Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, founder and co-chair of the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF), will headline the fourth annual New Black Film Collective XPO (TNBFC XPO) as a keynote speaker on March 25 at Rich Mix in Shoreditch.
Anyiam-Osigwe is set to join a high-profile panel featuring Avril Evans, writer and director known for her work on Call The Midwife and Hollyoaks, alongside Faisal Qureshi, producer of the BAFTA-winning Four Lions. The session will be moderated by TNBFC founder Priscilla Igwe.
The TNBFC XPO serves as a key platform for networking and knowledge exchange, designed to accelerate Black representation in the UK and global screen industries. The five-day hybrid event, running from March 24-28, will once again take place at Rich Mix, which recently hosted the BAFTA-winning British short film Rock, Paper, Scissors—a project that first premiered at BUFF in October, securing its BAFTA qualification.
BUFF, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, became a BAFTA-qualifying festival in 2020 and remains the UK’s longest-running platform dedicated to urban independent cinema.
In a statement, Anyiam-Osigwe said: “I’m thrilled to join the New Black Film Collective XPO as a keynote speaker. As BUFF marks 20 years, it’s vital to continue pushing for greater representation and sustainability in film diversity. I look forward to engaging with industry peers and inspiring the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.”
Backed by Film London, BFI, Film & TV Charity, Directors UK, and NFTS, TNBFC XPO 2025 will be free to the public, reinforcing its mission to foster a vibrant Black ecosystem in the UK screen industries by championing Black-led film production, distribution, exhibition and preserving Black filmmaking and television.
