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Fifteen UK-based writers, directors and producers have been selected for BFI NETWORK@LFF 2026, the British Film Institute’s flagship development programme for early-career filmmakers moving towards their first feature.
The British Film Institute has revealed the 15 filmmakers selected for the 2026 edition of BFI NETWORK@LFF, its annual professional-development programme held alongside the BFI London Film Festival.
The cohort brings together emerging writers, directors and producers working across fiction and documentary, many of whom have developed their careers through short films before progressing towards debut features.
The filmmakers selected for 2026 are Carley Armstrong, Dáša Raimanová, Dorottya Szekely, Iqbal Mohammed, Kaki Wong, Lia Campbell, Lindsay Fraser, Lisa Clarkson, Luís Hindman, Saul Abraham, Sophie King, Theo Watkins, Toby Parker Rees, Vicki Rock and Yero Timi-Biu.
Now in its 13th year, BFI NETWORK@LFF is designed for UK-based filmmakers developing towards their first feature film. Participants are selected on the strength of their existing body of work as well as the potential of their career trajectory and debut feature projects.
From Shorts to Longer-Form Work
Short films feature prominently across the backgrounds of the selected filmmakers.
Producer Carley Armstrong’s recent short A Woman of Good Abilities, directed by Mark Chapman, was nominated for the Thelma Schoonmaker Prize at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Director and writer Dáša Raimanová has worked across documentary and fiction, while several other participants have developed shorts through BFI NETWORK funding, festival programmes and emerging-filmmaker schemes.
The selection illustrates one of the important routes available to filmmakers after establishing themselves through short-form work: using shorts as a calling card before entering structured feature-development programmes.
What the Filmmakers Receive
During the London Film Festival, the cohort will take part in an intensive programme combining masterclasses, screenings, industry events and networking with established filmmakers and screen professionals.
Participants also receive accreditation for the duration of the festival.
BFI NETWORK delivers the programme with support from the BFI Doc Society Fund, while National Lottery funding supports the initiative. Documentary and hybrid filmmakers are included alongside participants working primarily in fiction.
The programme is not currently open for applications; the application process for the 2026 cohort has already closed.
For short filmmakers considering the transition towards longer-form work, however, the newly announced cohort is worth following. BFI NETWORK@LFF provides a clear example of how a substantial body of short-form work can feed into structured career development and eventually into a debut feature.
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