This year our film festivals are bigger and better than ever. Stratford on Avon Film Festival now has an evening awards ceremony with buffet and free drink from the bar for an incredible £22.
Love science fiction and fantasy? So do we!
That's why we run Envisage International Film Festival - a WHOLE FESTIVAL dedicated to the very best independent science fiction and fantasy films. Hosted in the amazing Millennium Point, it's set to be a festival that will thrill and delight audiences.
And don't forget we also have a horror festival and convention, Birmingham Horror Film Festival and the all genre festival, Stratford on Avon Film Festival.
So get submitting now!
Have we got an event for you, coming up!
Nestled right in the centre of historic Stratford-Upon-Avon is the Stratford on Avon Film Festival, and this year it's going to be bigger and better than ever.
A ticket for a block of films is just £3.50 or you can immerse yourself in film for the whole day for just £12.
Tickets to the awards event are priced at £22 per person and include a finger buffet and drink from the bar. Book your tickets here.
AutoAngels means so much to me. The ethos of helping people and giving back to the community is at the heart of nearly everything I do. But it's not just about fixing cars for people, it's about encouraging people to enter the world of mechanics and STEM in general.
So please take a look, subscribe and share - because we all need some angels in our lives.
But there is no denying that this is a tough industry to crack. That's why our team at Envisage International Film Festival, Birmingham Horror Film Festival and Stratford-upon-Avon Film Festival are so keen to promote student films and indie filmmakers.
Keep your eyes peeled for our big news coming soon.
Merry Christmas one and all.
I'm not going to lie, 2024 has been a challenging year but then, haven't they all? There have been some real highs and some spectacular lows.
I set up Filmmakers United CIC and Envisage International Film Festival which is already receiving lots of film submissions, and I have realised a tonne of things, both metaphorical and actual. I've watched some amazing films whilst hosting the Stratford on Avon Film Festival and the Birmingham Horror Film Festival and I've been nothing but impressed by the standard of the films and documentaries.
Now that I'm watching and rating the submissions that are pouring in for Envisage International Film Festival, I'm humbled by the talent I see around me, so much so that recently whilst watching a much acclaimed film on TV by a globally-known director, I ended up comparing the new films to that older one.
The acting in the old film is still phenomenal but everything else has suffered the curse of the passage of time. The dialogue was dated, the camera skills clunky and it was too heavy in close-up "dramatic shots". But more damning was the attitude and concept of the film which centred around the fact that a man had been imprisoned for rape but - and get this - it was most likely wrongful imprisonment because the prosecuting lawyer "had buried" the fact that the "girl was promiscuous". Sorry, what?
I'm not going to delve into societal changes which are now reflected on our screens - that's a whole different conversation. My point is that line would never have been written in a modern film - and the world is a better place for that shift. And yet I am jarred by the realisation that I have found myself emotionally back where I was in my twenties, striving forward, desperate to change the world for the better, but this time filled with less hope and more acknowledgement that I am but a minute speck in the universe.
Recently having had Covid for the umpteenth time I missed a social event I was due to attend and afterwards I was told I was missed. I think the surprise on my face showed. I can't imagine anyone missed me at all. And yet this year has brought great validation for my work from both my peers and from those much more established and higher up the industry ladder than I.
My little animation got five film festival nominations, one of which was from the Royal Television Society no less, and I have genuinely lost count of the amount of people who told me they were touched by it. TV commissioners have gone out of their way to tell me how much they love my scripts and people I have worked with have given genuine praise and congratulations. I've been told over and over that I'm a joy to work with and that my work deserves success and yet I feel like a coiled spring inside.
All my life I've aimed to make the world a better, kinder place. I've rescued animals, I've volunteered for charities, I've done a tonne of stuff that might have impacted one or two lives for the better, but never really made a huge difference anywhere. My plan remains to use the profits from my various companies to do the job better. But there is still so much cruelty everywhere. I turn on the news and am bombarded with sickening images and stories. Instagram and social media in general is a scroll through cruelty interspersed with vacuous people sharing pointless posts.
I spent two days this week trying to find the owners of a very ill cat I'd found before it got put to sleep; I rescued lots of pigeons and birds which didn't make it and my soul aches with the seeming futility of it all. And then yesterday I saw the most beautiful, lush fox in my garden, and I was reminded that there is still so much beauty in the world. So much to still keep fighting for.
Next year I shall be launching several new books and have a lot of exciting news to announce so until then I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. But if you are like me and not currently filled with the joys of the season, just remember you're not alone in feeling more than a little blue.
Until 2025... x
Two days ago I pressed a button which set a chain of events into motion. Perhaps you'll remember that I said I had 5 big announcements to make? Well this is the first of them.
Envisage International Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing all independent productions of a science fiction or fantasy nature. If you've never really thought about those genres then let me be more specific. This includes space opera (think Star Wars and Star Trek, A Space Odessy, etc), dystopian works (the likes of The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games) and so on.
As a writer of science fiction it's always fascinated me when people tell me they don't like science fiction or fantasy genres... and then tell me the films and TV shows they do like, such as Avatar, Fantastic Beasts and Stranger Things. Because guess what? Those things exactly fit the genres I love so much.
