Funny Features
Hero Image
Hero Image
Title
Funny Features
Rich Text
Delivered by Glasgow Film Festival through the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, made possible with National Lottery Funding.
Rich Text
Are you developing a comedy feature? Is this your first or second feature? Our new talent development lab, Funny Features, is designed to support producers, writers and writer/directors looking to develop and finance comedy projects.
Over 6 months, successful creative teams will gain access to one-to-one consultancy sessions, online workshops and mentoring. This will be a rare opportunity for comedy projects to be developed in a constructive and practical development environment where they will be able to participate in peer-to-peer and professional feedback.
- Script Consultancy & Feedback
- Story Workshop & Consultancy
- Audience Design Consultancy
- Pitching Workshop
- Finance & Film Packaging Intensive Workshops
- Mentorship
- Pitching Sessions
Participants will be paid for their time on the scheme; in workshops, consultancies, and meetings.
- The project genre must be a comedy, and this includes sub-genres such as Romantic Comedy, Drama Comedy and Horror Comedy. Comedy must be central to the overall theme of the project.
- The project must be the producer or writer’s (or writer/directors) first or second feature
- Project must have a completed first draft script
- Project team must comprise of a producer and writer (writer/director is also eligible)
- The maximum number of producers attached to the project for participation is two
- The maximum number of writers (or writer/directors) attached to the project for participation is two
- Producer(s) or Writer(s) must match one of the below minimum experience criteria:
- Made at least three short films, two of which must have been commissioned
- Made at least two short films (one commissioned) and have one TV Credit as a writer or producer
- Have at least two TV credits as a writer or producer
- Please note only one member of the team has to meet the eligibility requirements.
- Please note both producer(s) and writer(s) must be attached to the project to apply. Solo applications - projects with only producer(s) or only writer(s) - will automatically be rejected.
To apply for Funny Features, you will need to provide the below:
Draft of the feature film script
One pager of feature film idea
- Personal Statement
Names, biographies and CVs of creative team members
Declaration of any finance/funding already secured/Letters of Interest
If you have any questions about the application process or Funny Features, please contact grace.feinmann@glasgowfilm.org
Project Title
Projects (click to find out more)
Example biography
Hundreds and Thousands
During an intense heatwave, a misfit couple’s plan to get rich quick by selling ice cream in their community inadvertently triggers a violent turf war with a local Ice Cream Man.
ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀੀ (Or Responsibility as it translates to)
24-year-old ex-con Sanjeev is forced to return to a life of crime when desperately needing a lot of money, fast! An odd robbery leads to a chain of unfortunate events leaving Sanjeev now the target of his employers, their enemies and the police!
Beach Body
A tragicomic body horror about a mermaid stuck in a normal human body. Unable to swim, Fay can’t leave the seaside funeral of her (human) boyfriend’s mother, so she tries to learn how humans deal with their condition.
Mister Uterus
He always wanted to be just an ordinary bloke but a trans man finds that pregnancy leads him to re-evaluate his ideas of what being a man is all about.
The Floaties
While everyone around her seems to be fixating on the wee asteroid that’s going to hit America, Kim is more focused on her weird, panic-inducing hallucinations of floating jellyfish. She just wants to move to a small town, get an undemanding job, and finally get her shit together - or does she…?
My Fake Family
'My Fake Family' is a warm-hearted comedy feature following Ivy Chung, as her lies about her family background threaten her dream destination wedding.
Committed
'Committed' is a fearless and darkly funny exploration of mental health that follows Jay Murphy, a loveable one-man train-wreck, as he rebels against his sectioning in a psychiatric hospital...
The Crown Mules
'The Crown Mules' is a riotous heist film that sees first-year university student, Anu, lead her unapologetic girl gang to rescue the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond from the British monarchy's crown jewels and return it to its native land — inspired by the true story of the infamous Stone of Destiny.
Ecstasy
‘Ecstasy’ is a comedy-drama about a disabled father and his son’s crazy attempt to buy drugs so his Dad can dance with his wife at her birthday party, one last time. What could possibly go wrong?
Example biography
Hundreds and Thousands
During an intense heatwave, a misfit couple’s plan to get rich quick by selling ice cream in their community inadvertently triggers a violent turf war with a local Ice Cream Man.
''ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀੀ (Or Responsibility as it translates to)
24-year-old ex-con Sanjeev is forced to return to a life of crime when desperately needing a lot of money, fast! An odd robbery leads to a chain of unfortunate events leaving Sanjeev now the target of his employers, their enemies and the police!
