In today’s episode Misha chats with writer/director Alia Ghafar and Producer Laura McBride. They discuss everything form filming in Glasgow City Centre at night to Guacaroni.
ABOUT ALIA GHAFAR
Alia Ghafar is a Writer/Director from Glasgow, whose stories centre on the lives of young people in contemporary Scotland. She graduated from the Film & TV programme at Edinburgh College of Art.
Her graduation film, SALT & SAUCE, premiered at BFI London Film Festival 2017. The film went on to screen at over 20 festivals in the UK and internationally, including Edinburgh International Film Festival, London Short Film Festival and Underwire Festival. SALT & SAUCE won the Scottish Short Film Award at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2018 and was nominated for Best British Short at the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards 2019.
In 2019, SALT & SAUCE was broadcast on BBC Scotland and streamed on BBC iPlayer, as part of their series NEXT BIG THING, which profiles emerging Scottish filmmakers. It has recently been selected by THE SKINNY magazine as one of their ‘Best Scottish Shorts of the Decade’.
In 2020 Alia completed SCUZZ, her next short as a Writer/Director, which was developed and commissioned by BFI and Screen Scotland via Scottish Film Talent Network. The film is currently being submitted to festivals.
Alia is a selected Writer/Director for the BFI NETWORK x BAFTA CREW 2020 professional development scheme. She is currently developing her first feature.
ABOUT LAURA MCBRIDE
Laura is an Edinburgh based producer and founder of Lothian Films, a production company which champions women Writer/Directors and diverse voices. Recently completed SCUZZ - written and directed by Alia Ghafar and commissioned by Scottish Film Talent Network as part of the BFI Network, is beginning it’s festival run having been programmed for Edinburgh International Film Festival prior to it’s postponement. Laura and Alia are currently developing a feature project together.
Other projects on Lothian Films’ slate include In Her Corner - a adaptation of the play by Mikey Burnett about a teenage girl changing her life by joining her local boxing gym, directed by Emma Ramsay, co-produced with Reece Cargan of Bombito Productions and currently raising funds as part of the Crowdfunder Creative Scotland Initiative, Groom - written and directed by Leyla Josephine which is in development with Short Circuit as part of BFI Network, It’s Over - a dance film by Sam Burkett with a crew and cast entirely made of those from the Queer community or who identify as women and privately financed Need - written and directed by Catriona MacInnes.
Laura has over 7 years’ experience working within the Scottish Film and TV sector across development, production, exhibition and education. Laura has worked in-house at Synchronicity Films as team assistant to Claire Mundell and has production department credits on The Cry (BBC One), Only You (The Bureau/BFI) and Get Duked! (Sigma/Amazon).
ALIA GHAFAR http://www.aliaghafar.co.uk/
LOTHIAN FILMS www.lothianfilms.co.uk
SCUZZ FB @scuzzfilm IG @scuzzfilm
IN HER CORNER https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/in-her-corner FB @InHerCornerFilm
IG @InHerCorner_Film
GROOM https://www.leylajosephine.co.uk IG @leylajosephine
IT’S OVER https://www.samburkettdance.com/
NEED http://www.catrionamacinnes.com
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