Sky On Demand adds Diverse Film Fund shorts from Together TV
November 22, 2021
Sky Documentaries and Sky’s Black History Month collection now includes the five Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund short documentaries. An anthology of five themed films, going out under the banner of Black, British and Breaking Boundaries, they are a celebration of the previously overlooked stories within Black communities around the UK.
The inaugural Diverse Film Fund from Together TV was launched in March 2021 and commissioned the production of five short documentaries to celebrate Black British lives today. Each of the carefully selected filmmakers received a production fee of £10k to support the production of their films on this theme. The project not only endorsed the emerging British filmmakers financially but provided a production training series of webinars with industry experts, a mentor for each director and creative collaboration throughout the journey.
The initiative has been championed by Together TV’s Chair and Founder, Caroline Diehl MBE and by Together TV Trustee and ITV Commissioning Editor, Satmohan Panesar. The aim was to be able to elevate diverse original content on Together TV, which perfectly aligns with the ethos of the channel to inspire positive social change.
Each of the documentaries explores a very different aspect of the theme and were chosen to reflect the diverse scope of Black British lives today. A *brief synopsis of each short is –
Superheroes Wear Hoodies by Jason Osborne
Touching film shining a spotlight on a group of Black youths who helped feed their local community during the pandemic, proving that superheroes do wear hoodies.
Our Land by Alexandra Genova
Follow the story of two Black food growers from London, as they try to realise their dreams of carving their own path in the predominantly white agricultural industry.
The Black Equestrian by Sheila Kayuma
Three Black British women in Equestrianism chronicle their journey into Polo, Show Jumping and Dressage, highlighting the ups and downs faced by people of colour.
Barry the Beekeeper by Ikram Ahmed
A look at how the pandemic has affected Jamaican-born beekeeper Barry, who has been the heart of his local Liverpudlian community for over two decades.
The Beyonce Experience by Blaise Singh
Follow the story of Aaron Carty, who gave up a career as a police officer to live his dream of becoming a positive role model for the Black queer community as a Beyonce drag act.
Sky’s Director of Programmes, UK & Ireland, Jamie Morris said: “The five films which have come from Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund represent a great editorial fit for our ambitions for Sky Documentaries to be the home of authentic and diverse storytelling. We value our long-standing relationship with Together TV and hope to continue working together for many years to come.”
Janet Olaofe, Head of Content and Scheduling at Together TV, explained: “I have been fortunate enough to work closely with these five extremely talented filmmakers from the start of their Diverse Film Fund journey and am so proud of all of them. Having their stories shared with Sky’s On-Demand platforms audience is a huge opportunity and one they thoroughly deserve. At Together TV, we inspire social change through our programming and initiatives just like this. We are delighted with the content produced for the inaugural Diverse Film Fund and we look forward to seeing the positive response from Sky On-Demand viewers. ”
Together TV broadcasts on Sky channel 170, as well as Freeview 82, Virgin 269 and Freesat 164 and delivers its change-making campaigns through its engagement platform, website, fulfilment partners and social media channels.