Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) today announced the recipients of the first FLAMIN Productions Development Awards. Projects by 12 artist film-makers have secured funding and bespoke mentoring for a professional development programme. At the end of this development process, up to five of these projects will be selected for FLAMIN Production Awards, receiving financial support of up to £50,000 each to turn the concepts into realities.
FLAMIN Productions is supported by Arts Council England and the Development Awards offer a unique and essential period for artists to refine ideas and acquire the contacts and skills to realise the work. The 12 artists and their projects are:
Manish Water – Faisal Abdu’Allah
The Children of Marx and Coca Cola – George Barber
Façade – Phil Coy
The Shape of Things to Come – Beatrice Gibson
Melior Street – Charlotte Ginsborg
Brecht in Hollywood – Anja Kirschner & David Panos
Ideal – Ursula Mayer
The Big White One – Chris Newby
West Hinder – Elizabeth Price
The Other Side of Nowhere – Ben Rivers
Breezing By – Mark Aerial Waller
Loneliness – Gillian Wearing
The FLAMIN Productions Development awards recognise work that is ambitious in premise and duration (20 minutes or more) with an emphasis on projects with strong potential to reach audiences via galleries, cinema, broadcast and/or digital platforms.
The 12 projects were selected, from 230 entries, by Film London and FLAMIN representatives in close collaboration with external industry assessors: Ian White, Adjunt Film Curator at the Whitechapel Gallery; art critic and curator Sacha Craddock and Karen Alexander, Senior Tutor at the Royal College of Art.
In addition to their outstanding creative quality, a key characteristic shared between all the awarded projects and artists is the potential to benefit greatly from the mentoring and financial support offered, boosting their chances of securing production funding.
Launched in March 2009, FLAMIN Productions is a commissioning scheme committed to nurturing talent and supporting innovative artists in their professional growth.
The fund and the first Development Awards come at a time of mainstream recognition for British artist film-making talent. Sam Taylor-Wood, whose debut feature Nowhere Boy will be closing this year’s The Times BFI London Film Festival, and Turner Prize and BAFTA winner Steve McQueen, who shook the film world with the critically acclaimed Hunger in 2008, are two of the most noticeable examples.
Maggie Ellis, Head of Production at Film London comments: “The 12 selected projects are excellent examples of the health and vibrancy the moving image is enjoying in the artistic world. We have seen an exceptional high calibre of submissions this year, confirming these awards are essential by providing real opportunities for talent to grow professionally and break new ground. We look forward to this commissioning scheme making a real difference to artists’ moving image practice.”
Moira Sinclair, Executive Director of Arts Council England, London said: “This shortlist demonstrates an immense wealth of talent – both of emerging and leading artist film-makers. This scheme will offer these artists the chance to be more ambitious and to innovate, ultimately producing new work that will take them to the next stage of their careers.”