The BFI announces a line-up of industry events hosted by the UK Pavilion in this year’s Cannes Film Festival led by filmmakers with world premieres in the festival’s official selections.
The events which are open to all festival delegates will spotlight filmmaker talent talks with films premiering in Un Certain Regard and the Immersive selection. A programme of panel discussions with industry professionals and experts will cover a range of topics of urgency to the industry today, including the art of being a minority co-producer; working with AI; the rise of indigenous language films; the charm of genre in travelling across borders; creativity and disability; best practices for a gender inclusive industry; co-production case studies; and UK film festivals.
TALENT TALKS IN THE UK PAVILION
Harris Dickinson, URCHIN (Un Certain Regard)
Writer and director Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, Babygirl, Scrapper) who makes his directorial feature debut in Un Certain Regard with Urchin, will be joined by director of photography Josée Deshaies and producer Archie Pearch from Devisio Pictures. Developed by BBC Film and financed by BBC Film with the BFI (with National Lottery funding) and Tricky Knot. Moderated by Wendy Mitchell, Journalist and film festival consultant. Friday 16 May, 11:30-12:30, UK Pavilion
Akinola Davies, MY FATHER’S SHADOW (Un Certain Regard)
Akinola Davies Jr, a BAFTA-nominated and Sundance award-winning filmmaker, who makes his feature directorial debut with My Father’s Shadow, and whose short film Lizard was the winner of Sundance Short Film Grand Jury Prize, will be in conversation with co-writer Wale Davies, UK producer Rachel Dargavel, Element Films/Crybaby Films, Nigerian co-producer Funmbi Ogunbanwo, Fatherland Productions, Nigeria, and Eva Yates (BBC Film). My Father’s Shadow is developed by BBC Film backed by BBC Film and co-financed by BBC Film and the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding). Moderated by Ama Ampadu, Senior Development & Production Executive, BFI. Saturday 17 May, 14:00-15:00, UK Pavilion
Harry Lighton, PILLION (Un Certain Regard)
Harry Lighton is a British writer-director based in London, who makes his feature directorial debut with Pillion. His short film Wren Boys was nominated for Best British Short at the 2018 BAFTAs, was nominated for a BIFA and had its US premiere at Sundance. In recent years, Harry has worked in various capacities with director Oliver Hermanus on Living, the Sky/AMC series Mary & George and an upcoming biopic of Alexander McQueen (writer). Pillion is an Element Pictures production financed by BBC Film, BFI, Picturehouse Entertainment and September Films. Moderated by Wendy Mitchell, Journalist and film festival consultant. Monday 19 May, 16:00-17:00, UK Pavilion
Eloise Singer, TRAILBLAZER and Stephen Henderson, tAxI (Immersive)
Meet the talent behind two enthralling immersive stories selected for Cannes Immersive. Created by Singer Studios, Trailblazer is a VR experience starring Daisy Ridley (Star Wars) in the role of pioneer Bertha Benz, who embarked on the world’s first road trip at the end of the 19th Century. With Emmy-nominated, multi-award-winning producer, writer and director Eloise Singer (Rare Beasts, The Last Rifleman) who will be joined by Executive Producer Lesley Paterson, BraveArt Entertainment, an Oscar® and BAFTA-winning filmmaker, as well as a five-time World Champion professional triathlete. Lesley co-wrote and executive produced All Quiet on the Western Front winner of multiple Oscars® and BAFTAs, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
tAxI is a multi-sensory installation that transforms the backseat of a self-driving cab into a confessional — an intimate space where passengers share their stories with a charismatic AI. Through playful, probing conversations, it encourages passengers to open up, adding their confessions to a growing archive of what it means to be human. With Stephen Henderson, one of the three directors of tAxI and Senior Creative and Programmer with Nilor Studio, and interactive designer and producer Oriana Neidecker. Monday 19 May, 14:00-15:00, UK Pavilion
Denitsa Yordanova, BFI Head of the International Funds and UK Global Screen Fund, says, “The UK has much to celebrate at Cannes with filmmakers and creators of five festival selection films and immersive work, headlining our events in the UK Pavilion. In addition, our information-sharing and networking sessions on working with the UK will be accompanied by a rich programme of panel events featuring international speakers on topics that are important to the industry globally and that aim to foster debate and collaboration, from international co-production to disability and creativity, the rise of indigenous language films and TV series, working with AI, best practices for a gender inclusive industry, as well as the chance to meet some of the UK’s leading film festivals.”
