News, Television, Women Directors, Women Writers

Mahalia Belo Will Helm Slavery Drama Series “The Long Song” for BBC

Belo: BAFTA/YouTube

Up and coming director Mahalia Belo has booked her next gig. Deadline reports that the “Requiem” helmer has signed on to the BBC drama series “The Long Song.” Based on Andrea Levy’s historical novel of the same name, the project takes place during the last days of slavery in the Caribbean.

Sarah Williams (“Becoming Jane”) is writing the series, which centers on “a strong-willed young woman on a Jamaican sugar plantation who goes from being a slave to the mother of a gentleman.”

No word on casting or when “The Long Song” will officially begin production, but Deadline hints that filming could start later this year. Levy, Williams, and Rosie Alison (“Testament of Youth”) are among the series’ executive producers. Heyday Television is producing and NBC Universal International Distribution will handle distribution.

Belo took home a Breakthrough Talent BAFTA for directing TV movie “Ellen,” a portrait of an underprivileged teen girl and her best friend. In 2012 her short film “Volume” was named Best Short at the British Independent Film Awards. Belo also helmed the BBC/Netflix series “Requiem,” which follows a cellist as she investigates the connection between her mother’s suicide and the disappearance of a toddler 23 years before.

“I think people are scared of difference, particularly when a lot of money is involved,” Belo has said of the entertainment industry’s tendency to provide male directors with better opportunities than women. “And so people are safe and go with what has been done before, with people who look like the ones who did things before.”

In Her Voice Podcast Episodes from This Week- May 12

Please check out the latest podcast episodes of In Her Voice Weekly News Brief on May 10- includes latest Writers Strike info Interview with Laurel Parmet- writer/director of The Starling Girl which...

Weekly Update for May 4: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week   Angels Wear White — Written and Directed by Vivian Qu (Opens in NY; Opens in LA May 18) In a small seaside town, two schoolgirls are assaulted by a...

Trailer Watch: Fact and Fiction Blur in Andrea Riseborough-Starrer “Nancy”

Parents receive a phone call they’ve been waiting three decades for in a new trailer for Christina Choe’s “Nancy.” After appearing on the news, they hear from a woman claiming to be their...

Posts Search

Publishing Dates
Start date
- select start date -
End date
- select end date -
Category
News
Films
Interviews
Features
Trailers
Festivals
Television
RESET