Birmingham City University, Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B4 7XG

4pm The Music Network Meeting

6pm Registration and refreshments

7pm Event starts

An evening with BAFTA-winning director Jessie Versluys and assistant producer Kate Collier on the making of Katie: My Beautiful Face.

Katie was young and beautiful. A model and budding TV presenter, the 24-year-old had a glowing future ahead of her. But in 2008 a vicious acid attack destroyed her face, and with it her career and her life as she knew it.

Join BAFTA and Creative Networks to hear how director Jessie and assistant producer Kate worked with Katie to bring her incredibly moving story to the screen. From commissioning and production through to the editing process, Jessie will elucidate the struggles both she and Katie faced in the making of this documentary and explain how they captured Katie’s truly amazing spirit and humour as she began to rebuild her life with her new appearance. Breakthrough talent BAFTA winner Jessie will also offer indispensible advice to budding filmmakers on how to approach sensitive subjects for the screen.

The event will be interspersed with clips from the Channel Four Cutting Edge production Katie: My Beautiful Face, courtesy of Mentorn Media.

Jessie Versluys is a freelance Producer/ Director. Jessie has a background in both factual entertainment and documentary, directing on a range of programmes from The Apprentice and Secret Millionaire to the critically acclaimed The Hospital (A and E) which revealed the plight of the busy staff on a typical NHS emergency wing. Jessie worked her way up the ladder until she got a break directing on a Channel 4 first-time directors’ scheme run through Ricochet. After making her first 30 minute documentary about a vulnerable prolific young offender she went on to make her first 60 minute documentary, Into The Big Wide World – a touching and well received film about care leavers and the extraordinary difficulties they face. She is technically trained and has self-shot many of her programmes.

To join us for this FREE event, please email creative.networks@bcu.ac.uk or call Dave Taylor on 0121 331 5400.
Alternatively, register online at www.creativenetworksonline.com

BAFTA’s learning and events programme brings you closer to the film, television and video games industries. Through nationwide events, which are open to all, and exclusive online content, BAFTA shares the knowledge, talent and advice of industry experts. Learn from the best at www.bafta.org. Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/bafta