Selected Press
Heart of Invictus | Honouring the heartbreaking achievements of Harry’s Heroes
★★★★
“The power of sport to unite people, to reopen a world, to provide community, support, stimulation, distraction, a focus on a higher purpose is everywhere on show. But the films resist a relentlessly triumphalist narrative and the temptation to present Invictus – or sport generally – as a universal panacea…By the end we have alighted on the proper subject; war and the pity of war.”
Heart of Invictus review — this is Prince Harry at his best
★★★★
“Heart of Invictus channels the opposite energy. It features humanity at its best and most resilient…It is about the quite phenomenal courage of people from around the world — Denmark, South Korea, Ukraine, Britain, America — who have jaw-dropping stories to tell. All the stories, which are told over five episodes, are remarkable and humbling.”
FILM LONDON’S BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING 2023 COHORT ANNOUNCED
“UK’s Film London has unveiled the 12 participants of its third Breaking The Glass Ceiling programme, an initiative aimed at mid-level industry professionals from ethnically diverse backgrounds…Its aim is to support the individual’s career development and retain key talent from entry and mid-level to senior and management roles. Each participant receives their own mentor in addition to training and talks from industry folk including BBC Films’ Eva Yates; Working Titles co-founder Tim Bevan; BFI CEO Ben Roberts; Bafta chair and talent agent Sara Putt; Amazon’s head of content Tushar Jindal; and Netflix director of global film Teresa Moneo. Previous participants have included Rocks producer and former Screen Star of Tomorrow Ameenah Ayub Allen, and former Netflix director of UK features Fiona Lamptey.”
225 Film Club: winners and shortlisted films reviewed
“For me this fascinating and humbling documentary short was the most captivating of them all. Filmmaker Georgie Yukiko Donovan, a young woman who herself feels she exists in two worlds (she is of Japanese heritage, and a fluent Japanese speaker, but grew up in the UK) investigates the world of the Ama divers…The small community of Ama that Donovan visits live near a town colloquially called “The town where women shine”, though their way of life is under threat; ironic considering the sustainable way they live is one many of us claim to want. Donovan’s enthusiasm, perception, keenness to listen and understanding of Japanese life make this a wonderful watching experience.”
Oscars 2020: Why do ‘male tales’ tend to win awards?
“Georgie Yukiko Donovan, a British-East Asian director, got her first film, Ama, funded by the Female Film Force initiative, but wonders whether the years of disappointment of female filmmakers failing to break through affect the number of awards-season submissions.
“Unless there is real, actionable change, so many women won’t make the effort to submit their films for consideration, because that can also cost money,” she points out. “There’s a practical need for awards. It’s like a stamp of approval that gets you to the next level of filmmaking. Succeed with, say, an award at a film festival and it can be a gamechanger. But it takes money to launch a campaign, so it’s all tied into gender, race, money and class.”