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Talks and topical discussions with filmmakers and key industry professionals — recorded at festivals around the world.
Episodes
10 minutes ago
10 minutes ago
Working with new filmmaking talent is both an exciting adventure and a challenge. What kind of financing and production considerations do film funds need to make? How do distributors and sales agents position first films in the market? And how do festivals spotlight a debut, when hardly anyone knows the name of the director? Join us for a captivating conversation around launching new film talent in the international market.
Speakers:
MIA BAYS | Director
BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund
MALAIKA BOVA | First Feature Competition Curator
Talinn Black Nights
VIRGINIE DEVESA | Co-ceo, Sales & Acquisitions
Alpha Violet
Moderator:
CARMEN THOMPSON | Film Programmer and Head of Distribution & Special Projects
We Are Parable
About the speakers:
MIA BAYS
Mia Bays is an Oscar-winning, BAFTA nominated film producer, executive producer, strategist and equality agitator with 35 years’ experience across the independent film sector on over 450 feature films. She produced Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-winning Six Shooter and earned two BAFTA nominations including Best Debut for Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, executive produced by David Bowie. Since October 2021, she has led the BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund, the UK’s largest public film fund. She launched a new £54m strategy in 2023 covering development and production across shorts, features, documentary and immersive work. Recent releases and prizes have been for Harry Lighton’s multi-BAFTA-nominated Pillion (over £1million at the UK box office following its Cannes Film Festival premiere and prize) and a BAFTA for Best Debut for My Father’s Shadow.
MALAIKA BOVA
Malaika Bova is a curator dedicated to championing emerging filmmakers. Currently the First Feature Competition Curator at Tallinn Black Nights and a programmer for Docs Barcelona, she specializes in elevating debut talent. As Artistic Director of Raindance, Malaika reshaped the festival into a dedicated platform for first-time directors; at Tallinn, she leverages a larger, more structured environment to provide these voices with the infrastructure to launch their careers. Her professional path also includes producing “From Venice to London” with La Biennale di Venezia, curating the Italian Doc Season at Bertha DocHouse, and producing the Austrian Film Festival in London.
VIRGINIE DEVESA
Virginie Devesa studied for two years in the United States at University of Washington and earned a master’s degree in corporate communications from University of Lyon III. After working as a sales manager, she founded Alpha Violet in 2012 together with Keiko Funato. The company focuses on bold, audacious films, particularly those directed by women, and its catalogue includes over 80 award-winning international features and documentaries.
CARMEN THOMPSON
Carmen Thompson is a film programmer, distributor and cultural producer based in Scotland. She works freelance and consultants across programming, audiences, festivals, training and development, funding and distribution, both in the UK and internationally, with a particular focus on cinema from the African continent and the diaspora.Carmen currently works as Head Distribution & Special Projects for multi-award winning film exhibition & distribution company We Are Parable where she leads on nationwide and international projects, including the releases of Banel & Adama (Ramata-Toulaye Sy, 2023) and Dreamers (Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, 2025) in the UK and Ireland, is an International Features Programmer for Hot Docs Festival and is one third of the newly-formed Jali Collective in Scotland. A 2024 Screen International Future Leader, Carmen is deputy chair of the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) and is a BAFTA and European Film Academy voter.
10 minutes ago
10 minutes ago
From technology-led tools enhancing accessibility to data-driven strategies to increase attendance: join us to discover how exhibitors, distributors and entrepreneurs are exploring new ways to engage audiences and increase cinema attendance.
Speakers:
MADDY PROBST | Head of Film
Watershed
SENEIT DEBESE | Founder and Managing Director
Greta & Starks Apps GmbH
THIERRY DELPIT | Co-founder and President
Cinesociety
Moderator:
VICKI BROWN | Senior Executive, Sales and Distribution
BFI
About the speakers:
MADDY PROBST
Maddy Probst is a producer of film events, talent and people with extensive experience of advocating for the cinema sector regionally, nationally and internationally. As Head of Film at Watershed, she manages the cinema team, leads on major programmes such as Cinema Rediscovered Festival; and oversees Film Hub South West which supports regional exhibitors as part of the UK wide BFI FAN and filmmaking talent through BFI NETWORK. She has been actively involved in Europa Cinemas for over a decade leading on various audience development labs, as Vice President (2014 - 2020) and continues to be involved as a board member.
SENEIT DEBESE
After studying business administration and working for 15 years as a film distributor, she decided to use her passion and expertise to promote accessibility in cinemas for 1.6 billion people worldwide with sensory impairments, older people and non-native speakers. She launched the GRETA app in 2014, achieving an outstanding impact. Greta technology is now available in 18 countries, including Brazil, India and France. Her company has won several awards, including the Creative Tech Award and the Deep Tech Award. As a speaker, coach and trainer, her key areas of focus are inner strength, ownership and the power to shape one’s own destiny.
