WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY ACCESS UK AND TNT SPORTS ANNOUNCE 'REFRAME THE GAME' DIRECTORS

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Access, the development programme connecting new and emerging talent to WBD brands, and TNT Sports have today announced Hannah Congdon, Somina Fombo and Daisy Ifama as the filmmakers who will tell their stories as part of Reframe the Game.

Launched last year, Reframe the Game aims to tell untold stories from across women’s sport, as part of TNT Sports commitment to ensuring access and representation for all in sports production, both in front of and behind the camera.

Ten filmmakers were shortlisted to take part in a professional development week designed to give them access and exposure to sports production and unscripted storytelling. Sessions included personal branding workshops, training delivered by Media Trust and Channel 4 News Presenter Keme Nzerem on best interview practice, and industry deep dives with WBD’s Bentley Weiner, SVP HBO Sport Documentaries; Scott Young, SVP Content, Production and Business Operations at WBD Sports; and Rebecca Diver Phillips, VP Marketing WBD UK & Ireland and TNT Sports.

The three short films, The Long Away Game directed by Hannah Congdon1, No Rucks Given! directed by Somina Fombo and SET PACE directed by Daisy Ifama, were selected following a pitch to a judging panel of industry experts, including WBD Executive Producer Kevin Evans and TNT Sports MotoGP presenter Suzi Perry.

Each filmmaker’s short responds to the prompt ‘Tell us a story about women’s sport that needs to be told’:

The Long Away Game – Directed by Hannah Congdon
A young woman is uprooted from her country in terrifying circumstances. After a headline-hitting evacuation to the UK, she finds a new home and community in a Yorkshire football club.

No Rucks Given! – Directed by Somina Fombo
From muddy grassroots pitches to record-breaking crowds, past players laid the foundations, present players drive the legacy. This is the story of the rise in topflight women's rugby. Featuring former player of the year at the Guinness National Rugby Awards Laura Kapo, No Rucks Given! uncovers the untold struggles, relentless passion, and game-changing moments that built the women’s club level game.

SET PACE – Directed by Daisy Ifama
SET PACE tells the story of legendary Carol Glenn, Britain's first black, female motorsports official, as she sets out on a new venture to launch her own race team, breaking boundaries as the first black woman in the UK to do so. This film is a celebration of motorsports, of Black British community, the fight to improve gender, racial and economic difference on the track and what one woman’s lifetime of dedication can do to change the world.

Jen Sobol, Director, WBD Access, said: "We are delighted to bring WBD Access and TNT Sports together to collaborate and deliver our newest pipeline programme Reframe the Game. Through the programme we aim to shine a light on these talented Directors who are introducing us to these truly inspirational and creative stories about women in sport.

"A unique part of this programme was giving the entire shortlisted group access to a professional development week which provided an opportunity for growth, building industry knowledge, training and developing longer-term connections, working with our long-standing and valued partner Media Trust and our live sport production teams in hubs across London. The pitches we heard at the end of that week were outstanding, showing breadth and depth of skill and authentic storytelling, and I can’t wait to see Hannah Congdon, Mena Fombo and Daisy Ifama’s films on screen."

Suzi Perry, TNT Sports MotoGP presenter, said: "I’ve always been passionate about female representation in sport and sport production, it was fantastic to sit on the pitch panel for Reframe the Game and listen to the filmmakers and their compelling, unique and as yet unheard stories. Showcasing amazing women from across the globe, spanning sports from racing to rugby - I can’t wait to see these films premiere on TNT Sports."

Scott Young, SVP Content, Production and Business Operations, WBD Sports said: "At TNT Sports, we have always looked to tell new and different stories that not only engage our current audiences but capture new viewers interested in unheard narratives from a variety of perspectives. Whether it be behind or in front of the camera, we are proud to support women’s sport and women in sport, from grassroots through to the professional level. These remarkable filmmakers have created content that will resonate with our audiences, with three amazing stories from women’s football, rugby and motorsports, and it will be great to see final films broadcast on the same day as the UEFA Champions League Final."

