Beverley - short film project

Beverley, set in Leicester in 1980, follows a mixed-race girl’s struggle to carve out a sense of identity in a confusing, shifting cultural landscape.

Awards

- Winner: Best of Festival – St Louis International Film Festival
- Winner: Film of the Festival & Best Short Film - Southampton Film Festival
- Winner: Film of the Festival – UK International Black Film Festival
- Winner: Best Film – Portobello Film Festival
- Winner: Best Short Film Festival – London Independent Film Festival
- Winner: Best Short Film -- Derby Film Festival
- Winner: Best International Film – International Black Film Festival (USA)
- Winner: Prix des Lyceens – This Is England Film Festival (France)
- Winner: Best Screenplay – Manchester International Film Festival
- Winner: Best Short Screenplay – Portsmouth International Film Festival
- Winner: Best Short Film & Best Actress(Laya Lewis) – Princeton Independent Film Festival
- Winner: Best Actress (Laya Lewis) – NIFF Houston Film Festival
- Winner: Best Lead Actress(Laya Lewis) – Seattle Short Film Festival
- Winner: Best Supporting Actress (Vicky McClure)– 30Under30 Film Festival
- Winner: Best Narrative Short – Weyauwega International Film Festival

Description

Beverley is set in Leicester in 1980. It follows a mixed race girl’s struggles to carve out a sense of identity in a confusing, shifting cultural landscape. A move from the decaying, poverty-stricken, urban environment to the relative comfort and theoretical safety of white suburbia does not provide the hope and opportunities Bev may have wished for. A familiar enemy is ever present - a threat that extends beyond her own safety – more importantly she must protect her brother and sister. By asserting her will and using her guile, Bev tries to shape her new environment into something palatable, but the result is the opposite of what she is trying to achieve.