Filmmakers project: Stories from the City

Connecting with others is one of the most important things humans need for a healthy society, and storytelling is at the heart of how we better understand each other, find common ground and celebrate our diversity. As part of our Better Bristol initiative Bristol24/7 has a focus on telling stories about the people who live in Bristol and helping groups to find their voice, so we’re proud to announce that this year we will launch a programme targeted at refugees and marginalised communities for aspiring filmmakers called Stories from the City.

To do this, we’ve partnered with boomsatsuma, who have gained a reputation as one of the most innovative providers in the South West over the last five years, delivering the highest quality education, arts and creative opportunities. The expert team have delivered projects to over 2,000 children and young people, and designed a bespoke education programme of creative media and acting that is offered in more than ten centres across the region.

“Creativity permeates all aspects of our lives,” says Mark Curtis, boomsatsuma’s creative director. “boomsatsuma seeks to move young people from avid consumers to engaged producers. A former student, Abdi Raman, said of our approach, ‘If you want to be a pilot at some point, someone has to lend you a plane and let you fly’. We put young people in a position to surprise us and in doing so we believe we’re fueling the next creative generation.” With this desire to put people at the heart of everything, boomsatsuma’s values aligned with those of Bristol24/7, making them the perfect partner with whom to design and deliver our programme.

Participants will create a film about a story of their choice, and in the process develop skills that ready them for work placements or further education. The teams will be mentored by some of Bristol’s leading filmmakers who will guide them in creating their films, with the aim of screening the shorts at one of Bristol’s leading film festivals as well as in a number of the city’s independent cinemas. “There are so many diverse voices from across the city,” says boomsatsuma’s creative projects manager, Lyndsay Davies. “We want to hear from as many of them as possible. Our goal is to harness and develop that hidden, emerging talent.”

We recently received some funding from Quartet Community Foundation and completed a consultation process with refugees at ACH in Easton.  Following this process we are now looking to secure some additional funding for the project.

For more information about who boomsatsuma are, head to their website here.

Know someone who would benefit from this programme? Or want to support in the project in another way? Contact partnerships@bristol247.com