Primetime Graduation Showcase
There are no surprises that Primetime, once again, superbly celebrates and empowers women, of all ages, across all departments within the Film and TV industry. During such new exciting times, with so many positive changes and improvements to be looking forward to, Primetime applauds and showcases women graduates to give them greater visibility and connect them with established members in our community.
All of those listed below have either been shortlisted or nominated for Student BAFTAs both in UK and LA, are RTS Student Award and Grierson Award winners & nominees, have had their film screened at a BAFTA or Academy accredited film festival, or have been selected for one of our Industry friends' programmes.
“Now is the time to champion new voices: here they are. Share their work, sign them, hire them”
Aisha Ford
F: A little bit of your background
A: My name is Aisha Ford and I am originally from Cincinnati, OH. I am currently an award-winning filmmaker studying as a 4th year graduate film student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
F: What is your current role in the industry or which one are you aspiring to?
A: I am aspiring to be a Writer/Director.
F: What should the Film/TV Industry do to promote inclusivity and diversity?
A: Recently, I watched a webinar featuring African American women DP’S. They mentioned that they believe that one of the steps that the Film/TV industry should do to promote inclusivity and diversity, is to be an advocate for people of color and women who lack the same opportunities that other people get. To champion them and not necessarily be a mentor but make a phone call to get them into the door and let them go from there. This is something that I personally believe in.
Another active action is, while on set, approach one of your PAs and ask them "is this what you want to be?" If they say "no" and that they desire to be a Director for example, if you are the Director invite them to shadow you for a few takes. Majority of the time people of color get stuck doing something that they have no desire of doing, but don't necessarily have access to the on-site experience. In addition, you break down some of the barriers that restricts them from communicating with other departments.
Riffy Ahmed
Website: www.riffy.com | Twitter: @riffypowerzz | Instagram: @riffypowerz | Primetime profile
Website: www.riffy.com
Ya’aburnee trailer: https://vimeo.com/407767734
Al Sarab (The Mirage) trailer: https://vimeo.com/393919638
F: A little bit of your background
R: Riffy is a London based Film Director, writer and visual artist who has had her work screened and exhibited in both the art and film world, with The Times, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Athens International Film and Video Festival, BFI Flare, ICA, Tribeca Arts Centre, Nour Arts Festival and the Saatchi Gallery. She has trained as a visual artist from Central Saint Martins.
Riffy looks to tell stories of ‘unlikely heroes’ we don’t always see on the big screen, particularly framed around women, BAME and diaspora identities. Her work cross blends between genres through visceral forms of storytelling.
She was the 2016/2017 H.Club Foundation's Emerging Creative for Film and Television, featured as one of Channel 4’s Spotlight on Directors in 2018 and recently recently graduated from NFTS Directing Fiction (2018-20) with a full scholarship from Channel 4.
F: What is your current role in the industry or which one are you aspiring to?
R: I am film director and video artist. My ambition is to challenge the moving image in both experimental and narrative ways through directing both short and feature films and television.
F: What should the Film/TV Industry do to promote inclusivity and diversity?
R: The key thing the industry needs to be doing is to hire talent that is diverse but also support voices that tell stories that are representative of worlds, characters and cultures that people can relate to and not feel alone. Being a woman of colour myself (British Bahraini and Bangladeshi) its very important for me to work in teams that are inclusive, my last film Al Sarab was a team made of of 80% women which was amazing. However, as much as this is important for filmmakers to consider we do need to see key decision makers in the industry also striving to make sure opportunities are accessible and for cast and teams to be naturally inclusive over time.
Neeraja Raj
www.neerajaraj.com and Instagram
F: A little bit of your background…
N: I'm a film director who loves animating, singing and the occasional horse ride! I received my MA in Directing Animation from the National Film and Television School, UK (2020) and my B. Des. from the National Institute of Design, India. I completed a 6 month animation apprenticeship with The Walt Disney Company India in 2016 and my most recent film called Meow or Never was shortlisted for the Student BAFTA Awards 2020. I spent the first part of my formative years in Indonesia and then the latter half in Dubai and India and now, the UK! The ever-shifting backdrop of my youth has opened my mind from a very young age to a smorgasbord of ideas. Knowing people from all walks of life has helped me create an open-minded view of the world and so, I am constantly conjuring up stories out of incidents, people, things - where there weren't any before.
