‘Great 8’ 2026: Ray Panthaki’s Debut Feature ‘In Starland’ Among Titles Set For Cannes Market With The BFI

The BFI has revealed nan lineup of titles it will return to nan upcoming Cannes Market arsenic portion of its Great 8 inaugural for first and second-time filmmakers. 

The database of titles includes In Starland, the debut characteristic directed by seasoned British character Ray Panthaki, and Daughter of Eden from Iranian-British filmmaker Fateme Ahmadi. The BFI will coming nan features to world buyers successful Cannes. See nan afloat database of titles below. 

Now successful its ninth year, nan 2026 Great 8 showcase is funded and produced by nan BFI and nan British Council. As portion of nan scheme, unseen footage from each nan titles will beryllium introduced by nan filmmakers and screened online for buyers and show programmers from Friday, 8 May. 

Great 8-selected films and filmmakers who person gone connected to find world captious acclaim and commercialized occurrence see Charlotte Wells’s Aftersun, which became MUBI’s highest-earning merchandise successful nan UK. Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not A Witch, Rose Glass’s Saint Maud, and Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper.

See nan 2026 Great 8 line-up pinch afloat credits and crippled lines below.

ANCESTORS 

Ireland, UK

Drama

Director/writer: David Turpin

Producers: Miranda Ballesteros, David Collins, Eamon Hughes

Cast: Éanna Hardwicke, Jessica Reynolds, Jack Wolfe, Rupert Everett, Christina Hendricks

Production: Screen Ireland, Yellow Moon, Northern Ireland Screen, Samson Films, Lunatica
Sales: Mister Smith

Synopsis: A emotion story, a noir enigma and a metaphysical fable, Ancestors follows Beau (Éanna Hardwicke) arsenic he searches 1980s London for his missing friend, Tiny (Jack Wolfe). Dream, reality, representation and history entwine, forcing Beau to travel face-to-face pinch truths beyond life and death. 

David Turpin is an Irish-born filmmaker who began his profession arsenic a musician and capacity artist. His first activity for cinema was nan screenplay for nan supernatural enigma The Lodgers, which premiered astatine Toronto International Film Festival successful 2017, and was subsequently acquired by Nexflix successful a worldwide five-year deal. His 2nd characteristic arsenic screenwriter, nan modern play The Winter Lake, premiered successful 2021. David’s activity has been supported by Screen Ireland and Creative Europe MEDIA fund, and he presently has worldly successful improvement pinch Screen Ireland, BBC Northern Ireland, Film4, Tailored Films, Keeper Pictures and others. All David’s activity is characterised by his liking successful symbolism, lyricism, and really nan interweaving of existent and imagined planes of being tin definitive nan experiences of nan othered.

Ancestors is David’s first characteristic arsenic writer-director.

BLACK CHURCH BAY

UK

Mystery Drama

Director/writer: Rhys Marc Jones

Producers: Tristan Goligher, Alex Polunin

Cast: Tom Cullen, Joe Locke, Marli Siu, Rakie Ayola, Dylan Michael (Miles)

Production: BBC Film, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Ossian International, The Bureau

Sales: The Bureau

Synopsis: Black Church Bay is a mystery-drama astir a conflicted young coach (Tom Cullen) dealing pinch nan consequences of a precocious schoolhouse student (Joe Locke) disappearing. It follows nan contiguous aftermath of nan event, exploring nan lengths a personification mightiness spell to hide their existent aforesaid – to prevention their tegument astatine nan disbursal of their soul. 

Rhys Marc Jones is a Welsh-Irish filmmaker who studied astatine NYU Tisch arsenic a three-time BAFTA Scholarship recipient. His screenplay for Black Church Bay won nan Black Family Feature Prize, nan highest accolade bestowed by nan module astatine NYU – and his shorts, including Ripples, Father Of The Bride and Pale Saint have played festivals worldwide, receiving 3 BAFTA Cymru nominations. An alumni of Cannes Cinéfondation and Torino Film Lab, Rhys besides received BFI Flare x BAFTA Mentorship from Wash Westmoreland and is simply a Berlinale Talent.

DAUGHTER OF EDEN

UK/Ireland

Psychological Thriller

Director/writer: Fateme Ahmadi

Producers: Jack Tarling, Pietro Greppi

Cast: Yasmin Al-Khudhairi, Hiam Abbass, Amir El-Masry, Lindsay Duncan

Production: BFI, BBC Film, Fís Éireann/ Screen Ireland, Civic Studios, Three Point Capital, Lunapark Pictures, Shudder Films, Newgrange Pictures

Sales: Lucky Number

Synopsis: London, 2006. In nan months starring up to Saddam Hussein’s execution, Nessa, a British Iraqi nurse, encounters an older woman, Maryam, astatine nan infirmary and suspects that she is nan authorities informant responsible for her parents’ execution successful Iraq years earlier. Nessa infiltrates Maryam’s life arsenic her nurse, aiming to find nan truth. To her surprise, Maryam originates to create a person enslaved pinch her – but Nessa cannot fto spell of nan obsession. Nessa’s hunt for truth turns into thing darker erstwhile she yet feels definite that she has nan correct person; consumed by rage, she originates to punish Maryam, while neglecting her ain health, family and career. As nan lines betwixt truth and projection blur, Nessa is forced to face nan consequences of what her symptom has group successful motion.

Fateme Ahmadi is an Iranian writer and head based successful London. Her short films person screened internationally and won galore awards including Bitter Sea, nominated for Best British Short astatine nan British Independent Film Awards, and Leila’s Blues, which premiered astatine Cannes Directors’ Fortnight arsenic portion of nan Tunisia Factory initiative.

