The BFI Future Film Festival Awards 2025, supported by Netflix, took place Sunday evening with the winners announced online and in person at BFI Southbank.
The talented young filmmakers aged 16-25 that took home prizes included Eve Grant (Best New Talent and Best Writer for HEAVY), Andrea Adame and Paula Trejo Espado (Best Film and Best International Film for RED LACE), and Shane Chung (Best Director and International Special Mention for CHECK PLEASE). Three of these awards were judged by the BFI’s esteemed Festival Jury, who announced their choices at tonight’s ceremony, comprised of filmmakers Baff Akoto (producer of QUEEN OF GLORY), Daisy-May Hudson (director of HOLLOWAY), Eloïse King (director of THE SHADOW SCHOLARS) and Pinny Grylls (director of GRAND THEFT HAMLET). Further awards presented during the ceremony, all judged by industry experts, included the winners Song Ye (Best Animation for UNRECOGNIZED CHARACTER DETECTED), Rana Wael Matar (Best Documentary for YOUR VOICE ONLY), Joel Claudio (Best Experimental Film for REBIRTH) and Shuqi Li (Best Micro Short for OVER THERE). The winners were awarded prizes worth more than £15,000, BFI Player subscriptions and mentorships from industry leaders. The Awards were hosted by Elle Osili-Wood.
This year’s BFI Future Film Festival continues with UK-wide and online events taking place until 6 March. The programme at BFI IMAX and BFI Southbank, kindly supported by Main Sponsors Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s CrewHQ, took place from 20 – 23 February when young filmmakers heard from some of the best in the business, including Hot Spot sessions with actor and filmmaker Alice Lowe (PREVENGE, TIMESTALKER), theatre and film director Nadia Latif (THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT), and playwright and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz (SHE SAID). Other speakers throughout the event have included filmmakers Leon Oldstrong (THE LIES OF OUR CONFINES), Alice Russell (IF THE STREETS WERE ON FIRE) and Dan Thorburn (SALT WALTER TOWN), writers Ava Wong Davies (INDUSTRY), Celia Morgan (EASTENDERS), Verona Rose (TOP BOY), Thara Popoola (SEX EDUCATION), Mick Ford (AFTER THE FLOOD), editors Carly Brown (DOCTOR WHO), Rachel Durance (HOARD), Catarina Oliveira (BLUE PLANET II) and Xanna Ward Dixon (IF THE STREETS WERE ON FIRE), animators Adeene Grubb, Hamish Steele and Alice Bloomfield, showrunner’s assistant Lucy Shalders (THE SPOT), writer and journalist Danny Leigh, BlinkInk executive producer Josef Byrne, producer Alex Handschuh and office manager Will Gray, Coal Supper founders James Carbutt and Will Todd, Triple Exposure founder Gareth Graham, freelance producer Sarah Mavity, colour grader Jo Barker, wildlife filmmaker Libby Penman, Black Pear consulting director and executive coach Sarah Wright, director and choreographer Holly Blakey, movement director Yahamoto, NOWNESS commissioning director Katie Metcalfe, plus trainees and crew from CrewHQ, Warner Bros Studio Leavesden’s Skills and Training Centre.
The online programme, which included sessions featuring writer director Aislinn Clarke (FRÉWAKA), INDUSTRY co-creator Mickey Down, writer, performer and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi (LAYLA), writer director Abel Rubenstein (LIFE IN LOVE) and filmmaker Libby Burke Wilde (EARLY TWENTIES), is available to watch now on the BFI YouTube Channel.
FULL DETAILS OF AWARD WINNERS
BEST NEW TALENT – HEAVY (Eve Grant, UK 2024)
A trip to the local supermarket to buy sanitary products forces an awkward and uncomfortable conversation between a teenage girl and her clueless father in HEAVY. The Best New Talent Award is supported by Sony, with the winner Eve Grant receiving a Sony FX30 camera plus mentoring from writer-director, producer, executive and journalist Catherine Bray and a BFI Player subscription. HEAVY can be watched here.
The awards jury said: “The Best New Talent Award goes to a filmmaker whose skill in storytelling and character development marks them as a truly exciting new voice in cinema. With sharp direction, naturalistic yet expressive performances and a keen eye for the nuances of family dynamics, this film is both witty and heartfelt. The central relationship between father and daughter feels authentic, with dialogue that rings true and long takes that allow the characters to breathe. An accomplished and beautifully executed piece, this film showcases a filmmaker with immense potential – we can’t wait to see what Eve does next.”
