Why Poverty? UK Shorts

Mosaic Films has partnered with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, BBC Storyville, STEPS International and Sheffield Doc/Fest to produce three short (6-10 minute) films exploring issues surrounding poverty in the UK. We are launching an open call for proposals from documentary directors with a proven track record in delivering films to a broadcast standard. A shortlist of six filmmakers will be invited to pitch their films during Sheffield Doc/Fest 2010 (3rd - 7th November).

The films will screen as part of Storyville's Why Poverty? season: a groundbreaking global cross media project launching in 2012 that asks why, in the 21st century, a billion people still live in poverty, and informs audiences across the world what they can do about it. They'll also premiere as part of a special session at Sheffield Doc/Fest in June 2011.

The films are produced with the support of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), an endowed charity that funds a large, UK-wide research and development programme. JRF seeks to understand the root causes of social problems, to identify ways of overcoming them, and to show how social needs can be met in practice.

How to apply

Please send a maximum two-page proposal outlining your idea, your approach and a basic schedule, together with a current CV and a link to view or download a showreel or example of your work to poverty@mosaicfilms.com. Please do not send DVDs or any other supporting material by post.

If you have a question not covered here, please call Mosaic Films on 020 7923 2994 or email poverty@mosaicfilms.com

Deadline extended! Proposals must be received by midday on Friday 15th October 2010.

Download the full guidelines here

Find out more

Mosaic Films and JRF hosted an open session on Tuesday 14th September, from 2pm at the Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre in London (click here for directions). The session gave participants the chance to find out more about the opportunity and ask questions, and hear from JRF about the pertinent issues surrounding poverty in the UK and how the media is dealing with them.

If you couldn't make the event, then you can download the presentations. Click here to download the presentation from Chris Goulden, JRF Policy and Research Manager, exploring what poverty means in the UK. Click here to download the presentation from Teresa Hanley, JRF Programme Adviser for Public Interest in Poverty on the challenge of presenting poverty accurately and sensitively through film. And lastly, click here to download our presentation on the salient points in the application process (though this by no means replaces the full guidelines available above).

What we're looking for

BBC Storyville and Mosaic Films are excited by the opportunity to celebrate the short form documentary once more on television.

We're looking for compelling stories that will engage audiences and encourage debate on the often-overlooked issue of poverty in the UK in an innovative way, pushing the creative potential of short documentary.

The films will form part of the STEPS International project Why Poverty? which will include features and shorts from around the world.

The project will examine global poverty and inequality, with the aim of helping audiences to understand poverty: what it feels like to be poor, and how the poorest often manage to enlarge the possibilities of their lives through their own efforts.

The issue

JRF is committed to raising awareness of the realities of poverty in the UK in order to build public support for anti-poverty measures. (Read more at: www.jrf.org.uk/work/workarea/attitudes-poverty) Recent JRF research has shown that:

• Public awareness of UK poverty is low and attitudes are often harshly judgmental of those on low incomes.
• Nearly two-thirds of the public think poverty is either an inevitable part of life or due a person's own laziness.
• People's understanding of UK poverty is fragmented. Many have no language or image of 21st-century UK poverty. We are uncomfortable talking about it.
• Effective communication to galvanise public support often includes all of the following:
  • Life stories of people with experience of poverty;
  • Explanation for the existence and persistence of poverty; and
  • Presentation of solutions to eradicate UK poverty.
• The media does cover UK poverty but often without depth, analysis or the voices of people with experience of it.

The film

The authentic portrayal of poverty in the UK remains of marginal interest to most of the mainstream media. We are therefore looking for highly original, imaginative, memorable and sensitive films on poverty in the UK that confront widely held perceptions and accurately portray the realities of a life in poverty, and which prompt further debate.

Amongst the type of films we will be looking for are:

• films that show people doing things for themselves in a positive way.
• films that give us a perspective on the present: how did we get to the position where there is such a vast gap between rich and poor
• films that are comparative - emphasising the wealth-gap
• films that are analytical
• films that challenge the accepted ways of viewing poverty

Your film needs to work as a 6-10 minute story, with a clear narrative and the ability to engage UK and international audiences. It may be observational, authored or experimental, but please note: films with a strong reliance on archive, animation or drama techniques will be exceptionally hard to realise on the available budget, and you would therefore need to demonstrate how you would achieve this.

These films will screen across multiple platforms - online, on mobiles and in festivals as well as broadcast, and could also be viewed as a pilot for a longer film, to feature as part of the Why Poverty? season.

If you are shortlisted, you will be expected to attend Sheffield Doc/Fest and pitch your idea in a public pitching session, currently scheduled to take place in the morning of Friday 5th November.

If you are successful, you will work with the Mosaic Films team to produce your film. Production must take place between December and April 2011, with post production scheduled for May 2011. Proposals that cannot be realised within this timeframe will automatically be rejected.

We will also be looking for a balance of stories from across the spectrum, so the more original your idea, the better a chance it has of being shortlisted.

The filmmaker

We are looking for self-shooting directors with a proven track record in delivering documentaries to a broadcast standard. Ideally you will have:

• Self-shot documentaries to broadcast standard
• Experience and understanding of working with the short documentary form
• Research and basic production management skills (although Mosaic Films will provide production support, the budget means that you will be expected to work with a minimal crew)


If you're successful you will receive a production package to the value of £10,000 for your film, including a director's fee and full production support from Mosaic Films.

How to apply

Please send a maximum two-page proposal outlining your idea, your approach and a basic schedule, together with a current CV and a link to view or download a showreel or example of your work to poverty@mosaicfilms.com. Please do not send DVDs or any other supporting material by post.

If you have a question not covered here, please call Mosaic Films on 020 7923 2994 or email poverty@mosaicfilms.com

Deadline extended! Proposals must be received by midday on Friday 15th October 2010.

Download the full guidelines here