Queer Storytelling Workshop: Meet the Participants
BFI NETWORK South West, in partnership with award-winning filmmaker Jason Barker, are pleased to present the participants for our Queer Storytelling Workshop. This workshop is a development scheme for writers who are keen to find new ways of exploring queer themes in their writing, have an interest in film and an ambition to write for the screen.
Bridget Hart (they/them)
Bridget Hart (they/them) is a queer writer and creative producer from a DIY punk background. They performed at events including Manchester Punk Festival, Shambala, Boomtown Fair and Rebel Riot Poetry. They have also shouted a lot in basements, kitchens, gardens, and protests. They are currently producing the DIY queer podcast Chips and Beans Podcast. Their second poetry collection Chewing Gum is a queer retelling of characters from Grease and Grease 2 and is out now with Small Press (Tangent Books).
Eryn McDonald (they/them)
Eryn McDonald is a poet and performer from the South West. They write about gender, sexuality, nature, and their rage around UK politics and the general state of the world. They have performed at events including Green Gathering festival, Hear My Voice, and Soft Butch, and are currently part of the Apples & Snakes ‘Future Voices’ Cohort. They have a degree in dance and drama and for their dissertation they created a short documentary on drag and gender identity called Queer Is A Tender Feeling, which was screened at Watershed as part of the Queer Visions programme during Bristol Pride in 2022.
Lily Bennett (she/her)
Lily Bennett (she/her) is a writer and producer, based in the South West. Her experience includes scripted and unscripted productions, working on projects such as: Eurovision 2023; the BBC’s Natural History Unit; NFTS x Disney Star Imagine; BFI Film Academy courses; and more. In addition to writing, Lily works in production management and coordination alongside freelance producing, most notably as an apprentice for BBC Studios. Within her writing, she explores themes of coming-of-age, relationships and identity, most notably seen in her short stories and short film scripts. Lily is highly determined to see more queer and neurodivergent representation within the industry, as well as more creative access within the South West.
Sophie Grenfell (she/her)
Sophie is a multi-disciplinary artist and emerging writer from the Midlands, based in Bristol. Originally a theatre maker, she studied at Bristol Old Vic theatre on the Made In Bristol program. Since then, she has expanded her portfolio creating short films with Slaughter Shed Studio and working in the social justice field. Her work now spans stage and screen. Sophie is currently undertaking a ‘Develop Your Creative Practice’ project funded by Arts Council England, which has allowed her to explore the field of intimacy co-ordination, movement direction and writing for screen, as well as attending training with the National Film and Television School. Sophie’s recent work has been exploring rage and quiet rebellion – dipping into the dark, the silly and the everyday absurd.
Nat Ayuba (she/her)
Nat Ayuba is a multifaceted creative and emerging filmmaker driven by a passion for visual and musical storytelling. Her first short film and A Level project The Trip was shortlisted in the best short film category at the BFI’s Moving Image Awards in 2019. After leaving filmmaking to pursue other opportunities, Nat is now transitioning back into the creative scene with hopes of developing new projects that explore themes of intersectionality, queerness, race, and diaspora, through light humour and a colourful lens.
Sid Boyer (they/them)
Hey, I’m Sid, I paint, write poems in bed, facilitate, make tattoos and spend lots of time thinking about access, community, collaboration and ducks. I feel very lucky that my days largely entail watching sci-fi with my cat and being the Agency Producer for Rising Arts Agency.
Jing Huang (she/her)
Jing, a Master’s graduate from the University of Bristol, serves as the Project Coordinator for Queer China UK and is the founder of Queerpatch. Additionally, she has established a Sino queer community in Bristol. Beyond her organisational roles, Jing is an independent photographer and artist with a passion for using various media to narrate stories about queer and female life experiences.
Jo Kimber (she/her)
I write plays, zines, short stories and have worked with a number of artists and filmmakers. I often collaborate with the artist Alec Stevens. We create zines inspired by queer histories and queer stories and have exhibited our work internationally. I also run a night called s#*t quiz, a feminist take on pub quizes and in the summer headlined a female biker fest. I am currently working on a novel that explores memory, queerness and going deaf.
Raina Greifer (she/they)
Raina Greifer is a Bristol-based theatre maker and producer interested in exploring themes around sex, consent and grief. Her work uses puppetry, poetry and comedy to examine the intersection between pop culture and politics. They were shortlisted for the SH24: Sexual Health Awards 2022 as Young Person of the Year and were a BBC Words First Finalist in 2021. Her solo show MANIC won Best Solo Show at Fuse International in 2022 and was shortlisted for the 2023 Sabateour Awards. MANIC has toured across the UK to venues like Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Bath and Tobacco Factory Theatre. Raina loves talking about being horny. She loves being dramatic about it.
Sebastian Davis (he/him)
As a writer and director, I firmly believe in storytelling’s power to bridge divides and bring people together. My approach to writing and directing is influenced by various genres, from literary fiction to magical realism. I am always seeking to challenge myself and push the boundaries of traditional storytelling. Above all, I hope my work can create a space for empathy, understanding and human connection in a world that often feels divided.
Rosie Poebright (he/they/she)
Rosie is a Dr of Participative Audiences and a designer of story experiences. They’re co-founder of Bristol Butch Bar and a queer community organiser in Bristol, where they live with their tiny hound and best friend Ernie.
Savannah Betts (she/her)
Savannah is a German-South African actress and writer from Hong Kong, who over the last seven years has performed in various short films and stage shows, voiced commercials and audiobooks, and also worked as a production runner for commercials and HETV. Her writing aims to put women and the queer community at the forefront in a way that can bring hope and joy, while exploring the complexity of identity, futurism, and overall multifaceted beauty of the human condition. Most recently Savannah wrote and performed in a micro-short, Queer Enough, and her hard-hitting award-winning short film Together premiered at Bath Film Festival in October.
Tom Marshman (he/him)
For 25 years I have carved out a particular role for myself working with queer histories and archives to tell hidden stories. The main form I have worked with is theatre and live art as a writer and performer, within which incorporates film, sound design, experimental life writing, drawing, movement, visual arts and creative technologies. Within my career I have received mentoring from legends such as: actor, writer & producer Peggy Shaw, founder of Split Britches, and director, performer, translator & writer Neil Vivian Bartlett, OBE, and I am a resident of Pervasive Media Studio, at Watershed, Bristol. And from 2020-21, I was employed by Strike a light as part of ‘Let Artists Be Artists’, an experiment to see what would happen if an artist was salaried.
Meet the Queer Storytelling Workshop cohort
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Filmmaker FAQs | BFI NETWORK South West
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