There are very few female film directors in Hollywood, but directing duo Bert and Bertie, otherwise known as Katie Ellwood (Bertie) and Amber Finlayson (Bert), are forging a name for themselves.

Aleks Krotoski joins Bert and Bertie as they direct their latest film, Troop Zero, which stars McKenna Grace and Oscar winners Allison Janney and Viola Davis. The film is set in 1977 in rural Georgia, where a misfit girl dreams of life in outer space. When a competition offers her a chance to be recorded on NASA's Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troop of Birdie Scouts, forming friendships that last a lifetime.

To get a real insight into the Hollywood system and the role of directors in the making of a film, Aleks joins the Berts on location in Louisiana as they shoot the film, and in the studio during the edit. Not only are the directors both women with young children, but the writers, producers and the majority of the production crew are also women. Bert and Bertie talk to Aleks about how they are proactively trying to change women’s opportunities in the industry through their hiring practices.

Other contributors to the programme include co-writer Lucy Alibar, executive producer Jenny Hinkey and cinematographer James Whitaker.

Bert & Bertie: Directing Troop Zero 36:11 Share

In the Studio

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Bert & Bertie: Directing Troop Zero