Four UK filmmakers win £20,000 each from BFI and CHANEL

Culture & Events Desk 2026-10-14 18:53 2 min read

A diverse group of nine well-dressed actors standing together against a wooden paneled wall.

Four emerging UK filmmakers have each received £20,000 through the 2026 BFI & CHANEL Filmmaker Awards, announced at a ceremony at Claridge’s in London. The funding is intended to help them develop new work, explore ideas and collaborate.

Four filmmakers receive awards

The winners are Rich Felgate, director, producer and cinematographer of We, The Hated; Olive Nwosu, director and writer of Lady; Imran Perretta, director, co-writer and composer of Ish; and Rachel Taparjan, director and writer of Something Familiar.

Actors Jessie Buckley and Gwendoline Christie announced the awards and joined the jury, alongside Edward Enninful, Marie-Louise Khondji and BFI chief executive Ben Roberts. The jury selected four winners after concluding that the field warranted more than three awards.

Funding supports new creative work

Each recipient receives £20,000 to expand their practice, test ideas, support co-creation and knowledge exchange, and widen representation in the UK’s cultural community. The awards form part of the BFI’s support for emerging independent filmmakers. The BFI screen careers programme offers another route into UK filmmaking.

Four UK filmmakers win £20,000 each from BFI and CHANEL

The jury praised Felgate’s film for its storytelling and examination of protest; Nwosu’s Lady for its cinematic ambition and intimate treatment of challenging material; and Perretta’s Ish for its emotionally grounded account of racial profiling and belonging. Taparjan’s documentary was recognised for its personal approach to family, identity and generational trauma.

What is known about the films

Ish is available on BFI Player. The source says We, The Hated is due to open in selected UK cinemas on 2 November 2026, following previews on 27 October. Lady is scheduled for a UK release in spring 2027, while release details for Something Familiar are yet to be announced.

The awards have run since 2022. Eligibility for this year’s selection required filmmakers to be UK residents and to have work released or showcased between 1 January 2025 and 30 June 2026. The winners were chosen from a shortlist of eight.

Source: British Film Institute News

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The awards, recipients, funding and film release details were checked against the supplied British Film Institute announcement.

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