“People are surprised to see a woman in the sport. Especially a Traveller woman" – Georgie Polley/The Angry Bird
The Angry Bird, an award nominated short documentary starring stock car racer Georgie Polley, which started life as a Travellers Times TT Vision project and was then picked up and developed by Netflix, is now available to watch for free on Netflix You Tube channel.
The Angry Bird follows Georgie Polley, a Romany championship stock car racer, and explores how she navigates and succeeds in the male-dominated sport.
After a crash that nearly ends her career, Georgie reflects on what is means to be a newly-wedded Romany woman who competes in such a dangerous sport.
The ten-minute film was directed by Jack Lillywhite and produced by Lisa Smith/Patrin Films and Masha Thorpe.
Patrin Films is a Romany-led production company dedicated to creating space for Romani stories and talent on and off screen.
Founded by Lisa Smith in 2023, out of frustration at the lack of accurate representation on screen, Patrin Films has a focus on telling Romany stories, especially those that centre women’s voices.
The Angry Bird first came to life as a project at a media training course called TT Vision, run by the Travellers Times and funded by the National Lottery Fund, where Jack Lillywhite and Lisa Smith – both Romany themselves - first worked together as film-makers.
Travellers Times Vision helped to develop the production of a short exploratory film and worked with Lisa and Jack to develop treatments and trailers for The Angry Bird, all of which are necessary to use to get big broadcasters – like Netflix – interested in developing and paying for a full film.
After having no luck at other broadcasters, Lisa and Jack finally struck gold when Netflix agreed to develop The Angry Bird.
The film was eventually made as part of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund - a scheme created in 2020 to break down barriers of access for emerging filmmakers. The initiative also provides filmmakers with a foundation of knowledge and hands-on training to help them succeed in their careers.
The Angry Bird is amazing! And such a brilliant film that has already racked up over 10,000 views on You Tube already! Well done Jack and Lisa.
And well done also to the stars of the show – George Polley and her stock car The Angry Bird!
All the best.
From all at the Travellers Times.
TT News
(All photos are stills from The Angry Bird courtesy of Netflix)