The British Film Institute and Chanel have named their latest crop of winners for the BFI & Chanel Filmmaker Awards.
The third annual awards — presented to three rising U.K. directors, with a prize of £20,000 ($26,000) to each — went to Luna Carmoon, writer/director of “Hoard” (which bowed in Venice last year), Pinny Grylls, co-writer/co-director of “Grand Theft Hamlet,” and Naqqash Khalid writer/director of “In Camera.” The three were selected by a jury made up of Tilda Swinton, British Vogue editorial advisor Edward Enninful, Le Cinema Club founder Marie-Louise Khondji and BFI chief executive Ben Roberts.
“The three films we have had the honour to spotlight this year represent — with urgency and accuracy — some of the core values the BFI & Chanel Filmmaker Awards were set up to encourage: self-determination, a reflection on untold life experience and a boundaryless curiosity about the capacities of filmmaking itself, regardless of any limitation,” said Swinton. “The teams that brought these projects into harbour were all galvanised and led by the sort of practical and inspirational attitude that makes ground-breaking possible in the first place. We honour these individuals tonight and look forward with real eagerness to their road ahead.”
The awards were announced at a star-studded event held in London’s Roundhouse, attended by some of the biggest names in the industry and accompanied by an auction raising money for the BFI National Archive. Guests included Hugh Grant, Steve McQueen, Alfonso Cuarón, Lashana Lynch, Naomi Ackie, Josh O’Connor, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Daisy Edgar-jones and Felicity Jones.
Previous winners include Kathryn Ferguson, who won in 2022 with her debut award-winning documentary “Nothing Compares” about Sinead O’Connor, director of the upcoming “Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes,” a documentary about Hollywood icon Humphrey Bogart for Universal; and Savannah Leaf, who won in 2023 with “Earth Mama” and went on to win the 2024 BAFTA for best debut British writer, director or producer.
“It is such a privilege to be part of this prestigious jury for a third year, and to immerse ourselves in the work of shortlisted filmmakers, a truly vibrant and exciting group of up-and-coming talent,” said Roberts. “Making films for a living is a tough business for UK independent filmmakers, so our partnership with Chanel is so important, as this unique prize can have such an incredible impact on the careers of the winning filmmakers.”
Source Agencies