Filmmaker biographies: 
Hannah Congdon, The Long Away Game
Hannah Congdon is a producer/director working in independent film and broadcast documentaries. With a background in current affairs and a focus on human rights, her films lie at the cross-section between cinema and journalism.

Hannah’s short documentaries have screened at festivals across the UK including Underwire and Manchester Short Film Festival. Her first feature documentary, which told the stories of female trailblazers in Central Asia, won the EIFF Work in Progress Award and premiered at Edinburgh International Film Festival. It went on to screen at European human rights festivals, including One World Prague and Verzio in Budapest before being released in UK cinemas.

In 2023 Hannah was selected for the BIFA Springboard scheme for emerging directors and made a BAFTA Connect member.
As a producer, Hannah has worked on high profile observational and investigative films for PBS Frontline, BBC, ITV and National Geographic.

Somina Fombo, No Rucks Given!
Somina 'Mena' Fombo is a documentary director and co-founder of Blak Wave Productions creating content for TV, film and digital across the BBC, C4, BET Paramount and the British Film Institute (BFI).

She is passionate about crafting narratives that illuminate the intersection of social history with a focus on sports, women, Black and/or queer communities. Her first documentary The Glorious Ones premiered at BFI Flare London LGBTQ+ film festival in 2022 and she was the first winner of the Iris Prize documentary film fund directing Some Girls Hate Dresses for Out Tv Original & Froot Tv released globally in January 2024.

She a Breakthrough Leader with the TV Collective, a voting member of BAFTA, a TEDx speaker and industry coach and mentor to emerging filmmakers.
She was in the Team GB American Football Practice Squad, is a two-time national champion with Birmingham Lions Women's American Football Team, and played county rugby for the South East.

Daisy Ifama, SET PACE
Daisy Ifama is a filmmaker passionate about stories with purpose – that disrupt the traditional landscape and leave lasting impressions beyond the screen. Daisy is committed to disrupting the grey area and finding ways to bring her wide-ranging personal experiences into thought-provoking storytelling that goes beyond the screen.

Daisy has directed a number of short documentaries, with Netflix, The Guardian, Google and Random Acts, exploring complex conversations including queerness in small-town England, mental health, police brutality and justice in London and emergency obstetric care in Nigeria. Her films have received international acclaim, screening at festivals including Sheffield Doc Fest (UK) Holly Shorts (US) LSFF (UK) Aesthetica (UK) Montreal Black International Film Festival (CA) and CinemAfrica (SE).

Full film synopses:
Hannah Congdon, The Long Away Game
A young Afghan woman dreams of a career in football. But when the Taliban take control of the country, her world turns upside down. After a headline-hitting evacuation to the UK, she finds a new home and community in a Yorkshire football club. But memories of her hometown are never far from her thoughts.

We’ll follow her as she embarks on a new chapter as the community captain of her local football side, intercutting her coaching career today with her reflections on the life back home that she was forced to leave behind.

This is the inspirational story of one woman’s fight for freedom, and the right to play football.

Somina Fombo, No Rucks Given!
This nostalgic yet honest documentary charts the meteoric rise of top-flight women’s rugby in England from 1984 to present day. From muddy grassroots pitches to packed stadiums and prime-time TV, the sport has shattered expectations, but at what cost to the trailblazers who fought for its place?

Featuring former player of the year at the Guinness National Rugby Awards Laura Kapo and Premiership Women's Rugby players, plus rare archive footage, this film uncovers the untold struggles, relentless passion, and game-changing moments that built the women’s club level game. A tribute to the pioneers who laid the foundations and the new generation carrying the game forward.

Daisy Ifama, SET PACE
SET PACE tells the story of legendary Carol Glenn, Britain's first black, female motorsports official, as she sets out on a new venture to launch her own race team, breaking boundaries as the first black woman in the UK to do so.

A true hidden gem, 66-year-old Carol has spent almost 40 years volunteering on the track and self-funding her passion travelling to race circuits across the world, from Silverstone to Le Mans to Texas. Now, Carol has turned her hand to a new project – turbocharging the industry with her own race team, the first of its kind in the UK.

SET PACE is a celebration of motorsports, of Black British community, the fight to improve gender, racial and economic difference on the track and what one woman’s lifetime of dedication can do to change the world.