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Netflix’s Inaugural UK Documentary Talent Fund: who won a commission?

Team Melantra • May 31, 2021

And the winner is…well, a total of 10 filmmakers who are part of Netflix’s fund for aspiring filmmakers. It’s all part of the Documentary Talent Fund launched by Netflix earlier. The filmmakers will each get a sum of £40,000 for a film that they will produce. The film cannot be longer than 8-12 minutes.

“Britain’s Not Boring And Here’s A Story”
“Britain’s Not Boring And Here’s A Story”

The brief consisted of one line: “Britain’s Not Boring And Here’s a Story.”

Beya Kabelu, one of the winners of the competition. (Photo Credit: Getty Images / Dave Benett)
Beya Kabelu, one of the winners of the competition. (Photo Credit: Getty Images / Dave Benett)
Daisy Ifama is one of the winners of the competition
Daisy Ifama is one of the winners of the competition. (Photo Credit: Getty Images / Dave Benett)

The panel of judges consisted of:

Akua Agyemfra (Cultural Strategist, bea.London / #Merky)

Jamal Edwards MBE (Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of SB.TV)

Joanna Natasegara (Producer, Director & Founder of Academy Award®-winning production company, Violet Films)

Jonny Taylor (Original Documentaries Commissioning at Netflix)

Kate Townsend (Director of Original Documentaries at Netflix)

Kirsten Johnson (Award-winning Director, Cinematographer & Cameraperson)

Lindsey Dryden (Emmy®-winning   Producer, Director & Founder of Little By Little Films) Shanida Scotland (Head of Film at Doc Society).

Topics revolve around some current topics like identity, self-belief, empowerment and disability.

The list of filmmakers and the films they are working on was released by Netflix:

  • Beya Kabelu,  The Detective & The Thief –  Every hour a dog in Britain is stolen. We’ll follow the hunt for the missing pets; from the detective tasked with finding them to loved ones left distraught
  • Daisy Ifama ,  Twinkleberry  – Twinkleberry is a lighthearted documentary about my super gay school year that had 30+ queer students in one year group… in the middle of the West Country…  during 2005 to 2012
  • Dhivya Kate Chetty,  Bee Whisperer  – Bee Whisperer is a tale of conservation, community and solidarity through one man and his bees
  • Jakob Lancaster & Sorcha Bacon,  Seal In The City  – The only thing stopping London’s oldest fish market from being redeveloped into luxury flats is a seal, who has shown up there for breakfast every day for 15 years
  • Jason Osborne & Precious Mahaga,  Love Languages  – Five black men debunk myths and stereotypes of black masculinity by having revealing, humorous and vulnerable conversations about their own personal love language set within the comfort of their safe space, an Afro-Caribbean barbershop
  • Ngaio Anyia & Aodh Breathnach,  Tegan  – A young black woman with cerebral palsy is how the world categorises Tegan Vincent-Cooke – what we discover is her talent and drive as an equestrian, matched with unbridled dedication to reach the 2024 Paralympics
  • Sean Mullan & Michael Barwise,  HYFIN  – Jordan-Lee Brady-James aka HYFIN, a young Derry-Londonderry man in-between places, is told that a Northern Irish accent can’t rap
  • Shiva Raichandani & Shane ShayShay Konno,  Peach Paradise   – Non-binary Japanese-Irish drag artist storms U.K.’s cabaret scene with a gender-diverse, Pan-Asian collective of bitten peaches, to dismantle racial stereotypes with love and glitter!
  • Tavie Tiffany Agama,  Women Of The Market  – Introducing the markets of London and the entrepreneurial women that operate within them; trading, chattering, flattering and most importantly earning. These are the Women of the Market
  • Tobi Kyeremateng & Tania Nwachukwu,  ÓWÀMBÈ   – An intergenerational docu-fiction film on ÓWÀMBÈ in Britain – the life and soul of Nigerian party culture

Kate Townsend, Director, Original Documentaries at Netflix, commented: “We’re delighted to be announcing the recipients of our first ever Documentary Talent Fund. We were so impressed with the richness of applications received and the originality demonstrated across the board, and want to extend our congratulations to this year’s deserved winning teams. It’s such an exciting glimpse into the future talent of UK documentarians and we look forward to collaborating together to empower each team to fulfil the potential of documentary filmmaking.”

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