F: What is your current role in the industry or which one are you aspiring to?
N: I am currently working with Nexus Studios in London as a Director on their commercials roster, which is extremely exciting and fun.
I hope to someday, direct feature length films and perhaps even run my own tv show. Big dreams, but not entirely impossible hopefully!
F: What should the Film/TV Industry do to promote inclusivity and diversity?
N: The film industry needs to take a step back and really look at the systemic structures in place that are furtively encouraging the lack of inclusivity. The only way we can we make strategic choices to influence change, is from within. Each and every person with privilege in the industry, should make conscious decisions going forth - from whom to hire for a film with a particular subject matter to working on getting rid of internal subconscious biases. It is only when we work together collectively as a group, that we can make a shift of change in our industry. We must broaden our intellectual vision to include a wider range of perspectives of races and gender; that is how we grow.
Annie Mullineux
F:Tell us a little bit about yourself
A: I'm Annie Mullineux, I was born in the Midlands in a village near Derby, and studied English Literature at Sheffield before going to the National Film and Television School to get a Masters in Film Studies, Programming and Curation. I was always drawn to the film industry and dissecting films; what makes a story compelling to an audience, and I’ve more recently felt I can have a hand in getting that story there.
F: Your current role is….?
A: I have produced a feminist, sci-fi Western short film, Gimcrack, and marketed films for distribution with Dogwoof. I'm currently working with Victoria Emslie at Primetime, curating the Graduate Showcase and aiding the more general admin of this extremely vital hiring network for women! I’m also looking to help develop more exciting narratives in fiction.
F: Your dream project to work on would be… ?
A: My dream project would be a collaboration with like-minded creatives, with a view to creating persuasive and touching work and immediate conversations around the subject of climate change.
Lydia Reid
Website: https://lydiareid.co.uk/
Graduation film “You're Fit” https://vimeo.com/333437683
F: A little bit of background
L: I am an Animator and Storyteller based in Kent. My practice revolves around themes of gender, often delving into contentious topics of self-love, self-perception and freedom. I often use a free and spontaneous approach to my work which correlates to my chosen themes. Moreover, the characters I create and the environments they interact with are often influenced by relatable experiences, which I find the audience can empathise with. I find that injecting humour into my work is and effective medium to help contrast the sometimes serious topics I choose to explore. Animation is the perfect medium for me to express myself due to how playful, fun and engaging it can be.
F: Current role in industry…
L: I am currently a freelance animator and illustrator. I often design and create promotional material for music events, including posters, merchandise and animated promo videos. I have also recently finished co-directing and animating a music video for up and coming UK artist Chi Virgo, it should be released at some point in August, so keep your eyes open for that! I aspire to work in an animation studio as an animator or director, I have experience as a freelance runner for Blink Ink which was a very valuable experience for me but made me realise how much I want to work in a creative position in a studio.
F: Let’s talk about inclusivity and diversity…
L: Animation is often created for children to watch, and so has a huge impact on their lives. There needs to be more BAME characters, characters with disability and LGBTQIA+ characters represented in cartoons. There also needs to be more shows and films about different cultures and lifestyles so that all children can find characters and idols to relate to. Studios also need to hire more queer, disabled, BAME and female artists to be able to tell a more diverse range of stories. Stories about struggles of minorities are of course extremely important, but we also need to be telling stories of minorities that aren't necessarily about what makes them a minority and their struggles within that. Children should be absorbing information about diversity and inclusivity at a very young age through media as this could make a huge impact on their morals and opinions in the future.
Lauren Hyslop
@lauren_hyslop_films is a camera trainee and aspiring cinematographer. She is currently studying Television at Falmouth University (@tvatfalmouth @falmouthuni). Lauren has worked on short films, TV drama, and commercial content within the camera department and is looking forward to continuing her journey in the industry full time once she graduates.
