Film School 2

Agender’s Second Film School involved nine unemployed women who were given the opportunity to get involved in the world of television and film and take their first steps towards taking this up as a career. It builds on the outcomes and lessons of the first Film School, which was based at the PPDG WIN Centre in Newtown in April 2006.

The women spent five weeks learning skills including planning, filming, directing, editing and voice-overs. The film school took place in the community, based at the Washwood Heath Children’s Centre, and students participated in two workshops each week for five weeks.

After learning the key aspects of film work the women were equipped with the knowledge to produce two films. One group chose to focus on the cycle of motherhood, while the other group produced a film about their home, Washwood Heath, featuring their street and local Children’s Centre. These two pieces were given a premiere on Birmingham’s Big Screen, Chamberlain Square, in July. A large audience witnessed the first showing of the films, and a reception for participants and their families, hosted by the Deputy Lord Mayor, took place in the Council House afterwards.  

When the course was finished and products were completed the women began two-week work placements to gain essential experience at media organisations. These included UCE Screen Media Lab, Maverick TV and the First Film Academy. One student won a placement with the team producing the Birmingham-based BBC soap opera Doctors. 

The project is a partnership between Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG), Agender, First Film Academy, the BBC, Screen Media Lab at the UCE, UCE Business School and Washwood Heath Children’s Centre. It is hoped that the project may soon be accredited so that it can take place across Birmingham, allowing many more local people to gain positive experience of the media industry

after the Agender project has ended. Outcomes will be shared with the WINGS transnational partnership, of which A gender is a member, so the countries involved can develop similar initiatives if they wish.

For further information please contact Fozia Fazil.

Copyright © Equal Agender Partnership, 2006