News

Netflix has unveiled six filmmakers who will receive funding and professional support to make a short documentary as winners of the third year of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund.

“Following a rigorous application process and thousands of applications, a shortlist of 12 filmmaking teams from across the U.K. and Ireland were invited to Netflix’s U.K. headquarters to pitch in front of a panel of industry experts this month,” the streamer said. They were asked to pitch ideas inspired by the prompt, “you’re never gonna believe this….”

Here are the winners, unveiled on Thursday.

David Chabeaux and Owen Tooth – Band

A Middle-England factory worker leads a bizarre Marching Band cult down a hilariously dark spiral of obsession.

Lisa Smith and Jack Lilleywhite – Angry Bird

After a life-changing crash Romani banger racer Georgie, aka “Angry Bird,” is stripped of the space that once empowered her. Determined to become champion,...

Netflix is bringing back its U.K. Documentary Talent Fund for its third year “in a bid to provide opportunities for underrepresented filmmakers in the U.K. and Ireland.” This year’s brief for makers of short documentaries who want to participate is simply: “You’re never gonna believe this…”

The streaming giant unveiled the news during a panel at the Edinburgh Television Festival on Wednesday. The fund will give five filmmakers and their teams the chance to make a short documentary film with a budget of £30,000 ($) each. All teams will be under the guidance of Netflix and other filmmaking professionals.

“For this third year of the initiative we will be focusing our search on directors and producers who truly want to work in, and remain, in the documentary field,” said Kate Townsend, director of documentary features at Netflix. “We are looking to nurture and empower the future generation of...

Netflix has launched five new short documentaries from the recipients of their Documentary Talent Fund. They’re available now on Youtube.

If you were wondering how British documentaries are doing, they’re flourishing. Netflix has just announced that five short documentaries, created by the recipients of their Documentary Talent Fund, are available on their Still Watching Youtube channel now.

The subjects of these challenging, ambitious documentaries range from deaf DJs to an Irish mother travelling to the war-torn Ukraine. What connects these five extraordinary documentaries is the theme of ‘connection’.

Here’s the full list of the documentaries and the filmmakers:

Anna Snowball & Abolfazl Talooni – Iranian Yellow Pages, Trying to make his new life in London a success, Reza places an advert in an eccentric newspaper and discovers the Iranian community hidden in plain sight.

Anna Rodgers & Zlata Filipovic – Two Mothers, An unusual bond compels an Irish mother to travel...

Projects about a renowned deaf DJ and why Black people struggle with swimming comprise some of the latest winners of Netflix UK’s Documentary Talent Fund.

The winning docs received £30,000 each and are focused on the theme of “connection.” They were showcased at a premiere event at London’s Ham Yard Hotel last night and are now available to watch via Netflix’s 6.3 million-subscriber YouTube Channel Still Watching.

The projects, which can be seen below in full, include a story about deaf DJ Troi Lee, titled Turn Up The Bass, created by a mostly deaf crew, to a film exploring why such a high number of Black people in the UK can’t or don’t swim. Other projects include Iranian Yellow Pages about a man trying to make a new life in London who places an advert in an eccentric newspaper and discovers the Iranian community hidden in plain sight.

From a documentary about a deaf DJ created by a mostly deaf crew and a film exploring the fact that 87 percent of Black people in the U.K. can’t swim to a doc about sperm donors, Netflix has launched five short documentaries created by the recipients of funding and professional support in the second year of its Documentary Talent Fund in the U.K. and Ireland.

The filmmakers received 30,000 pounds ($38,000) to create a short film on the theme of “connection.” Their films were showcased at an event at London’s Ham Yard Hotel on Wednesday night and are now available via Netflix’s YouTube Channel “Still Watching.”

The Netflix Documentary Talent Fund was created in 2020 “to break down barriers of access for emerging filmmakers,” the global streamer highlighted.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with such talented filmmakers and watch each team’s ideas blossom into fully formed documentaries,...

Netflix on Tuesday unveiled five filmmaking teams who will receive funding and professional support to make short documentaries on the theme of “Connection” in the second year of the global streamer’s U.K. Documentary Talent Fund.

The winners were selected from thousands of applications, with a shortlist of 12 teams invited to Netflix’s U.K. headquarters to pitch their projects in front of a panel of industry experts.

The five projects and filmmaking teams selected are:

Anna Snowball & Abolfazl Talooni – Iranian Yellow Pages.

Iranians in London, trapped between two cultures, search for connection by placing weird and wonderful adverts in the Iranian Yellow Pages.

Anna Rodgers & Zlata Filipovic – Two Mothers.

An unusual bond compels an Irish mother of twins to travel to war-torn Ukraine in order to rescue the woman who carried her babies.

Caroline Williamson & Troi Lee – Turn up the Bass.

This is the remarkable story of Troi...

Casting

Musician Zayn Malik, “Bridgerton” star Simone Ashley, three-time BAFTA winner Mo Gilligan (“The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan”), Sophie Okonedo (“Slow Horses”) and Dylan Llewellyn (“Derry Girls”) will lead the voice cast of CG animated family comedy “10 Lives.”

“10 Lives” is the story of a pampered and selfish cat who takes for granted the lives he has been dealt. After carelessly losing his ninth life he begs to be given a second chance, an opportunity to show he can learn from his mistakes. Eventually his wish is granted, but with certain, hilarious stipulations.

The film is directed by Chris Jenkins (“Duck Duck Goose”) and produced by Guy Collins and Sean Feeney for 10 Lives Productions Ltd, with casting by Robyn Klein and Jeremy Ross. Gfm Animation will be presenting first look footage at the upcoming American Film Market. The animation studio is L’Atelier Animation in Montreal.

***

Meanwhile, the cast of professional...

The Edinburgh TV festival has revealed the 30 successful candidates selected for its popular ‘Ones to Watch’ program.

Reflecting the nature of the U.K. television industry, more than 70% of the candidates, including producers, directors, writers and journalists, are freelance, and the rest are from leading production companies and broadcasters, including the BBC, Lime Pictures, True North and Rdf. Of the 30 selected, 77% are women, 40% are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (Bame) backgrounds, 37% work outside of London and 33% are disabled.

The candidates will benefit from bespoke sessions and training, access to the digital edition of the TV Festival in August, and receive 12 months of mentoring from senior industry figures.

Founded in 1994, ‘Ones to Watch’ is designed for those who have three or more years’ experience in TV and are looking to make the next major move in their career. “House Through Time” host David Olusoga, who is delivering the festival’s MacTaggart Lecture this year,...