David George, Director of MINI UK, said: “The sponsorship and the work perfectly captures the Countryman’s spirit of adventure from behind the wheel of the biggest, boldest most adventurous MINI ever – The MINI Countryman.”
Ben Levy, Strategic Planning Lead at Wavemaker added: “A television sponsorship was the perfect next step for MINI’s vision of adventure.
“We’re very pleased to have landed the Channel 4 deal, which will align MINI’s new model with a daring audience, and surely drive further growth for the much-loved brand.”
Simon Poett, Executive Creative Director at The Brooklyn Brothers, says: “It’s always a privilege to work with such an optimistic and iconic brand and product range at this time.
“Our ‘Adventchaaa’ idents celebrate our thirst for fun & possibility in the everyday. Even at a time when it’s been thwarted, our thirst for Adventchhhha remains. Michael Lennox brought inspiring simplicity and a comedic deftness of touch to the work.”
After two decades of marriage, you might assume Emelia and Jeff know each other as well as they know themselves. Hiding the smallest of idiosyncrasies for that long requires an impressive amount of effort, but locking away the core of one’s identity would be a herculean task. On the night of their 20th anniversary, however, Emelia discovers a deeply hidden secret about her husband’s identity through a pair of VR glasses, buried inside of him since before the two met. Blending sci-fi with human sensibilities, “VERT,” is a beautiful film about the power of bravery, acceptance, and unconditional love to release a lifetime of internalized shame.
Featuring flawless performances from Nick Frost of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy and BAFTA Nominee Nikki Amuka-Bird, we are honoured to present “VERT” as the winner of the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival.
On inspiration:
“I was thinking how identities can change over time and toying with the idea of a script around this. At the same time I met with Nick Frost, and that evening the story just poured out of me. I was fascinated by what lies behind a very masculine exterior.”
On casting:
“I wrote the script with Nick Frost in mind and so I was delighted when he accepted, replying to my email with just ‘I’m in’! I was blown away when I heard Nikki Amuka Bird loved the script and she really helped me develop her character, Emelia. Casting Director Clare Harlow came onboard to find ‘Jem’. She suggested rising star Olivia Vinall, and I knew immediately she was right. Olivia embraced the improvised scene with such creativity and trust. My actors made it such a dreamy shoot for me.”
On separating reality from a virtual world:
“I always imagined the VR world being lit differently. Aaron Reid and Gaffer Lee Parfait gave me the luxury of choice and what we found just felt right. I learned that those colours are called ‘bisexual lighting’ after the shoot. The sound design separates the two worlds really well also.”
On audience reception:
“I was happy that it got some laughs at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival. It’s impossible to not find Nick’s delivery of dialogue and Jeff and Emelia’s relationship dynamic amusing. I recently got a very touching email from a person telling me “VERT” changed their life and gave them the courage to begin their journey transitioning. That’s more than I could have hoped for, really.”
On challenges faced:
“We shot it in one day and my script was originally 14 pages long. There was a lot of harsh editing right up until the shoot day! Aaron and I pulled our hair out over how to use light to transition from day to night on such a small budget. In the end, layers and layers of neutral density filters worked a treat!”
On advice to aspiring filmmakers:
“Try and keep things simple and focus on the script.”
On what’s next for her:
“I have another short in pre-production and my first feature in development.”
Joel Fink is just another bored twenty-something looking for some excitement in an otherwise dull and uneventful life. A curious encounter outside a travel agent pulls him into an unusual world where he’s offered an even more unusual proposition.
A Blue Halo Films and Panoptic Films production, starring Will Merrick (Skins, Poldark) and Jolyon Coy (Mr. Selfridge, Beauty and the Beast).
We are proud to announce that Populace has been officially selected for the Sci-Fi-London film festival. Stay tuned for more information.
Mankind is reluctant to take responsibility for ravaging the planet. Populace imagines a world where the solution is to impose a strict genetic caste system, a eugenics policy that keeps numbers below the tipping point and protects the greater good. Clones are manufactured to carry out this work. Must we give away our freedoms to protect the earth from mankind?
The Herd: A brutal horror film with a compassionate message.
Inspired of a frustration at the mainstream refusal to accept the sentiency of other species, THE HERD takes that anger and throws it back at the masses. This a film which inflicts every torture suffered by dairy cows on to a group of captive humans. THE HERD is written by Ed Pope and directed by Melanie Light, and features the considerable acting talents of Pollyanna McIntosh (The Woman, Filth), Victoria Broom (ABCs of Death 2, Stalled), Jon Campling (Sleeping Dogs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows) and Charlotte Hunter (Dungeons and Dragons, Vitality). The score is by Laurent Bernard of the band Gallows. Imprisoned within inhuman squalor with other women; Paula’s existence and human function is abused as a resource by her captors. Escape, on any level, is hopeless as the women are condemned to a life of enforced servitude at the whims of their imprisoners for one reason only – their milk. Enslaved, inseminated and abused – every facet of their life is violated. At first the premise seems exaggerated and absurd; but is, in fact, disgusting in its stark normality. Deliberately avoiding the lack of finesse associated with “torture porn” and sexploitation, THE HERD eschews these in favour of a vicarious descent into the visceral nightmare of relinquishing the most innate rights of existence. A dark and transgressive horror short film, THE HERD also asks questions as to how we approach the sentiency of other beings and the importance of the concept of individual freedoms in modern society. Those who support the idea of taking an uncompromising vegan and animal rights message to a larger audience can find out more about the film and, should they wish, how to support it here: http://www.sponsume.com/project/herd
