We are excited to announce the eight filmmakers who represented the Midlands in the 2023 BFI NETWORK Creative Producers Lab. Our class of 2023 joined eight selected producers from the North on a career and creative journey over the last few months.
During this time, the filmmakers sharpened their production management skills, learned from exciting industry figures and expanded their filmmaking networks.
BFI NETWORK Creative Producers Lab 2023 is led by producers Radha Bhandari and Roxy McKenna and is a partnership between Film Hub Midlands, Film Hub North and BFI NETWORK.
The lab's Midlands cohort draws together Producers with a range of filmmaking and arts experience from across the region. We can't wait to see how their slates will develop and what projects we'll see from them next - but, in the meantime, we're proud to introduce the class of 2023.
Aresa Foster (she/her)
Aresa has worked in Production Management across a variety of genres including features, broadcast, live events and HETV over the last six years. She’s keen to continue working in production while bringing experience to producing her own short films.
Darsh Jani (he/him)
Darsh is a British-Indian producer. He has experience in screenwriting, script editing and a degree in Modern Languages. In 2023 he founded Polyglot Films, telling stories of Brits with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Gurpreet Mann
Gurpreet is a writer & creative producer, currently working independently at the intersections of theatre, storytelling, & film previously working in audio production. Her works often concern the cultural and social crises across Europe & South Asia.
Jenna Grizzle
Honing her organisational skills in SMEs, Jenna recently stepped into film working as a production assistant and producer in two other shorts currently in post production. Her aims are to tell minority led stories often overlooked by the mainstream.
Shaun Rhodes (he/him)
With a background in commercial work (including Disney, Playstation VR & Studio Canal) and documentary for Netflix, Shaun recently relocated to the Midlands & is developing his film & television slate with productions based within the UK & Europe.