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Manchester filmmaker joins prestigious line up

22/ 8/2007

A film made by a Manchester man has been selected for the annual Short Film Awards. 

Boot Polish, a short film by Aneel Ahmad, will be shown at the festival, which is one of the premiere UK annual black events, and has been important in introducing audiences to black cinema around the world.

Aneel made Boot Polish earlier this year, after becoming the first recipient of Northwest Vision and Media’s Digital Short Plus award of £18,000.

The film tells the tale of a shoeshine boy called Barbar, who becomes emotionally involved with a courtesan.

Aneel took a small film crew out to Pakisan-Kashmiri border to shoot the short.

He said: “With Boot Polish, I wanted to make a film that pushes the boundaries. I wanted to take a risk, so we were at multiple locations shooting this film in seven days. We travelled a lot, and I was determined to make it work.

“I’ve always wanted to make epics, like Sir David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. Boot Polish was my own small epic.”

The Manchester-based writer/director is featured in Vision and Media’s first ever Talent Year Book. He admits, the regional screen agency has played a significant role in his filmmaking career.

“I did a Virgin Short in 2004 then a Mini Digital Short in 2005, so I followed the whole process of making films with Northwest Vision and Media,” he said.

“The agency helped me out a lot because they gave me the opportunities I needed.”

Head of Production Development at Vision and Media, Helen Bingham added: “We’re thrilled Boot Polish is being recognised in this way.

"We’ve supported Aneel’s career for several years, and he truly deserves all the attention his work is now receiveing."

The Short Film Awards will be held at the bfm International Film Festival, which is taking place in London from 7-14 September.