31/07/2023
CHENNAI STORY is among the latest projects awarded production funding by the U.K. GlobalScreen Fund.
“Chennai Story”, a minority U.K. co-production with India is made under the official bilateral U.K.-India treaty. The U.K. producers are Ripple World (U.K.) and Welsh ie ie Productions who will co-produce with Guru Films (Sunitha Tati). The film, which will be directed by BAFTA winner Philip John (“Downton Abbey”) is adapted by John and “Funny Boy” star Nimmi Harasgama from Timeri N. Murari’s bestselling novel “The Arrangements of Love” and is a romantic comedy about love, self-expression and acceptance, set between modern-day Britain and India.
“In the Black,” a U.K.-Canada co-production is made under the official bilateral U.K.-Canadatreaty. U.K. producers Daniel Florêncio and Nefeli Zygopoulou from I Made It Films are co-producing with the Canadian CaribbeanTales Media Group, led by Nicole Brooks. The film isalso backed in the U.K. by LIPSYNC Productions and in Canada by Telefilm, CBC and theCanada Media Fund. Directed by Frances Anne Solomon, it is an adaptation of the memoir “InThe Black: My Life” by Jamaican businessman Denham B. Jolly that chronicles his twelve-yearbattle to launch Canada’s first Black music radio station.
On “Barbie Uncovered,” an unofficial majority U.K. co-production with New Zealand, the U.K.producers are Ross Wilson from RW Productions and Alan Clements from Two Media Riverswho will co-produce with New Zealand’s Daniel Story and Cass Avery from Augusto. It will bedirected by Eddie Hutton-Mills and focuses on the unknown history of the global icon Barbie andthe dramatic and dark story behind the creation of the world’s most famous doll.
On “The Odyssey” adaptation “The Return,” a minority U.K. co-production with Italy, Greece andFrance made under the European Convention, the U.K. producers are James Clayton andUberto Pasolini from Red Wave Films who will co‐produce with Italy’s Picomedia (RobertoSessa), Greece’s Heretic (Konstantinos Kontovrakis and Giorgos Karnavas) and France’s KaboFilms (Stephane Moatti) and Marvelous Productions (Romain Le Grand, Marco Pacchioni andVivien Aslanian). The film directed by Pasolini is from a script by John Collee, Edward Bond andPasolini and will star Fiennes, Binoche, Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari and ClaudioSantamaria. Hanway Films are handling international sales.
“Beast,” a minority U.K. co-production with Denmark and Sweden is made under the EuropeanConvention. The U.K. producer is Hopscotch Films (John Archer) who will co-produce withDanish Bullitt Film (Vibeke Vogel) and Swedish Plattform Produktion (Alex Danielson andMaximilien Van Aertryck). The feature documentary is directed by Max Kestner and focuses onone of Denmark’s most turbulent scandals – the killing of a healthy giraffe in a zoo – to inform aglobal discussion about science, climate, animal welfare and humanity’s responsibility.“Justice for Magdalenes” (working title) is an unofficial minority U.K. co-production with Ireland.The U.K. producer is Farah Abushwesha of Rocliffe who will co-produce with Rachel Lysaght ofIreland’s Underground Films. The feature documentary is directed by Aoife Kelleher and tellsthe story of an group of women, supported by the activist organization Justice for Magdalenes,whose battle to hold the Irish government accountable for the abuses of the MagdaleneLaundries, Mother and Baby Home institutions and forced family separation, takes them all theway to the United Nations.
“Mojo Swoptops” is an unofficial majority U.K. co-production with Belgium. The U.K. producer isBlue Zoo Animation Studio who will co-produce with Belgian Hotel Hungaria. The 52′ x 11 3Danimation will be directed by Dominic Minns and the story follows Mojo, a little truck and herbest friend Bo, as they help out those most in need.
“Our Island” is a minority U.K. co-production with France, Belgium and Finland made under theEuropean Convention. The U.K. producer is Good Chaos (Mike Goodridge) who will co-producewith French Haut et Court (Carole Scotta), Belgian Versus Production (Jacques-HenriBronckart) and Finnish Silmu Films (Jenni Jauri). The film, directed by French Vladimir deFontenay, follows a haunted young Scottish man remembering his younger days on a wild andsecluded Island off the coast of Finland with his troubled father.
“Sisters,” a minority U.K. co-production with Ireland, Germany and Greece is made under theEuropean Convention. The U.K. producer is Rachel Dargavel from Crybaby Films who isco‐producing with Irish Sackville Film and Television Productions (Ed Guiney and Lara Hickey),German production arm of The Match Factory (Michael Weber) and Greek Akran CreativeCompany (Romanna Lobach). The debut feature by French director and actor Ariane Labedfollows two sisters born ten months apart and an encounter which forces shocking revelationsabout the girls’ past and future.
Financed through the U.K. government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), theawards allocate over £1.2 million ($1.5 million) through the fund’s international co-productionstrand. To date the strand has now awarded over £5 million to 33 co-productions.
