#1. Female desire, Lynch and life drawing
Including remote arts jobs, film funds, artist programmes and grants, events, workshops and networking opportunities.
INSPIRATION
I’m playing a little fast and loose with the word ‘inspiration’ here. Do I think you’re going to be inspired by a recipe for blueberry cheesecake baked oats? Probably not. But(!) if you’re interested in cultural comment and recommendations, keep reading.
Female desire in film: Nosferatu and Babygirl
I’ve been thinking a lot about female desire lately, and I have two of this year’s biggest releases to thank for lighting that spark: Nosferatu and Babygirl.
Nosferatu explores sexuality through new wife Ellen and the object of both her desire and repulsion, Count Orlok - a dark, vampiric manifestation of her appetite - who forces her to make an impossible choice: succumb to her darkest desires and pay with her life, or stay true to her sweet husband Thomas and… still pay with her life, but also her city and everyone in it.
Babygirl presents a character with a different dichotomy. Romy, a high-powered CEO, wife and mother of two, navigates an affair with Samuel, a 20-something intern. A woman otherwise in total control, we see her tempted by the boy-next-door type’s surprising mastery of domination - and the thrill presented by the risk of losing it all.
I came out from both films with feelings that took me a minute to unpack, and my timeline was divided into two main camps: horny and outraged. Having searched for meaning in Orlok impressions and clips of Harris Dickinson dancing to Father Figure (I’ll let you find those), I was pleased to stumble across Haaniyah Angus’ column for A Rabbit’s Foot.
In it, she explores how sexual politics in film help us to understand our own cultural views - but how we can also be guilty of ruining the cinematic experience by needing to make binary decisions on what a movie is ‘saying’:
“Romy in Babygirl finding freedom from repression within domination is not the film telling you, the viewer to do the same. Ellen, making her final choice to embrace Orlok, is not telling you the viewer that the film is ‘romanticising’ their relationship. This isn’t to say that the choices made by either character exist in a vacuum outside of the influences of trauma, abuse, and patriarchy, but I believe that these are worthwhile explorations that push us to discuss not only our desires but where they come from.” Give it a read.
What I talk about when I talk about running
I’m convinced there’s a link between the cost of living crisis and the number of people taking up running. If you’re one of the many who’s caught the bug, check out Haruki Murakami’s What I talk about when I talk about running* - it was recommended to me recently and is next on my list of books to read.
“In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport had on his life and his writing.”
Blueberry cheesecake baked oats
If, like me, you see breakfast as a thinly veiled excuse to eat dessert every morning, you’ll enjoy this recipe for blueberry cheesecake baked oats by Emma Petersen (@thefitlondoner). She has a whole series of them.
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OPPORTUNITIES
Whether you’re looking for film financing, a side-hustle to support your dream, your first job in production or a programme/grant to help progress your career in the arts, I’ve rounded up a range of opportunities for January and the immediate beyond.
Get your short film made
A number of film funds have opened for spring/summer applications. Look Aside (deadline 27th January) and Slick Films (24th June) are both offering £3k for first-time filmmakers and £10k for established filmmakers, while Shore Scripts will award $15k in production grants and $4k in finishing funds (2nd May).
Arts jobs offering remote working
If you’re looking for full-time work in digital marketing for the arts, check out Brass Bands Englands’ ad for a CRM and Website Project Support Officer, or Royal Institute of British Architects’ posting for a Marketing Executive. For part-time work, London Gallery Weekend are seeking two Administration Assistants, while Soundabout are advertising for a freelance Volunteer Coordinator (paid).
Entry-level production opportunities
Blink Industries / Blinkink - an Emmy, BAFTA and Cannes Lions winning production company - are seeking a Runner to help out in their North London office. Molinare - an Oscar and BAFTA winning post-production studio based in Soho - are advertising for a Foley Assistant to help create sound effects for TV, film and video games.
Programmes and grants
ALL ARTS DISCIPLINES
The Black Artists Grant by Creative Debuts offers no-strings financial support to black artists across all creative disciplines, providing monthly grants of £500 to spend however recipients see fit.
VISUAL ARTS
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant takes rolling applications from painters, sculptors and artists working on paper, offering funds for the purchase of materials, the creation of new work and studio space or personal expenses.
