In this episode, which is a recorded conversation of a discussion held at the Dazed Live event, London, in October 2021, we discuss the rising power of collectives and how they can provide structure for those working on the margins and outside institutional frameworks. We are delighted to welcome special guests Bolanle Tajudeen of Black Blossoms and Christie Costello of Bare Minimum Collective. Moderator: Róisín Tapponi.

Donate! Please consider donating towards our work: Patreon.com/habibicollective. A small monthly donation goes a long way towards paying innumerable costs including: screening fees for filmmakers, MGs, design assets and the endless web costs of developing a streaming service. Habibi Collective operates completely on a volunteer-led basis—is vital that we stay independent.

Habibi Collective members Reman Sadani and Isra Al Kassi speak to Rehana Zaman and Sylvia Hong on how to fund and sustain moving image projects, at the Dazed Live event, London, in October 2021. In this episode, we explore questions like: how do you sustain your practice without heavily relying on external funding? How do you benefit from the commercial scene to develop commissions? How can you challenge existing models of funding and commissioning?

Extra resources:

Art Council England Guidelines. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1V1clsdbNzJvs24goU81KC4_NIgndx2VF/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=111094572164427675363&rtpof=true&sd=true 

SUCCESSFUL FUNDING APPLICATION LIBRARY https://www.thewhitepube.co.uk/fundinglibrary

PROPOSAL LIBRARY https://www.thewhitepube.co.uk/project-proposal-library

Rehana Zaman is an artist from Heckmondwike based in London. Her work speaks to the entanglement of personal experience and social life, where moments of intimacy are framed against cultural orthodoxies and state coercion. Conversation and cooperative methods sit at the heart of her practice. She has exhibited widely in the UK and Internationally. In 2019 she co-edited Tongues with Taylor Le Melle, published by PSS and was shortlisted for the Film London Jarman Award. She is currently a board member of not/nowhere artist workers cooperative and LUX who also distribute her films.

Sylvia Hong is a Chinese-born French director and producer based in London. Co-Director of Skin Deep magazine, a platform for Black and Poc Creatives to work towards justice through cultural production. Previously video producer at British Vogue, she is currently the video commissioner for Dazed Media.

Isra Al Kassi is a member of Habibi Collective and co-founder of T A P E collective. T A P E Collective is a curatorial collective that hosts cross-art events with a focus on films and art that explores dual heritage and mixed identities. Her background is in cinema exhibition, audience development, and community engagement which includes programming, fundraising, and commissioning artists and writers. In addition to her work with T A P E she’s currently working with BIFA, LFF, and Shasha Movies.

Reman Sadani is a London-based Iraqi artist and a member of Habibi Collective. She is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on moving image. Her recent research is focused on the material and personal histories of post-colonial structures. She questions how one can exit and heal from the colonial legacies collectively. Recent screenings and group exhibitions include: Mizna Arab Film Festival (Minneapolis), Aesthetica Short Film Festival, (York), Arab Women Film Festival (Rio de Janeiro), MoMa Modern Mondays (New York), Jerwood FVU Film Awards, Jerwood Arts, London (2020).

Donate! Please consider donating towards our work: Patreon.com/habibicollective. A small monthly donation goes a long way towards paying innumerable costs including: screening fees for filmmakers, MGs, design assets and the endless web costs of developing a streaming service. Habibi Collective operates completely on a volunteer-led basis—is vital that we stay independent.

A conversation with Tara Violet Niami, a British Australian-Iranian American cinematographer and photographer based in Los Angeles. As a DOP she has worked in narrative film, documentary, music video, and fashion film mediums. Later this summer, her first feature film as cinematographer, Eye Without A Face made in collaboration with her independent filmmaker father Ramin Niami, will be released. In this episode, we talk about Tara's journey from photography to the moving image, perseverance, and much more.

Donate! Please consider donating towards our work: Patreon.com/habibicollective. A small monthly donation goes a long way towards paying innumerable costs including: screening fees for filmmakers, MGs, design assets and the endless web costs of developing a streaming service. Habibi Collective operates completely on a volunteer-led basis—is vital that we stay independent.

A conversation with Los Angeles based singer and sex educator Rotana about her new educational comedy show, F*D & Blessed. Ahead of the show's release in July, this episode is an exclusive preview into the show which explores sexuality, self-pleasure and more from a curious Saudi girl.

Please consider donating towards our work: Patreon.com/habibicollective. 

A conversation with Jannis Stürtz, DJ and co-founder of Habibi Funk Records and Jakarta Records. In this episode, we discuss the modus operandi of Habibi Funk, the importance of digitizalisation of records and cassettes, film-score composer Ahmed Malek in post-colonial Algeria, women in music and film, and more. 

Donate! Please consider donating towards our work: Patreon.com/habibicollective. A small monthly donation goes a long way towards paying innumerable costs including: screening fees for filmmakers, MGs, design assets and the endless web costs of developing a streaming service. Habibi Collective operates completely on a volunteer-led basis—is vital that we stay independent.

A conversation with Annemarie Jacir, co-founder of Philistine Films, writer and director. In this episode, we discuss running an independent production company, the importance of fostering a collaborative environment, supporting new voices and thought-provoking storytelling. 

Speaker bio: Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir has written, directed and produced over sixteen films. One of Filmmaker's 25 New Faces of Independent Cinema and Variety's "Arab New Wave", two of her films have premiered as Official Selections in Cannes, one in Venice and one in Berlin. Her short film like twenty impossibles (2003) was the first Arab short film in history to be an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival and continued to break ground when it went on to be a finalist for the Academy Awards. Her latest film When I Saw You won Best Asian Film at the Berlin Intl. Festival, Best Arab Film in Abu Dhabi and Best Film in Amiens, Phoenix, and Olympia, and garnered a nomination at the Asian Pacific Screen Awards. It was also Palestine’s 2012 Oscar Entry. Notably, the film's production was entirely Arab-financed with all Palestinian producers marking a new trend in Arab cinema.  Founder of Philistine Films, Annemarie teaches screenwriting and works as an editor and film curator, actively promoting independent cinema, training and working with fellow filmmakers.

Donate! Please consider donating towards our work: Patreon.com/habibicollective. A small monthly donation goes a long way towards paying innumerable costs including: screening fees for filmmakers, MGs, design assets and the endless web costs of developing a streaming service. Habibi Collective operates completely on a volunteer-led basis—is vital that we stay independent.