O2 commissions Asian filmmakers to make shorts for cinemas
24th November, 2004
The mobile giant O2 is once again running a campaign to align itself closer to the British Asian community after the success of its Changing Faces exhibition last year. It has teamed up with up and coming filmmakers to produce a series of short films that will tour independent cinemas around the country starting December.
The short films were commissioned by O2 to be part of Changing Voices, the title of its new project. Each of the four films interpret the theme of communication amongst young people within the Asian community. Each takes a different route, from documentary to comedy, emotional drama to poetic visualisation.
Nicola Green, Head of PR, O2 said: "O2 Changing Voices is a unique project, highlighting the exceptional work of a series of up-and-coming Asian filmmakers. The films depict cultural identity, aspirations, and family relationships, illustrated via different modes of language and communication. In keeping with that theme we are using O2 video messaging and our website to make these insightful films even more accessible to consumers."
The mobile network has been making a concerted effort to target Asian consumers with selective campaigns. It was behind the Changing Faces exhibition last year, which documented the lifestyles and growth of 2nd and 3rd Generation British Asian youth from the 1970s to present day, using photography and a short film.
It also sponsored numerous Asian melas around the country.
O2 says the new films "highlight the diversity of Asian youth, culture and society". They all features O2 technology, focusing on MMS, with the emphasis on how it relates to everyday use.
Film 1 Title: The Waiter
Rajesh, a twenty something Asian male, is a waiter in an Indian restaurant in Brick Lane. He affects a Public school accent whenever his parents call - they think he is a Cambridge undergraduate. When his mother buys a new MMS mobile phone, she calls him immediately, urging him to text a photograph so she can show her friends. He travels to Cambridge, hires a bicycle, dresses up in a suitable outfit, and photographs himself standing outside one of its most famous colleges.
The Director:
Nilesh Patel is an Indian filmmaker. Nilesh directed an award winning short 'A Love Supreme' in 2001. It was shown in cinemas across the UK with both the BAFTA award winning 'Warrior' by Asif Kapadia and Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.
Film 2 Title: Family Portrait
This extended family reunite after several years apart. The family decide it important they find their lost bond by way of gathering together for a professional family portrait. However, as tensions snap, bygones resurrect and the past dragged back out, the still's photographer is unable to get one decent shot where all are happy…until something magical happens.
The Director:
Waris Islam has studied film for the last ten years and is a competent screenwriter and director. He is currently writing for the new BBC British Asian soap radio drama - Silver Street. Waris has previously directed a short starring well-known British Actress Samantha Janus and is currently developing a screenplay for a feature film.
Film 3 Title: Drifting on the Wind
Drifting on the Wind explores the intrinsic need for language and communication in the context of relationships. The story is told through the eyes of Ali as he looks back two decades earlier, when he first arrived in the UK as a little boy.
We follow his anguish and hesitation at returning home to Iraq after twenty years. We learn his story through poetic prose and flashback images to his childhood in Iraq. Throughout the film are images of flight from the boys' pet pigeons in Iraq, the plane he built when arriving in England and aeroplanes in the sky on his journey back home.
The Director:
Maythem Ridha an Iraqi born film director. Having cut his teeth in television, theatre and commercials, Maythem went on to produce the feature film Voice of Silence. Maythem is currently working on ‘A Plane For My Soul’, his directorial debut feature film, which was selected for development by the National Film & Television School and presented at the Dinard film festival by the French Association Regards Croises. Drifting on the Wind is his first semi-autobiographical film.
Film 4 Title: The Tardis
Based around and amazing venue known as 'The Tardis' in London’s Farringdon, this mini docu-soap follows the real lives of three young Bengali Muslims who break the mould.
Focusing chiefly on the dynamic 20 year old Selina, the audience are invited into the recesses of this amazing subterranean complex which hosts celebrity parties and film stars' private screenings. The walls are plastered with film memorabilia and photos of the A-listers kicking back in The Tardis' bizarre bohemian Bedouin interior, all under the ever-watchful eye of Jesus - the resident parrot.
The Directors:
Stuart Bamforth and Rayna Nadeem co-direct The Tardis. Stuart is an Anglo-Indian director, who’s last 30-minute short ‘Kalbe’s World’ proved to be a big hit, as is his current showing - ‘Children of Bethlehem’. Stuart has a phenomenal ability to capture the essence of Asian youth. Rayna is responsible for putting together the Clerkenwell Film & Video Festival.
The Changing Voices shorts will be screened from 3 December 2004 through to February 2005. Independents: Curzon cinema, Soho; The Gate, Notting Hill Gate; The Other Cinema, Piccadilly; Ritzy Cinema, Brixton. Additionally it will also show at Cineworld cinemas in London and around the country.
