Sanjoli Malani on receiving a ScreenSkills bursary

Sanjoli Malani’s passion for film was shaped by some of the greats. “Ever since I was a teenager, I was fascinated with films and growing up in India, films are a big part of our culture. Alfonso Cuaron, Martin Scorsese, Zoya Akhtar and Krzysztof Kieslowski showed me a different cinema beyond entertainment”, a passion she furthered with studying film to master’s level.

Working in her native India, Sanjoli started her screen career in post-production then moved into production and worked at Netflix’s marketing department before moving permanently to London. “In last five years in London I have freelanced as a filmmaker in multidisciplinary roles and worked on several shorts, mvs and commercials. My latest short film as a producer & director is currently in festivals and set to premiere on Nowness Asia soon.” 

It was while on the ScreenSkills website that Sanjoli came across the bursary offering and spotted an opportunity to add to her skillset, successfully applying to receive a bursary to cover the cost of first aider certification. She explained: “It is useful to have a first aider certification for safety and risk assessment purposes when producing and assistant directing. Also, often for insurance purposes productions prefer a first aider candidate. The certification has boosted my confidence when applying for AD jobs. I had lost work in the past due to lack of first aid certification so the course helped me eradicate at least one no from the list.”

ScreenSkills bursaries are cash grants designed to remove financial obstacles to career progression. Anyone can apply via the ScreenSkills website and they can be used to cover the costs of training, travel, equipment, or, as Sanjoli discovered, first aid training.

For Sanjoli, they provide an invaluable assistance to those wanting to start, or further, careers in the screen industries. She said: “It gives us access to equal opportunities which many of us are deprived of due to being an outsider to the country and the industry. It helps us upskill ourselves without having a huge financial burden and make us feel belonged. Filmmaking is an expensive industry and support like this makes room for a diverse and inclusive representation.”