BBC site shows innovative films by Asian directors
23rd March, 2005
As a filmmaker, showing your short film to as wide an audience as possible is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.
But a BBC site, hosting some innovative short films by British Asian directors, hopes to change all that.
Director Waris Islam, who writes for Asian Network's radio soap Silver Street and recently showcased Family Portrait, is one of those featured on BBC's Film Network website.
His 9 min film, titled Short, financed through the Film Council on a £8,000 budget, is about a short man's trials and tribulations on the Tube.
He told AiM: "I wanted to tell a boy meets girl story but was fed up of doing the usual no budget thing where it's two people, no props, a table a chair, an empty room and blah blah, so instead thought I'd set it in far more challenging enviroment!"
Starring Samantha Janus, the planned (Asian) male lead turned it down at the last minute he says, so the role went to someone else. Short was originally made in October 2003 and Waris hopes to have Family Portrait on the website soon. He is currently preparing to get funding for his third and final short film.
You can watch it from here.
Director Jon Sen, who was behind Channel 4's Second Generation, has two of his short films featured.
The Three Rules of Infidelity is a one minute comedy directed, produced and written by Sen last year. "If you're going to be unfaithful, follow three simple rules - but not necessarily like this," it says.
Bust, another comedy, is about two policeman who keep encountering a man determined to have a good time by whatever means. Both definitely worth watching.
Also featured is Dishad Husain's hilarious short Holly-Bolly. First plugged by Media Bandar last year, this 12 minute gem is about two young youngsters who like making non-mainstream films but just can’t get funding. When the money comes, they're forced to make a bizarre flick mixing Cockney Gangster and Indian Bollywood.
"The idea came about after my first gig after film school where I worked for a very shady music manager who wanted the coolest hip video known to mankind. The video proposal I sent in constantly kept getting changed and turned into the worst production I've ever worked on.... Umm actually lemme rephrase that," Dishad tells AiM.
Currently working in factual television, and on the verge of taking his next short film to international film festivals, he says the project was a perfect way for him to entertain yet say something serious. "The film also conveys my main ambition in film making, which is to create cool brown people and stories about them. I hope I never make a film about arrange marriages, wife-beating male chauvinists or terrorists."
"Although since I'm strapped for cash currently - I am available to film wedding videos and bar mitzvahs," he hastily adds.
You can watch Holly-Bolly from here.
Finally, also available to see is Seafood, the 10 minute drama starring Navin Chowdhry as a gay man looking for sex.
The BBC Film Network website is still at experiment stage and is on trial until June this year. However it is proving to be an invaluable resource already.
But a BBC site, hosting some innovative short films by British Asian directors, hopes to change all that.
Director Waris Islam, who writes for Asian Network's radio soap Silver Street and recently showcased Family Portrait, is one of those featured on BBC's Film Network website. His 9 min film, titled Short, financed through the Film Council on a £8,000 budget, is about a short man's trials and tribulations on the Tube.
He told AiM: "I wanted to tell a boy meets girl story but was fed up of doing the usual no budget thing where it's two people, no props, a table a chair, an empty room and blah blah, so instead thought I'd set it in far more challenging enviroment!"
Starring Samantha Janus, the planned (Asian) male lead turned it down at the last minute he says, so the role went to someone else. Short was originally made in October 2003 and Waris hopes to have Family Portrait on the website soon. He is currently preparing to get funding for his third and final short film.
Director Jon Sen, who was behind Channel 4's Second Generation, has two of his short films featured.
The Three Rules of Infidelity is a one minute comedy directed, produced and written by Sen last year. "If you're going to be unfaithful, follow three simple rules - but not necessarily like this," it says.
Bust, another comedy, is about two policeman who keep encountering a man determined to have a good time by whatever means. Both definitely worth watching.
Also featured is Dishad Husain's hilarious short Holly-Bolly. First plugged by Media Bandar last year, this 12 minute gem is about two young youngsters who like making non-mainstream films but just can’t get funding. When the money comes, they're forced to make a bizarre flick mixing Cockney Gangster and Indian Bollywood. "The idea came about after my first gig after film school where I worked for a very shady music manager who wanted the coolest hip video known to mankind. The video proposal I sent in constantly kept getting changed and turned into the worst production I've ever worked on.... Umm actually lemme rephrase that," Dishad tells AiM.
Currently working in factual television, and on the verge of taking his next short film to international film festivals, he says the project was a perfect way for him to entertain yet say something serious. "The film also conveys my main ambition in film making, which is to create cool brown people and stories about them. I hope I never make a film about arrange marriages, wife-beating male chauvinists or terrorists."
"Although since I'm strapped for cash currently - I am available to film wedding videos and bar mitzvahs," he hastily adds.
Finally, also available to see is Seafood, the 10 minute drama starring Navin Chowdhry as a gay man looking for sex.
The BBC Film Network website is still at experiment stage and is on trial until June this year. However it is proving to be an invaluable resource already.
