We hope you are all keeping well? Thanks so much to all who attended our “Making MENA+ Stories Happen” event on Friday; it was so lovely to see so many faces and a massive thank you to our wonderful panel! Our next event, “But you don’t look Middle Eastern? A discussion on MENA+ Identity” is on the 12th February at 12pm, so be sure to register here.
Sharing conversations and opportunities
- Long Acre Arts and creators Laura Hanna, Jess Edwards and Isley Lynn are looking for a Visual Effects Artist, with experience in projection and a grasp of Arabic, to work with on their current play, Revolutions. Set across London and Cairo, Revolutions is a solo piece, telling the story of British-Egyptian Angele's journey through pole dance.
Please get in touch with Laura if you're interested - laurahanna0@gmail.com
- A call out for actors and writers from ROOT; a project from Hawkseed Theatre Company that will develop 7 new plays based on themes of Heritage and/or Working Class Identity. Each play will be read and explored by professional actors, with support from a director and dramaturg. Details: https://hawkseedtheatre.wixsite.com/my-site/root
- A callout for musical collaborators from Oli Jackson, musical director:
“We are looking for a Moroccan musical collaborator for a new musical in development. You will be an instrumentalist or know of musicians who can play and contribute to a concept album being developed. The rehearsal/recording process is likely to happen remotely depending on Covid restrictions, but we are hoping to be able to preserve as much creativity and collaboration as possible. This is a paid opportunity and there is a budget for any musicians involved. It is a very exciting project and the future for it is bright. If you are interested in finding out more information you can email me on olijacksonmd@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!”
- A callout for artists for Experimentica; a live festival in Cardiff that encourages risk, collaboration and exchange between artists and audiences. Deadline is 15th February, for more info and applications: https://www.chapter.org/news/details/experimentica-presents-call-out-for-artists
- A job opportunity at University of East London for ‘Lecturer in Film Production'. Details: https://jobs.uel.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=003A2021
-An opportunity for creative freelancers in Manchester and Sheffield to apply for a £1500 grant from Manchester city Council’s hardship grant. Details: https://secure.manchester.gov.uk/info/500362/covid-19/8121/cultural_hardship_fund_for_freelancers
- For students, graduates & new film-makers: Submit to Little Wing Film Festival to win advice sessions with BBC Film, Final Draft scriptwriting software, audio equipment, music licenses, design gear, cash prizes, & more! For more information: https://filmfreeway.com/LittleWingFilmFestival
-Shubbak is looking for an Assistant Producer to support the festival production across 3 areas of activity: the artistic, Young Shubbak and community engagement programmes. Deadline 12 Feb: https://www.shubbak.co.uk/vacancy-assistant-producer/
- Shubbak is looking for an experienced Digital Event Producer to lead on the planning and delivery of the digital programme for its summer festival, which will take place in June/July 2021. Deadline 12 Feb: https://www.shubbak.co.uk/vacancy-digital-producer/
- Birth Rites Collection is seeking a freelancer filmmaker to shoot and edit a new virtual tour. They are particularly encouraging applications from women, disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates. Deadline: 8th Feb. https://www.artsjobs.org.uk/index.php?id=25&ne_source=dailyjobs&ne_post_id=272247
- Open City Documentary Festival are looking for a new Festival Director. Deadline: 12th Feb: https://www.artsjobs.org.uk/index.php?id=25&ne_source=dailyjobs&ne_post_id=272245
And that’s everything! For the new members, mailout is sent on a fortnightly basis. Please keep sharing and sending me any of your wonderful work or opportunities you want included in the next mailout to this email. Please continue to sign up to our directory, and share our community with your friends in the industry!
Have a great week,
Jessie x
Our position on endorsement of our main areas of work is to help connect the creative industries with UK MENA+ talent, so we will always share castings, job opportunities, or marketing information. We will track these projects in the hope that they are a great example of how MENA+ talent is used. But by sharing this information, it should not be seen as an endorsement of the project.
We will call out work that is appropriating a MENA+ narrative and does not have MENA+ talent at the heart of the creative process; and we will always champion, front and centre, work that is made for and by MENA+ talent.
Our position on world events
Our focus is on bringing artists from the MENA+ region together, celebrating what connects us, spotlighting our achievements, and lobbying for change when it comes to representation in the British live and recorded arts industry. As such, while we fully support each individual’s right to their own political or artistic beliefs, we will not take a position on political events coming out of the MENA+ region.
