About Gemma

Gemma Mitchell is a film producer, script reader, festival producer and all round story devotee. Her passion lies in the development of moving image culture, and she is dedicated to the production and exhibition of film in the UK and internationally.

Combining the left and right side of her brain, Gemma is dedicated to a world which allows her to explore creative storytelling whilst feeding her addiction to stationery.

Producing films since 2002, at the age of 19 Gemma produced her first feature length project ‘Happy F****** Endings’ which was screened to festival audiences in LA and secured a distribution deal with NESTA supported Left Ltd Sales and Distribution. She has been involved in both narrative fiction and documentary projects funded by the National Lottery and the BBC, with her work programmed around the world at various international film festivals. Her graduation film ‘I’m not a feminist, but…’ was broadcast on the BBC as part of their Homegrown Hollywood season.

She currently produces short films through her own production company, The Room. Focusing on narrative drama, The Room’s latest productions have been screened at PalmSprings Shortsfest, Cambridge Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, London Short Film Festival and Foyle Film Festival, while also screening in competition at GLIMMER, and nominated for the Shine Short Film Award at Bradford International Film Festival.

She championed UK film production whilst working for the London Independent Film Festival as Head Programmer for UK Drama Feature Length, and watched in excess of 600 short films as part of programming roles for the Bird’s Eye View Film Festival and Canary Wharf Film Festival.

She launched her own festival – YARN – in 2010, a cross-disciplinary festival celebrating story and storytelling. From a starting point of zero, in 5 months she single-handedly created a five-day festival, forming partnerships with Shooting People, London Short Film Festival, Little White Lies, Faber and Faber and Opium Magazine and Bookhugger.co.uk.

In parternship with Gabriella Appicela, in 2010 Gemma co-founded the Underwire Film Festival – a short film festival celebrating women working across the crafts of filmming in the UK. An annual festival in November, in 2012 Underwire received support from Creative England to hit the road and go out on tour across the UK hosting forums and events for female practitioners working in the film industry. Take a look at the website for more details.