Plant-based food company Quorn has launched a film fund worth £15,000, which is looking to select three teams of filmmakers from Ireland and the UK to create short documentaries (8-12 mins) exploring the topic and the challenges faced to become a society with more sustainable sources of food.
The Quorn ‘Pioneers Film Fund’, which has been created in association with planetSHINE, a sustainability communications agency that helps bring brand sustainability voice to life, aims to kick-start an important conversation around the future of our food in the hope that it will awaken new ideas around how we might feed ourselves in the future and positively contribute to saving our planet.
The topic, which is key to the future of our planet, evokes questions such as how are we going to produce our food sustainably? How will our diets have to change to do that? And how will we adapt to ensure we’re able to feed a rapidly growing population that is running out of agricultural land?
Mentors and judges include Andrea Walji, Head of Content and Production at Waterbear Network, the first video on demand platform dedicated to the future of our planet, Fergus Hayock, Managing Director of Picture Zero, a new production business focused on climate solutions and sustainable filmmaking, and Aaqil Ahmed, BAFTA and Emmy award winning media consultant, 25-year career at the BBC and Channel 4, council member of the ASA.
The Pioneers Film Fund comes off the back of a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shows that human activity is continuing to have a detrimental effect on our climate, which was released ahead of COP26 - the next annual UN climate change conference which will take place in Glasgow in November this year.
Directors and producers are encouraged to think outside the box when responding to this brief. The future of food is a big question, and stories can be found in the most surprising places. However, whether the ideas are big or small, they must speak to our generation’s challenge to protect our future.
With an emphasis on supporting emerging talent and championing diverse voices, the Pioneers Film Fund encourages any UK or Irish filmmaker with a story to apply, regardless of age or experience.
Directors are encouraged to find their teams before they submit, and they must be over the age of 18 and a UK or Irish resident to apply. Visit https://www.quorn.co.uk/whats-new/pioneers-film-fund for more information, including details on how to enter proposals to the Pioneers Film Fund. Entries must be submitted by 15th October 2021.
During production, the judges and planetSHINE team will offer mentoring sessions to the filmmakers throughout their process, as well as providing production support and guidance.
In early 2022, the winning three films will be released on waterbear.com, the first video on demand platform dedicated to the future of our planet.