The Two Together: Porthmeor Studios Residency is seeking pairs of visual artists with 5-10 years of professional practice for a residency at Porthmeor Studios in St. Ives, Cornwall, with accommodation, a £2,000 stipend per artist and travel expenses. Closes 9th February.
ARTS EDUCATION
Autograph is taking applications for two fully funded six-month residencies (valued at £20,000) from London-based secondary school art and photography teachers from global majority backgrounds. Closes 3rd February.
FILM, TV & STAGE
The BFI Network & BAFTA mentoring scheme in partnership with BFI Flare provides career development support to UK-based early career LGBTQIA+ writers, directors and producers who are working towards a debut feature, TV pilot or online commission project. Closes 29th January.
Disney Crew Academy is running a 3-week trainee programme at Pinewood Studios / NFTS Beaconsfield for people wanting to start a career in film and TV production. The scheme will cover the fundamentals of production and offer the chance to interview for a trainee position. To find out more, set up a free account on Film London’s STRIDE platform and view the programme listing. Applications close 31st January.
The BBC Comedy Collective is a bursary scheme offering 10 places to emerging writers, producers, directors and editors looking to develop their careers in scripted comedy. The bursary includes up to £10k worth of paid shadowing and a £5k development grant. Closes 31st January.
Film Forward is a programme designed to give deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent people working in virtual production, post production and VFX the tools to progress in their career. The scheme includes a 4-week placement, networking opportunities and more. Closes 6th February.
The Women’s Prize for Playwriting offers £20,000 to the best unproduced 1 hour+ play by a female or non-binary playwright in the UK and Ireland. Closes 22nd April.
EVENTS
I’m a big fan of Julia Cameron’s Artist Date - a solo activity to connect with your creativity and inspire your inner artist. The events in this edition include some artist date ideas, a special David Lynch screening, plus some filmmaker learning and networking opportunities.
Celebrating David Lynch
Rio Cinema is hosting an evening celebrating the life and work of David Lynch with a screening of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and half an hour of short films - plus coffee, doughnuts, cherry pie and a raffle - on Saturday 22nd February at 8:30pm. Tickets are £14 or £11 for concessions.
Drop in life drawing classes
London Drawing run weekly life drawing drop ins, everyday except Mondays and Fridays in central London for £15 (or £10 for under 25s and students), and online for £12.
Up in the north east, Arts Centre Washington run monthly drink and draw life drawing socials for £14.50. They put on a range of arts classes for adults - songwriting, recording, production and mixing every other Thursday (free), oil painting every Friday morning (£7) and more.
Stitching and embroidery
The V&A is running a Mughal floral embroidery workshop with artist Semira Badesha on 15th February, showing visitors how to learn different stitches and create their own floral wall hanging to take home. Tickets are £25.
Leeds Art Gallery is hosting a free stitch art workshop on 5th February, taking participants on a tour of the collection and exhibitions to inspire their own textile art. Refreshments and materials provided.
Filmmaker learning and networking
Dark surrealist filmmaker Matthias von Braun is running a number of filmmaking workshops - beginner and intermediate - at the BFI Southbank. Both day courses guide participants to create, shoot and edit a film, while the beginner session on 9th March explores surrealism, Luis Buñuel, David Lynch and others, and the intermediate session on 9th February looks at German Expressionism, camera lenses, settings and lighting. Tickets are £70.
Albert is a BAFTA-owned screen industry organisation that offers free online training to anyone in the TV and film industry looking to learn more about how to work sustainably. Workshops are ongoing and include short film production, stop motion, costume, hair and makeup, and more.
Raindance run ongoing workshops and networking opportunities. Their next networking for independent filmmakers night is happening in central London on 10th February. Tickets are £5.
Up north, the Independent Film Cooperative Manchester is hosting one of their monthly speed-dating style filmmaker networking events for local filmmakers, actors and other creatives. The event is free to attend with an optional donation.
THANK YOU
For being the first readers of The Gallerist! I’d love to grow this newsletter to reach and help as many people in the arts as possible - if you enjoyed reading this edition, please forward or share it on social media.
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