Story by and Director | Pinny Grylls
Pinny grew up in Hackney and is an award winning documentary and commercials director specialising in opera, theatre and dance. She went profoundly deaf in 2016. As a filmmaker she specialises in collaborative storytelling. She wrote the story of HEAR MY VOICE with INTERMISSION YOUTH Members who are from the same communities as TJ. It is her first fiction feature.
Pinny co-founded Birds Eye Film Festival to showcase female directing talent in 2002. Since then she has built a career as a documentary filmmaker winning several awards for her films (most notably for UK Film Council funded Peter and Ben). She has made films for BBC, Channel 4 and The Guardian, and is passionate about the power of the arts to change people’s lives. She has made documentaries ( including The Hour and Becoming Zerlina) that turn our perception of theater, opera and ballet on its heads, as well as directing commercials and documentaries. Pinny has also spent several years running film-making workshops with young people. Pinny still lives in Hackney with her husband and 2 children.
Writer | Isaac Tomiczek
https://www.anicesouvenir.com/
In 2021 Isaac was a member of BFI Network x Bafta crew, The School of High Tide and BFI Network at London Film Festival. Isaac is currently a member of Out Of Joint’s Stockroom writer’s room, a diverse collective of salaried writers creating work that is challenging, relevant and popular. He is currently writing two episodes of a YA series for Hulu and developing an original series with Urban Myth Films.
In 2020 his short film VACANT BASS was commissioned by Channel 4’s Random Acts as part of their Black and Proud season. Isaac directed the short film I JUST STABBED SOMEONE for BBC Teen Monologues and his play REBEL YEAH, was part of Vaults Festival. Isaac’s original feature is in development with Joi Productions.
Producer | Julia Ton
Julia Ton is a producer with over 14 years of experience in fiction, creative documentaries and animation. Enabling projects by structured collaborations between creative professionals, their partners and its audience.
She started her career at Fish Tank’s and Peter Greenaway films’ production company. Six years ago she left to work as an independent producer, working for other renowned companies as Submarine, LPMA and Storytellers. Project 1961 developed Hear My Voice from the early days with Pinny Grylls. With support from Foundation for Future London and many Kickstarter backers the story and the music is developed with the young people the film is about.
Producers | Camilla Wren and Shirine Best
https://www.facebook.com/OtherProds
Founded in 2020 with the support of the BFI Vision Awards, Other Productions is a creative collaboration between producers Shirine Best and Camilla Wren. Other Productions is developing an exciting slate of high-quality film and TV drama, with the objective of producing bold international stories that champion a range of diverse new and established talent. They currently have projects in co-production with Dominic Buchanan’s Home Team Content, producer Mary Burke, and several feature films in discussion with BFI, Film 4 and BBC Films.
Executive Producer | Ameenah Allen
Story co-developed by:
http://www.intermissionyouththeatre.co.uk/
We have met the writers via Intermission Youth. Here you can see them all individually. Intermission Youth Theatre was established 11 years ago by actor and artistic director Darren Raymond and has since been transforming the lives of young people through the works of William Shakespeare. Intermission work with Shakespearian text because the issues he wrote about 400 years ago remain as relevant to young people today: knife crime, romance, gang warfare, ambition, postcode rivalry, loyalty, jealousy and transformation. We want to remix opera in a similar way. So far Intermission have been to see several operas at The Royal Opera House and have also been doing a series of Opera Education Workshops as part of their research for the film.
Music team
Here you can meet them. The music creators are selected after a wide spread open call for young London music creators.
Supporter | Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund
https://future.london/programme/westfield-east-bank-creative-futures-fund/
Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund is an ambitious five-year programme that aims to invest £10 million into the local communities of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest. This flagship project will provide new jobs, learning, training and educational programmes through the means of arts, culture, innovation, public realm and creative placemaking. The programme aims to transform and catalyse the lives and careers of people in East London by putting funding, resources and support straight into local people’s hands
Collaborator | Royal Opera House
https://www.roh.org.uk/about/jette-parker-young-artists-programme
Throughout her career British director Elaine Kidd has been challenging the status quo of the operatic industry. Now as Head of the Jette Parker programme at the Royal Opera House, the formidable Kidd has been shifting the lens on the narrative of opera with an aim to achieve mainstream accessibility. With this mission in mind she has facilitated the Hear My Voice opera workshops and visits, including private recitals by the talented young opera singers on the Jette Parker programme.