Greetings! And welcome to Underwire’s 2012 festival.

We’ve been on quite a journey since our last edition. Support from Creative England, WFTV, Directors UK and Euroscript has seen us move up and down the country to meet the brilliant female talent that reside in these here isles. And the activity doesn’t stop, with our Underwire Ambassadors throughout the UK now arranging their own events. Thank you to everyone who has participated, making the tour an overwhelming success.

Looking to the festival, we are once again thrilled by the trebling of submissions for UnderWire 2012 and have been so impressed at the standard of work coming through by women working across the crafts of filmmaking. We’ve introduced two new categories this year - Sound Design and Actor - and will be launching our Film Journalism competition, in partnership with Sight & Sound, during the festival.

We’ve got a great programme of events for you to chose from, lovingly produced by our partners. They will be examining what’s happening in the industry for women, asking some tough questions but also providing some practical tips about how to make your films work for you.

Now, over to you to peruse the programme!

We’re really looking forward to it, and can’t wait to get to know you all over a beer.

Gemma and Helen, Underwire Co-Directors