The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) 2026 New Talent longlists have been announced, celebrating exceptional debut filmmaking across 33 new British documentary and fiction features. The longlist for Breakthrough Performance, sponsored by Netflix, was announced yesterday, highlighting fourteen outstanding British actors for their remarkable performances in breakout roles.
This year, the four debut categories on the filmmaker new talent longlists include 14 first-time fiction feature directors, nine first-time feature documentary directors, 14 first-time writers, and 21 breakthrough producers.Â
The nominees in each new talent category will be announced on Monday, November 3rd, with winners revealed at the BIFA awards ceremony on Sunday, December 6th at Roundhouse. Follow BIFA on social media for all upcoming announcements.
Breakthrough Performance Longlist (Sponsored by Netflix)
Galaxie Clear – Extra Geography
Sekou Diaby – Animol
Marni Duggan – Extra Geography
Olive Gray – Surviving Earth
Joshua Griffin – Masc
Leisa Gwenllian – Effi o Blaenau
Florence Hunt – Queen at Sea
Jonathan Jules – Florid
Laurie Kynaston – Lady
Chirag Benedict Lobo – The Cycle of Love
Séamus McLean Ross – California Schemin’
Tut Nyuot – Animol
Daniel Quinn-Toye – Sunny Dancer
Luke Tittensor – Straight Circle
Breakthrough Producer (Sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios)
Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer — One in a Million (also produced by Raney Aronson-Rath)
Joanna Boateng — Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story (also produced by Lizzie Gillett, Ian Bonhôte, Andrew Calof)
Branwen Cennard — Effi o Blaenau
Rik Green — Straight Circle (also produced by Kevin Rowe, Thomas Benski, Riaz Rizvi)
Lauren Greenwood — Underland (also produced by Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Jessica Harrop)
Tom Hawkins — Animol (also produced by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Nick Love, Ashley Walters)
Sarah Howitt — Bel
Beya Kabelu, Ellie Phillips — Tutu (also produced by Johnny Webb)
James Lewis — Out Laws
Danny Page, Simon Kay — California Schemin’ (also produced by Paul Aniello, Michael Mendelsohn)
William Parry — Life Support
Oskar Pimlott — Bad Apples
Filippo Polesel — Rain Catcher (also produced by Julien Loeffler, James Kermack)
Alex Polunin — Black Church Bay (also produced by Tristan Goligher)
Sophie Reynolds — Surviving Earth (also produced by Aleksandra Bilić)Â
Best Debut Screenwriter (Sponsored by Film4)
Miriam Battye — Extra Geography
Miranda Campbell Bowling — Lady (also written by Samuel Abrahams)
Thea Gajić — Surviving Earth
Elaine Gracie, Archie Thomson — California Schemin’
Oscar Hudson — Straight Circle
Billy Lumby — Florid
Rhys Marc Jones — Black Church Bay
Ciarán McMenamin — Skintown
Bertil Nilsson — Masc
Jess O’Kane — Bad Apples
Louis Paxton — The Incomer
Dallan Shovlin — You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead
Laurence Tratalos — Misper
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) (Sponsored by BBC Film)
Samuel Abrahams — Lady
Ted Evans — Retreat
Thea Gajić — Surviving Earth
Grant Gee — Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Beatrice Gibson — At Night
Oscar Hudson — Straight Circle
Billy Lumby — Florid
Molly Manners — Extra Geography
Rhys Marc Jones — Black Church Bay
Maria MartÃnez Bayona — The End of It
Bertil Nilsson — Masc
Louis Paxton — The Incomer
Asher Rosen — Small Gods
Ashley Walters — Animol
Best Debut Director — Feature Documentary
Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak — Birds of War
Ben G. Brown — Ultimate Thunder
Suki Chan — Conscious
James Lewis, Lexi Powner — Out Laws
Robert Petit — Underland
Ed Sayers — Super Nature
Rachel Taparjan — Something Familiar
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