Glasgow Film Festival supports 50 next–generation filmmakers across three star-studded talent labs

Scotland’s leading film festival today revealed their list of filmmakers from across the UK selected to participate in the festival’s three flagship talent development labs with Brenda Chapman (director and co-writer of Brave), Jonas Poher Rasmussen(director and writer of Flee), Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea), Debbie Gray(producer of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande), Julia Jackman (director of 100 Nightsof Hero), Sam Lavender (executive producer of The Lobster), and Campbell X(writer and director of Stud Life) confirmed as mentors and facilitators.

Funny Features and Animatic both culminate with a live pitch during Glasgow Film Festival’s (GFF) Industry Focus conference, which runs from 2 to 6 March. Animatic participants will also compete for Best Short, Best TV Series, and Best Feature cash prizes, and one lucky filmmaking team taking part in Funny Features will be eligible for the Curzon Creates Award, giving them the opportunity to meet with Kristian Brodie, Head of Development at Curzon, to discuss their project’s next steps.

Across all three projects, the labs will support the development of 15 feature films, five TV series and five shorts from filmmakers across the UK. All filmmakers participating in the labs will be celebrated during a special ceremony taking place during GFF, which runs from 25 February to 8 March 2026.

This is the biggest cohort of filmmakers GFF has supported across one year through their Animatic, Funny Features, and New Talent Mentorship Scheme. Each initiative is designed to support exciting filmmaking talent at various stages of their careers, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in the industry.

The labs form part of Glasgow’s commitment to positively impact the future diversity of UK talent and build on the festival’s existing work to nurture exceptional UK screen talent throughout their careers. Launched in 2016, GFF’s Industry programme is now the leading gathering for people working in the Scottish Film & TV industry. The full programme for the 11th edition will be announced on Wednesday 28 January.

Samantha Bennett, Glasgow Film Festival Industry Manager, said: “Our Industry programme at Glasgow Film Festival continues to grow from strength to strength, and this is reflected in the wealth of talent and facilitators across our portfolio of opportunities. We could not deliver this work without the support of our partners: the BFI awarding National Lottery funding, the Scottish Government Festival’s EXPO fund, the William Grant Foundation, Animation Scotland, Screen Scotland, Glasgow Life, and MySmashMedia, plus the continued guidance and backing from ourpartners and colleagues across the sector, including Curzon, and Oscar-winning and nominated directors, leading animation studios, and executives from Netflix, BFI,Atomic Cartoon, and Aardman.

“We look forward to welcoming delegates and guests to Industry Focus 2026 to showcase some incredible projects.”

Animatic

Made possible with funding from the Scottish Government Festivals EXPO Fund through Creative Scotland, 15 projects have been selected for the third edition of GFF’s innovative talent lab. Supporting Scotland-based creatives and studios in developing their animated feature film, series or short film ideas for an international audience. The chosen projects will take part in a six-month training programme that includes sessions, meetings and workshops delivered by executives from leading animation and screen organisations that include Netflix, BFI, Aardman Animations, Screen Scotland, and Mackinnon & Saunders. Brenda Chapman (Oscar-winning director of Brave, and Head of Story for The Lion King), Oscar-nominated director Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee), and Julie Lockhart (co-founder of Locksmith Animation) will also participate in the lab’s programme of events.

 Support also comes this year with sponsorship from Astley Baker Davies, who are sponsoring the Best TV Series Award (£3000). Other awards Animatic participants will be competing for include Best Short (£1,500) and Best Feature (£6,000) prizes.

Funny Features

10 new comedy feature projects, including Notice Me, based on the proof-of-concept short film executive produced by Lena Dunham, will participate in Funny Features, a UK-wide comedy lab, delivered by GFF and supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery funding. Over the course of six months, participants will take part in tailored sessions that will equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to break into the global market.

Mentors include BAFTA & BIFA nominated Producer and Executive Producer Debbie Gray(Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, The Radleys), producers Yvonne Ibazebo (Rye Lane),Jon Finn (Billy Elliott, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy), Brian J. Falconer (The Dig, Derry Girls), Tom Wood (Rare Beasts), and Emma Norton (Pillion, Normal People), as well as Chief Commercial Officer of Protagonist Pictures George Hamilton, and writer-directorCampbell X (Stud Life).

Returning facilitators include My SMASH Media, finance workshops facilitator Tom Harberd (producer of Cargo), Creative Producer David Pope (THE GOAT), and Script Editor Kate Leys (Sky Peals).