The shorts will also be available to view online at www.o2.co.uk/changingvoices and as video clips on O2 Active - from December.
Media contact: Octavia Goredema / 0207 208 5541
O2 Press Office: 01753 565656
The short films were commissioned by O2 to be part of Changing Voices, the title of its new project. Each of the four films interpret the theme of communication amongst young people within the Asian community. Each takes a different route, from documentary to comedy, emotional drama to poetic visualisation.
Nicola Green, Head of PR, O2 said: "O2 Changing Voices is a unique project, highlighting the exceptional work of a series of up-and-coming Asian filmmakers. The films depict cultural identity, aspirations, and family relationships, illustrated via different modes of language and communication. In keeping with that theme we are using O2 video messaging and our website to make these insightful films even more accessible to consumers."
The mobile network has been making a concerted effort to target Asian consumers with selective campaigns. It was behind the Changing Faces exhibition last year, which documented the lifestyles and growth of 2nd and 3rd Generation British Asian youth from the 1970s to present day, using photography and a short film.
It also sponsored numerous Asian melas around the country.
O2 says the new films "highlight the diversity of Asian youth, culture and society". They all features O2 technology, focusing on MMS, with the emphasis on how it relates to everyday use.
Film 1 Title: The Waiter
Rajesh, a twenty something Asian male, is a waiter in an Indian restaurant in Brick Lane. He affects a Public school accent whenever his parents call - they think he is a Cambridge undergraduate. When his mother buys a new MMS mobile phone, she calls him immediately, urging him to text a photograph so she can show her friends. He travels to Cambridge, hires a bicycle, dresses up in a suitable outfit, and photographs himself standing outside one of its most famous colleges. The Director:
Nilesh Patel is an Indian filmmaker. Nilesh directed an award winning short 'A Love Supreme' in 2001. It was shown in cinemas across the UK with both the BAFTA award winning 'Warrior' by Asif Kapadia and Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.
Film 2 Title: Family Portrait
This extended family reunite after several years apart. The family decide it important they find their lost bond by way of gathering together for a professional family portrait. However, as tensions snap, bygones resurrect and the past dragged back out, the still's photographer is unable to get one decent shot where all are happy…until something magical happens.The Director:
Waris Islam has studied film for the last ten years and is a competent screenwriter and director. He is currently writing for the new BBC British Asian soap radio drama - Silver Street. Waris has previously directed a short starring well-known British Actress Samantha Janus and is currently developing a screenplay for a feature film.
Film 3 Title: Drifting on the Wind
Drifting on the Wind explores the intrinsic need for language and communication in the context of relationships. The story is told through the eyes of Ali as he looks back two decades earlier, when he first arrived in the UK as a little boy.We follow his anguish and hesitation at returning home to Iraq after twenty years. We learn his story through poetic prose and flashback images to his childhood in Iraq. Throughout the film are images of flight from the boys' pet pigeons in Iraq, the plane he built when arriving in England and aeroplanes in the sky on his journey back home.
The Director:
Maythem Ridha an Iraqi born film director. Having cut his teeth in television, theatre and commercials, Maythem went on to produce the feature film Voice of Silence. Maythem is currently working on ‘A Plane For My Soul’, his directorial debut feature film, which was selected for development by the National Film & Television School and presented at the Dinard film festival by the French Association Regards Croises. Drifting on the Wind is his first semi-autobiographical film.
Film 4 Title: The Tardis
Based around and amazing venue known as 'The Tardis' in London’s Farringdon, this mini docu-soap follows the real lives of three young Bengali Muslims who break the mould.Focusing chiefly on the dynamic 20 year old Selina, the audience are invited into the recesses of this amazing subterranean complex which hosts celebrity parties and film stars' private screenings. The walls are plastered with film memorabilia and photos of the A-listers kicking back in The Tardis' bizarre bohemian Bedouin interior, all under the ever-watchful eye of Jesus - the resident parrot.
The Directors:
Stuart Bamforth and Rayna Nadeem co-direct The Tardis. Stuart is an Anglo-Indian director, who’s last 30-minute short ‘Kalbe’s World’ proved to be a big hit, as is his current showing - ‘Children of Bethlehem’. Stuart has a phenomenal ability to capture the essence of Asian youth. Rayna is responsible for putting together the Clerkenwell Film & Video Festival.
The Changing Voices shorts will be screened from 3 December 2004 through to February 2005. Independents: Curzon cinema, Soho; The Gate, Notting Hill Gate; The Other Cinema, Piccadilly; Ritzy Cinema, Brixton. Additionally it will also show at Cineworld cinemas in London and around the country.
The shorts will also be available to view online at www.o2.co.uk/changingvoices and as video clips on O2 Active - from December.
Media contact: Octavia Goredema / 0207 208 5541
O2 Press Office: 01753 565656
