Derry filmmakers given £40,000 to make a new documentary for Netflix
Programme will tell the story of a local man's battle to become a rapper
Sean Mullan and Michael Barwise are one of ten teams chosen for Netflix's inaugural UK Documentary Talent Fund.
Their documentary short film, HYFIN, will focus on Jordan-Lee Brady-James, aka HYFIN, a young Derry man in-between places, who is told that a Northern Ireland accent cannot rap.
Their documentary description reads: "Are you listening to me? If people can’t understand you, should you still speak? Derry-born Jordan-Lee Brady-James had his dualities set out from day one.
"Growing up in a city where everyone could be British, Irish or both, Jordan-Lee simply wanted to be a pro-swimmer. His dreams of escaping Derry’s daily grind came to a halt, as he lay twisted inside a crushed vehicle.
"Waiting on an ambulance, he turned on the car radio; between then and recovery HYFIN was born. Fuelled by an upbringing in the moments between, HYFIN is in pursuit to be Derry's 1st professional rapper."
As part of the UK Documentary Talent Fund, Netflix will allocate £400,000 in financing to fund ten aspiring filmmakers from across the UK and each team will create their own documentary short film between 8-12 minutes long, answering the brief: “Britain’s Not Boring And Here’s a Story.”
A shortlist of 21 filmmaking teams were invited to pitch to Netflix earlier this month and the 10 winning teams were then selected by a judging panel comprised of leading industry professionals.
Kate Townsend, Director, Original Documentaries at Netflix, said: “We’re delighted to be announcing the recipients of our first ever Documentary Talent Fund.
“We were so impressed with the richness of applications received and the originality demonstrated across the board, and want to extend our congratulations to this year’s deserved winning teams.
"It’s such an exciting glimpse into the future talent of UK documentarians and we look forward to collaborating together to empower each team to fulfil the potential of documentary filmmaking."
Filmmakers will be supported by a mentorship programme, with Netflix and WDW Entertainment working closely with the teams to ensure they have a strong network of industry figures to guide them throughout the filmmaking process.
The final documentary films will be delivered in January 2022, and will be showcased at a screening event to help advance the filmmakers’ careers.
In their finished forms, the films will live on Netflix UK’s social channels, with the potential for further development in the future and each team will own and retain their own copyright throughout the process.