New feature in Film Stories, August 2021 – Prano Bailey-Bond Interview

I’m back in this month’s edition of the glorious independent movie magazine, Film Stories, issue 27, August 2021.

This feature is an extended interview with the incredible Prano Bailey-Bond, director of the hugely anticipated British horror, Censor, out in UK cinemas now! Destined to be an influential classic.

Prano discusses directing, her influences, the COVID delays to completion, horror and censorship. It’s a follow up article to my interview with the movie’s lead, Niamh Algar – also the star of Channel 4 true crime drama, Deceit, airing now.

The magazine is available for pre-order in digital and print edition.

‘Connie’ on Amazon Prime via Shorts TV subscription channel

The little fierce diva Connie has a new lease of life! She is back and has high-kicked her way onto Shorts TV’s subscription channel on Amazon Prime. You can watch the feisty foul-mouthed showgirl as part of a free seven-day trial now.

‘Evacuees’ in the Press – SFX and Starburst

My feature film, EVACUEES, currently in development with Kato Pictures, has made the press!

Big thanks to Starburst firstly for their continued support of my work. Full article here.

And we’re mentioned in Penny Dreadful’s fabulous column in this month’s SFX magazine (April 2021 issue). What a legend. We’re referenced alongside some awesome talent there – extremely flattering! Massively appreciated. Lauren Parker and I are chuffed.

Quantum Leap feature for The Companion now live

My first piece for The Companion has now been published. It’s an extended feature about one of my all-time favourite TV shows – Quantum Leap – concerning one of the programmes most important episodes – the first in which Sam leaps into the place of a woman – What Price Gloria. The piece is called One Giant Leap for Sam, Another Day for Samantha.

Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett, as Samantha, S2 Ep 4, Quantum Leap

I talked to the amazing writer and co-exec producer, Deborah M Pratt, who was generous with her time, about her influences, intentions and reflections on writing and making the episode, and the timely relevance of its themes. It was an honour to speak to such a pioneer.

I’m really proud of this piece. Revisiting the show has been a slice of nostalgic delight, but also a reminder that though we’ve made some leaps, there is still yet more progress to be made in a post #MeToo era.

Sam conquers 1960s sexism… in heels

You need to be a subscriber to The Companion to read my feature in full here, but it’s a great app and website for TV, film, scifi and 90s fans. A snip for some great content and different perspectives on all the movies and shows you loved from a cracking era. More on Quantum Leap from me to come!

Nine-page article in Film Stories, Issue 14, March 2020 – on sale now!

Aside from writing my new play, prepping for my next short film and cooking up some other secret projects, I carved out time to write another piece for the INCREDIBLE movie magazine, Film Stories, issue fourteen.

This time, I interviewed eight great directors about the challenges they’ve faced getting their feature films made, their inspirations, honing their craft, obstacles they’ve overcome and still combat in the industry, and they also shared their wisdom and advice for new filmmakers. Oh, and though not a big deal, all eight of these incredible directors are female filmmakers. Both Film Stories and I are proud of this. We celebrate them in this mammoth nine-age article, the longest feature that Film Stories has published to date. It’s available in indie shops, the BFI Southbank shop and to order online.

Huge thanks to the filmmakers who spoke to me around their exceptionally busy work schedules and personal commitments to share their stories and experiences:

Alice Lowe

Prano Bailey-Bond

Rachel Tunnard

Hope Dickson Leach

Aislinn Clarke

Rita Osei

Jeanie Finlay

Chelsea Stardust

And great thanks to Simon Brew, the editor of Film Stories, for asking me to write this, but also for consistently putting together such a brilliantly entertaining, informative, exciting, independent and cool magazine, and in glorious fine-smelling print no less, not just digital.

Blood Shed now available to buy on Amazon Prime Video

After about sixty film festival screenings internationally, Blood Shed is now finally available to buy on Amazon Prime Video for £2.99 HD or £1.99 SD in the UK and the USA. So a bargain price for a bargain shed! OR, better still, it’s free to watch if you already have Amazon Prime! So go, fly my pretties, fly… Fly over to Amazon Prime and take a peek at our bloody sheddy horror comedy short!

Blood Shed is now also screening in North America on ShortsTV, with the European premiere coming soon.

Selected for BAFTA Crew Film/TV 2018

Chuffed to announce that I’ve been selected for the BAFTA Crew Film/TV programme 2018! I’m part of a group of shorts to feature writers, directors and producers who are working towards their debut feature or TV show over the next few years.

