Budding film makers have been given the opportunity to produce provocative and cutting edge short films thanks to grants awarded by Channel 4 and Bradford Council.

Some of the successful applications include:

• Imagine If Black Boys Just Smiled at Each Other – a documentary drama by Kenton Thomas where black men discuss their experiences of encountering other black men on the street and the extreme polar reactions they receive.
• Me & The Witch by Kamal Kaan will be a comedy exploring what happens when two people from two different backgrounds meet in Bradford. This will be a queer, love at first sight tale between Kass – a British-Bangladeshi Cambridge graduate from BD3 and Chris – a closeted middle class witch who lives in Ilkley with his Nana Agnes who is trying to turn him straight to continue her enchanting bloodline.
• Documentary In Crisis by Sally Ogden will follow the twists and turns of crisis care through individuals’ stories at varying crisis points.
•  If’s, But’s and Two Coconuts by K2 Media’s Ajay Bangar and Vishal Ram will be a comedy documentary exploring what it means to belong to a culture. Young Asian teens ask: ‘What wouldn’t make us coconuts?’
• Suman Hanif ‘s A happy ending will be a provocative dark comedy about a disappointed woman in her thirties coming to terms with her five-year marital orgasm drought played out in a reality court show.
• Audiences will see the real struggles of body dysmorphic and eating disorders in Blood From A Stone, a short animation by Charles Humphreys. The film follows Lyndon ‘Beefy’ Skinner, a young professional boxer, where the weight cut is the real fight.
• Danny Hardaker’s Scrap will be a documentary capturing the thoughts, feelings, and stories of young traveller men with a passion for horses who are involved in rag and bone work.
• A crossdressing cosplayer uses their hobby to cope with their disability in Paul Says Hi, a documentary by James Thompson. Paul is a self-proclaimed part-time woman. Despite suffering from dystonia, a movement disorder that causes muscle spasms and contractions, Paul sews most of their own costumes. This documentary will follow their journey to their next comic convention, making their next costume and the challenges that dystonia brings.

‘UNHEARD, UNSEEN, UNSAYABLE’ was designed to challenge filmmakers to produce their most creative and provocative work and a total grant fund of £50,000 has been awarded to the most innovative producers.

Applicants were asked to pitch by responding to one of three themes:

•  Giving a voice to the UNHEARD – Who is without a voice in UK society today
• Showing the UNSEEN – What has been or still is censored? What do you rarely get to see on screens and devices? What is hidden from view but important and relatable to society at large.
• Saying the UNSAYABLE – What challenges assumptions about society today? What are the controversial or counterintuitive arguments?

The successful applicants will receive advice and support from professionals at Channel 4 and all those who applied will have available support from the Unit.

The Unit is a partnership between Channel 4, CBMDC, Impact Hub and Keighley Creative. Offering an open access workspace to the district’s talented content creators.  The Unit supports the development of the next generation of industry talent, with a particular focus on people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

Entries were judged on their storytelling potential, directorial flair, and their ability to challenge, provoke, and entertain.

The majority of the filming for each project will take place in the Bradford district and will largely employ a local cast and crew.

Individual film makers, independent film companies, arts, culture and heritage organisations and community or voluntary groups were eligible to apply for the grants.

In May Bradford was crowned UK City of Culture 2025.

Bradford is the world’s first UNESCO City of Film and the completed films will be shared with other UNESCO film cities from around the world.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Healthy People and Places Portfolio Holder, said: “We are delighted to be working with Channel 4 and The Unit to offer local film makers this fantastic opportunity to produce some cutting edge material.

“The Bradford district has a rich film heritage and it will be very exciting to see the creative boundaries being pushed with this new work.” 

4Studio Digital Development Producer Ally McCrae said: “Channel 4 has an amazing history of supporting emerging filmmakers and content-creators. We exist to let voices be heard, to entertain viewers and maybe even make some change for audiences everywhere, with ideas realised, from the most exciting new talent – and that’s exactly what we are hoping to support and grow with this award, we are excited to see what these awards lead to.”