The UK Jewish Film Fund is proud to announce that this year’s two Pears Short Film Fund at UK Jewish Film winners are:

To Fly Or Float – written and produced by Olivia Maiden and directed by Charlotte Peters

Beshert – written by Gary Enkin, directed by Lewis Rose and produced by Jason Solomons and Naomi Gryn

This year’s two Pears films both focus on intergenerational relationships. To Fly Or Float, which is set during the 1979 Winter of Discontent, tells the deeply moving story of a young girl who is sent to Birmingham to live with her uncle after the death of her parents. Beshert is a tender and witty piece, which charts the relationship between a young teenager and an elderly man who are brought together when the former is forced by his school to visit a retirement home.

Head of Film Lab, Benjamin Till said, “I am so proud that we have commissioned these two beautiful and universal films. Both are set in smaller Jewish communities (Birmingham and Leeds) so I’m hoping that Jewish people in both cities will really get behind them. We are as ever grateful to the Pears Foundation for their continuing support of the Pears Short Film Fund at UK Jewish Film.”

Chief Executive Michael Etherton said, “The Pears Short Film Fund at UK Jewish Film is at the heart of the work we do to bring British-Jewish life to the big screen. This year’s winning projects show that you can win a Pears commission at any stage in your career, whether you are a recent film school graduate, a well-known figure in a related area of the industry, or someone who has discovered a talent for writing post-retirement.”