Looking forward to meeting everyone and getting started on the roundtables, seminars and networking events. Knowledge is power. @BAFTAGuru #baftacrew2018

BAFTA Crew 2018 participant

Connie – 5 year licensing deal struck with ShortsTV for broadcast & EST/VOD sales

Excellent news! We’ve struck a licensing deal with the brilliant Shorts International to broadcast Connie on ShortsTV in North America, Europe and South Asia for five years from late 2018. ShortsTV is the world’s first 24/7 HD TV channel dedicated to shorts. This is a very exciting agreement as the ShortsTV channels are currently available to approximately 25 million homes! I can’t wait for Connie to reach a wider audience and for the little puppet to expose herself on TV!

PLUS, Connie shortly be added to the ShortsTV online stores on Amazon (UK, USA and Germany) and iTunes (in over 80 countries) for purchase! So anyone who hasn’t managed to catch little felt diva at festivals can see her on the tellybox or online! Launch date details coming soon!

Connie scoops Funniest Short Film Award

Great news! Connie has won big at GenreBlast Film Festival 2017 in Virginia, USA! Connie scooped the Funniest Short Film award this month following the State Premiere at the festival, where my little short screened alongside the opening feature film, Guardians.

GenreBlast is an awesome festival and the comedy shorts selection was really amazing, so I’m totally blown away that the film has actually bagged the award. You just never really know when you write a comedy if people are going to get your sense of humour. You can edit, rewrite and share with your team and crew and have all the laughs in the world on set, but you still have to hope that the film finds its tribe in on the festival scene and in the big bad world. Thankfully, Connie has, and I’m thrilled that GenreBlast wanted to recognise my work in this way.

Connie was also nominated in two other categories against impressive competition – Best Actress and the female writer/director award.

Massive congrats to all the nominees and winners at GenreBlast, and a big thank you to the festival team for including us in the festival. The selection was amazing and communication before, during and after the festival has been great – a festival really worth submitting to and being part of. We couldn’t be there in person, but will definitely be submitting more work in future and hope to make it over to join the party one day.

There are more festival announcements and screenings still to come for Connie as she continues to stomp around the globe – thrilling, touching and offending as many wonderful people as she can well into 2018! These are regularly added to the Screenings page on the official Connie site.

Connie – 3 more award nominations & 4 US state premieres in just 9 days!

Wowzer! Connie continues to cook up a storm stateside with four upcoming state premieres over just nine days, with three award nominations to boot!

First, Connie gets to catch some rays at the California premiere tomorrow, 31st August, at Long Beach Indie International Film, Media and Music Festival 2017. The film is screening as part of the Suspense and Horror shorts block from 9pm. I love California and am really thrilled that she’ll be allowed to cause mayhem in the golden state.

Connie is hitting Kansas City on Monday 4th September! The little diva is headed to kick Dorothy’s butt and enjoy the Missouri premiere next week, screening at the super cool Slaughter Movie House at the Screenland Armour movie theatre. Connie will be screening with the feature film, Space Babes from Outer Space, kicking off at 7pm… and better still, it’s FREE! Check out this gorgeous event poster!

Just a couple of days later after a stroll down the yellow brick road, Connie heads to GenreBlast Film Festival 2017 for her Virginia state premiere! Connie screens with the opening film of the festival, Guardians, from 7pm on Thursday 7th September at the Alamo Drafthouse. You know it’s a great festival when it’s at an Alamo Drafthouse, and GenreBlast have a really cool selection of shorts and features playing, including an advance screening of IT, also on the opening night.

AND… The awesome team at GenreBlast have very kindly nominated Connie for not one, not two, but THREE awards at the festival! It’s pretty stiff competition though, so Connie better get her boxing gloves on… I certainly can’t hop in the ring and fight it out for a trophy when I’m 6 months pregnant… But being nominated gives me a lovely, glowy, warm feeling…

Finally, finishing off next week, Connie will be hitch-hiking her way to Utah for FilmQuest 2017, screening as part of Shorts Block 2 on Friday 8th September from 6pm. FilmQuest celebrates the majesty of genre filmmaking in the realms of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and beyond, running until 16th September. Connie is in great company as our web series, Mina Murray’s Journal, has also been selected for the festival! Go team Moranic Productions!

What a lot of mileage to cover in just nine days! It’s a US road trip. Sadly, I won’t be the Susan Sarandon to Connie’s Geena Davis for the journey as I enter the third trimester of my pregnancy, but she can hack it on her own. She’s a freebird… *zippo lighter overhead*