New training bursaries for London talent announced

Fifteen talented film and television professionals are poised for a career boost after being selected for the first ever Film London Skills Bursaries.
The recipients of Film London’s highly sought after awards have been selected to receive intensive training to hone the specialist skills required to direct, edit and write the highest quality film and television.
Among the ambitious directors, editors and screenwriters to receive a career boost from Film London are Pratibha Parmar, a documentary director who has already achieved success on the TV drama ‘Doctors’; Lincia Daniel, a producer, who has previously been awarded a place on the competitive ELMII Producer Development Scheme and hopes to produce her first feature film; and Robert Samuels who is already making his mark as a writer/director with his short film ‘Untitled’, which has garnered numerous awards and which was funded through the Enfield Film Fund with the support of Film London.
Film London’s Skills Bursaries have been developed in response to exhaustive research, commissioned by Film London to examine independent training provision within the film and television sector in London. The findings of this groundbreaking research have highlighted the lack of women and black and ethnic minority skilled professionals who are undertaking high level vocational training within the audiovisual sector in London.
These recipients are the first of three groups who will receive specialised training under this scheme. The next group will be announced in mid-December 2004.
(GB)