ISIS
- Posted: 4th Mar 2010
ISIS is a groundbreaking documentary production and training initiative that was designed to produce great human rights films and give talented women directors the skills they need to get ahead in the industry.
Find out more and watch the films - Driving Force, Licks 'N' Beats and Mother's Day below
About ISIS
Sixteen emerging female filmmakers were trained over three months in preparation for the production of three human rights films. The finished short documentaries deal with children's rights, disabled access to public transport and the rights of parents with learning disabilities.
The initiative kicked off at the beginning of 2009 and involved a series of weekend training sessions in the practical aspects of production, directing and editing. Participants also took part in human rights film master classes with leading documentary filmmakers including BAFTA award winning Kim Longinotto. They went on to pitch their own short documentary ideas on a current human rights issue.
The documentaries produced by participants as part of the ISIS programme were executive-produced and edited by practicing broadcast professionals.
The ISIS films are:
Driving Force
Directed by Lucy Purdon, Camera by Samantha Williams
A mobility scooter, a travel ban and one man's fight for independence. Michael Clark takes on Newcastle's Metro system in a single handed protest to restore train access for mobility scooter users. Watch it here
Licks 'N' Beats
Directed by Patrice Lawrence, Camera by Carol Sidney
Do children have the right not to be smacked? An exploration of the use of physical discipline in UK Caribbean families. Watch it here
Mother's Day
Directed by Ana Tovey, Camera by Olivia Emes
Marie has already lost custody of two sons. Her determination to show she can be a good mother to one-year-old Charlie, despite her learning difficulties, is put to its final test at the Family Court. Watch it here
ISIS was run by DFG in partnership the British Institute of Human Rights and supported with funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Initial reaction from human rights experts suggest the films will be invaluable resources for stimulating discussion and changing attitudes.
Who was ISIS for?
ISIS was designed for talented women who want to get their break as documentary film directors.
“ISIS has given 16 talented women the range of practical skills they need to kick start their careers as documentary film directors, as well as human rights master classes with leading experts from the British Institute of Human Rights and Amnesty International UK.
We were overwhelmed by more than 100 applications for ISIS. The final 16 participants trained intensely at weekends over several months. They had development workshops and then pitched their film ideas to a panel of broadcast professionals and human rights activists. Three of the film ideas were selected for production with directors and crews all drawn from the ISIS programme.
I am very excited by the quality of the ISIS films. What a fantastic opportunity this has been for the ISIS participants. They have made great strides in their career development, packing so much learning and experience into a few short months.”
Deborah Kingsland, Executive Producer for DFG
“These are sixteen talented and dedicated women who will go on to do fantastic work within the industry. It was my absolute pleasure to help them towards their goals.”
Andrea Parr, BBC director and Course Leader
“The ISIS initiative has been an amazing experience, both personally and professionally. The course was intensive and challenging: we were treated as professionals from the start and expected to produce short films of a high standard. Working on human rights issues with such dedicated participants and tutors has been an inspiration and has given me the confidence and skills to pursue further work in the field.”
Lucy Purdon, ISIS participant and director of Driving Force
The three films were launched in May 2009 at Amnesty International UK, London.