WE ARE Parable, a film exhibition and events company co-curating E10 Community Cinema in Leyton, has been named one of Film London’s 2020 lodestars.

The annual list honours the bright futures of 30 innovative creators and practitioners from across the capital.

With lodestars known for their inspiration and guidance, the list celebrates those within the screen industries who shine with outstanding creativity or craftsmanship, tipped to create, inspire and guide future works.

We Are Parable is an events company that specialise in film exhibition. Over the past seven years it has created experiential film screenings for black audiences.

In 2017, the organisation worked with Oscar-winning director Spike Lee on a nationwide retrospective of his work, and in 2019 began a UK tour with a season that celebrates black musicians who have included the visual album in their work, with screenings, performances and Q&As. 

Anthony and Teanne Andrews, co-founders of We Are Parable, said: “It’s an absolute honour to be a Film London lodestar. By providing diverse audiences with unique opportunities to experience films they’re interested in, we’re attempting to broaden London’s landscape of cinema goers, so we’re very proud for our work to be recognised in this way.”

Judges selected those on the list from over 1,000 people spanning Film London’s varied initiatives involving filmmakers, heads of department, craftspeople, performers, programmers, exhibitors, archivists and games creators who have worked with the capital’s screen agency over the past three years.

Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “I’m thrilled to congratulate We Are Parable on becoming a 2020 Lodestar, selected from such a high calibre of talent that reflects the diverse communities of London and our commitments to inclusion in our industry.”

Last year’s lodestars have gone on to achieve great success and create considerable industry impact. Rubika Shah won a Grierson award in 2019 for her feature, White Riot, and Koby Adom has directed the highly anticipated TV adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s best-selling novel Noughts & Crosses and entered development with Film4 for a feature based on his own short, Hair Cut (2018).

The 2020 lodestars, supported through Film London schemes including Microwave, BFI NETWORK as part of Film Hub London, Equal Access Network, London Screenings, Games London, London’s Screen Archives and Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) are as follows:

Director

Nosa Eke (Something in the Closet, 2019, BFI NETWORK)
Matt Houghton (Landline, 2017, BFI NETWORK)
Moin Hussain (Naptha, 2018, BFI NETWORK)

Writer

Toby Fell-Holden (Siren, in progress with Early Development Fund 2019, and Balcony, 2015, BFI NETWORK)
Iona Firouzabadi (Martha, 2019, BFI NETWORK)
Ellie Gocher (V, 2017, BFI NETWORK)
Marley Morrison (Sweetheart, 2019, Microwave)

Producer

Michelle Antoniades (Sweetheart, 2019, Microwave)
Jennifer Eriksson and Jessie Mangum (Looted, 2019, Microwave)
Savannah James-Bayly (Anemone, 2018, BFI NETWORK)
Ali Mansuri and Tom Kimberly (Balcony (2015) and Naptha, 2018, BFI NETWORK)

Artist filmmaker

Mikhail Karikis (2019 Jarman Award shortlist)
Roz Mortimer (2019 FLAMIN Productions)
Marianna Simnett (2017 Jarman Award shortlist)

Head of department

Heather Basten (Casting Director, ZERO, 2017, Microwave and Our Sister, 2019, BFI NETWORK)
Julie Buckland (Editor, Martha, 2019, BFI NETWORK)
Brian Fawcett (Cinematographer/DOP, Balcony, 2015, and Night Out, 2018, BFI NETWORK)

Performer

Harry Alexander (The Gift, FLAMIN Productions)
Nell Barlow (Sweetheart, 2019, Microwave)
Khalil Madovi (Holy Beef, 2018, BFI NETWORK)

Crew / Behind the Scenes

Om-Kalthoom Bashmailah (Runner, Equal Access Network)
Miranda Harcourt (Acting Coach for Our Sister, 2019, BFI NETWORK)
Shehroze Khan (Director/Director’s Assistant, Equal Access Network)

Exhibitor

Bounce Cinema
The Rio Cinema
We are Parable

Games

Flavourworks (Creative Director/co-founder Jack Attridge and Technical Director/co-founder Pavle Mihajlovic
Georg Backer (Games Director/Producer, A Brave Plan)
Tara Reddy (Co-Founder/CEO, Loveshark)

London’s screen archives

Bruce Castle Museum (Beauty in the Borough)