The Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB) announce the following five finalists in its third annual Duke of Edinburgh Film & TV Inclusion Award: Denise Rose (Mouth That Roars), Futures in Film CIC, Katie Player, Natalie Edward-Yesufu and Nicola Lees (The Sara Putt Associates Trainee Scheme & Foundation). PGGB Royal Patron HRH The Duke of Edinburgh met with last year’s award-winners Million Youth Media as this year’s five finalists were announced during his visit to The Farm in London’s Soho on 26th February.
Shehroze Khan, Content Producer of Million Youth Media, said: “It was fantastic to present the work of Fully Focused Productions to the Duke of Edinburgh. Moments like this allow us the opportunity to showcase the tireless work going on behind the scenes all year long, to nurture and support young people and increasing their representation on screen. It’s so important to be able to share our unique perspectives, allowing the industry to truly reflect the world we live in.”
The 2025 award will be announced at PGGB’s upcoming Talent Showcase, with the winner being presented by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at a live ceremony on Monday 24th March 2025 at The InterContinental Hotel on London’s Park Lane, hosted in association with The Walt Disney Studios and supported by Sargent-Disc. First launched in 2022, this important industry initiative shines a light on the inspirational work of those organisations or individuals in production, who are helping to create and progress talent inclusion in the UK screen production workforce.
The five finalists were selected because their work involves championing, nurturing and inspiring inclusion within the industry, from recruiting crew and providing training to creating initiatives and practices which can be adopted by others. Nominations came from across the UK and the winner will be chosen by a jury led by PGGB’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Commenting on the five exceptional nominees, Michael Beavan, Acting CEO, PGGB said:
“I am both proud and delighted that this year so many new and inspiring individuals and organisations were nominated, all of whom deserve to be celebrated. In these five finalists, we see several diverse and passionate approaches working towards a similar goal – to make our industry a truly inclusive space in which to live and work.”
Representing The Walt Disney Studios, Candice Campos, Vice President of Physical Production at Lucasfilm, said:
“Nurturing the next generation of creative talent is something we’re deeply committed to at Disney, giving them the skills and experience they need to thrive in our industry. It’s fantastic to see that commitment shared among our five outstanding nominees, whose impactful work is rightly being recognised.”
Mouth That Roars (MTR) was formed 27 years ago by Denise Rose and is a young people’s rights media organisation based in Hackney, east London and it provides opportunities for marginalised young people to learn the skills to forge careers in media. MTR’s support allows them to tell their own stories and to produce enlightening and challenging dramas, documentaries and animations. It has also set up the MTR Work Ready database, designed to connect film and media employers with MTR members. The organisation’s international reach has seen it produce films with young people living areas of disadvantage in the Middle East, North Africa and India. MTR alumni have gone on to inspire the next generation to take control of the narrative, helping them gain the skills, experience and contacts to work professionally in film and TV.
Futures in Film CIC provides pathways between disconnected regions in the north-west of England and the wider film and TV industry. The original pilot project in East Lancashire has been a catalyst for regional growth and has paved the way for a lasting socio-economic impact. Committed to creating an inclusive and accessible future in film and TV, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups such as those from disadvantaged and faith-based communities, it addresses systematic barriers to entry and creates opportunities to develop industry relevant skills and gain on-set experience with industry standard equipment and to learn about end-to-end workflows. Its most recent cohort included 25 aspiring female Muslim filmmakers. Delivering industry skills, technical innovation and social impact, Futures in Film CIC is supported by a host of respected manufacturers, professionals, guilds, organisations and universities across the film and HETV landscape.
Katie Player is a highly capable and outstanding Line Producer who is a wheelchair user. Working her way up in what has in the past been a non-inclusive and inaccessible industry, Katie has been a driving force in campaigning for and implementing accessible workplaces and sets in film and TV. She is co-founder of the “Underlying Health Condition” (UHC) campaign, which led to the creation of TAP and Access Co-ordinators. As well as training others to become Production Managers and Line Producers, she also works as an Accessibility Consultant, helping broadcasters and streamers build a blueprint for accessibility from greenlight through post productions. Katie sits on the BAFTA TV committee and has mentored countless young production staff to help them gain skills and increase practical knowledge to progress their film and TV careers. She supports schemes such as Step up to PM with ScreenSkills Accessibility and constantly campaigns to inform the wider industry about issues relating to disabled representation, which has created a stronger awareness amongst companies, suppliers and individuals on how to improve facilities for the disabled and to make film and TV a fully accessible creative industry.
Natalie Edward-Yesufu is a dynamic filmmaker, producer, and creative leader whose work exemplifies a commitment to diversity, inclusion and the empowerment of storytellers. She is founder of Transition Stage Company, a film and events organisation and the creator of Enter.Stage.Write, a screenwriting gala and competition. The formation of her companies were sparked by Natalie’s ambition to bring more under-represented voices into television. She also advocates for greater production investment in Birmingham and the West Midlands from government and broadcasters. Natalie has directly supported hundreds of writers through her initiatives, which also includes StoryTown – Ideas You Own, an intellectual property conference held in Birmingham. Natalie also launched the screenwriting competition, Amplified which spotlights comedy and humour from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities and the importance of cultural diversity in storytelling.
Sara Putt Associates Trainee Scheme & Foundation, led by Nicola Lees, was founded over 10 years ago to support new and diverse talent and was created by the leading UK independent agency that represents behind the camera production and technical talent. Each year, 25 candidates across all departments are selected and encouraged to form a peer group network and ten online workshops are delivered to candidates over Zoom, with topics including CV and cover letter writing, interview skills, career planning and strategy, negotiation skills, networking skills, as well as personal and professional finance for freelancers. The team provide newcomers to the film and TV industry with the soft skills needed for a successful freelance career. Alongside the Trainee Scheme, Nicola also leads The Sara Putt Associates Foundation. Qualification for becoming a ‘Foundationer’ is not bound by requirements such as pre-existing credits, but by drive, talent and the desire to succeed. The Foundationers are mostly young, non-white men and women and those from under-represented groups, who would otherwise have struggled to find a way into film and TV. For the past ten years, through the Trainee Scheme and The Foundation, Sara Putt Associates have been quietly helping to improve diversity in our industry, making those new, underrepresented voices more relevant, and after being given a pathway into the industry, they are helping shape its future.
The first recipient of The Duke of Edinburgh Film & TV Inclusion Award was 6ft From the Spotlight, which was praised for its work to improve mental health and wellbeing in the UK film and TV production workplace, and last year the award went to Million Youth Media, for their relentless endeavours to provide talented young people from under-represented communities with the tools, opportunities and knowledge they need to thrive in film & TV.
