The 2026 shortlist has been announced for the Film London Jarman Award.
The shortlisted artists present work that is “brave, poetic and uniquely experimental in its approach”, organisers said.
The artists selected for the 2026 Film London Jarman Award Shortlist are:
- Sadia Pineda Hameed
- Ilona Sagar
- Rhea Storr
- Alia Syed
“Storytelling, family relationships and oral histories intertwine with home movies, archival footage and abstract images in works that explore migration, identity and intergenerational trauma,” Film London said.
“Elsewhere the selected artists tackle diverse themes, from shining a light on the cultural representation of Caribbean diaspora communities in the UK to delivering hard-hitting messages about the structure of society through collaborative works that incorporate interviews and documentary footage.”
From speculative works set in near-future Wales to the legacy of a disused Finnish sanatorium built in the 1920s, films by the 2026 Film London Jarman Award shortlist “raise questions about society, challenging us in both form and content, and transporting audiences from the everyday in order to see the lives of others and the world we live in differently”, the organisation concluded.
Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of Film London, added: “Every year the Film London Jarman Award serves to thrill and inspire while also challenging us to reappraise our views and our understanding of the world around us.
“Between them Sadia, Ilona, Rhea and Alia blend the personal with the universal in unique and innovative ways, imbuing the commonplace with a sense of the extraordinary while skilfully unpicking some tremendously complex issues.
“This is exactly the kind of work that FLAMIN seeks to support and champion, and for which the Award is so rightly renowned.
“My congratulations go out to our shortlisted artists, and I couldn’t be prouder to be sharing their work with audiences nationwide as part of the UK touring programme.
“I would also like to offer a huge and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our funders, Arts Council England, as well as to our expert jury and to our partners at the Whitechapel Gallery for their ongoing commitment and support.”
The jury added: “The shortlisted artists possess a confident and singular way of seeing the world, transporting the viewer through their compelling and elegantly crafted films.
“Their outstanding works are deeply grounded in lived experience and in-depth research. They present skilfully nuanced arguments, approaching their varied subject matters with poetic sensitivity and experimentation.
“It was an amazing opportunity to have had the time as a jury to reflect on the work of all the nominated artists – it has been a pleasure and a privilege.”
The winner of the Jarman Award will be announced on 24 November 2026 in London.
Throughout autumn, in the run-up to the event, audiences can explore the work of the shortlisted artists through a nationwide touring programme presented in partnership with g39, Cardiff; BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; Spike Island, Bristol; Nottingham Contemporary; Towner Eastbourne; LUX Scotland and Barbican, London. Tour dates will be announced in September.
The shortlisted artists’ work will be exhibited at Whitechapel Gallery, London, from 17 November to 13 December 2026.
More information on the shortlisted works and the jury is available on the Film London website.
