Netflix has unveiled the six filmmaking teams selected for its third Documentary Talent Fund, offering these rising creators the opportunity to produce short documentaries with a £30,000 budget. Following an intense selection process involving thousands of applicants from the UK and Ireland, a shortlist of 12 teams pitched their ideas at Netflix’s UK headquarters, competing for the chance to bring their projects to life.
This year’s prompt, “You’re never gonna believe this…,” inspired a diverse array of stories. Among the winning projects are CRIMES OF COLLAGE by Maya Avidov and Savannah James-Bayly, chronicling an artistic prank that turned stolen library books into provocative collages, and DIVIDED WE STAND by Imoje Aikhoje, exploring the UK’s rise in far-right extremism through a dialogue between a black activist and a former Neo-Nazi.
Other selected films include BAND by David Chabeaux and Owen Tooth, which follows a factory worker’s bizarre obsession with a marching band cult, and ANGRY BIRD by Lisa Smith and Jack Lilleywhite, the story of a Romani racer reclaiming her identity after a life-changing crash. Eilidh Munro and Isabella Bassett’s THE HERRING QUEEN offers a look at a small Scottish fishing village holding onto tradition through a local beauty pageant, while THE GOOD FARMER AND THE FAILED SON by Ailill Martin and Peter Kilmartin features a drag queen preparing to inherit a family farm.
Kate Townsend, leading the selection panel, praised the originality and talent displayed by this year’s winners. “The competition was fiercer than ever this year and we were so inspired by the filmmakers and the originality demonstrated across the board. I want to extend our congratulations to this year’s deserved winning teams; they are such an exciting glimpse into the future talent of UK documentarians,” she said.
The winning teams will undergo a comprehensive boot camp with Netflix, receiving guidance on creative, HR, and production processes. Their documentaries, each ranging from 8-12 minutes, will be released on Netflix’s YouTube channel this summer.
Past recipients of the Documentary Talent Fund have achieved significant acclaim. Anna Snowball & Abolfazl Talooni’s Iranian Yellow Pages was nominated for the Best Documentary Short at the Grierson Awards, while Olivia Smart’s Black Stroke earned multiple nominations and won Best Documentary at the Wimbledon International Short Film Festival.
This year’s judging panel included industry heavyweights such as Aloke Devichand, Anna Higgs, and Felicity Morris, alongside Netflix’s Zainab Ali Khan. The panel’s diverse expertise underscores Netflix’s commitment to nurturing innovative storytelling in the documentary space.
Molinare will provide post-production services at a reduced cost, further supporting the winning teams as they prepare their films for release.
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