Together TV announces 2022 recipients of £100k Diverse Film Fund
May 9, 2022
Fresh from their win at the British Academy Television Awards, Together TV announces this year’s Diverse Film Fund’s chosen filmmakers.
Our Land, from Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund 2021, won the accolade of Best Short Form Programme from the British Academy Television Awards. The inspirational documentary was part of the channels Black, British and Breaking Boundaries series and details the work of independent growers and farmers in the UK who are championing diversity in agriculture.
Director of Our Land and Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund 2021 Filmmaker, Alexandra Genova, said: “I’m truly honoured that the film has been recognised by BAFTA and that the stories within it have resonated. I’m proud to have been able to give a platform to Robbie, Chris, David and Sam and this award is for them. Huge thanks to the incredible and dedicated team and to Together TV for their funding and support. I’d encourage others to take part in their diverse film fund, it was a wonderful journey.”
Alexander Kann, Chief Executive of Together TV, explains: “We’re absolutely delighted to have won a BAFTA for Our Land, which tells a vital story that hasn’t been told before and launches an important new voice in documentary filmmaking in Alexandra Genova.
Our Land was one of five Black, British & Breaking Boundaries short documentaries funded and supported by Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund. We launched this fund to give underrepresented narratives and emerging talent a platform. This BAFTA win is a really valuable recognition for this work.
As fantastic as this win is, we can’t stop here, which is why we’d like to take this moment to announce our filmmakers for this year’s Diverse Film Fund, continuing our efforts to elevate the diverse voices in Britain today.”
Each of the Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund 2022 filmmakers have been commissioned to create a 20-minute documentary telling stories from the UK’s LGBTQ+ community. For their individual films, they will receive production funding of up to £20k in addition to one-on-one mentoring and training from media industry experts throughout their filmmaking journey – from now until the documentaries TX in November 2022 on Together TV.
This year’s top five filmmakers are –
Ross Adams (he/him)
Ross Adams is an award-winning actor best known for his long-running role playing Scott Drinkwell in the Channel 4 continuing drama, HOLLYOAKS. Originally from the North East, Ross now lives in Manchester with his husband Phil. Before moving in front of the camera, Ross enjoyed a career within the drama department at ITV initially at CORONATION STREET before moving to EMMERDALE as both a storyliner and script editor.
Tom Gaisford (he/him)
Tom Gaisford grew up in Devon and studied Human Sciences before moving to London in 2016 to pursue his career in television. Since then he’s worked as a Researcher and Assistant Producer on various documentaries and specialist factual programmes, including for Netflix (Babies), Channel 4 (Unreported World, Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon), and National Geographic (Buried Secrets of WWII). Outside of TV, he volunteers at Knockout LGBTQ+ boxing club where he is training to become a coach.
Alfie Lang (he/him)
Alfie Lang is a documentary filmmaker from south Devon. He currently works as a Producer for Sage global publications in the day, and has been creating documentaries in his spare time for around 4 years. His passion for filmmaking comes from a desire to demonstrate the value of diversity, and highlight the importance of open discussion.
Anna Mouzouri (she/her)
Anna Mouzouri is a filmmaker based in London. Anna’s most recent short film, Fruity, was a part of BBC Four’s “BBC Introducing: Women in Film” where she was cited as an up-and-coming female director by the programme. During her time at the University of Gloucestershire, she directed her graduate documentary “Yes Mistress!” which is to be released on Amazon Prime this year. She hopes to create more work that will sit on accessible platforms and more art that spotlights amazing women and queer lives in the UK.
Shiva Raichandani (they/them)
Shiva Raichandani is a non-binary British filmmaker who is passionate about telling inclusive, intersectional, gender-diverse stories with a focus on social justice, and by using the performing arts as a narrative device. They were a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent, have recently directed a documentary for Netflix, and have had their works featured at films festivals globally.
This year’s judging panel included senior LGBTQ+ leaders from across broadcasters, platform operators, documentary funders and LGBTQ+ charities. The selection process was completely anonymised, all judges received the submissions with all identifying elements removed.
The generous media experts who have graciously donated their time to become mentors for this year’s Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund are – · David Clews (he/him) – Creative Director at TwoFour · Ashley Francis-Roy – Documentary Filmmaker and Director of “Damilola: The Boy Next Door” for Channel 4 · Emma Hindley – Creative Director at Brook Lapping, Zinc Media Group · Kit Morey – Commissioning Editor (VP) Unscripted at Channel 5 / Paramount + · Steven D Wright – TV Consultant, Journalist and Broadcaster
In addition, the filmmakers will receive private webinars with industry giants including BAFTA, Albert, Helen Landeau from Rogan Productions, former Head of Channel 4 Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production, John Yorke and Entertainment Commissioner at ITV, Natalie Rose. Each seminar will help the filmmakers navigate the various aspects they may not have thought of including pitching to TV commissioners, the world of Legal, Compliance and intellectual property rights plus advice on submitting their films to festivals and awards – including BAFTA itself.
Janet Olaofe, Head of Content and Scheduling at Together TV concludes: “We are so proud of all of our Diverse Film Fund filmmakers and I believe the best five stories were chosen. We are looking forward to seeing how the documentaries develop throughout production and cannot wait to see these stories resonate with people across the UK, regardless of their background or identity”.
Together TV broadcasts on Freeview 83, Sky 170, Virgin 269, Freesat 164 and on its BRAND NEW FREE streaming service Together TV – Live and On-Demand to deliver change-making campaigns through its engagement platform, website, and social media channels.