Really, really proud to announce that Approval Needed has recently officially qualified for the British Film Institute’s highest rating for diversity standards.
Of course the story itself was inspired by a wish to challenge the rising levels of intolerance in our society post the Brexit vote, so it’s not surprising that the cast are from diverse backgrounds, nor is it a surprise that the subject matter is one of the elements which qualifies the film. However the DS Good Practice Mark is not so easily gained, and the BFI looks deeper than that, assessing diversity in all its guises and considering who made up the team behind the camera, who was involved in post production, how much opportunity has been given for training, whether or not those involved were paid.
When Approval Needed was in development and production, the DS Mark was not available to short film projects, so meeting the standards was not about ticking boxes for BFI “Approval”, it was about a genuine philosophical desire to work with talented, good people and to not discriminate based upon age, sexuality, gender, physical traits, or race.
Obviously, in order to ensure a 60% female team – which included such rarities in the filmmaking industry as female AD, DOP, Editor, VFX Artist, Colourist and Composer – positive discrimination was necessary.
But in making that choice there was no need to compromise on quality and of course there were some really great guys on the team too, all of whom were deeply appreciated for their unerringly respectful, egalitarian and supportive attitude.
So, I got to work with some amazing, talented individuals, who were just a joy to be around and I feel Approval Needed benefitted from that on every level. The love and respect shows in the film and if our screening at the BFI in November wasn’t proof enough, our upcoming USA premiere at the highly regarded Oxford Film Festival, in Mississippi, in February 2019 is certainly an honour that shows the film is making its mark.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year, and looking forward to 2019 bringing more good news
Karen x
(Photos by Maja Biton & Yvanne Teo)