Microwave, the small budget feature film program from Film London, BFI, and BBC Films has revealed its two latest commissions. ScreenDaily reports that trans romance “Violets Are Blue” and family drama “Mari” have been selected from 12 potential projects. Both films will receive £100,000 (about $130,000 USD) towards their production budgets, which must be capped at £150,000 ($194,000 USD).
“Violets Are Blue” is from non-binary writer-director Marley Morrison and producer Michelle Antoniades. It tells the story of Ash, a young trans man traveling to find his biological parents, and his romance with Rose.
“The story was born of my own battles with gender identity, a need to discover the truth within myself and fully embrace myself as a non-binary individual,” Morrison said. “With many films and TV shows the queer experience is filtered through a heterosexual gaze and is articulated in heterosexual terms. It’s important that we make films that are truly reflective of our communities.”
Writer-director Georgia Parris’ “Mari” centers on contemporary dancer Charlotte as she navigates “a personal journey that goes from her grandmother’s deathbed to the prospect of motherhood.” The film, produced by Emma Duffy, will feature original choreography.
“Wim Wenders’ documentary ‘Pina’ changed everything for me,” Parris commented. “I saw the potential of contemporary dance to explore narrative — it has the ability to bypass spoken word and allows you to physicalize complex human emotions in a very dynamic way.”
According to ScreenDaily, several Microwave projects are going into production this year. Of the 14 filmmakers attached the films slated for production, eight are women and one identifies as non-binary. Among these films are Lucy Brydon’s “Sick(er),” a drama about an anorexic woman trying to reconnect with her estranged daughter, and “Looted,” a drama about a troubled dock worker who commits burglary from producers Jennifer Eriksson and Jessie Mangum.
