The Big Short is a Development Lab supported by BFI Network, Last Conker and BEAM Network. Exclusively for British East and South East Asian [BESEA] screenwriters and/or writer-directors, designed to get their short films ready for fundraising.
The Lab which will be delivered online, includes:
Bespoke one-on-one script development
Introductions to key decision-makers in the film industry
Mentoring from a producer
Support to prepare strong creative statements, pitch decks and applications
Support with building a creative team / networking
Have You Eaten Yet?
An estranged son meets his terminally ill father after many years apart. They have never seen eye to eye on anything and they're not going to start now.
Connor Wan [Writer-Director]
Connor has always been drawn to the power of storytelling and exploring his heritage to inform his work. After graduating, he worked as a graphic artist and videographer across a broad range of medium including film, podcast, promos and more. Recently, he was commissioned by Chinese Arts Now to create Heroes Within that exposed the untold story of the Chinese Labour Corps during WW1 which premiered at the Changing China Festival.
Help Me, Brother!
When two Chinatown pot washers intervene in a stabbing, elderly grandmother Ping is forced to reveal to grandson Hsu Chien that they are undocumented immigrants. With their backs against the wall, Ping and Hsu Chien must work together if they wish to save a boy’s life and evade the authorities.
Louis Chan [Writer-Director]
Louis is a London born writer and director. In 2020, Louis completed his latest short film Stationary, a tense drama featuring rising stars Aaron Thomas Ward (Call the Midwife, Eastenders), Rebekah Murrell (Nine Night, Romeo and Juliet), with Xavien Russell (Topboy, Small Axe) rounding off the cast.
To date, Stationary screened at the BFI and BAFTA qualifying festivals; winning Best Film at the Cardiff International Film Festival, Best Film at the Performance Awards as well as Best Acting awards for Ward and Murrell at Unrestricted View Film Festival 2020. Stationary premiered online in partnership with UK Fully Focused Productions and received over 250K views online.
Most recently, Louis completed his first credit for the BBC, working on comedy sketches in partnership with the BBC Writersroom and BBC3. Louis is currently developing a feature script, TV series and producing a sketch comedy series.
Kintsugi
Unable to move on from the devastating loss of her childhood sweetheart, Kazuyo decides to fill the cracks his death leaves by developing an advanced artificial intelligence program to replace him.
Nicole Miners [Writer-Producer]
Nicole is a biracial British Chinese actor and writer from Hong Kong. She co-founded production company, Roots Productions with fellow actor-writer, Riley Anderson. Their aim is to bring more diversity on screen by creating stories with a focus on those who are under represented. In 2020, Nicole attended the National Youth Film Academy and with a group of collaborators produced Novice, a film which explores university party culture and the issues surrounding accountability. Novice has screened at a variety of festivals including the BAFTA and Academy Award qualifying Raindance Film Festival.
Longing
A Malaysian national in London for business has an impromptu date the night before he is due to fly home. What follows is a night of connection and self-reflection, until the revelation of a secret threatens them both.
Courteney Tan [Writer-Director]
Courteney is a British mixed-race writer and director. In 2020 she wrote and directed Capture, a film which explores cancel-culture in relation to authorship and the white male gaze starring Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit). She has also worked across casting, development, production and distribution on high-budget feature films and prime time television drama. Her most recent credits include The Aeronauts (Amazon Prime) and Your Room Will Be Ready for the Royal Albert Hall. She graduated with a first from King’s College and studied playwriting at UC Berkeley.
Ullambana
Emily is losing her hair and her memory. When contemporary medicine fails her, she turns to supernatural forces which expose her past conflicts and family trauma. Trapped by a long standing troubled mother-daughter relationship, Emily struggles to retain her grip on reality while overcoming old wounds. Can she heal and become whole again?
Yuyu Wang [Writer-Director]
Yuyu is a London based multidisciplinary artist working across theatre, visual arts and film. Yuyu’s practice explores East Asian identities through cultural diversity in contemporary artistic practice and the global context. She has created work with venues such as National Theatre Studio, Royal Court Theatre, Traverse Theatre, Derby Theatre, Arcola Theatre, Camden People’s Theatre, Shoreditch Town Hall, Battersea Arts Centre, Blue Elephant Theatre and more. She is founder of and artistic director of Cheeky Chin theatre company.