Rico Johnson-Sinclair

Source: TNBFC

Rico Johnson-Sinclair

Warner Bros’ Rico Johnson-Sinclair and the British Film Institute’s Mia Bays and Ama Ampadu are among the speakers at the annual convention of the UK’s The New Black Film Collective, showcasing Black creative talent across the screen industries. 

With a focus on the “opportunity gap”, the free event (TNB XPO) will run from March 25-28 at community arts hub Rich Mix in London. The programme features talks, interactive sessions, pitching and networking. 

Johnson-Sinclair, Warner Bros Discovery’s CrewHQ director of skills and training, will deliver the keynote speech addressing the gap between potential and opportunities for Black and Global Majority creatives.

Bays, director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund, and Ampadu, BFI production and development executive, will host a session reflecting on the first year of the new fund as well as reveal details of upcoming funded projects and discuss opportunities. 

Further speakers include Babak Jani, head of skills at Film London, who will talk about a new skills cluster in London; and Bectu’s diversity officer, Janice Turner, who will consult with attendees on issues concerning race equality in TV drama.

Also speaking are figures from the Documentary Film Council, the Film Distributors’ Association, Doc Society and Renaissance Studios.

The fourth day will feature online roundtables with speakers from the US, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa as well as BFI’s Global Screen Fund, with the aim of promoting international co-productions.