ABOUT
Riverbird Films has been set up by Neil Biswas and Manjinder Virk to produce unique authored drama for UK broadcasters, streamers and cinema.
They both grew up in working class immigrant families and this has shaped their perspective on storytelling. Using their own extensive professional knowledge, as well as their cultural experience as being British Asian practitioners in the field, the founders aspire to find stories and worlds that have so far been excluded from the screen. At the heart of everything they have done so far is the production of compulsive emotional drama - and this is very much central to Riverbird Films.
NEIL BISWAS
Neil Biswas is a leading television and Film writer, director and showrunner. He was BAFTA-nominated for his fact- based TV drama BRADFORD RIOTS, which he wrote and directed. BRADFORD RIOTS was broadcast on Channel 4, winning the Arts Council England Decibel Award.
Neil grew up in the Bengali community of East London, and his first authored piece for television - “SECOND GENERATION” for Channel 4, explored the migrant communities of his parents. Neil started writing for TV on the ten part, state of the nation BBC 2 series “IN A LAND OF PLENTY” – for which he wrote episodes 4 – 7, beginning with a Clash concert and ending in Rave.
Neil is also the co-creator, lead writer and co-executive producer for Stan Lee's LUCKY MAN, which aired in January 2016. It was Sky 1’s highest-rated original drama series ever.
Neil’s debut feature, DARKNESS VISIBLE, which he wrote and directed, was released in 2019. DARKNESS VISIBLE is a supernatural thriller, which was entirely filmed on the streets and locations of Kolkata, India - featuring a completely Indian cast drawn from Mumbai and Kolkata.
“This lavish and beautifully visualised film holds its nerve impressively… implicitly haunted not only by actual spirits but also by the fear, guilt and self-consciousness of the long–term exile.” - Sight and Sound
Neil was a Lead Director on Channel Four’s iconic youth show “SKINS” (Series 4) – and also adapted Martina Cole’s “THE TAKE” for Sky 1, starring Tom Hardy and Brian Cox.
Photography by Charlie Gray
MANJINDER VIRK
Screen International star of tomorrow, Manjinder is an award winning actor, writer and director who
has worked extensively in theatre, film and television. As an actor, Manjinder won great critical
acclaim for her role as Lorraine Dunbar in Clio Barnard’s, THE ARBOR about the life of playwright
Andrea Dunbar. She was nominated for Best Actress and Best Newcomer at the British
Independent Awards and Best Newcomer at the BFI London film festival awards. She also starred
in the lead role in Peter Kosminky’s BAFTA winning drama, BRITZ (Channel 4) alongside Riz
Ahmed.
Other roles include regulars in popular running shows including, pathologist Dr Kam Karimore in UK’s longest running detective show, MIDSOMER MURDERS alongside Neil Dudgeon and Gwilym Lee, Dr Sally Fortune in Peter Bowker’s MONROE (BBC) alongside James Nesbitt, Marianne Norton in Danny Brocklehurst’s ORDINARY LIES (BBC) alongside Michelle Keoghan and Meena in Jack Dee and Peter Sinclair’s comedy, BAD MOVE (ITV). She had a regular role as DI Samira Desai in Jed Mercurio’s TRIGGER POINT (ITV) alongside Vicky McClure and most recently, SHETLAND (BBC).
As a writer, Manjinder started at the Royal Court Young writers programme. Her first play, GLOW about an Asian teenage girl boxer was commissioned by Theatre Centre and was published in their anthology alongside playwrights, Roy Williams and Benjamin Zephaniah. She also wrote and performed her one woman show, AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE (Lyric Hammersmith) to a sold out tour of regional theatres.
Manjinder has written and directed several short films including the award winning, OUT OF DARKNESS starring Tom Hiddleston, Riz Ahmed, Noma Dumezwani and Monica Dolan. The film premiered at the 57th BFI London Film festival and won Best Film and Best Drama at Aesthetica Film festival and Best film and Best Experimental Film at Still/Moving Film Festival, Brixton. Mark Kermode called the film “Intriguing and thought provoking”. Other short films include FORGIVE starring Sacha Dhawan, WITH LOVE FROM CALAIS and 23 DAYS.
She is in development with her first feature film, THINGS WE NEVER SAID as writer/director, with BFI and Wild Swim (Ivana Mackinnon and Emily Leo). A short film was made as a proof of concept starring Anjli Mohindra and Shazad Latif. The film was selected for several festivals, including Aesthetica Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, LA shorts, Best of India Short film festival, Flickers Rhode Island International Film festival, making it an Oscar and BAFTA qualifying film.
Photography by Charlie Gray
Other roles include regulars in popular running shows including, pathologist Dr Kam Karimore in UK’s longest running detective show, MIDSOMER MURDERS alongside Neil Dudgeon and Gwilym Lee, Dr Sally Fortune in Peter Bowker’s MONROE (BBC) alongside James Nesbitt, Marianne Norton in Danny Brocklehurst’s ORDINARY LIES (BBC) alongside Michelle Keoghan and Meena in Jack Dee and Peter Sinclair’s comedy, BAD MOVE (ITV). She had a regular role as DI Samira Desai in Jed Mercurio’s TRIGGER POINT (ITV) alongside Vicky McClure and most recently, SHETLAND (BBC).
As a writer, Manjinder started at the Royal Court Young writers programme. Her first play, GLOW about an Asian teenage girl boxer was commissioned by Theatre Centre and was published in their anthology alongside playwrights, Roy Williams and Benjamin Zephaniah. She also wrote and performed her one woman show, AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE (Lyric Hammersmith) to a sold out tour of regional theatres.
Manjinder has written and directed several short films including the award winning, OUT OF DARKNESS starring Tom Hiddleston, Riz Ahmed, Noma Dumezwani and Monica Dolan. The film premiered at the 57th BFI London Film festival and won Best Film and Best Drama at Aesthetica Film festival and Best film and Best Experimental Film at Still/Moving Film Festival, Brixton. Mark Kermode called the film “Intriguing and thought provoking”. Other short films include FORGIVE starring Sacha Dhawan, WITH LOVE FROM CALAIS and 23 DAYS.
She is in development with her first feature film, THINGS WE NEVER SAID as writer/director, with BFI and Wild Swim (Ivana Mackinnon and Emily Leo). A short film was made as a proof of concept starring Anjli Mohindra and Shazad Latif. The film was selected for several festivals, including Aesthetica Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, LA shorts, Best of India Short film festival, Flickers Rhode Island International Film festival, making it an Oscar and BAFTA qualifying film.
Photography by Charlie Gray