Hello January
Happy New Year! Don’t worry, we won’t be spamming you with ‘new year, new me’ mantras as they are almost never helpful. However, it does feel refreshing to be heading into 2021. So rather than put pressure on ourselves with resolutions, let’s give ourselves a break. Have a look at what our team are recommending for you to check out this January and hear from Caris on what we’ve been up to behind the scenes at RP…
WHAT ARE WE UP TO?
December has been a bit of a wind-down for us, despite launching two new projects and bringing a couple of new team members on board. (Hello Katie and Rachel!) The first of those projects was RP:Evolve, our mentoring scheme for aspiring filmmakers, 12 weeks of one to one coaching, table reads, script editing, and workshops on how to grow their confidence and their skill set to further their careers. For this round, it’s completely free of charge and our deadline for applications is 10th January. So if you’re interested or want to forward to a friend, the application link is here.
We also re-opened our submissions for Women X 2021. Once again, we’re looking for short films under twenty minutes in length created by women or non-binary filmmakers. Men can of course apply, but either the director, writer or producer must be a woman or non-binary filmmaker. We’ll be returning in September this year for three days of films, workshops, panels, wellness, and community. For now, there’s lots of planning on the horizon for us, but make sure you get your submission in before February 1st for our Earlybird Deadline. The final deadline is in June so don’t worry you have time!
Over at RP: Editorial in December we covered the brilliant Leeds International Film Festival and talked about some of our favorite short films that were featured. We also gave you 10 Christmas choices for alternative festive viewing. For the first time ever we also compiled a list of our favourite women and non-binary film directors that were featured at festivals we attended in 2020, check out the list here.
Not Having It All had a couple of festive episodes discussing Hallmark Christmas films and a dissection on the role of women in Christmas films. We also deep-dived into season four of The Crown and questioned what the future of the show holds. Then Neha and I got together and recorded an episode of our thoughts on the new year and what we learned in 2020, perfect for some reflection listening. If you’re not following us on Spotify yet, help us out and hit that button!
Last but not least, our short film Coming out for Christmas was selected for a fifth film festival! Chennai International Queer Film Festival, we’re delighted the little short we filmed in my kitchen has done so well in a year where many events have been cancelled or postponed!
Now back over to Sophie for your monthly recommendations.
Caris x
TV SHOWS
Letterkenny - CraveTV
Letterkenny - CraveTV
The ninth season of Canadian comedy show Letterkenny was released on Christmas and Alina highly recommends giving the series a watch. It reminds her of her redneck hometown as it follows a small Ontario town named Letterkenny which is pretty much exactly the same as where Alina grew up! Difficult to find in the UK at the moment but add it to your radar, and if you’re in Canada or the US, definitely give this a watch.
The Masked Singer UK: Season 2 - ITV
If you enjoy a silly, trashy game show then get yourself watching The Masked Singer UK! It started at the end of December, so you can quickly catch up but you can also just switch on the latest episode and see what’s happening. Ashton describes it as goofy fun but loves how amazing the costume and production design is! You can catch up on ITV hub and find the new episodes playing weekly on ITV.
Modern Family - Sky
Caris has been absolutely loving (and crying with laughter at) Modern Family lately and you can too! It’s a brilliantly funny tv show that’s so full of joy and fun that it seems to melt all your stresses and anxieties away for a short while and with 11 seasons available there’s plenty to binge. Definitely one to watch if you need a lighthearted show to stick on.
Joe Pera Talks With You - Adult Swim
Courtney has been avoiding holiday blues by watching the very wholesome Joe Pera Talks with You. It’s a heartwarming show which you can find on All 4 and Adult Swim. It also takes place in the state where Courtney grew up so if you ever wanted to hear more people speak with a midwestern US accent then tune in!
Fargo - Netflix
Fargo - Netflix
If you want to bask in some winter vibes this January and haven’t yet watched the show Fargo then get yourself on it! Meghann and her boyfriend recently finished watching it and she loves a well-done connected universe. It’s violent but beautiful, and actually has some fab female characters with both interesting dialogue and plot arcs (honestly sad this is still exciting to find in a show!).
Will & Grace - Sky
A favourite show of many, our own Holly D has been loving watching Will & Grace with her partner at the moment. It’s a show that’s important to their family so she’s happy to be finally watching it, as well as diving into some 90s New York culture. You can find the show currently streaming on Sky.
Vikings - Amazon Prime
Caris has deep-dived into this historical drama and is loving the bloody battles, the relationship dramas, and the bonkers fact that nobody has a North East accent in the North East. It’s been likened to Game of Thrones but Caris feels it’s even better. (don’t come for her.)
Podcasts
All these podcasts can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or various other podcast platforms - check the link in each paragraph to find exactly where to listen.
The Missionary - iHeart
I always trust Ashton’s podcast recommendations (she introduced me to the fantastic Left Right Game along with many others) and this month she’s got another fantastic one to offer us. The Missionary looks at an American woman who ran a clinic in Uganda that was rumoured to have killed over a hundred children. Hosted by journalists Rajiv Golla, Halima Gikandi and Malcolm Burnley, the show also analyses the wider issue of white saviourism. Needless to say, this is a heavy podcast dealing with difficult topics but it’s enlightening and Ashton has learnt a lot about missionary culture.
