The independent UK film Kat and the Band has been fully funded, reaching its target of £400,000 on the SyndicateRoom platform.
The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) investment is led by Boudica Indigo, a UK-based production company. It supports female-centric films and has produced a number of producing popular and critically acclaimed films including Carol Morley’s The Falling, starring Maisie Williams (pictured above) and Maxine Peake, and Iona, starring Oscar nominee Ruth Negga.
Shooting for the Kat and the Band begins in July. It’s the story of a 16-year-old girl who lives out her dream by taking a band on tour, despite having no experience of working in the industry and still being at school.
Director Esther Hegarty explains: “Kat and the Band is a coming-of-age tale about a feisty 16-year-old schoolgirl who reaches for her dreams, breaking boundaries by pretending she’s in her 20s. As a 15-year-old, my dream was to direct. In fact, I gate-crashed a private party to seek Richard Attenborough’s advice and he became my mentor as a result. I expect many girls and women will see themselves in Kat. It’s exciting to see the anticipation with which our film is already awaited by an audience who is already talking about it on social media – and I can’t wait to share it with them.”
Boudica Indigo was founded in 2013 by Ian Davies and Rebecca Long, and has invested in and produced seven feature films to date.
Long said: “Our aim is to enable women behind and in front of the camera in the industry during a time when gender inequality still exists. We’ve had a huge amount of support so far and some patrons join the team, including the CEO of Women and Film & TV and Director for Europe of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (The Oscars).”
CEO and Co-founder of SyndicateRoom Gonçalo de Vasconcelos said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Kat and the Band to the SyndicateRoom portfolio. We’re seeing a trend towards films being funded in this way and last year we set a new record for the largest equity crowdfunded film, Salty, directed by Simon West and starring Antonio Banderas, which had a team out at the Cannes Film Festival at the weekend.
“At our core, we’re all about working with great British companies that want to make the world a better place – and with its commitment to furthering female talent within the film industry, Boudica falls neatly into this category.”