So back to Envisage. It's brand new and brought to you by the team behind Stratford On Avon Film Festival and Birmingham Horror Film Festival. It's going to debut at the amazing Millennium Point in Birmingham, and its entry fees are super affordable, starting at £5 for a micro short submission.
So what are you waiting for? Get submitting. Click here to read more about the festival.
Just James didn't win an award in its category at The Royal Television Society but I really didn't mind.
To be nominated alongside three other animations from large, established and very professional teams was enough for me. One day Rodders, one day...
Just James has been nominated for a further two awards! I can't tell you how much this means to me - I'm absolutely stunned but very thrilled.
As well as the Royal Television Society nomination, it has just been announced by Birmingham Film Festival that it has been nominated for "The Audience Vote Award" and also "The Bull Award," which is presented to the best film of the entire festival!
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And don't forget, I also write books.
I know that I have just announced that I have a new company, but there's even more news coming. The Stratford-upon-Avon Film Festival is almost here.
Get your tickets now.
Screenings 2024 | S-O-A-FilmFestival (stratford-on-avon-filmfestival.com)
It brings us immense joy to announce that our company, Filmmakers United, which has been organising film festivals in the UK since 2015, is now officially registered as a Community Interest Company in Britain.
We are delighted to introduce the new directors of our company:
CARMEN CAPUANO a respected author, screenwriter, and producer;
GARY ANTHONY ROGERS, a Director of Photography, filmmaking tutor, and film festival director;
and LALIT BHUSAL, the founder of Filmmakers United and an award-winning filmmaker and film festival director.
Our Community Interest Company is dedicated to promoting sustainable film festivals/ film production and providing a range of services to support filmmakers in their endeavours.
Soon we will release list of film festivals which we are actively running in United Kingdom and in Europe with our international partners.
Thank you for your love and support.
I'm delighted to announce that this sweet little short has been nominated for an award by Midlands Movies. I loved creating and writing the story.
I've lots of announcements to make in the coming weeks but first up...
I'm absolutely thrilled to be part of such an amazing and worthwhile organisation. More details coming soon.
James, somewhere on the autistic spectrum, is heartbroken when the object of his admiration doesn't reciprocate his feelings.
We have big news coming, so make sure not to miss out!
Happy reading!
Within the last two weeks I have watched two immensely enjoyable films which although very different, both left me in tears at the end.
The first was I Am Woman, the story of Helen Reddy's rise to fame as a singer in the 60s and 70s. A completely flawless portrayal by actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey of a woman who was both vulnerable and full of gritty determination, was of course only part of the appeal.
Cobham-Hervey was supported by a plethora of fabulous actors who seemed to live and breathe and totally embody the very real-life people who had surrounded Reddy during her lifetime.
And that song! Was there ever a song that could be a better anthem for 50% of the population? I'd heard I Am Woman, growing up in the 70s in Glasgow, but never had I attached so much significance to the song. Before, it had rolled off my tongue as I sang along, attaching my own petty (and sometimes not so petty) problems to the lyrics... but watching the film, seeing Reddy's very real struggles in a world that did not even give women command of their own bodies, let alone destinies, I finally got the real sentiment of the song. Not the easy - we are all equal - but the more complex idea, that women had been equal all along, it was just that men had failed to notice.
And so crying my eyes out, I finished watching the film and gave thanks to all those women, who for centuries have fought oppression, so that I - a woman - can sit here today and push out script after script, novel after novel and not be dismissed as 'just a woman'.
Sadly, Helen Reddy died last September. Not through Covid but through complications of her failing health and dementia. She'll never know the effect her story had upon me. But I know that she was aware of the effect it had already had on countless millions.
So if you haven't watched the film, I urge you to do so.
The second film which made me cry was Anna And The Apocalypse. Another musical, it has however a completely different feel and subject matter of I am Woman.
Hats off to the writers and director of this film. It could have been a fly-away thing, something to watch on a wet Sunday afternoon in lockdown. But actually the film had soul (if you'll forgive the pun, being as the film was about zombies).
This, as they made very clear during one of the many catchy songs, was to have no Hollywood ending. And the film (enjoyable throughout) was strengthened by its non-Hollywood ending. It was a brave move and one which in my opinion paid off, giving the whole film a depth and compassion that elevated it beyond what it would otherwise have been.
Ella Hunt was stunning in the lead role and acted, sang and danced her way through it with aplomb. She's certainly going on my list of actresses I'd like to cast in one of my films.
The only thing I didn't like in the whole of the film was the pram lying abandoned on the road and the zombie attacking it in one of the opening scenes. That in my opinion was a step too far... but otherwise a great film.
Again, if you haven't seen it, make time to do so.
And look out for my big news, coming soon.
Happy viewing! x
I'm very proud to say that as well as setting up my own company this year, Emmeline Productions, I'm also a founding member of the Birmingham-based writing collective, Script Sirens.
As you can see, we didn't win but we came second, which for something in its infancy, is pretty damned good.
So keep your eyes peeled and your ears pinned back, because I hope to be able to give you a little update on exactly what we've been up to at Emmeline, very soon.
Until then, happy reading and stay safe. x
The wonderful Lee Greenhough interviewed me about my hopes, beliefs and new pescatarianism.
The short interview is here.
Many, many thanks to Lee for inviting me to talk. Apologies if I made his ears bleed with all my chatter.
Happy listening! xx
