Five minutes with: Helen Blakeman
Playwright and Screenwriter Helen Blakeman tells us how she got started in the industry and offers some advice.
Blog
Read interviews and behind the scenes reports and reflections
Our quick-read 'Five minutes with' offers insights from filmmakers working today. 'On the ground' provides first-hand festival and event experiences, while our 'In focus' series takes a more in-depth look at the UK and international film scene from the experts.
Participants at our Ramallah Stories workshop in partnership with Scottish Documentary Institute, 2013.
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On the ground: Corine Dhondee at BronzeLens
Filmmaker Corine Dhondee travelled to Atlanta, supported by the British Council, to attend BronzeLens Film Festival.
Five minutes with: Ed Sayers
Filmmaker Ed Sayers talks about the 20th year of Straight 8, and how nothing's ever as bad (or good) as it seems.
On the ground: Abena Taylor-Smith at the Pan African Film Festival
Director Abena Taylor-Smith reflects on her trip to LA for the Pan African Film Festival, embracing spontaneity and what it's like to be introduced as a 'female filmmaker'.
In focus: A renaissance for UK documentary
We regularly work with festival programmers to uncover and showcase some of the most exciting new work being made by UK talent. Here, two industry experts offer their thoughts on the art of documentary in the UK.
Five minutes with: Mathieu Ajan
We talked to BFI Network Talent Executive and Bounce Cinema founder Mathieu Ajan about all things film.
On the ground: Jamie Dispirito at Outfest
Writer/director Jamie Dispirito reports on a successful trip to Outfest in LA with his debut short film, Thrive, supported by a British Council Short Film Festival Travel Grant.
In focus: British-made for the global village
Examining the role of the British Council film archive collection in the UK's 'documentary movement'.
Five minutes with: Morgan Quaintance
Filmmaker Morgan Quaintance wonders about his career high - and tells us what he's working on at the moment.
In focus: What’s great about UK short films?
BFI National Archive curator Dylan Cave looks at the UK's short filmmaking expertise, past and present.
On the ground: Jemma Desai at the BlackStar Film Festival
The American festival of films by people of colour energised and inspired our Film Programme Manager Jemma Desai.
In focus: A contemporary take on the British Council film archive collection
Three short films, each inspired by the British Council film collection.
Five minutes with: Abigail Addison
The BAFTA-nominated producer spoke to us about animation, making contacts and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
On the ground: Tega Okiti at FESPACO
Tega Okiti reports on her trip to mark 50 years of the Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou.
In focus: Do you recognise anyone in the British Council film archive collection?
With most of the archive unseen for the past 50 years, we're keen to find out if there are people who have a connection to any of the films.
Five minutes with: Nikola Vasakova
We spoke to Girls in Film founder Nikola Vasakova about career highlights, advice for new filmmakers and her next moves.
On the ground: Maria Cabrera at BAM
Maria Cabrera reflects on her time at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music).
In focus: Made famous by the British Council film archive collection
Find out about the illustrious filmmakers who had their big break working on our archive films.
Five minutes with: Richard Squires
We chatted to British filmmaker Richard Squires about his movie influences, Hanna-Barbera villains and the UK tour of his debut feature film, Doozy.
On the ground: Taratoa Stappard at Māoriland Film Festival
London-based filmmaker Taratoa Stappard looks back on his prize-winning trip to the Māoriland Film Festival in his birth town Aotearoa.
In focus: Putting UK animation on the map
What's next for UK animation? We spoke to three industry experts to find out.
Five minutes with: Tega Okiti
Producer, programmer and curator Tega Okiti champions letting curiosity be your guide and thinking outside the box.
On the ground: Brian Robinson at the Seoul Pride Film Festival
Brian Robinson, senior programmer for BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival, finds hope in a modern city where homosexuality is still taboo.
In focus: The British Council film archive collection looks back on who we were
Sarah Cole, Creative Archivist at Time/Image, the mastermind behind digitising the British Council film archive collection, explores the common themes of a united nation.
In focus: The lowdown on This Way Up
Three arts students from the BFI Film Academy share highlights from the film exhibition innovation conference, including their impressions of a vintage mobile cinema called Audrey.
In focus: Cultural connections for games
Exploring how games can reflect our rich culture.
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