Female-led production company Candid Broads is betting on new voices, impact and representation. Founded in 2020 in London by French-British actress and producer Oriane Pick, the company backs character-driven narratives led by emerging filmmakers.
Its current slate includes three shorts: Swim Sistas, The Long Away Game and The Contraception Fair. Naomie Harris narrates Swim Sistas, a short documentary directed by actress and author Catherine Joy White. Hannah Congdon directs The Long Away Game, following a female Afghan refugee soccer player finding a home in Yorkshire, England. Julie Magnaudet directs The Contraception Fair, starring Alex Rider’s Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, Derry Girls’ Kathy Kiera Clarke and The Baby’s Amber Grappy.
Candid Broads’ Founders
Pick serves as CEO and founder. Producer Anaïs Ferrato rounds out the team. The company’s name came from a desire to signal its focus on women without calling itself “chick.” “We thought ‘broads’ seemed cool,” Pick recalls. “And ‘candid’ came because we’re both French, so we’re very blunt sometimes.”
What Sets Candid Broads Apart
Candid Broads wants to bring unspoken truths from underrepresented communities to the forefront of entertainment. It champions emerging filmmakers with warmth, energy and cinematic flair.
The company requires at least gender parity on its sets, though most shoots end up around 60 percent women without forcing it. Candid Broads also casts a wider net beyond female stories.
“We are female-centric, but also did a short film not so long ago called Punching Bag that follows a male protagonist,” Ferrato tells THR. “It’s really all about finding distinctive voices and taking a chance on emerging writers and directors.”
Why Diversity Matters Now
The company is moving into feature-length filmmaking and eyeing series while still making shorts. Its vision centers on stories that feel uncomfortable or difficult.
“It’s about stories that feel uncomfortable or difficult,” Ferrato notes. “We like making things difficult for ourselves.” She adds that impact comes from urgency or personal stakes tied to the creators.
Candid Broads is unfazed by recent political backlash against representation and inclusion in the U.S. “It’s really important that everyone does their duty on it,” Pick says. “Whether it’s behind the camera or in front of the camera, or the kind of story that we tell, all of that needs to be cohesive.”
The Slate So Far
- Swim Sistas — narrated by Naomie Harris, directed by Catherine Joy White
- The Long Away Game — directed by Hannah Congdon
- The Contraception Fair — directed by Julie Magnaudet, starring Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, Kathy Kiera Clarke and Amber Grappy
The Bottom Line
Candid Broads wants representation to stop being a word. “It’s about finding that gem and pushing stories so that we really make sure that representation is not just a word,” Pick emphasizes. “It’s something much bigger.”
Ferrato puts it more directly:
“There’s a discourse against it at the moment, but for us, it’s always been something quite simple. When you look at who traditionally has had the opportunity to tell stories and who we’ve seen traditionally on screen most of the time, it was the same people or the same type of protagonist. But how much talent and how many stories are we missing when the opportunity isn’t there? So for us, the idea is to provide that opportunity.”
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.