Beach Body
A tragicomic body horror about a mermaid stuck in a normal human body. Unable to swim, Fay can’t leave the seaside funeral of her (human) boyfriend’s mother, so she tries to learn how humans deal with their condition.
Mister Uterus
He always wanted to be just an ordinary bloke but a trans man finds that pregnancy leads him to re-evaluate his ideas of what being a man is all about.
The Floaties
While everyone around her seems to be fixating on the wee asteroid that’s going to hit America, Kim is more focused on her weird, panic-inducing hallucinations of floating jellyfish. She just wants to move to a small town, get an undemanding job, and finally get her shit together - or does she…?
My Fake Family
'My Fake Family' is a warm-hearted comedy feature following Ivy Chung, as her lies about her family background threaten her dream destination wedding.
Committed
'Committed' is a fearless and darkly funny exploration of mental health that follows Jay Murphy, a loveable one-man train-wreck, as he rebels against his sectioning in a psychiatric hospital...
The Crown Mules
'The Crown Mules' is a riotous heist film that sees first-year university student, Anu, lead her unapologetic girl gang to rescue the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond from the British monarchy's crown jewels and return it to its native land — inspired by the true story of the infamous Stone of Destiny.
Ecstasy
‘Ecstasy’ is a comedy-drama about a disabled father and his son’s crazy attempt to buy drugs so his Dad can dance with his wife at her birthday party, one last time. What could possibly go wrong?
Break
Facilitators Title
Facilitators
Facilitators
Tom Harberd
Film Finance Executive
Tom has been involved in financing and producing over 350 feature films, including
Black Mass, Talk to Me, Cargo, The Forgiven, I See You, Tar, Ordinary Love, Calibre,
and
Minamata
(as well as numerous television series and video games).
From 2013 to 2021, Tom jointly held the positions of Chief Operating Officer at Head Gear Films, which during that period was one of the UK’s most prolific film finance companies, and Chief Financial Officer at Bankside Films, a prominent film sales agency representing select feature films to the global market.
Kate Leys
Script and Story Editor
She has worked for many years on feature films and TV series all over the world. She works on projects at all stages of development and has also worked on documentaries, animation, short films, audio and occasionally theatre. She works often with global indigenous filmmakers, and in one day during lockdown she worked with filmmakers in Vienna, Beirut, Tblisi and Maputo.
Recent films include
Tornado
(in post, John MacLean);
Dreamers
(in post, Joy Gharoro Akpojotor);
Workmates
(in post, Curtis Vowell);
Mr K
(in post, Talulah Schwab);
Sky Peals
(Venice 2023);
The Unborn Biro
(Sundance 2023);
Je' Vida
(Tribeca 2023 and winner best script Helsinki Film Fest 22); feature doc
Fadia's Tree
(London 22);
Harka
(Cannes 22)
David Pope
Screenwriter and Consultant
David Pope is a script consultant and screenwriter working internationally.
Script consultation projects include
Tiger Stripes
, winner Jury Prize Critics Week Cannes Film Festival 2023 and candidate for Best International Film Academy Award 2024,
Take It or Leave It
, a candidate for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award 2019 and
Truth Or Justice
, a candidate for Best International Film Academy Award 2020.
He sits on the film committee of the Writers Guild of Great Britain and is an external expert for the Council of Europe Eurimages fund.
Sile Culley
Audience Design Consultant
Since 2019, Síle has been consulting on Audience Design for both independent producers and established production companies, running workshops for film teams to help them identify potential audiences for their films and the positioning of their projects in the ever-competitive marketplace. Her contribution as Audience Designer has led to international premieres at top festivals, world sales deals and theatrically-released titles, and successful applications with Creative Europe, Screen Ireland and the BFI.
Before this, Síle held positions in Distribution at Pulse Films, CinemaLive and Altitude Films where she worked on award-winning campaigns and on box-office records, ranging from Cannes buzz indies and Oscar-nominated animations, to boyband concerts and live opera.
Fiona Gillies
Producer
Fiona Gillies worked extensively in Film & TV as an actor before becoming an independent film producer and co-founder of My SMASH Media. Fiona met fellow producer Christine Hartland on the Creative England Market Trader programme and in partnership with tech expert Mahesh Ramachandra, they founded My SMASH Media. Fiona produced The Beat Beneath My Feet, which was in competition at the Berlin Film Festival and subsequently released worldwide. Fiona is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and has been a mentor for Women in Film & TV.