THIERRY DELPIT
Thierry is a digital engineer and entrepreneur who has been a key figure in cinema technology since 2002. As the co-founder of CNfilms, he led the development of CINEGO DISTRI and CINEGO STOCK—industry-standard tools for film distribution and release management used daily by nearly all French distributors. In 2019, he founded Cinesociety to tackle the industry’s new frontier: specialized digital marketing solutions tailored specifically for the cinema world.
VICKI BROWN
Vicki Brown is the Senior Sales & Distribution Executive at the BFI. She leads on the International and UK sales and distribution strategy of all the BFI Filmmaking Fund’s funded feature films, working closely with the key stakeholders. Recent titles include Pillion, Kneecap, Sister Midnight and Bird. Prior to joining the BFI, Vicki held positions at Together Films, Altitude Film Sales and Focus Features International.
55 minutes ago
55 minutes ago
BBC Film and Film4, the feature film divisions of the UK public-service broadcasters, have a unique role within the UK film industry. Their films have premiered in prestige festivals and have been rewarded both at home and internationally. Don't miss this conversation about artistic choices, new talent, and changing audiences.
Speakers:
EVA YATES | Director
BBC Film
FARHANA BHULA | Director of Film4
Film4
Moderator:
WENDY MITCHELL | Journalist and Film Festival Programmer
About the speakers:
EVA YATES
Eva Yates is Director of BBC Film, the filmmaking arm of the BBC. Since taking up the Directorship in 2022 (having previously served for five years as Commissioning Executive), she has commissioned/executive produced over 70 feature films which between them have received 155 BIFA nominations (leading to 31 wins), 29 BAFTA nominations (leading to 3 wins) and 13 Oscar nominations (leading to 1 win). Having grown up in Scotland and graduated from Glasgow University and Falmouth College of Art, Eva started her career at BBC Scotland, moving onto production and development roles at UK Film Council and Revolution Films.
FARHANA BHULA
Farhana Bhula is Director of Film4, a role she assumed in September 2025 after serving as Head of Creative. Since joining Film4 in January 2022, she has overseen a diverse slate of acclaimed features including How To Have Sex, All of Us Strangers, Rose of Nevada, and H is for Hawk. She also launched Future Takes in partnership with the BFI to support emerging talent. Previously, she was a Senior Development and Production Executive at the BFI, and held roles at Wildgaze Films and Endor Productions, establishing herself as a leading voice in British film.
WENDY MITCHELL
Wendy Mitchell is a journalist, curator and moderator. She is a Contributing Editor at Screen International and hosts the weekly Screen Podcast. She also serves as the Nordic and UK delegate for the San Sebastian International Film Festival and curates their Creative Investors Conference, as well as consulting for Cannes Marche and Berlinale's European Film Market.
56 minutes ago
56 minutes ago
Join us in this episode to celebrate the three UK immersive works in competition at Cannes with a conversation with their creative teams. Expect a fascinating discussion about art and technology, AI and storytelling, and creating bridges between different media. With Eloise Singer, director and producer of The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters; Yamil Rodriguez and Ivan Alejandro Diaz Cardenas, respectively director and agentic director of Gawd v. The People; Leigh Tanner Head of Global Partnerships at VIVE Arts and Pierre-Alain Giraud, director of Playing with Fire.
Speakers:
YAMIL RODRIGUEZ | Director
GAWD v. The People (Nilor Studio)
IVAN ALEJANDRO DIAZ CARDENAS | Agentic Director
GAWD v. The People (Nilor Studio)
ELOISE SINGER | Producer and Director
The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters (Singer Studios)
PIERRE-ALAIN GIRAUD | Director
Playing with Fire (VIVE Arts)
LEIGH TANNER | Head of Global Partnerships
VIVE Arts Playing with Fire (VIVE Arts)
Moderator:
LIZ ROSENTHAL | Curator, Executive Producer, CEO & Founder
Power to the Pixel and Venice Immersive
About the speakers:
YAMIL RODRIGUEZ
Yamil Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican American multidisciplinary artist who uses storytelling and AI-driven tools to bring people closer through shared, participatory experiences. Working across immersive cinema, performance, and installation, his practice explores memory, identity, and collective connection. He most recently co-directed tAxI and is currently developing GAWD v. The People.
IVAN ALEJANDRO DIAZ CARDENAS
Ivan Alejandro Diaz Cardenas works at nilor studio creating immersive experiences. Trained in Experience Design, they began as a fine line tattoo artist and tour guide, learning how attention, emotion, and memory move. After studying Creative Computing at UAL in London, they shifted into AI coding and software engineering to build interactive worlds you can step into.
ELOISE SINGER
Eloise Singer is an Emmy-nominated, multi-award-winning producer, writer and director, and founder of Singer Studios. Her work spans film, television, podcasts and immersive media, creating bold cinematic worlds from overlooked and untold stories. She is the creator of The Pirate Queen, an award-winning franchise expanding across immersive media, publishing and screen. Her projects include The Pirate Queen (2024), starring Lucy Liu, and Mrs Benz (2025), starring Daisy Ridley. Her latest work, The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters, premieres at Cannes in 2026. She has also executive produced Rare Beasts, directed by Billie Piper, and The Last Rifleman, starring Pierce Brosnan.
