Funding

In order to make Chicken, director Joe Stephenson raised £110,000. Key points:

1. Raised entirely through investment by individuals (e.g. rich friends/contacts)
2. No funding body (e.g. BFI Film Fund) was willing to fund Chicken
3. Raises questions about whether film industry is accessible to lower-income filmmakers

Production

1. Adapted from a play by Freddie Machin that originally ran at Southwark Playhouse.
2. Filmed in 19 days, almost all external locations so victim to rain, issues with lighting etc.
3. Film produced and distributed by a new company set up by director Stephenson: B Good Picture Company.

Distribution

1. No distribution deal secured in 2014
2. Two-year festival circuit won awards and generated interest and critical acclaim for film
3. UK cinema release followed in May 2016. Selected for film subscription service MUBI and acquired by Film4 for TV premiere in April 2017.
4. UK DVD release distributed by Network Releasing. Digital distribution in USA/Canada – January 2018.