BEST FILM – RED LACE (Andrea Adame and Paula Trejo Espada, Spain 2024)
In RED LACE, a young man enters a sinister and mysterious bakery where he must complete a rite of initiation in order to join the strange community of cake lovers who reside there. The Best Film Award is supported by the Uggla Family Foundation, with the winners Andrea Adame and Paula Trejo Espada receiving a prize of £1,500 plus a mentoring package and BFI Player subscription. RED LACE can be watched here.
The awards jury said: “The Best Film Award goes to a bold and brilliantly crafted work that lingers long after the credits roll. With its striking use of sound, colour and sharp editing, this film masterfully shifts emotions, holding the audience in a state of curiosity, tension and even discomfort. The filmmakers demonstrate remarkable confidence in both style and storytelling, using a strong central metaphor to explore themes of objectification and self-consciousness in a way that is both visceral and thought-provoking. With a sharp ensemble cast, tight dialogue and a fearless approach to ambiguity, this is an absorbing and accomplished piece.”
BEST DIRECTOR – CHECK PLEASE (Shane Chung, USA 2024)
Dinner for two turns deadly when a Korean and a Korean-American fight over who gets to pay the check — and who gets to keep their honour – in CHECK PLEASE. The Best Director award is supported by Sony, with the winner Shane Chung receiving a prize of £1,500 plus a mentoring package and BFI Player subscription. CHECK PLEASE can be watched here.
The awards jury said: “The Best Director Award goes to a filmmaker who has crafted a truly cinematic and ambitious piece, balancing sharp humour with a nuanced exploration of the immigrant experience. With striking visual language, impeccable choreography and a confident command of genre, this film subverts expectations while remaining universally resonant. It takes a simple concept and elevates it into something bold, slick and undeniably clever – a brilliant example of how to make the most of the short film form.”
In addition to the three awards judged by the BFI’s esteemed jury, the following competition categories have been judged by BFI and industry experts:
BEST ANIMATION – UNRECOGNIZED CHARACTER DETECTED (Song Ye, China 2024)
The Best Animation Award is supported by Blinkink and judged by Bart Yates, Executive Producer/Partner of Blinkink. Song Ye wins £1,500 plus a mentorship package and BFI Player subscription for UNRECOGNIZED CHARACTER DETECTED, which sees two alien organisms engage in a playful conflict across diverse territories, but all may not be as it seems. . . UNRECOGNIZED CHARACTER DETECTED can be watched here.
BEST DOCUMENTARY – YOUR VOICE ONLY (Rana Wael Matar, Saudi Arabia 2023)
The Best Documentary Award is supported by Netflix and judged by Reva Sharma, Manager – Original Documentary Programming at Netflix. Rana Wael Matar wins £1,500 plus a mentoring package and BFI Player subscription for YOUR VOICE ONLY, which sees a Sudanese man working in an isolated horse stable in Dahban, Saudi Arabia, try to contact his family after not being able to reach them in three months. YOUR VOICE ONLY can be watched here.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM – REBIRTH (Joel Claudio, UK 2024)
The Best Experimental Film Award is supported by Black Dog Films and judged by Martin Roker, Global Head of Black Dog Films. Joel Claudio wins £1,500 plus a mentoring package and BFI Player subscription for REBIRTH, which sees a once vibrant neighbourhood sent into chaos by a tragedy in the community. Two brothers are caught up in the protest, before an ethereal figure arrives embodying the grief of the people. REBIRTH can be watched here.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – RED LACE (Andrea Adame and Paula Trejo Espada, Spain 2024)
The Best International Film Award is supported by the London School Trust and judged by Timothy Blake, Chairman of London School of English. In addition to BEST FILM, Andrea Adame and Paula Trejo Espada win another £1,500 for RED LACE.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – SPECIAL MENTION – CHECK PLEASE (Shane Chung, USA 2024)
The Best International Film – Special Mention Award is supported by the London School Trust and judged by Timothy Blake, Chairman of London School of English. In addition to Best Director, Shane Chung wins another £1,000 for CHECK PLEASE.
BEST MICRO SHORT – OVER THERE (Shuqi Li, UK 2024)
The Best Micro Short Award is supported by Chapman Charitable Trust and judged by BFI Film Academy Young Programmers. Shuqi Li wins £1,500 plus a BFI Player subscription for OVER THERE, which sees a jobless woman sell her body to enter the digital world and seemingly thrive, but soon she discovers something unsettling about her new existence. OVER THERE can be watched here.
BEST WRITER – HEAVY (Eve Grant, UK 2024)
The Best Writer Award is supported by Action Xtreme and judged by Chee Keong Cheung, CEO of Action Xtreme. In addition to Best New Talent, Eve Grant wins £1,500 plus a mentoring package and BFI Player subscription for HEAVY.
All fifty-four short films in the BFI Future Film Festival programme are available to watch for free on the BFI YouTube channel until 6 March in a dedicated playlist.
