From pre-sales to distribution: inside UK indie filmmaking with ’Sunny Dancer’ team

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team behind new UK indie Sunny Dancer reveal how they made the tricky jump to a second feature and discuss the film’s pre-sales, budget manoeuvres and festival launch. Filmmaker and producer George Jaques, a 2022 Screen Star Of Tomorrow, and producer Ken Petrie talk to Screen’s senior UK and international reporter Ben Dalton about making their new feature Sunny Dancer, which is set at a summer camp for teenage cancer survivors. The film made a significant number of pre-sales at Cannes 2024 via Embankment. Sunny Dancer is Jaques’ second feature following his 2023 debut Black Dog, a DIY indie made on a budget of £500,000. While Sunny Dancer was a big step up, Jaques discussed how he navigated budget limitations. Read Screen's review of the film here: https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/sunny-dancer-review-bella-ramsey-heads-confident-and-upbeat-uk-teen-drama/5213822.article The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.