He is also a graphic artist and photographer who creates fantastical photo-realistic worlds. Jensen spent his childhood in a padded soundproof room with only an analog tape recorder and an acoustic piano, while listening to Beethoven, Wendy Carlos and the earlier works of Jean Michel Jarre. They can all be listened to for free on his official website, or purchased via PayPal, on Amazon, iTunes or CD Baby. He has composed several albums of ambient and melodic style, "with a sci-fi twist": Avatar (2006), Prelude to the Solitude (2007), IF? (2009), and Cheri Angelique (2009). “We can’t wait to see what’s next for Monique and all the other directors who have shared their experience and expertise with us over the last few months.”įor more information, including where to watch the winning film, visit here.Jensen was born in the Silicon Valley and currently lives in San Francisco. “The M&M’S FUNd initiative was created to help grow a world where we all feel like we belong, and all of our directors have captured this mission in their work. We hope Monique’s short film will spark important discussions around belonging and representation in film. “Monique’s film is fun, witty, and gently breaks down LGBTQIA+ and ethnic minority stereotypes. It has been a pleasure to see her concept, “Sunday Dinner”, develop from a 90-second trailer to a brilliant short film. Kerry Cavanaugh, Business Unit Director at Mars, said: “We are absolutely thrilled for Monique. Guy Chackarov and Omri Dagan also impressed judges with their cop-based comedy “Supervised”, which challenged white privilege and police profiling of minorities in a world where cops bust white people for minor offences.Īnd Natasha Mwansa's “Do it for Jordan” told the story of Maria who, after a heart-transplant procedure, finds herself having feelings for a mystery woman – who turns out to be the ex-lover of her new heart’s previous owner. The remaining three finalists included Ethan Ross, a Bournemouth University student whose concept “Pink Glove” was a heart-thumping thriller which followed an all-LGBTQIA+ spy agency looking for justice after an assassination attempt of a colleague. The M&M's #FilmsYouWantToSee was born after research, conducted in September 2022, found that 43 per cent of Gen-Z Brits feel they can’t relate to characters on the big screen – and more than half (57 per cent) felt that stereotypes are offensive and overused in film.Īlongside Monique, the #FilmsYouWantToSee 2023 final also saw three other finalists showcase trailers for their film concepts – each winning a runner-up prize of £7,500 to develop a full trailer for their film. Very grateful for M&Ms for giving me the opportunity to tell my story my way.” Writer and director Monique has already created two short films since 2019, which have been shown and commended at global film festivals – and she feels passionate about broadening the types of stories told about her community.Īfter her win, Monique said: “It was important to me that people could see themselves, their norm, their day-to-day in a relatable way that, I think, hasn’t been done before. Monique Needham won the top prize of £25,000 to develop her film concept into a short film (Image: Monique Needham/Cover Images)
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