member 18/19 and alumnus of the EIFF Talent Lab. Michelle produced London Calling Short Baby Gravy in 2017 and is in production with Microwave feature Sweetheart.
Savannah James-Bayly
Savannah James-Bayly produces short films that have screened at internationally recognised festivals, played on TV, DVD, and even the Tate Modern, with supporters including Film London, BBC, BFI & NOWNESS. On her feature slate is Film4 backed Layla, Jack, in development with SFTN, and White Lies with Conspire Pictures. Savannah produced Anemone, a 2018 London Calling short.
Writer category
Ellie Gocher
Ellie Gocher is a filmmaker. Her short drama V received a BFI Future Film 2018 New Talent Award for her writing and the Underwire 2018 award for Best Producer. She is developing her first directorial short as well as feature-length and TV drama projects, all of which will continue to tell women’s stories. Ellie wrote V, a 2017 London Calling short.
Iona Firouzabadi
Iona Firouzabadi's first short as screenwriter was funded by Film London. In 2018 it won Best Drama at Aesthetica and was long-listed for a 2019 BAFTA. Iona is part of BFI Network x BAFTA Crew 2019/20 and has been commissioned by drama school LAMDA to write three shorts for their 2019/20 graduates. Iona wrote Martha (BFI NETWORK) and In Wonderland (London Calling).
Marley Morrison
Marley Morrison is the writer/director of Baby Gravy, made with London Calling, and Sweetheart, still in production under the Microwave scheme. Marley's Baby Gravy premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. Their short film Leroy screened at a number of high profile film festivals and was nominated for the prestigious LGBT Iris Prize Best British short and Youth Jury Award. Marley is a BAFTACREW member and part of CINESISTERS UK.
Toby Fell-Holden
Toby Fell-Holden's short Balcony won a Crystal Bear at the Berlinale, received a BIFA nomination, and was long-listed for the Academy Awards 2017. It played at over 100 film festivals where it won over 30 awards. His debut feature version of Balcony is in development in the UK and he has a second feature in development in the USA. Toby wrote and directed Balcony, a London Calling short in 2015, and more recently has been awarded with Early Development funding through the BFI NETWORK for his feature.
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