The Orange Tree - The Drag Audio
Bottoming: Season 2
If you want a fab podcast which discusses LGBTQ+ mental health, look no further than Bottoming Podcast which you can find here! It’s back for its second season and Neha highly recommends checking out both seasons. It’s a very candid podcast with wonderful hosts, Matthew and Brendan, and occasional guests featuring too.
The Orange Tree - The Drag Audio
Lauren has a great true crime recommendation which is The Orange Tree, a podcast by two students from the University of Texas. They talk about the murder of Jennifer Cave that happened in Austin’s West Campus area 15 years ago. They don’t just discuss her death but talk about who she was, her family, her life - they tell her full story.
We Can’t Talk About That Right Now with Bebe and Jessie Cave
Pearl is loving the podcast We Can’t Talk About That Right Now , which features sisters Jessie and Bebe Cave who are super honest and open about their lives in this podcast where they talk about things they “shouldn’t”. Topics include jealousy, vanity, being told off at work, polyamory, and so much more!
Millennials - Lauren Bird
Music
Millennials - Lauren Bird
Look I know she is part of the team but we have to shout about her and I’m not prepared to write this and not mention her new song! Lauren (our resident composer) released a new single in December called Millennials and it can only be described as a love letter to her generation. It’s truly a beautiful song and I (and many others on our team too) recommend giving it a listen as well as the rest of her music. She’s also selling merch designed by our graphic designer Courtney which you can find here.
Untamed - Glennon Doyle
Books
I will be linking to the publishers or author’s website for each book - if you can, please consider buying these books (and others) from your local independent bookshop to support them!
Tyne and Weird - Rob Kilburn
One of our favourite North Eastern gals, Larissa, recommends Rob Kilburn’s book of historical oddities, Tyne and Weird. It’s all about strange happenings and folklore in Tyne and Wear, featuring many different stories, including some tall tales and strange connections! You can find the book here.
Untamed - Glennon Doyle
Everyone I know who has read this book has loved it and Neha is another person to recommend it. She described Glennon Doyle’s Untamed as her 2020 personal bible which she will definitely be reading again this month (and probably in February, March, April…I think we should check on her!). You can find out more about the book here - I’m definitely going to be grabbing myself a copy.
Daisy Jones and The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Caris is an avid follower of Reese Witherspoon’s book club and had originally planned to read this book on a beach in Jamaica, but 2020 meant it was relocated to her sofa. The novel follows the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup. Perfect for fans of Almost Famous (2000), so grab your copy.
Other
In the battle of The Slumflower vs Florence Given, the only winner is the publishing industry - gal-dem article by Moya Lothian McLean
You may have seen snippets of the discourse regarding Florence Given and Chidera Eggerue (aka The Slumflower) about their books, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty (Given), What a Time to Be Alone (Eggerue), and How to Get Over a Boy (Eggerue). It’s a really interesting topic and not as simple as it may seem on Twitter. Both myself and Pearl think this article from Moya Lothian McLean at gal-dem is a fantastic piece that gives context and brings the publishing industry into it (who are not being discussed enough in relation to these issues). The article covers Instagram feminism, explores nuances in the debate, and is a must-read for anyone interested.
Sighh x The AB Method
We’re huge lovers of stationery here at Rianne Pictures and one of Caris’ favourite brands Sighh have teamed up with lifestyle coach Alice Benham to bring a stationery range which allows you to plan yearly, quarterly, weekly and daily. The designs are gorgeous and capture the usual pastel pink style of Sighh but have a wonderful business energy behind it with helpful complimentary guides created by Alice. We’ve pre-ordered them to help us calmly plan 2021 and keep on track. Grab yours here.
Feel Good Club
We also wanted to shout out to two of our favourite people in the world, Kiera and Aimie, the duo behind the Feel Good Club and remind you that if you’re in Manchester to check out their beautiful coffee shop. While only being open for takeaway orders for now, you can also grab some of their fantastic merch if you’re stopping by or even order online if you’re too far away. They also have a great pay it forward program and have puppacinnos and dog biscuits on hand for their four-legged patrons too. Check them out here.
I mentioned this briefly at the beginning but I just want to reiterate here - a new year beginning can be both exciting and overwhelming. It can be a very hard time of year for many people and resolutions don’t always help with this. If you struggle with New Year’s resolutions and the pressure from others to have huge goals for your year ahead, try not to make any or don’t make huge ones that are difficult to stick to. I personally find little weekly/monthly intentions helpful to set for myself. Look after yourself and others, and if the New Year is overwhelming for you, just try to take things one day at a time.
Let us know if you have any recommendations and tell us what you’ve been loving over on our social media platforms. You can keep up with us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for our latest updates.
Stay safe, look after each other, and keep well.
Written by Sophie Duncan
