BFI NETWORK Midlands Treatment Labs Spring / Summer 2020.

Anna has written a few short films, among which are FLESH, a short currently on BBC Arts, a Spanish language film called COLETERO, and a Random Acts short which was broadcast on Channel 4.

Annabel is a comedy-drama scriptwriter and a Writing West Midlands Room 204 Cohort. Originally from London, she attended Jigsaw Performing Arts School for five years, before she relocated to the Midlands. Annabel’s dark comedy play, PEPPERONI PIZZA was performed at The Edge, Birmingham in 2019.

Twitter: @ACABrightling

Cassiah's screen work has been awarded in the West Field Screenwriting Awards (finalist); BBC Script Room Drama (longlist); and Moondance International Film Festival (winner). She has directed three short films which have screened across the UK and internationally, and her next short CATCH A BUTCHER कच्चा बच्चे ' - an ambitious British/Indian period horror film - was funded by the BFI NETWORK and is due for completion this year.

Twitter: @cassiahjj

A writer-director working in Theatre, TV and Film, Dan has collaborated with a variety of organisations including the National Theatre Studio, the Old Vic, and BBC Radio. He’s also done a word search with Tilda Swinton whilst dressed as a nurse.

Jacob’s writing and script-editing work has played to a number of Academy and BAFTA qualifying festivals including Cannes, Palms Springs and Flickerfest.

Intercultural writing and research practice is at the heart of his work and has taken him around the world: to Austria for an omnibus sci-fi film funded by the Vienna Arts Council, Belgium and Northern France for a WW1 series, to Southern Italy for a WW2 feature and Namibia & South Africa to interview political figures and lawyers for a limited political drama series.

Most recently he has been commissioned to adapt a well known Australian autobiography into a TV miniseries. Jacob holds a MSA in Screenwriting from the Australian Film, Television & Radio School (2014).

Twitter: @JHBScreenwriter

James' most recent short film PANIC was financed through Ffilm Cymru Wales a BFI financing subsidiary. PANIC was selected to play at six festivals, winning two awards.

Leanne is also currently in pre-production with her BFI funded, directorial-debut short film, A LAST RESORT.

Career highlights include; script option with Leopard Pictures for original TV series ‘Yoohoo’ in 2017; winner of Best Newcomer at Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival 2016 with comedy sketch group ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’; Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off Competition Finalist 2016; Amused Moose Comedy Competition Semi Finalist 2016; Funny Women Comedy Writing Award Finalist 2015, Creative England in collaboration with Baby Cow & Big Talk - Comedy iShorts Finalist 2014, Sell-out Edinburgh Fringe Show 'Mis-Adventure' 2013, Guardian Pick of the Week June 2013 and BAFTA/Rocliffe New Writing Award Final Shortlist 2012 – where Leanne’s writing journey first began.

Twitter: @Leannedavis

"It is with that ambition that I have spent time refining and honing my storytelling techniques including completing a screenwriting course at Broadway Cinema, Nottingham. My experience to date is in short films which I am working on with a view to make my first feature film. Taking part in the BFI Network Treatment Lab has given me the necessary tools, insights and confidence to hone and improve my filmmaking skills."

Neil has recently made the semi-finals in two script competitions.

PEDALS  a short script written by Neil made the semi-final of the Grim North Script competition in Nov 2019. OPTIC a short which Neil  co-wrote made the semi-finals at the London Independent Story Prize in March 2020.

Over her career, she has successfully directed several films, including her award-winning shorts KALEIDOSCOPE and CHARLIE. KALEIDOSCOPE  was selected for and won at various film festivals across the world. In 2019, she directed shorts POWERLESS and ASPHYXIATE, both receiving 5 star reviews, and are now on the circuit. Nicole is also the festival director for the High Peak Independent Film Festival, a shorts and features festival in the Peak District, and the Manchester International Women's Film Festival, a shorts festival celebrating women in film.

Twitter: @directornicpott

He dilly dallied with English literature and journalism but madness kept pulling him back to the visual - said license was stamped again in Kingston, Surrey where he designed multiple books on a Graphic design course graduating in 2010 before finally, belatedly doing the art foundation he should have done in the first place which led via a year portfolio building to the fine art Masters at HCA.

In the meantime Omar has found time to write two novellas and a volume of poetry as well as play in a few bands and solo projects, edit and produce eight issues of gravity zine and make a short film.

Omar now works as part of Market Arts Studio, has a T-shirt business called Le Shit Skate Co and is writing his first full length film. He lives in Hereford with his wife and 2 month old daughter.

Since transitioning into writing and directing, Samona’s first short film – KINDRED, which was commissioned by the Barbican, went on to win Best Experimental at the BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2019. He is currently in pre-production on his narrative short film THE BALL GAME, which will act as a proof of concept for his first feature, YOUTH.

Sophia has produced various short films, music promos, and corporate video work,  including HAPPY NEW YEAR (2013) which was awarded the Pears Short Film Fund 2013; premiered at the UK Jewish Film Festival and screened internationally,  including The Geneva International Jewish Film Festival and San Diego International Jewish Film Festival.

Twitter: @VisionStella

A Derbyshire based Writer/Director with a love for telling genre inspired stories that connect on an emotional level with audiences. She is currently in script development on body horror feature YEAR OF THE HEART after completing BFI NETWORK Early Development Funding. She is also in development on a feature-length true-life TV drama with Glasgow based production company Blazing Griffin.

She has an interest in dark aesthetic cinema with universal themes as shown in WW1 supernatural drama ATTRITION, a co-production with Creative England and France 3, and also her Victorian period drama FAMILY PORTRAIT.