May 10, 2024 – Today Film4 is delighted to announce the 4Love collection is now available on Channel 4 streaming and will be released on YouTube from the 15th May.

These ground-breaking short films all tackling the theme of ‘love’ are from deaf, disabled and neurodivergent filmmakers Ella Glendining and Jessi Gutch (PYRAMID OF DISUNION); Tom Wentworth and Ewan Marshall (BATTERY); Rosanagh Griffiths (DOPE FIEND); and Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini and Debbie Hannan (MO <3 KYRA).

Film4 worked alongside 104 Films, one of the leading production companies currently working with deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent in the UK, to commission the four short films based on treatments by filmmakers who all have a variety of backgrounds and experiences including theatre, TV and comedy.

The shorts all have a unique and diverse perspective on love, from old flames to new loves, surrealist comedy to apocalyptic drama.

PYRAMID OF DISUNION from writer Ella Glendining (IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?) and directed by Glendining and Jessi Gutch (UNTIL THE TIDE CREEPS IN, BORDER TOWN), sees wheelchair-user Angel join an eco-commune in search of a more meaningful existence, though bumping into an old flame means she gets more than she bargained for on her quest for inner peace.

BATTERY written by Tom Wentworth (RALPH AND KATIE, BURKE AND HARE) and directed by Ewan Marshall (CRIPTALES, MICKERY AND SIMON MIRREN) is set in a city devastated by a climate disaster. In the short film we follow Elliot as he uses his last ever wheelchair battery to meet his boyfriend Aaron for their final dance. How far will Elliot go for love?

DOPE FIEND from director and writer Rosanagh Griffiths (CINDY) co-writer Kiri Degon and producer Lorine Plagnol (AREA BOY, DALTON’S DREAM) is set in a medical waiting room; a surrealist sci-fi-comedy following one woman’s journey to discover what life is like for her neurodiverse partner.

MO <3 KYRA co-written by Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini (SLEEPOVA, LITTLE MISS BURDEN) and co-written and directed by Debbie Hannan (FAUN, SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND) is a riotous comedy set during a high school prom about a girl’s last chance to let the girl of her dreams know how she feels about her.

Justin Edgar, Producer commented: “These films are truly ground-breaking because they were made by deaf, disabled and neurodivergent writers, directors, and actors, with at least 25% deaf, disabled and neurodivergent crew behind the scenes. It’s testament to Film4’s integrity, not only backing the films, but backing them in the right way – for disabled filmmakers to tell their stories on their own terms. These unique voices represent the diversity and wealth of disabled talent emerging in the British film industry”.

Film4 Development and Production Executive Max Park added: “We are thrilled that 4Love – four distinctive short films from filmmakers who represent the very best of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent in this country- is now available to stream on Channel 4. They capture a broad spectrum of stories and genres, exploring the theme of love from a fresh and unique perspective. Channel 4 has a long history of championing disabled talent on and off-screen, so Film4 are proud to play a part in nurturing the next generation of disabled filmmakers.”

4Love is streaming now on Channel 4.

Ella Glendining is a BAFTA-nominated Writer/Director.

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? premiered at Sundance 2023, and has won awards including the Silver Horn for the director of a film on social issues at Krakow Film Festival 2023, the prestigious FIPRESCI International Film Critics Prize, and the Bring the Change award at Biografilm Festival 2023. In 2024 Ella was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Ella also secured two 2023 BIFA nominations, Best Debut Director – Documentary Feature, and The Raindance Maverick Award. In 2024 she was awarded the New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Award for Excellence in Directing. Ella was one of three recipients of the BFI and Chanel Filmmaker awards 2023, celebrating ‘creative audacity’, and was named a BAFTA Breakthrough 2023. Ella is currently writing a historical drama feature she will also direct for the BFI, called CURIOSITIES OF FOOLS.

Jessi Gutch

Jessi Gutch is a BIFA nominated writer, award winning director and BAFTA Elevate fellow. Living with incurable ovarian cancer, she proudly identifies as a disabled filmmaker and tells stories that sit between fact and fiction, between dream and reality. Jessi is an alumni of numerous industry talent schemes including BFI NETWORK @ LFF 2021, Edinburgh Talent Lab 2022, Film London’s PFM New Talent Strand 2022, and Sheffield Doc/Fest Focus Filmmaker Talent 2022.

Jessi’s first industry backed short was semi autobiographical THE FORGOTTEN C, which was nominated for the BIFA Best British Short in 2020. Since then she has made a series of short films that have all screened at BAFTA qualifying film festivals. BLIND AS A BEAT was the winner of the Listening Pitch 2021, a semi finalist at Reel Abilities Film Festival in New York, and went onto win Best Experimental Film at the Women Over 50 Film Festival. UNTIL THE TIDE CREEPS IN was a double award winner at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2022 – taking home both Best Documentary and Best of Festival.

Jessi is currently working on her two debut features – BLUE HAS NO BORDERS, in post production with Tigerlily Productions, and MY CELLS ARE TRYING TO KILL ME, which is in financed development with BFI and Delaval Films. Her short film LAST TRAIN HOME is also shortlisted for the Primetime Empower Fund with Jodie Whittaker and she is a selected artist in residence at Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage for 2024.

Tom Wentworth

Tom is a writer for theatre and screen. Recent credits include: LITTLE BITS OF RUINED BEAUTY (Pentabus/Unlimited) and RALPH AND KATIE (BBC One). His comedy BURKE AND HARE has currently received three productions, most recently at the New Wolsey, Ipswich. Further credits include: CRIPTALES: THE REAL DEAL (BBC), PEN PALS (Rural Arts), BULLY (recipient of an MGCFutures Bursary), NO PLACE (Pentabus/Paines Plough) and WINDY OLD FOSSILS (Pentabus Young Writers’ Festival.) His work often focuses on the disabled and/or queer experience. He loves reimaging stories, especially for the stage. He has been part of BBC London Voices, Bush Theatre Emerging Writers’ Group and is a member of Writers Guild of Great Britain Equality and Diversity Committee.