New Talent Mentorship Scheme

Some of Scotland’s brightest new creative talents will participate in the sixth year of the New Talent Mentorship Scheme, funded by the William Grant Foundation. The mentorship is for emerging professionals working in film, high-end television and animation. The mentees for 2025/26 were announced earlier this year, but today the list of high-profile mentors who will provide them with practical support over the course of six months was revealed as:

GFF is one of the leading film festivals in the UK and is run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also operates Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow Film Festival is made possible by support from Screen Scotland and Glasgow Life. GFF26 will run from February 25 to March 8, with the full programme announced on Wednesday 21 January.

Animatic Projects

Features

Shorts

TV Series

Funny Features Projects

Doom Scroll

Gro(ceries)

How to Survive a Complete Obliteration of the Heart

Kidding Not Kidding

Long Shadows

Lyssa and Maxine

Notice Me

Pont Brec

Silk Road

The Flynn Family Wake

New Talent Mentorship Scheme

Mentors

Mentees

Information on project funders:

Scottish Government Festivals EXPO Fund

Established in 2007 by the Scottish Government, the Expo Fund’s aim is to build innovation across the festivals and maximise national and international opportunities for the artists contributing to the festivals.

The fund aims to support projects, programming or productions presented as part of a Festival which promote Scottish artists / companies in new work or contexts and provide meaningful opportunities for these artists or creatives to develop their international profile or careers.

Creative Scotland

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow Creative Scotland on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

The William Grant Foundation

The William Grant Foundation is a non-profit association established to support charitable causes in Scotland. Its work is funded by William Grant and Sons Ltd.

BFI Creative Challenge Fund

The BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, supports organisations to devise and deliver labs and workshops which respond to identified ‘challenges’ set to help address specific gaps across the industry. By decentralising project development, the Fund seeks to enable a wider ecosystem in which emerging UK filmmakers can develop new projects.

Our mission is:

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Jay Hunt OBE.

Curzon CM Development Fund

Created by leading independent film distributors Curzon (UK), Cinéart (Benelux) and Madman Entertainment (Australia) the £1.2 million film development fund is run out of Curzon’s London office and led by the head of development Kristian Brodie.

The fund focuses on the director-led, critically acclaimed films that the three companies are renowned for. The founding partners bring a wealth of distribution and exhibition knowledge, trusted relationships with financiers and sales agents, and connections with some of the world’s most talented filmmakers.

Each founding partner has a first look license on local distribution rights on each project financed through the fund. The deal will also provide the opportunity for the three companies to coordinate the release and finance projects globally.

Since its foundation in February 2020, the fund has supported the development of 12 feature film projects, including Edward Berger’s THE BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER, Jonatan Etzler’s BAD APPLES and Eva Weber’s documentary MERKEL.

Information about GFF 

A mainstay of the UK’s cultural calendar since 2005, Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) has firmly established itself as an unmissable international event and one of the UK’s top film festivals.

With an expertly curated, audience friendly programme of feature film premieres, community and youth led activities and a commitment to supporting new talent, we have nurtured a dedicated and diverse audience, both locally and internationally.

Glasgow Film Festival is renowned for being an important annual meeting place for the screen industry and a key launch pad for films and filmmakers at every stage of their careers.

A friendly, fun and buzzy festival, GFF is a celebration for people who love film, winning the hearts of film fans across the globe delivering an unrivalled breadth of programme and a warm welcome to all.  GFF 2026 will take place from 25 February to 8 March.

Glasgow Film Theatre is a charity registered in Scotland. No. SC005932. glasgowfilmfest.org/

Glasgow Film Festival is made possible through support from Screen Scotland and Glasgow Life.

https://www.glasgowfilmfest.org/home/

Information on GFF’s major funders: 

Screen Scotland

Screen Scotland drives development of all aspects of Scotland’s film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support.

Screen Scotland is part of Creative Scotland and delivers these services and support with funding from Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Find out more at screen.scotand follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Glasgow Life

Glasgow Life is a charity working for the benefit of the people of Glasgow. We believe everyone deserves a great Glasgow life and we find innovative ways to make this happen across the city’s diverse communities.

Our programmes, experiences and events range from grassroots community activities to large-scale cultural, artistic and sporting events which present Glasgow on an international stage.

Our work is designed to promote inclusion, happiness and health, as well as support the city’s visitor economy, in order to enhance Glasgow’s mental, physical and economic wellbeing. For more information, visit www.glasgowlife.org.uk