BFI and Chanel name four winners for 2026 Filmmaker Awards
Rich Felgate, Olive Nwosu, Imran Perretta and Rachel Taparjan have been named winners of the 2026 BFI & Chanel Filmmaker Awards. Each winner receives £20,000 in financial support to help develop future projects, The Hollywood Reporter reported on Oct. 14. Four names. Four filmmakers to remember.
The ceremony was held at Claridge's Hotel in London. Jessie Buckley and Gwendoline Christie presented the awards to the four winners. Both performers also served on the jury for this year's edition. That dual role put them close to the selection process.
The rest of the jury included BFI chief executive Ben Roberts, Edward Enninful and Marie-Louise Khondji. Roberts leads the BFI, Britain's national body for film and moving image. Enninful and Khondji bring experience from fashion, publishing and production. Together, the group chose the final four.
Chanel has partnered with the BFI to stage the awards since 2022. The fashion house provides the funding behind the prizes. The BFI, which supports British filmmaking through funding, archives and cinemas, oversees the programme. It is a long-term collaboration rather than a one-off sponsorship.
The awards were created to celebrate creative audacity. The phrase is used by the organisers to describe bold and original directing. For filmmakers at an early stage, such recognition can open doors. It brings introductions, press attention and confidence for the next project.
Past winners include Luna Carmoon, writer and director of Hoard, and writer and director Pinny Grylls, Televisual reported in 2024. Carmoon and Grylls were honoured in an earlier edition of the same prize. Their inclusion shows how the awards have built a roster over several years. Each year adds new names to that list.
When the prize launched, Tilda Swinton was announced as jury chair alongside Roberts, according to the BFI. The announcement in August 2022 set out how the jury would work. Senior screen figures would select emerging talent. That structure remains in place.
What makes this stand out for viewers is simple. The winners are not yet household names. That is the point. Follow this list and you may see their features, shorts or series first when they reach cinemas and festivals in the next few years.
