PLATFORM: What Do Producers Actually Do? 18

Producers are often the missing link when it comes to getting a film or artist moving image project off the ground. They are also one of the most misunderstood roles in the process. Part fixer, part strategist, part creative partner.

Join PLATFORM for a practical and honest conversation about what producers do and don’t do in the short form space. We’ll be joined by BFI NETWORK and a panel of producers who have successfully secured public funding to bring their projects to life.

Whether you’re an early-career filmmaker, artist or someone interested in the behind the scenes of production, this session will break down the myths and share real world insights into the producer’s role from short film development through to distribution.

Lauren Parker

Lauren Parker is one of two BFI NETWORK Talent Executives for the Midlands and a producer with over a decade of experience across film, television, and commercials. She began her career in TV production at Endemol and has since worked with companies including CBBC, Element Pictures, Balloon Entertainment, and Netflix, most recently on Shane Meadows’ The Gallows Pole.

In 2020, she founded Kato Pictures, a Nottingham-based production company working across short film, music video, and commercial content. Her recent shorts Majority and Lord of the Free Range- both supported by BFI NETWORK prior to her current role- went on to screen at festivals including Krakow, Palm Springs, and BFI London Film Festival, with Majority also airing on BBC Two.

Lauren line produced the interactive feature As Dead As It Gets for Wellington Films (Calibre, Sister Midnight), and her work has screened at Frightfest, Aesthetica, LSFF, and Sitges. She was selected for the EIFF Talent Lab in 2018 with her debut feature project Wash Club, now in development.

Radha Bhandari

Radha Bhandari is a Manchester-based Producer and Development Executive at Public Dreams Ltd., a television and film production company founded by Executive Producer & CEO Mary Burke.

Radha began her career as a freelance producer, working on projects including For Heidi, a short film that premiered on Opening Night at the BFI London Film Festival 2022. Alongside producing several short films, she developed factual television ideas for Channel 4, BBC Three, and BBC One. Bhandari went on to serve as Associate Producer on Naqqash Khalid’s BIFA-nominated feature In Camera, produced by PrettyBird UK and Public Dreams Ltd. She was also selected for the prestigious BFI NETWORK @ LFF 2022.

At Public Dreams, she has benefited from Burke’s extensive experience at BFI & Warp Films and plays a central role in developing new work with emerging and established talent. Most recently, Radha produced In Heat, a short film starring Ben Whishaw, and funded through Film4 and BFI’s Future Takes programme.

Laura Wilkinson

Laura Wilkinson is an independent film and theatre producer and founder of Chasing the Sun Film. Based in the Midlands, her recent producing credits include Lumbu, supported by BBC Film and BFI NETWORK and now streaming on BBC iPlayer, and Indi, an experimental film commissioned by Film London and exhibited at New Art Exchange before screening at international festivals.

Laura is currently expanding her slate into long-form, with feature projects including Hold Tight, Raver a documentary exploring rave culture, building on the success of its short film predecessor which has garnered over 45,000 views on YouTube and multiple sold-out screenings.

Her work also spans immersive theatre, having produced Choosing Children with Ben Fredericks Collaborations, supported by Arts Council England, alongside a VR film adaptation and a new AR production in development.

Laura is a BAFTA Connect member and alumni of the BFI NETWORK Producers Development Programme. She was recognised as the 'Outstanding Woman in Arts, Media & Music' at the 2020 Women's Awards.