The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) have established their 2025 list of emerging talents, including 33 feature-length British documentaries and fiction films directed by young filmmakers.
This year, the top four categories that make up the list of new filmmaker talents include 12 first-time feature-length fiction directors, 13 first-time feature-length documentary directors, 16 first-time screenwriters and 16 breakthrough producers.
The five nominees in each of the new talent categories will be announced on November 3. The winners will be revealed at the 28th BIFA Awards ceremony on November 30 at the Roundhouse in Camden.
See long lists below.
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film
Stroma Cairns — The Son and the Sea
Laura Carreira — In the fall
Ronan Corrigan — LifeHack
Akinola Davies Jr – My Father’s Shadow
Harris Dickinson — Sea urchin
Patrick Dickinson — Cottontail
Nadia Fall — Brides
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor — Dreamers
Daisy-May Hudson — Pacifier
Harry Lighton – Passenger
Cal McMau — Waste Man
Imran Perretta — Ish
Breakthrough producer sponsored by Pinewood & Shepperton Studios
Wyn Baptiste — Shoot People
Helena Berndl — In symbiosis
William Bridges, Brett Goldstein — All of You (also produced by Aaron Ryder, Andrew Swett)
Polly Creed — Holloway (also produced by Alice Hughes, Sophie Compton)
Marie-Elena Dyche — Dragonfly (also produced by Dominic Tighe)
Ian Henry — Hallow Road (also produced by Lucan Toh)
Eloise King, Bona Orakwue — The Shadow Scholars (also produced by Anna Smith Tenser, Tabs Breese)
Charlotte Knowles — Palestine Comedy Club
Joann Kushner — LifeHack (also produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Aleksandr Kletzov)
Dhiraj Mahey — Ish (also produced by Bennett McGhee)
Archie Pearch—Urchin (also produced by Scott O’Donnell)
Laura Shacham — Mother Vera
Nick Skaugen — Row
Flora Stewart — The Secret of Me (also produced by James Rogan)
Best first screenwriter sponsored by Film4
Hunter Andrews, Eoin Doran – Wasteman
Tom Basden, Tim Key — The Ballad of Wallis Island
Ronan Corrigan, Hope Elliott Kemp — LifeHack
Laura Carreira — In the fall
Wale Davies – My Father’s Shadow
Suhayla El-Bushra — Brides
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor — Dreamers
Daisy-May Hudson — Pacifier
Harry Lighton – Passenger
Imran Perretta — Ish (also written by Enda Walsh)
Max Porter—Steve
Imogen West, Stroma Cairns — The Son and the Sea
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
Myrid Carten – A desire within her
Dead Horses (Ivo Beckett and James Topley) — Hakeem
Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson — Mother Vera
Jessi Gutch — Blue has no boundaries
Grace Hughes-Hallett — The Secret of Me
Max Keegan – The Shepherd and the Bear
Eloise King — The Shadow Scholars
Victoria Mapplebeck — Motherboard
Jane Mingay — Pauline Black: a tale of two tones
Eleanor Mortimer – How Deep Is Your Love
Toby Robson — Ready
