Radical Film School has been running in different forms since 2015, and now has over 100 former participants collaborating, creating work, making films together, sharing resources and ideas, and supporting each other. It's dedicated to supporting independent, unconventional, radical work. The programme considers film education, creative development, and social and political engagement equally important, and encourages filmmaking that confronts the major challenges of modern Britain. We aim to be as non-hierarchical as possible, where the tutors and guests are facilitators of student-led, participatory learning, rather than teachers in the conventional sense. Thanks to Equalities Work, in 2023 Radical Film School is free for participants, and the cost of transportation and lunch will be covered.

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While we don't measure development by conventional industry standards, our participants have gone on to make BFI-funded films, been awarded the South London Gallery and Jerwood Somerset House Residencies, exhibited in The Barbican, been awarded the FLAMIN Fellowship, and directed plays at the National Theatre. The programme runs over 5 consecutive Saturdays from Nov 4 to Dec 2, and throughout the rest of the year there are additional workshops, masterclasses, and informal meetings to encourage sustained creative networks.

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The structure and content of the course is constantly evolving to adapt to the needs of the participants, but here's a general outline of our 4 areas of focus: 

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• Artistic Practice: The heart of the school is our group sessions where we develop your unique voice as a filmmaker. We explore ways of challenging conventional cinema, like investigating folklore as a source of alternative storytelling, rigorously decolonising cinema by interrogating its history of representation, and examining other art forms as sources of inspiration.

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• Guest sessions: Each day, one or two inspiring filmmakers comes in for an honest conversation about their practice and how they navigate the creative, personal, and financial challenges of making unconventional work. Previous guests include Mica Levi, Clio Barnard, Joseph Adesunloye, Kibwe Tavares, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Larissa Sansour, Jonathan Glazer, Sally Al Hosaini, Bassam Tariq, and Ufuoma Essi. 

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• Project Development: We collectively develop participants' film ideas; working on scripts, treatments, themes, and visuals..

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• Practical skills: From exploring lighting and shot composition, to discussing the logistics of sustaining a career, to financing, distribution, putting together a budget, and forming a crew.

The school is run by Saeed Taji Farouky, a Palestinian-Egyptian-British filmmaker, educator, and curator who has been making work around themes of conflict, human rights, and colonialism since 2004. His work is dedicated to developing a vernacular cinema, liberated from the conventions of the industry and distinct from classical European story structure.

His 2021 documentary, A Thousand Fires premiered as the opening film of Locarno's Critics' Week where it won the Marco Zucchi Prize for most innovative documentary. His previous feature documentary Tell Spring Not to Come This Year premiered at Berlinale 2015 where it won 2 awards. He regularly teaches and lectures at venues including University College London, National Film and Television School, Scottish Documentary Institute, Sensory Ethnography Lab (Harvard University) and Maysles Documentary Centre (USA). He is also co-founder of Safar, the UK's only film festival dedicated entirely to Arab cinema.

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Equalities Work is a charity that engages the public through arts and education activities at The Foundry in Vauxhall. Much of our work is the result of partnering with campaigning, advocacy, education and arts organisations. Equalities Work brings people together to learn about and discuss key human rights and social justice issues.

Current projects include a programme of exhibitions and events that include links with tenants of the Foundry and arts organisations. All of the exhibitions have a social justice theme and are accompanied with events such as talks or film showings about the issues raised. We also have a project called Rights, Camera, Action! that helps local young people progress into the creative sector. Learn more at www.equalitieswork.org