BIFA announces New Talent longlist

Selection includes new section for best documentary debut director

by Amber Wilkinson

The Banquet
The Banquet Photo: Courtesy of London Film Festival

The British Independent Film Awards has announced its New Talent longlists for this year, featuring 28 fiction and 14 documentary features. This year's selection, which marks BIFA's 25th year includes a new category for Best Debut Director - Feature Documentary.

Films receiving multiple nominations include A Banquet, Aftersun and Blue Jean.

The BIFA Springboard scheme is also continuing, offering professional development, peer-to-peer support, mentoring, networking and skills development aimed to nurture emerging talent as they build on the success of their first features. Applications opened in September, with seven of this year's longlisted filmmakers joining the cohort of 30 filmmakers on the Film4 supported programme.

The final five nominations in each category will be announcedon November 4, with the winners revealed at the ceremony on December 4.

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)

Best Debut Screenwriter

  • Charlotte Wells - Aftersun
  • Georgia Oakley - Blue Jean
  • David Earl, Chris Hayward - Brian And Charles
  • Claire Peate - The Colour Room
  • Frances O’connor - Emily
  • Roger Williams - The Feast
  • William Stone - The Fence
  • Shane Crowley - God’s Creatures
  • Stacey Gregg - Here Before
  • Fridtjof Ryder - Inland
  • Thomas Hardiman - Medusa Deluxe
  • Ruth Greenberg - The Origin
  • Maysoon Pachachi - Our River…Our Sky

Best Debut Director - Feature Documentary

  • Joseph Curran, Dominic Aubrey De Vere - A Story Of Bones
  • Jay Bedwani - Donna
  • Marie Lidén - Electric Malady
  • Matthew Dyas Explorer
  • Sarah Beddington - Fadia’s Tree
  • Becky Hutner - Fashion Reimagined
  • Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton Mills - Kanaval
  • Jono McLeod My Old School
  • Victoria Fiore Nascondino - (Hide And Seek)
  • Kathryn Ferguson - Nothing Compares
  • Peter Day - Off The Rails
  • Elena Sánchez Bellot, Maia Kenworthy - Rebellion
  • Matthew Bauer - The Other Fellow

Breakthrough Performance

  • Jessica Alexander - A Banquet
  • Rory Alexander - Inland
  • Percelle Ascott - I Came By
  • Kíla Lord Cassidy The Wonder
  • Frankie Corio Aftersun
  • Phoebe Dynevor - The Colour Room
  • Bally Gill Allelujah
  • Lucy Halliday - Blue Jean
  • Luca Hogan - A Bit Of Light
  • Alexander Lincoln - In From The Side
  • Leo Long- I Used To Be Famous
  • Rosy McEwen - Blue Jean
  • Safia Oakley-Green - The Origin
  • David Perkins - The Fence
  • Daniel Watson - Give Them Wings

Breakthrough Producer

  • Aleksandra Bilić - 8 Bar - The Evolution Of Grime (also produced by Jamie Clark, David Upshal)
  • Leonora Darby A Banquet (also produced by Nik Bower, James Harris, Mark Lane, Laure Vaysse)
  • Hélène Sifre - Blue Jean
  • Rupert Majendie - Brian And Charles
  • Becky Hutner, Lindsay Lowe - Fashion Reimagined (also produced by Andrea Van Beuren)
  • Roger Williams The Feast
  • Serena Armitage Flux Gourmet (also produced by By Pietro Greppi)
  • Elizabeth Eves - The Forgiven (also produced by By John Michael Mcdonagh, Nick Gordon, Trevor Matthews)
  • Collie McCarthy - I Used To Be Famous
  • Henry Richmond, Louis Paine, Fridtjof Ryder - Inland
  • Aleksandra Bilić, Jennifer Corcoran Nascondino - (Hide And Seek)
  • Paul Kennedy - Nightride (also produced by By Jon Silk)
  • Tom Miller, Kate Glover - The Phantom Of The Open (also produced by Nichola Martin)
  • Ben Pullen - The Score (also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson)
  • Nadira Murray - Winners (also produced by Paul Welsh)

Share this with others on...

Movies out this week include:

Is This Thing On? Nouvelle Vague Primate Rabbit Trap
News

Home truths Marijana Janković on Balkan representation, and the immigrant question of belonging

The division belle Suzannah Herbert on facing the US' troubled history and making Natchez

Spin-off alchemy Claude Schmitz on bringing back cop pairing for Conrad & Crab – Idiotic Gems

Past crime Christoffer Boe on creating a world for his period mystery Special Unit - The First Murder

It Was Just An Accident screenwriter arrested in Iran Jafar Panahi speaks out

Sundance announces winners Josephine, Nuisance Bear, Shame And Money and To Hold A Mountain take top prizes

More news and features

Interact

As we move into 2026, don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.

With awards season in full flow, you can keep track of the latest news on that here:

César nominations Nouvelle Vague leads the race for France's biggest awards

BAFTA nominations One Battle After Another and Sinners almost neck and neck

Critics' Circle Awards One Battle After Another wins fight

Oscars Sinners dominates the nominations