BBC Three is to show two documentaries made through a pilot scheme to find new filmmakers from the North of England.
Northern Docs was established at the end of last year and is supported by the BBC, Dock10 and the University of Bolton.
It put out an open call for ideas, which led to a pitch workshop in Newcastle, where two films were chosen.
These were Car Girls by Manchester-based Hannah Blackwell. This is about young women who’ve found a sense of belonging in the modified car scene. And Chicken Man by Danielle Giddens from Newcastle. Chicken Man tells the story of Thomas, whose greatest passion is breeding chickens for competition.
“We’re really pleased to see these films being successfully launched this week. For us, this is just the beginning, with the BBC’s stated commitment to further increasing output in the North and the move of C4 to Leeds, we really want to build on our relationships with the public service broadcasters to support this diversity agenda – ensure that there is accurate and authentic representation of Northern voices,” said Manchester film maker Mike Todd.
Northern Docs has been modelled on the Scottish Documentary Institute and hopes to address the under-representation of Northern voices within the documentary sector.
“I’m really excited to see the work of new directing talent on BBC Three. It has been a great learning curve for Hannah and Danielle and it’s what the channel is about. We look forward to seeing them grow in the future,” added Nasfim Haque, Commissioning Editor for BBC Three.
Blackwell has just been selected as a ‘One to Watch’ at this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival.