Her first short film as cinematographer (@organsofbusiness) just won Best Student Film at the Istanbul Film Festival. Lauren was also second assistant camera on Cornish short film “An Tarow”, alongside Primetime member and producer Ella Turner, which was nominated at BAFTA accredited festival Cymru.
She is excited for her final year and to shoot her own graduate film.
“I wanted to help curate the Primetime Graduate Showcase because so many graduates struggle to enter the industry once they leave University. By putting together this showcase, hopefully we can help shine some light on some super talented women, while also inspiring others and giving current students a goal to aim for.”
Daisy Leigh-Phippard
F: A little bit of your background
D: I’m a screenwriter and director with a background in acting and theatre, who also freelances as a film journalist and literary critic whenever there’s a spare moment. Having been raised on a steady diet of science fiction television, beautifully illustrated fairytale books and trips to half-ruined castles, it’s not surprising that most of my stories take inspiration from folklore, use historical settings to explore contemporary social issues, and often feature a headstrong heroine at its centre (although a spaceship has yet to turn up).
My graduation film, Sealskin, won Best Student Drama at the Royal Television Society Awards - Southern Centre 2020, went on to be nominated for Best Undergraduate Drama at the National RTS Student Awards 2020, was recently announced as part of the Official Selection for the This Is England Film Festival 2020 which will take place in Rouen, France in November, and has now been featured in Primetime’s Graduate Showcase which continues to promote our female-heavy creative team.
F: What is your current role in the industry and what are you aspiring to?
D: Currently, I’m building up my experience in development in the film industry, having been honoured to have had work experience placements at Number 9 Films and Wildgaze Films. Working with scripts and nurturing them into stories ready to be translated onto the screen is the most exciting part of the process for me personally. I am also working on writing and developing my own short-form projects in my free time that may or may not feature strong-willed marble sculptors, female Russian pilots called ‘Night Witches’, or mute seamstresses sewing cloaks out of stinging nettles…
F: What should the film/tv industry do to promote inclusivity and diversity?
D: There’s a lot that could be done - and a lot that many wonderful, hard-working individuals are already trying to do to empower access to our moving image industries. Targeted internships and shadowing opportunities; competitions for BAME, LGBTQIA+, female filmmakers; growing awareness of some of the more toxic areas of the industry’s machine. We share, celebrate, and hire people with stories we aren’t as used to more than ever before - we question assumptions about how much of a financial risk they actually are. But there are a lot of things we eventually forget too: why do we have to specify ‘female director,’ why are BAME actors only allowed to be a lead when the script specifically says so, and why are some cinematic lights literally still called ‘redheads’ or ‘blondies’.
A massive obstacle for underrepresented groups is just being able to stick around in the industry long enough to prove you have something to offer. Getting your foot in the door is a highly competitive and tough process to begin with and there’s a whole host of unconscious bias and discrimination at play within it. And the thing is, even if you get past that bit - by hard work, persistence or luck - and into a shadow placement or internship or even your own project, often these are unpaid or require the individual to live within London (or close enough to travel for early call times daily). People have to be in a secure enough position (financially, health-wise, geographically etc) to begin with to gain the experience required to work your way up. And sometimes it might be paid - but sometimes isn’t accessible for everyone. Some storytellers aren’t produced out of backgrounds that allow them to put rent on hold, or travel across the country at two day’s notice. But it doesn’t mean their stories and skills have any less potential. And don’t get me wrong, there are many incredibly talented people that find a way around this, or get lucky, or are able to work hard within these unpaid or low-paid jobs until they’ve gained their network and credits - but if we want to promote inclusivity and diversity, the industry itself needs to work harder. Maybe that’s providing smaller production companies bursaries with which to give interns/trainees travel or accommodation for the duration of their work there, maybe it’s expanding opportunities to working remotely (we haven’t even touched on disability diversity), maybe it’s organising industry professionals to visit more schools, university or public events around the country make the simple knowledge available to all. The answers will never be set in stone until we try them, so let’s start trying.
