The FOCUS Award offers mentorship with top corporate film companies to Black filmmakers and filmmakers of colour aged between 18-25 years old and is now in its third year.
This year the award has kindly been sponsored by The Edge Picture Company and Gorilla Gorilla! Thanks to their support we are able to offer our two winning filmmakers £500 each to go towards their filmmaking careers alongside the mentorship programme.
We also offer everyone on our shortlist a mentorship conversation with one of our mentors as well as feedback. Our mentors are Dean Beswick (Gorilla Gorilla!), Sara Cooper (Plastic Pictures), Liz Robinson (Media Zoo) and Pete Stevenson (The Edge Picture Company). Thank you all for dedicating your time and attention to this scheme and to the filmmakers of the future.
Our winners are:
Exhale by Adekemi Roluga
Our mentors said, “This piece truly made the hairs on my arms stand up! The narratives were clear, concise, and compelling, drawing me in from the start.”
La Bayk by Raihan Kamal
Our mentors said, “La Bayk was beautifully considered and crafted. Brave and raw, it held my attention.”
Thank you so much to all of our entrants, and to our mentors and sponsors for their support of this scheme. Winners will start their first tranche of mentorship in September, and we hope the following six months offer meaningful support and guidance to help them develop their careers as filmmakers and understand more about what the corporate and brand film industry could offer to them.
Congratulations to Adekemi and to Raihan. We look forward to working with you!
Clarion Awards Ceremony 2024, London Stock Exchange, London, UK.
Photo©Steve Forrest/Workers’ Photos