The UK Pavilion is open during the festival and marché with its industry events programme running from Friday 16 May to Monday 19 May and including:
- Beyond the Binary: best practices for a gender inclusive industry
Trans and non-binary professionals are marginalised in film, and while the current sociopolitical context presents new challenges, the industry is exploring ways to be more inclusive. Join this much-needed conversation around allyship and how we can all create better practices. This panel is led by the BFI, Reclaim The Frame and Women & Hollywood. With writer and director Amrou Al-Khadi whose first feature Layla debuted at Sundance 2025, co-wrote the finale of season 1 of Little America, and first novel Life as a Unicorn was published by Harper Collins; film director and award-winning screenwriter Chica Andrade whose first short We Are All Here won numerous awards including Best Film at the Queer Lisboa Festival; and Kiyoko McCrae, Program Director, Chicken & Egg Films, whose credits include executive producer of Hold me Close, Tessitura and The People Could Fly. Moderated by Tricia Tuttle, Festival Director, Berlinale. Saturday 17 May, 15:30-16:30 Palais 1 d
- The art of being a minority co-producer
A conversation with international funds about co-production from the perspective of minority producer partners with speakers from Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and the UK. Is there an art of being a minority coproducer? With Julie Blondin, National Director, Business Affairs & Co-production, Telefilm Canada; Dany Delvoie, Project Manager International, Netherlands Film Fund; Birthe Klinge, CEO, Advisor and Funding Executive, German Federal Filmboard (FFA); and Denitsa Yordanova, Head of the UK Global Screen Fund and International Fund, BFI. Moderated by Bertrand Moullier, film and television consultant, Naval Media. Friday 16 May, 14:00-15:00, UK Pavilion
- Creativity and disability: when challenges spark innovation
Working with disabled filmmakers, actors and crew often challenges the habits of the industry whilst at the same time providing a springboard for creativity and innovation. A conversation with filmmakers, sharing their experiences of inclusive spaces for disabled professionals in the film industry. With Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini a multi-award-winning, bionic playwright, author and filmmaker (Caring, CripTales, Head Over Wheels); Abbie Hills, a National Diversity Award winner and one of the UK’s first trained access coordinators as well as a writer and actor, shaping more inclusive storytelling in film and TV; and writer and director Mari Sanders (Go Daan Go, 80% Disabled) whose graduation film Rue Des Invalides, is about a boy in a wheelchair looking for love in wheelchair-hostile Paris. Moderated by Anna Higgs, Managing Director, Character 7 and Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee. Saturday 17 May, 11:30-12:30, UK Pavilion
- Meet the UK film festivals
UK film festival directors share their views on cinema, creativity and the international circulation of independent films. Join Kristy Matheson, Director BFI Festivals, Chris Fell, Director, Leeds International Film Festival, Paul Ridd, CEO & Festival Director, Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Allison Gardner, Director, Glasgow Film Festival. Moderated by Zac Ntim, international Film Reporter, Deadline. Friday 16 May, 16:00-17.00, UK Pavilion
- AI – routes to a desirable future
An international panel of researchers and practitioners will discuss the road that the industry is travelling in working with artificial intelligence and its impact on the near future. The conversation will address best practices in screenwriting, filmmaking, VFX and music composition. With David Defendi, a writer, screenwriter and film director, and also Founder of Genari, an artificial intelligence platform dedicated to screenwriting and literary writing, aiming to support authors in the development of their projects while respecting artistic intent. Katharina Gellein Viken, award-winning filmmaker, showrunner and a pioneer in AI-driven filmmaking combining traditional storytelling expertise with cutting-edge AI workflows. Graham Jack, Chief Technology Officer, beloFX, responsible for the company’s technology direction, building systems that prioritise agility through cloud infrastructure, interactive workflows, and early engagement with frontier technologies like generative AI. Rachel Lyske is a leader in the field of AI-based music and is CEO of DAACI which provides composers and musicians with transformative tools whilst keeping the creative process and the rights of artists first. Moderated by Rishi Coupland, Director of Research and Industry Innovation, BFI. Sunday 18 May, 11:30-12:30, UK Pavilion
- International co-productions: case studies
This session will go behind the scenes of two international co-productions supported through the BFI’s UK Global Screen Fund: Bring Them Down (UK/Belgium/Ireland), by writer and director Chris Andrews, and Lomu (UK/New Zealand), a feature documentary currently in production, directed by Gavin Fitzgerald and Vea Mafile’o. An international panel of producers will discuss the creative and financial challenges met by the partners, including from the complexities of national and international financing, to the division of responsibilities between co-producers, and the challenges and opportunities presented by cross-cultural collaborations. For Bring them Down, producers Ivana MacKinnon, Wild Swim Films, Julianne Forde and Ruth Treacey, Tailored Films. For Lomu, producers Victoria Barrell, Sylver Entertainment and Emma Slade, Tahi Productions. Moderated by Denitsa Yordanova, Head of the International Funds and UK Global Screen Fund, BFI. Sunday 18 May, 16:00 – 17:00, UK Pavilion
