CONCERT
British singer-songwriter Craig David (“22”) and singer and stage actor Beverley Knight (“Sister Act”) will headline the Windrush 75 celebration at London’s Royal Albert Hall on June 9. The event is being curated and hosted by DJ and radio presenter Trevor Nelson.
The Windrush generation came to the U.K. from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971. The ship MV Empire Windrush had arrived in Tilbury on June 22, 1948, bringing workers from the Caribbean to help address a post-war labor shortage in the U.K. The concert will aim to capture the breadth of musical influence which the Windrush generation has had on British culture over the last 75 years, with performances including R&B group Loose Ends’ “Hangin’ on a String,” G-folk’ pioneer Hak Baker’s “Windrush Baby” and David’s “Fill Me In,” as well as renditions of classic tracks like Lord Kitchener’s “London is the Place for Me,” Bob Marley’s “Is this Love,” and Goldie’s “Inner City Life.”
Other artists confirmed for the one-off show are saxophonistYolanDa Brown, poetSalena Godden, calypsonianTobago Crusoe and accompaniment will come from theChineke! Orchestra, conducted by Chris Cameron.
The concert also be broadcast on BBC Radio 2, on June 18, as part of the BBC’s programming to mark the Windrush anniversary.
FUNDING
The BFI has made 24 new awards through its U.K. Global Screen Fund. Financed through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the awards see a further £2.1 million ($2.6 million) being allocated through the £7 million per year fund’s international business development strand. Companies receiving funding include Barry Crerar Ltd, Cornerstone Films, It’s A Lot Limited, Together Films, We Are Parable, ALT Animation, Brightrock Games, Caledonia TV Productions, Candour Productions, Coffee Box Games, trading as Bellular Studios, Firecrest Films, Huey Games, Kaizen Game Works, Good Gate Media, Italic Pig, Last Conker, Paradox House, Plug-In Media, Singer Interactive, Slug Disco Studios, Snafu Pictures, The Bureau, Vertigo Releasingand Wild Child Animation.
CASTING
The BBC‘s “The Way,” written by James Graham, directed by Michael Sheen, and co-created by Sheen, Graham and Adam Curtis, developed and executive produced by Bethan Jones, stars Steffan Rhodri (“Steeltown Murders”), Mali Harries (“Keeping Faith”), Sophie Melville (“The Pact”), Callum Scott Howells (“It’s a Sin”), Maja Laskowska (“Trigonometry”) and Michael Sheen (“Staged”) in the lead roles.
Made for the BBC by Wales-based company Red Seam in association with Little Door Productions, “The Way” has begun filming in Port Talbot. The three-part drama tells the story of an ordinary family caught up in an extraordinary chain of events that ripple out from their home town.
FESTIVAL
The Jio MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) Mumbai Film Festival 2023 (Oct. 27 – Nov.5), has expanded its vision and aims to become the hub for South Asian cinema and talent. The festival is now dedicated to showcasing the best of South Asian, South Asian Diaspora and international cinema, with a focus on supporting and promoting independent and emerging filmmakers.
Festival artistic directot Deepti D’Cunha said, “This year we are expanding our vision and moving from being a film festival focused on discovering Indian films and filmmakers to becoming a film festival that spotlights South Asian talent. We believe there’s some exceptional work being done by South Asian and South Asian Diaspora filmmakers, and as a festival, we are honoured to bring this extraordinary talent and films to our audiences in Mumbai. At Jio MAMI, we want to discover fresh South Asian talent and nurture and support the spirit of independent filmmaking.”
Entries are now open for the categories South Asian competition, South Asian non-competition and world cinema. The earlybird deadline for submission of the entries is May 31.
APPOINTMENTS
Global film and TV studio Fifth Season has tapped former Netflix director of content acquisition Travis Webb as senior VP sales, Americas, reporting into president of television distribution, Prentiss Fraser. based in the company’s Los Angeles office, Webb will spearhead sales activity for Fifth Season’s premium slate of scripted and unscripted content in the U.S., Canada and Latin America markets and work collaboratively with regional sales heads, the scripted television strategy division, as well as the acquisition team, to maximize revenue.
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Ahead of the merger with Zee Enterprises Ltd, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has made some leadership changes. From June 1, Danish Khan will serve as business head for streamer SonyLIV and Studio NEXT, exclusively focusing on digital offerings and Neeraj Vyas will oversee SPNI’s Hindi-language entertainment as business head for channels SET, SAB, PAL and Hindi Movies, both reporting into N.P. Singh, MD and CEO, SPNI.
MARKET
The third edition of the U.K.’s Birmingham film and TV market (Oct. 27), will include executives from All3Media International, Channel 4, Channel 5, Curzon, Fulwell 73, House Productions, Independent Entertainment, Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Merman, Paramount+, Sky TV and Studiocanal. The one-day pitch and market event links emerging producers and filmmakers with executives from some of the biggest production companies in the U.K.
A recent success story is the deal between the U.K.’s Independent Entertainment and Lowkey Films who have signed a three-feature agreement, one of which “Beyond The Deep,” was pitched at the 2021 market.