PIERRE-ALAIN GIRAUD
Pierre-Alain Giraud, French director and producer, co-founder of Novaya, known for his immersive experiences. He won the 2024 Best Immersive Work Award at the Cannes Film Festival Immersive Competition for Colored, co-directed with Stéphane Foenkinos. Giraud has collaborated with artists like Björk and Sigur Rós, and his work spans theatre and film. His projects have been featured at Sundance, Tribeca and BFI London.
LEIGH TANNER
Leigh Tanner is Head of Global Partnerships at VIVE Arts, a global arts initiative that supports artists and cultural institutions’ experimentation with new technologies. She previously served as the Deputy Director of Yuz Foundation, Shanghai as well as in the Research and Exhibitions Departments of the Shanghai Project, an interdisciplinary ideas platform launched at the Shanghai Himalayas Museum. She also founded Museum 2050, a platform and annual symposium for exploring the future of museums through the lens of China.
LIZ ROSENTHAL
At the Venice Biennale’s Venice International Film Festival, Liz was instrumental in launching Venice Immersive in 2017- the first and only official competition in an A-list festival for immersive arts. Under her curatorship, Venice Immersive has grown into the world’s most significant annual exhibition of immersive arts and media. Through her company, Power to the Pixel, Liz created the first ever international programmes dedicated to developing, financing and showcasing interactive and then immersive storytelling. Her acclaimed programme The Pixel Lab supported the development of over one hundred projects, while the Cross-Media Forum, run in partnership with the BFI London Film Festival for nine years, pioneered the first international financing market for interactive and immersive projects.
4 days ago
4 days ago
Welcome to the ScreenUK Industry podcast, coming to you from the ScreenUK Pavilion at the heart of the Cannes Film Festival 2026. To see details of all of the episodes coming up in this series visit https://www.screenuk.org/industry/festivals-and-events/cannes-2026/ where you can also find out more about everything ScreenUK is doing at Cannes and beyond.
Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry
Podcast produced and hosted by Lawrence Francis www.linkedin.com/in/l-francis
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Join us for a discussion with British writer-director Harry Lighton, who made his feature directorial debut with PILLION (Un Certain Regard) at Cannes 2025.
Speakers:
HARRY LIGHTON | Writer-director
PILLION
LEE GROOMBRIDGE | Producer
PILLION
GARETH SCALES | Editor
PILLION
NICK MORRIS | Director of Photography
PILLION
Moderator:
WENDY MITCHELL | Journalist and film festival consultant
Podcast presented and produced for ScreenUK by Lawrence Francis, Premier PR www.premiercomms.com
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Meet the talent behind two enthralling immersive stories selected at 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. Produced by Nilor Studio, tAxI is a multi-sensory installation in which the passengers of a taxi find themselves in conversation with a charismatic AI.
Speakers:
ELOISE SINGER | Director, Co-writer and Executive Producer
TRAILBLAZER | Singer Studios
LESLEY PATERSON | Executive Producer
TRAILBLAZER | BraveArt Entertainment
ORIANA NEIDECKER | Producer
tAxI
STEPHEN HENDERSON | Director
tAxI | Nilor Studio
Moderator:
SILVIA ANGRISANI | Industry Programmes Manager
BFI
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Tuesday May 20, 2025
‘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.
Speakers:
TODD BROWN | Head of International Acquisitions
XYZ
MARIA EKERHOVD | Producer
Mer Film
KATARZYNA SINIARSKA | Head of Sales
New Europe Film Sales
OLIVER KASSMAN | Producer
Escape Plan Productions
Moderator:
VICKI BROWN | Snr Executive, Sales & Distribution
BFI
Monday May 19, 2025
Monday May 19, 2025
This episode goes behind the scenes of two international coproductions: 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, from the complexities of national and international financing to the division of responsibilities between co-producers, and the challenges of cross-cultural collaborations.
Speakers:
JULIANNE FORDE | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Tailored Films (Ireland)
IVANA MACKINNON | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Wild Swim Films (UK)
RUTH TREACY | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Tailored Films (Ireland)
VICTORIA BARRELL | Producer
LOMU | Sylver Entertainment
EMMA SLADE | Producer
LOMU | Tahi Productions
Monday May 19, 2025
Monday May 19, 2025
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.
Hannah Thomas
Head of Drama
Severn Screen
Emanuele Galloni
Head of Content
My Culture
Patrick O'Neill
Founder and Managing Director
Wildcard
Mitchell Stanley
Producer
No Coincidence Media
Moderator:
Carmen Thompson
Film programmer and distributor
Host and Producer:
Lawrence Francis,
www.linkedin.com/in/l-francis