- The charm of genre: how genre films travel across borders
Genre has always been a safe bet with audiences, but today more than ever, genre films are crossing over into mainstream audiences. While the market is still looking for the next rom-com hit, crime and thriller keep on benefiting from a large audience and body horror is enjoying an unexpected wave of popularity. Producers and sales agents share their insights on the appeal of genre in the international markets. With Todd Brown, Head of International Acquisitions, XYZ Films (The Raid, Mandy, Spring); Maria Ekerhovd, Producer, Mer Film; Katarzyna Siniarska, Head of Sales, New Europe Film Sales (Lamb, Corpus Christi, Rams); and Oliver Kassman, Producer, Escape Plan Productions (Saint Maud, Out of Darkness, Love Lies Bleeding). Moderated by Vicki Brown, Senior Executive, Sales & Distribution, BFI. Monday 19 May, 11:30 – 12:30, UK Pavilion
- The rise of indigenous languages
In recent years, indigenous and minority language films have gained visibility with audiences. A growing movement within Celtic cinema has seen films such as The Quiet Girl and Kneecap conquer critics and audiences alike. Bespoke funding schemes are supporting film production in indigenous languages in several countries, such as the UK, Canada or Australia. Producers, distributors and sales agents will discuss the ways in which underrepresented voices are supported in their journey across national borders. With Patrick O’Neill, Founder and Managing Director of Wildcard, an Irish/UK independent film distribution and production company (Kneecap, Wolfwalkers, Black 47 and Learning to Breathe Under Water). Emanuele Galloni, Head of Content, My Culture, a platform dedicated to storytelling in minority and indigenous languages, Founder of Videoplugger, specialising in distributing content from minority language producers, and Connemaris Media, an Italian startup developing AI-powered tools to source, develop, and commercialise intellectual properties (IP), especially those originating in lesser-known and minority language. Mitchell Stanley, No Coincidence Media, is a Wiradjuri producer and produced the first Indigenous official co production between Australia and New Zealand, the award-winning We Are Still Here, which opened the Sydney Film Festival. Kimberley Warner, Head of Production, Ffilm Cymru Wales, leads the department’s work to support writers, directors and producers, and their films. Moderated by Carmen Thompson, Film programmer and distributor and Head of Distribution & Special Projects at We Are Parable. Sunday 18 May, 14:00-15:00, UK Pavilion
- Working with the UK: how to navigate the UK’s new Audio-Visual Expenditure Credits (AVEC)
Please come with your questions for our experts to answer on how the qualification process works for films looking to access the AVEC and the new enhancement for UK qualifying films with a core expenditure up to £15m with a UK writer and/or UK director, or which quality as official co-production. With Sinéad McHugh, Partner with Saffery, and Anna Mansi, BFI Director of Video Games & Certification. Friday 16 May, 09:30-11:00, UK Pavilion
- Working with the UK: a new opportunity with post-production and VFX
This event is an opportunity for independent producers and filmmakers to meet UK post-production and VFX companies, as well as gain valuable insight from the British Film Commission and UK Screen Alliance, on accessing incentives via post-production and VFX spend. The session will be followed by a networking breakfast to meet representatives from award-winning post and VFX companies and talent from the UK. With Gareth Kirkman, UK Business & Industry Development Manager, British Film Commission; Neil Hatton, Chief Executive, UK Screen Alliance; Isabel Davis, Executive Director, Screen Scotland; and Cheryl Conway, Head of Screen Commission, Screen Scotland. Saturday 17 May, 09:30-11:00, UK Pavilion
The BFI Inclusion team is also partnering with Diversity in Cannes, the British Blacklist and Time’s Up UK in hosting a Black Women’s lunch event (Sunday 18 May), celebrating Black women filmmakers in film; the Beyond the Binary: Best Practices for a Gender Inclusive Industry panel discussion as part of the Cannes Marché programme (Palais 1, Saturday 17 May, 15:30-16:30); and the Creativity and Disability: When Challenges Spark Innovation discussion event in the UK Pavilion (Saturday 17 May).
The Working with the UK event strand is focused on fostering collaboration opportunities between UK and international producers and other professionals including discussion and networking. This year there will be three specific events: question-and-answer session focuses on the UK’s new Audio Visual Expenditure Credits; a session on accessing the tax incentives via the AVEC for VFX and post-production in the UK; and a Meet, Match, Make speed-dating session hosted by BFI International for UK and international producers.