Ewan Marshall

Ewan is a producer and director in television and theatre. Television productions include: CRIPTALES, 3 x 15’ monologues by Tom Wentworth, Mat Fraser and Jackie Hagan (BAFTA nominated); Paul Smith’s ONE NIGHT for BBC One (Reflet D’Or for best European drama series 2012); DESPERADOS, a series about a wheelchair basketball team by Paul Smith for CBBC (Prix de Jeunesse 2008); and PEAR SHAPED by Patrick Marber, Lizzie Mickery and Simon Mirren for BBC2 (Banff Jury Prize 2003). Ewan has directed numerous theatre productions as Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre Company and The Dukes Theatre. He has also worked as an editorial adviser on disability for the BBC.

Rosanagh Griffiths

Rosanagh is a queer Australian writer & filmmaker based in the UK, known for her technicolour hair & questionable taste in music. Raised in a painfully neurodiverse family of nine, her work now explores themes of identity, community and health through a camp, often surrealist lens. Her debut short film CINDY was selected for the Iris Prize Best British Shortlist, and her latest DOPE FIEND premiered at London Film Festival in 2023.

Having consciously uncoupled with her day job in post production – where she worked on projects such as I MAY DESTROY YOU, BIG BOYS and YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE – Rosanagh is now developing her first feature and series slate. She was previously selected for the BFI Flare x BAFTA Mentorship programme, recently won the Edinburgh TV Festival’s Ones To Watch Random Acts Live Pitch award, and is shooting her next short THIS AIN’T PRETTY WOMAN for Channel 4 in 2024.

Kiri Degon

Kiri is a British-Indian creative, born & raised in Hounslow, West London. With an academic background in social sciences, her interest in storytelling & the human condition led her to pursue a career change to TV. Over the last five years she’s built a respected career in post production, and has recently begun pursuing creative writing & development opportunities in comedy, with a primary focus on stories that centre marginalised communities. Kiri is also part of the ScreenSkills Leaders of Tomorrow programme.

Lorine Plagnol

Lorine is founder of London based independent production company, Sungazer. The company aims to support the work of talents from historically underrepresented groups – both on and off screen – believing in the power of storytelling to create change.

Lorine is a BFI Insight Vision Awardee and was longlisted for a BIFA as a Breakthrough Producer. She most recently produced ITV/Woo’s miniseries LIFE IN LOVE (2022), the feature documentary DALTON’S DREAM (2023 Sheffield DocFest, DocNYC) and the Oscar® qualifying short AREA BOY (2024 SBIFF Best Live-Action Short, 2023 Venice Biennale, BFI LFF Honourable Mention, BIFA longlist). Sungazer is a 2024 recipient of the BBC Small Indie Fund.

Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini

Matilda is a multi-award-winning bionic playwright, screenwriter and author of Nigerian heritage. A feature co-written with Gabriel-Bisset Smith was selected as part of The Brit List 2020; was named a 2023 BFI Flare x BAFTA mentee; and is a 2024 Inevitable Foundation x Loreen Arbus Elevate Collective Award Grantee. As a playwright Matilda’s debut play MUSCOVADO premiered in October 2014 and won the Alfred Fagon Audience Award. Matilda’s next play LITTLE MISS BURDEN premiered at the Bunker Theatre in 2019 and won a Popcorn Finalist Award 2020. Their last play SLEEPOVA premiered at the Bush Theatre in 2023 and won a 2024 Olivier Award and most promising playwright at the 2023 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. Matilda has written audio dramas for BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and Audible. Screen credits include BAFTA TV-Nominated CRIPTALES for BBC America & BBC4; HEAD OF WHEELS a short film produced by Open Sky Theatre & Wrapt Films which won two awards at the 2021 Digital Culture Network Awards. Matilda has screen projects in development with BBC Films, Home Team, Ardimages UK and Raw TV.

Debbie Hannan

Debbie writes and directs for stage and screen. They have been developing and directing new plays for 15 years, alongside their own writing and screen work, and are known for dynamic, high energy, heightened work, focussing on LGBTQ+ disabled and working-class stories, with a love for dark, social satire.

They are currently Associate Director at National Theatre of Scotland and were formerly Interim Artistic Director and Showrunner at Stockroom, theatre’s first writers room. They trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and as Trainee Director at the Royal Court. She has recently joined the board of Theatre Uncut.

She has directed at theatres such as the Royal Court Theatre, the Young Vic, the Bush Theatre, Soho Theatre, the Royal Exchange (Manchester), the Tron Theatre (Glasgow), the Citizens Theatre (Glasgow), the Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh)and with companies such as Complicité, Clean Break and Paines Plough, including winning an Olivier as Associate Director for Best Revival of CONSTELLATIONS on the West End. She received the Genesis New Director’s Award, and an MGC Futures Bursary. As a writer, they have recently been commissioned by Cardboard Citizens, were recently shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship Playwriting Award, and are writing a new musical, developed by Northern Stage.

Debbie has directed several shorts, recently completed Screen Skills “Step Up to Features training”, was Shadow Director on SHETLAND Season 6 & 7, and is writing a short film with the BFI x Elevate scheme. Debbie is now writing her first feature, with research supported by the Miles Ketley Memorial Fund.