The selected candidates for the third year of Glasgow Film Festival’s New Talent Mentorship Scheme have been announced. The Mentorship Scheme is for emerging professionals working in film, high-end television or animation, from under-represented backgrounds in the Scottish screen industries.
Applications to the 2022/23 programme were opened earlier this year to those from minority ethnic groups, LGBTQIA+, low or no income backgrounds, and people with disabilities who live in Scotland and are not in full-time education. Each of the successful mentees will receive practical support and training over the next six months from leading industry professionals, as well as receiving complimentary accreditation for Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) 2023.
The scheme is funded by The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust and the William Grant Foundation. Mentors for the 2022/23 programme will be announced soon. The full list of successful mentees for 2022/23 are:
Nathalie Ahmadzadeh
Nathalie is an emerging Swedish-Azari Iranian screenwriter based in Edinburgh. Since graduating from the MA Screenwriting course at Edinburgh Napier University in 2019, Nathalie has taken part in several talent programmes and has several projects in development, in both Scotland and Sweden. She is passionate about stories focused around cultural identity and female sexuality, told through a comedic or horror lens.
Aidan Duckworth
Aidan is a filmmaker living in the Scottish Borders who will be mentored in producing. He enjoys the production of drama, with a particular focus on drama which utilises Scotland’s unique and ancient landscapes for the art of film.
His current projects include a series of online cooking tutorials for low-income families and a short film drama about fox hunting.
Hannah Hunter
Hannah is a filmmaker from Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan whose work embraces Scotland’s diversity and creative talent. A Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate, her films touch on womanhood, rural living and the ever-changing experience of being Scottish.
Mona Khanzaya
Mona is a Mongolian/Northern Irish entry producer in short fiction film work. She hopes to collaborate with Glasgow’s new talent and bring inspired stories to the screen.
She recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is delighted to be starting her career in the GFF Mentorship programme.
Misha McCullagh
Misha is an actor and creative producer. She is currently developing a feature film about prison reform in the 1980s and producing a stop-motion animation with BFI Network. Recent shorts she worked on include Candy, The Queen’s Speech and Howl, and she has also worked as a television production coordinator for the BBC.
She is driven to create work that amplifies under-represented voices whilst diversifying and promoting the wealth of Scottish talent on and off screen.
Conor Molloy
Conor is a screenwriter based in Glasgow. Through his work he intends to portray the funny, ugly, sad, brave, realistic, romantic and beautiful elements of life, while critically engaging with present day realities.
His own experiences with the UK’s medical, benefit and education systems inform this, and he aims for his films to empower audiences through a sense of empathy and solidarity, with characters that are perfectly flawed.
James Reid
James comes from a gypsy traveller background and gained a degree in television production during the pandemic. He has received several awards and nominations including a Royal Television Society nomination.
He is a very immersive filmmaker with interests in multiple genres of film, which results in something different with every new project.
Fraser Scott
Fraser is a director and writer based in Paisley. He is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BA in Filmmaking. His most recent short won the inaugural Young Scottish Filmmaker Prize at GSFF 2022, as well as the New Visions Award at EIFF 2022.
Fraser also works in theatre and this year directed Land at the Edinburgh Fringe and new Scottish musical Thread at Renfrew Town Hall.
Headshots of mentees taking part in GFF New Talent Mentorship. Courtesy of GFF.
Mentors who will be working with the successful candidates include director Johnny Barrington, producer Ciara Barry, producer Reece Cargan, director John McPhail and director Martin Smith.
GFF Co-director Allison Gardner said: “I am delighted to welcome this year’s mentees who have a number of very exciting ideas for their projects. Nurturing and developing filmmaking talent in Scotland is a crucial part of the arts, cultural and film industries and we are excited to work with this new generation of budding filmmakers.
“Part of Glasgow Film Festival’s unique role is to bring together industry professionals at all stages of their careers, to collaborate and grow the film community in Scotland. We’re grateful for the support of the highly accomplished directors and producers who will mentor this cohort of emerging filmmakers.”
Glasgow Film Festival 2023 runs from 1-12 March with Industry Focus – four days of events, workshops and networking opportunities for filmmakers at all stages of their careers – taking place from 6-9 March.
Press and Industry Accreditation for GFF 2023 will open on Wednesday 16 November. Applications for accreditation should be made online at https://glasgowfilm.org/glasgow-film-festival/industry/accreditation
The GFF programme will be announced in January, with tickets going on sale later that month. Visit glasgowfilm.org/festival for more information.
Glasgow Film Festival is run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT), and is made possible thanks to support from Screen Scotland, the BFI (awarding funds from the National Lottery) and Glasgow Life.
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Glasgow Film Festival
Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) is firmly established as a key event in the UK's cultural calendar. Launched in 2005, GFF has grown greatly in significance and is now a key launching pad for films and one of the top film festivals in the UK. GFF continues to grow and develop its international reputation. Held annually, it presents a unique programme of feature film premieres, special events, live and interactive experiences, and an Industry Focus programme for filmmakers at every stage of their career.
GFF was named Outstanding Festival of the Year at The Herald Scottish Culture Awards in 2019; GFF 2020 achieved more than 43,000 admissions; and in 2021, when the festival moved online due to the pandemic lockdown, GFF had a UK-wide audience of more than 41,000.
Previous GFF guests include Richard Gere, Alan Rickman, John C Reilly, Saoirse Ronan, George MacKay, Richard Dreyfuss, Karen Gillan, Jessie Buckley, Sir Michael Palin, Josh O'Connor, Ben Wheatley, Armando Iannucci, Jack O’Connell, Dexter Fletcher, Peter Mullan, George Sluizier, Peter Capaldi, Ty West, Richard Ayoade, David Dastmalchian, Eli Roth and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. www.glasgowfilm.org/festival
About the BFI
The BFI Audience Fund invests £5.6m of National Lottery funding each year to expand access and encourage greater enjoyment of cinema by connecting audiences with great films - in venues, at events and online. We do this by supporting:
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leading exhibition organisations, including film festivals, to deliver culturally rich and nationally significant programmes and events on a year round basis
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projects which help exhibitors and distributors bring the best of UK and international cinema to audiences across the UK through events, distribution releases, multiplatform distribution proposals, touring film programmes and more
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initiatives that address under-representation and are innovating audience development
We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. Our mission is:
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To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers
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To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television archive
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To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals - delivered online and in venue
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To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding
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To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s screen industries
Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter.
The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Tim Richards.
Screen Scotland
Screen Scotland is the national body that drives development of all aspects of Scotland’s film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support. Screen Scotland is part of Creative Scotland and delivers these services and support with funding from Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Find out more at screen.scot and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Glasgow Life
Glasgow Life is an independent charity which provides culture and sport services to citizens and visitors to Glasgow on behalf of Glasgow City Council. In 2019/20, more than 18m attendances were recorded across our venues, events and festivals.
For more information on the work we do in Glasgow and how you can support it please visit www.glasgowlife.org.uk