It’s shaping up to be a busy year for Candid Broad Productions, the London-based female-led production company, comprising founder & producer Oriane Pick (Call It A Day/ Say Your Name) and assistant producer Anais Ferrato. With nine projects under their belt including seven short films, one Chekhov play and one feature film at the development stage, things are off to a flying start.

Gender imbalance in the film industry is a paradigm that Candid Broads has been working to shift from within its London scene since its launch in 2020. “Our mission is to bring fresh and original female-led stories and bold characters to the screen” explains Oriane. “The goal is to empower & amplify female voices within film. To bring fierce & unheard female voices to the front row”.

Reflecting this female-led mission, the production company supports full diversity in front of and behind the camera. For every project Candid Broads embarks on, they ensure that 85% of their cast and/or crew are female-identifying and represent BAME backgrounds. “We want to give a voice and opportunities to those groups that have so far been underrepresented in the film industry. Our focus is to encourage bold, emerging talent and filmmakers who don’t let conventions get in their way of their creativity”.

Two of the Candid Broads films doing the festival circuit this year are ‘I AM’ & ‘Smudged Smile’ Both of these films address mental health issues & stigmas:

‘I AM’ is directed by the award winning Ludovica Musumeci (Mens Sana) and deals with schizophrenia. Described as a ‘statement against stigmas’ the film hopes to spark a conversation around mental illness and psychosis. To ensure the script is a true and realistic representation of schizophrenia, the team have collaborated with mental health activists Michelle Hammer and TED Talk speaker Cecilia McGough as well as non-profit organisation Students With Psychosis.The film is currently hitting the festival circuit and has just been submitted to Cannes Festival with BAFTA qualifying festivals to follow. Watch the trailer here.

Follow-up project ‘Smudged Smile’ addresses depression in teens. With a script written by Hannah Westall (winner of the International Emmy’s 2020 Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award) the film aims to promote a better portrayal of mental health in teens, specifically depression which is often either unrecognizable or overlooked. To help spark a conversation, the film has teamed up with leading teen mental health charity stem4. Director Ella Greenwood (Broken Flame Productions / Faulty Roots) is a mental health activist, an ambassador for stem4, she was awarded ‘Positive Female Role Model Of The Year’ in the 2020 Darkus Awards as well as a 2021 ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ honoree. The talented cast features Mia McKenna-Bruce (Get Even / The Witcher), Elliot Levey (Quiz, Holby City), Anna Acton (Brassic, Eastenders) and Priya Blackburn (Bohemian Rhapsody, Get Even).

Other forthcoming projects include ‘KOTTI’, directed by Fabia Martin which follows the birth of an unlikely friendship between two seemingly opposite women who come together to fight for their communal housing rights. The film is based on true events that took place in the district of ‘Kottbusser Tor’ in the heart of Berlin, also affectionately known as ‘KOTTI’. Short film ‘Poles’, again tackles the subject of mental health, loneliness and depression, directed by award-winning Kieran Bourne (writer of BAFTA & Oscar-qualifying short film ‘I Am Pilate’). ‘WoMum’, which addresses domestic abuse and sexism in society. And finally ‘Ice Cream’ which aims to address all misconceptions related to anorexia, conveying a realistic portrayal of the recovery journey.

Candid Broad’s aim is to tell compelling human stories with a unique angle. The end goal; to produce award-winning TV and film projects and to make a real difference in independent filmmaking.