Lisa Marie Russo is heading to Doc Society (formerly BRITDOC). The “Deep Blue Sea” producer will lead the new BFI Doc Society Fund, a £1M-per-year (about $1.4M USD) endowment supporting documentary filmmakers. In her new role as film fund exec Russo will be one of the first points of contact for documentarians applying for BFI funding, Screen Daily reports.
Alongside film fund officer Lynn Nwokorie, Russo will report to Doc Society director Sandra Whipham.
The BFI Doc Society Fund plans to award £650,000 ($904K USD) in production grants annually to doc shorts and features. It will host three funding rounds each year and host a regional tour of screenings and workshops three times a year. In collaboration with BFI NETWORK, the fund will also provide mentorship and a new editing lab to grantees and UK editors.
Russo and Kate Ogborn founded Fly Film in 2009. The production company’s credits include Rachel Weisz-led drama “The Deep Blue Sea,” and feature docs “Hockney,” “Spirit of ‘45,” and “Swandown.” In 2000 Russo received a BAFTA nomination for Best Short Film for producing “The Tale of the Rat That Wrote.”
“Lisa Marie’s caliber as a producer across a breadth of approaches to documentary, as well as her track record in discovering and nurturing talent, makes her the ideal appointment by Doc Society to spearhead our shared aspirations for the fund,” said Ben Roberts, director of the BFI Film Fund.
“I’m psyched to help grow the next generation of UK filmmakers and support the existing community of world-class documentarians,” Russo added. “This is a call to arms for filmmakers across the country — audiences need to hear from you. I’m excited to get going as now more than ever we need our creative voices and their diverse, inventive visions.”
Sophie Fiennes’ “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami” is among the BFI Doc Society Fund’s recent grantees. The backstage portrait of Jones hits U.S. theaters April 13 and opened in the UK last fall.
