Our guest this week is Oge Egbuonu - a filmmaker focused on disruptive and inspirational storytelling. Oge joins us to discuss her directorial debut,  (In)Visible Portraits. The film is a self-described "love letter to Black women, and a re-education for everyone else". Prior to becoming an independent filmmaker, Oge produced films like 'Loving' and 'Eye In The Sky' at Raindog Films. Oge shares with us her unconventional filmmaking journey, intensive research process, and strong creative vision behind (In)visible Portraits. Oge describes how she turned rejection into redirection, reclaiming the narrative for Black women, and how she hopes the film will help to cultivate change. Social media: @thereelstorypodcast // Oge Egbuonu @ogetheyogi  // https://www.invisibleportraits.com/

Hosted by: Daphne Schmon

Produced by: Ellie Aitken

Sound by: Ruth Knight

On this episode of The Reel Story, we speak to the President of Women in Film and TV International (WIFTI), producer and film pitch coach, Helene Granqvist. Helene discusses the importance of having transparency in the film industry, what she hopes other nations can learn from Sweden about gender equality, and how the work she does is all about creating a more fair, fun and sustainable world.

Hosted by: Daphne Schmon

Produced by: Ellie Aitken

Sound Editor: Ruth Jones

Our guest this week is the comedy and drama Director Lucy Forbes, who was the lead director on 'The End of The F***ing World' Season 2 for Channel 4 and Netflix. Recently, she directed 'In My Skin' for BBC3 which won two BAFTA Cymru awards for Best Drama and Best Actress. In this episode, we ask Lucy what drew her to comedy, how she got into the industry, what the process of making 'In My Skin' was like, and how the landscape of British comedy TV is changing. The full series of 'In My Skin' has just been released on BBC iPlayer and will be available in the US on Hulu from 30th July. 

Hosted by:  Daphne Schmon

Produced by: Ellie Aitken

Episode 2 of The Reel Story Podcast is here, with Akua Gyamfi as our guest this week. Akua is the woman behind The British Blacklist and SOUL festival, a multi award-winning media outlet for Black British creatives working in the screen industry. In this episode, Akua talks to us about her own career experiences, from motherhood acting as a catalyst, to her decision to champion black narratives within the industry, and the ways in which systems of hierarchy operate to prevent certain content from being made. We then focus on a film that is personal to Akua: ‘Farming’ an auto-biographical drama about a British-Nigerian boy who is ‘farmed out’ by his parents to a white British family. The conversation is informative, relevant, and raises important questions to do with how structural and systemic racism operates within the entertainment industry. It is also  important to note that this was recorded prior to the killing of George Floyd and the uprisings around the BLM movement. If you enjoy our podcast - and would like to support us - we would kindly ask that you make a donation to one of the Black Lives Matter charities.

To kick off our podcast series, we speak with Director Phyllida Lloyd, whose credits include both the stage and screen versions of 'Mamma Mia!' and the Oscar winning film 'The Iron Lady' starring Meryl Streep. In this candid discussion, Phyllida talks about her career, from starting out as a runner at the BBC, to the pressures that come with directing big movies, and her determination to promote female talent and crew. We then focus on her most recent feature 'Herself', an Irish-Drama that premiered at Sundance earlier this year. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Welcome to The Reel Story, a brand new podcast series that digs deep into how films get made. Each week, host Daphne Schmon will be speaking to women across all areas of the industry, getting a back-end perspective on projects that surprised them and challenged the system. We will also look at how the landscape is changing in today's world. This is how films get made. This is The Reel Story.