You are here: Home | Training | ISIS

In this section

Short Courses
Short Courses From one-day to one month, complete listings of our short courses
DocLab Learn to shoot, direct and edit your own documentary over 12 days in London
Doc Diploma Get the skills you need to enter the industry and become a broadcast filmmaker in one month.
Bespoke Training DFG training, tailored to the needs of your project.
How To Book
Training Calendar 2009
ISIS A documentary production and training initiative that puts women's equality and human rights into action - and onto film. Deadline: 12 November!
Science on Film A Documentary Production and Training Initiative For Scientists and Filmmakers
Corporate Training Training and Consultancy Services
Training Venues
DFG Tutors
Terms and Conditions
FAQ
DocBiz

ISIS
ISIS is a groundbreaking documentary production and training initiative that was designed to produce great human rights films and give talented women directors the skills they need to get ahead in the industry.

Find out more and watch the films - Driving Force, Licks 'N' Beats and Mother's Day below

About ISIS
Sixteen emerging female filmmakers were trained over three months in preparation for the production of three human rights films. The finished short documentaries deal with children's rights, disabled access to public transport and the rights of parents with learning disabilities.

The initiative kicked off at the beginning of 2009 and involved a series of weekend training sessions in the practical aspects of production, directing and editing. Participants also took part in human rights film master classes with leading documentary filmmakers including BAFTA award winning Kim Longinotto. They went on to pitch their own short documentary ideas on a current human rights issue.

The documentaries produced by participants as part of the ISIS programme were executive-produced and edited by practicing broadcast professionals.

The ISIS films are:
Driving Force: Directed by Lucy Purdon, Camera - Samantha Williams
A mobility scooter, a travel ban and one man's fight for independence. Michael Clark takes on Newcastle's Metro system in a single handed protest to restore train access for mobility scooter users.
Watch it here

Licks 'N' Beats: Directed by Patrice Lawrence, Camera - Carol Sidney
Do children have the right not to be smacked? An exploration of the use of physical discipline in UK Caribbean families.
Watch it here



Mother's Day: Directed by Ana Tovey, Camera - Olivia Emes
Marie has already lost custody of two sons. Her determination to show she can be a good mother to one-year-old Charlie, despite her learning difficulties, is put to its final test at the Family Court.
Watch it here



ISIS was run by DFG in partnership the Bristish Institute of Human Rights and supported with funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Initial reaction from human rights experts suggest the films will be invaluable resources for stimulating discussion and changing attitudes.

Who was ISIS for?
ISIS was designed for talented women who want to get their break as documentary film directors.

“ISIS has given 16 talented women the range of practical skills they need to kick start their careers as documentary film directors, as well as human rights master classes with leading experts from the British Institute of Human Rights and Amnesty International UK.

We were overwhelmed by more than 100 applications for ISIS. The final 16 participants trained intensely at weekends over several months. They had development workshops and then pitched their film ideas to a panel of broadcast professionals and human rights activists.   Three of the film ideas were selected for production with directors and crews all drawn from the ISIS programme.

I am very excited by the quality of the ISIS films. What a fantastic opportunity this has been for the ISIS participants. They have made great strides in their career development, packing so much learning and experience into a few short months.”
Deborah Kingsland, DFG’s Head of Training and Development

“These are sixteen talented and dedicated women who will go on to do fantastic work within the industry. It was my absolute pleasure to help them towards their goals.”
Andrea Parr, BBC director and Course Leader

“The ISIS initiative has been an amazing experience, both personally and professionally. The course was intensive and challenging: we were treated as professionals from the start and expected to produce short films of a high standard. Working on human rights issues with such dedicated participants and tutors has been an inspiration and has given me the confidence and skills to pursue further work in the field.”   
Lucy Purdon, ISIS participant and director of Driving Force

The three films were launched in May 2009 at Amnesty International UK, London.
(Click for full image)

Back to Training