Christine Hartland
Producer
Christine Hartland is an independent film producer and co-founder of My SMASH Media, the IP marketplace for the creative industries, with fellow independent producer Fiona Gillies. Christine and Fiona met on the Creative England Market Trader programme. Christine’s debut feature, the thriller WMD in 2008, was one of the first films to follow a reverse distribution strategy. She is a member of Women in Film & TV and BECTU. Christine is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Break
Producer Title
Producer Mentors
Producer Mentors
Yvonne Ibazebo
Producer
Born in Scotland, raised in Nigeria and now living in the UK, Yvonne has always been passionate about stories – in whatever form. As a freelance Line Producer, Yvonne has worked on a wide variety of film & TV projects with an array of talented directors and actors. From artist / filmmaker John Maybury’s debut feature, Love is the Devil, which stared Daniel Craig and went on to be nominated for the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes, to Top Boy, nominated for a Best Mini-Series BAFTA and winner of the Royal Television Society’s Best Drama award.
Joe Hullait
Commissioning Executive
Joe is the creator of Scot Squad, the long running sitcom series for which he won two BAFTAs. He is now a Commissioning Executive with the comedy team at Channel 4, overseeing scripted titles including Big Boys, Stath Lets Flats, The Windsors Coronation Special and The Curse. In addition to these and other forthcoming titles, he looks after a slate of projects in development.
Laura Grange
Commissioning Manager
Laura Grange is a Commissioning Manager for Sky Original Films. She joined in 2020 and has since worked on a number of titles including Ferrari, May December and The Beekeeper, and was executive producer on The Colour Room, This is Christmas, Portable Door, and most recently the TIFF selected film Lee. Laura has accrued over ten years of experience in the film industry working across sales, acquisitions, and production.
Rupert Majendie
Producer
Rupert is a producer of live, online, film and TV comedy. He is currently Head of Comedy at Baby Cow. Rupert developed and produced the debut feature length version of Brian and Charles, a short originally produced for mrbox with David Earl and Chris Hayward. The film was made with Film4 and directed by Jim Archer. It was released in cinemas in the US and UK by Focus Features in July 2022.
For TV, he has produced the BAFTA-nominated BBC series Pls Like (series 1 and 2) starring Liam Williams and Tim Key, and Nick Helm's Heavy Entertainment for BBC Three. Other recent credits include producing King Gary for BBC One, and executive producer on Chivalry (written by and starring Sarah Solemani and Steve Coogan) and Witchfinder for BBC.
Claudia Yusef
Commissioning Executive
Claudia Yusef has Executive Produced a number of features and shorts for BBC Film including Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava; Pray, novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut short as a director; In Camera, Naqqash Khalid’s debut feature starring Nabhaan Rizwan; The End We Start From, the debut feature of Mahalia Belo, written by Alice Birch and starring Jodie Comer; and The Outrun directed by Nora Fingscheidt, based on the best-selling memoir by Amy Liptrot (which Fingscheidt adapted in collaboration with Liptrot) and starring Saoirse Ronan.
Prior to BBC Film, Claudia was Head of Development at Number 9 Films where she oversaw the film and television slate.
Asia Muci
Executive
Asia Muci is a highly skilled trilingual executive with a decade of industry experience. She works as VP of international Sales for Signature Entertainment, a UK and LA based distribution, production and international sales company founded in 2011. Prior to joining Signature in 2021, she held key positions at renowned companies including Goldcrest, Independent, and Secret Cinema. She loves indie movies, but nobody has yet successfully managed to get out of her the exact amount of times she has watched Titanic.
Isra Al Kassi
Curator, Writer, and co-founder of TAPE Collective
Isra is a London based Swedish-Iraqi curator, writer and co-founder of T A P E collective; a cross curatorial collective on a mission to demystify the industry and to represent could-be-cult classics through special curation, production and distribution. With a background in events & marketing Isra is also an outreach and audience development consultant, and has a particular interest in mindful audience growth and creating accessible spaces for mixed-heritage storytellers and audiences.
George Hamilton
CCO, Protagonist
George is Protagonist’s Chief Commercial Officer, providing leadership and driving forward the company’s strategy across sales, financing and production. George joined Protagonist in 2013 and prior to his current role he led Protagonist’s sales team.
Rich Text
The BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund aims to decentralise project development in a way that is complementary to our typical development support. It will support organisations to run creative development programmes, such as labs and workshops series, to stimulate a healthier, wider ecosystem in which emerging UK filmmakers can develop new projects.
Rich Text
Footer
