Following a Best Live Action Short Oscar win last year for writer-director Aneil Karia’s The Long Goodbye (co-written with Riz Ahmed), production company Somesuch is launching a film development and production arm headed up by Scott O’Donnell, a BAFTA-winning producer best known for his work on Surge (2020) and Home (2016). Kicking off the new venture is director Leo Leigh’s feature debut, Sweet Sue, backed by BBC Film, sold by HanWay and produced by O’Donnell.
Founded in 2010 by Sally Campbell and Tim Nash, Somesuch has a reputation for pushing boundaries in the worlds of short film, music videos, branded content and advertising. Having produced Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA-winning short film work over the past decade and representing the likes of directors Lynne Ramsey, Raine Allen-Miller and Tom Hardiman in the commercialmaking space, Somesuch is now carving out its own path in the feature film arena. In addition to Sweet Sue which was wrapped in 2022, Somesuch’s feature slate currently in development with BBC Film includes experimental filmmaker Beatrice Gibson’s debut and Leigh’s sophomore project.
Firmly established in commercial spaces, storytelling comes as standard to Somesuch projects–the new offering is an extension of past work, and a natural evolution of the existing infrastructure. In 2017, Somesuch picked up its first BAFTA for Daniel Mulloy’s Home and produced Crystal Moselle’s feature documentary Sophia for Showtime.
“Having produced award-winning narrative work for the past 12 years, the time feels right to continue Somesuch’s expansion into feature film. We will keep doing what we do best–bringing fresh and unconventional stories to the world, from the most exciting new filmmaking talent,” said Somesuch co-founder Nash.
O’Donnell added, “Somesuch has achieved phenomenal success with its short form output over the last 10 years, through the development and championing of directors with strong and interesting voices. By applying this same approach to feature films we aim to highlight new talent to the industry with films that offer unique and original perspectives.”
