Michaela Coel Explores the Beautiful Thing about Perspective in BMW Filmmaking Challenge Spot

The world’s leading premium car manufacturer has joined forces with the UK’s lead organisation for film and Emmy-Award-winning director and actress Michaela Coel to launch the ‘BMW Filmmaking Challenge in partnership with the BFI’, encouraging filmmakers to dream big and push boundaries in film.

BMW UK’s lifestyle PR agency Popcorn, digital creative and strategy companies Media.Monks and The Marcom Engine (TME); and partnership agency Wasserman also joined forces to deliver the fully integrated marketing campaign launched this week with national coverage already delivering a 45 million media reach across national, consumer, broadcast and industry titles including Sky News, BBC1Xtra, The Guardian, Evening Standard, The Times, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Metro, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, and Attitude.

In the film for the launch of the competition, created by TME, in collaboration with Coel, the actress breaks the fourth wall, and takes the viewer behind the scenes, delving into her process as she rehearses. A seamless journey from in front of the camera to her role behind the scenes. This transition reveals a variety of perspectives, ending on the brand new format of an exciting, ultra-wide Theatre Screen within the BMW i7. 

Leaning on both BMW and the BFI’s credentials for innovation and experimentation, the Filmmaking Challenge aims to nurture bold, forward-thinking storytellers. It will provide five shortlisted filmmakers with a £10,000 production budget and new 8K camera technology, enabling them to explore new perspectives and experiment with an exciting format, unlocking the potential of 8K / 32:9 cinematography.

From the five shorts, a winning film will be selected to premiere as part of the Closing Night of the BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express taking place in October 2023 and all five films will be available on BFI Player. The Challenge provides an exciting opportunity for talent to stretch their creativity and a unique platform to help springboard to the next step in their career. The five films created will be judged by an esteemed panel of film experts.

All five filmmakers will receive mentoring from Michaela Coel. The writer, director, and actress, best known for creating and starring in her multi-award-winning TV shows Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You, and most recently featuring in Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, will support the execution of the filmmakers’ visions, from discussing creative influences through to the production itself. 

Michelle Roberts, marketing director says: “This challenge is designed to foster creative risk-taking, inspired by the ground-breaking all-electric BMW i7 and its uniquely advanced cinematic technology. BMW has an extensive history of supporting the arts and nurturing breakthrough talent through initiatives like BMW Play Next and our long-standing partnership with Frieze. We are proud to extend this to film by working with prestigious partners who are pioneers in their respective industries and share our commitment to welcoming a diverse selection of filmmakers to this project.”

Kate Harris, managing partner at Popcorn, comments: “Storytelling is at the heart of what we do, so it’s been a privilege to work with one of the most inspiring storytellers of our time. By showcasing the BMW Theatre Screen in the BMW i7 through impactful content creation we have been able to deliver an authentic narrative around evolving perspectives that far transcends the filmmaking audience. Already generating noise across the media, social channels and within the filmmaking community we look forward to this campaign gain momentum over the coming months culminating in the BFI London Film Festival.”

Tash Rosehill, creative director at Media.Monks, adds: “The BMW Theatre Screen in the i7 creates a visual experience like no other. And a screen like no other deserves content that is just as unique. We’re so excited to see what the UK’s most innovative filmmakers come up with and how they dream wide to fit our ultra-wide format. It’s been incredible to work collaboratively with up and coming director Aliyah Otchere to spark untold stories from the filmmaking community. We’re excited for the range and depth of innovative films that we’ll see coming into the challenge.” 

Jade Garrow-Newport, senior director of strategy at Wasserman echoed this sentiment, stating: “If emerging from a global pandemic has taught us anything in arts and culture, it’s that untold stories that this partnership will unearth are as important as ever to a thriving British film and theatre sector. The culture of sports, music and entertainment powers our business at Wasserman, so we understand how significant the impact of this film-making challenge will be and we’re thrilled to support BMW and the BFI on this incredible journey.”