She is simply a chap of nan inaugural Pillars Artist Fellowship supported by Netflix and Amazon Studios, and an alumna of Berlinale Talents, Edinburgh Talent Lab, and Film London Lodestar. Her activity besides includes Chandra, developed astatine nan 2015 Asian Film Academy Colour of Asia programme astatine Busan International Film Festival. She studied Persian Literature, Cinema, and Linguistics successful Tehran earlier graduating from nan London Film School successful 2013. Her debut characteristic Daughter Of Eden is a psychological thriller successful post-production backed by nan BFI, BBC Film and Screen Ireland.

FLORID 

UK

Drama

Director/writer: Billy Lumby

Producers: Rupert Lloyd, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor

Cast: Jonathan Jules, Saskia Chana, Unknown T

Production: BBC Film, Film one Väst, Academy Films, Head Gear, An Atar Studios, Joi Productions Filmgate (SE), Metrol Technology, Trigger Films, Red Union Films

Sales: Atar Studios

Synopsis: Set successful nan world of London’s supported accommodation and psychiatric wards, FLORID tells nan communicative of Jamal, a young man who hears voices. Struggling to equilibrium his medicine pinch his philharmonic and romanticist desires, Jamal’s equilibrium is rocked erstwhile Kyla moves successful adjacent door. Told from an authentic first-person experience, FLORID has been made pinch nan organization it is based in. It is an emotive and immersive communicative that seeks to bring nan assemblage into an unseen world. 

Billy Lumby is a BAFTA-nominated writer/director. Born and raised successful London, his first short movie God View was screened astatine apical festivals astir nan world including Clermont-Ferrand, and was broadcast internationally by tv networks specified arsenic Canal+. His 2nd short Samuel-613 was commissioned by Dazed & Confused mag and was nominated for a BAFTA. Billy has attended talent labs astatine Berlinale and nan BFI London Film Festival. He is simply a Screen International “Star of Tomorrow”. 

IN STARLAND

UK

Drama

Director: Ray Panthaki

Writers: Ray Panthaki, Jason Kavan

Producers: Daniel Khalili, Ray Panthaki, Daisy Allsop, Victor Paul Wajnberg

Cast: Clarence Maclin, Bella Maclean, Miss Benny, Marcus Scribner, Ben Dickey
Production: Le Bateau Lavoir, Archface Films, Killer Films  

Sales: Le Bateau Lavoir

Synopsis: In small-town America, Ernie – a 50-year-old loner pinch a mysterious past – lives a quiet, solitary life. After a chance brushwood pinch a group of influencers successful their twenties who are passing done town, Ernie invites them into his location – a determination that unsettles nan vulnerable world he’s spent years trying to beryllium within.

They move fast, unrecorded online, turning everything into thing to beryllium seen. Finally uncovering a spot he tin fresh in, Ernie is drawn into a integer world of hedonism, self-exploration and belonging – but nan relationship he’s been searching for originates to travel astatine a cost.

As nan statement betwixt backstage life and capacity starts to blur, and nan municipality grows much watchful, a cautiously held concealed originates to surface…

A coming-of-middle-age communicative astir what we inherit, nan patterns we carry, and nan choices they time off america with.

Starring Academy Award and BAFTA nominee Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing) successful his first starring role

Ray Panthaki is a British actor, writer and filmmaker. A BAFTA Breakthrough Brit and BIFA-nominated actor, he has collaborated pinch board including Danny Boyle, Bong Joon Ho and Ed Zwick.

As an actor, he appeared successful Boiling Point, earning a BIFA information for Best Supporting Actor arsenic portion of an ensemble recognised pinch eleven BIFA and 4 BAFTA nominations.

His filmmaking is rooted successful naturalism, exploring personality done behaviour and observation.

His short films Life Sentence and Ernie developed this approach. In Starland is his characteristic directorial debut.

MASC 

UK

Drama

Director: Bertil Nilsson
Writers: Bertil Nilsson, Joshua Griffin

Producers: Bertil Nilsson, EP Joanne Michael
Cast: Joshua Griffin, Tega Alexander, Ed White, Reece King

Production: Duktiga

Sales: Duktiga

Synopsis: Robin is simply a young man caught betwixt aggregate identities – autistic, biracial, queer – and different ideas of masculinity. This leads america connected an intimate, and astatine times funny, travel of aforesaid find and missteps told successful 5 chapters complete nan people of a captious twelvemonth successful Robin’s life. He tries connected different roles, failing from occupation to occupation while transforming his quality and mannerisms to fresh in. But will revealing what he’s astir hopeless to hide yet unfastened nan doorway to belonging?

Bertil Nilsson is a British/Swedish filmmaker and creator based successful London. Masc is his debut feature. His first fabrication short, Repair, premiered successful title astatine Clermont-Ferrand successful 2023, was selected astatine BFI Flare and Outfest LA, and acquired by Disney+ and Canal+. It antecedently won Best Script successful nan UK parliament’s movie competition. He has collaborated extensively pinch dancers and acrobats, including his bid of image films Figures, which featured connected Vimeo Staff Picks and NOWNESS, and 2 photography books. 

OUR SHARE OF SAND

UK

Drama

Director/writer: Shalini Adnani

Producers: Sara Bonakdar, Alan McAlex, Balthazar de Ganay, Giorgos Karnavas, Michael Graf

Cast: Ellora Torchia, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Maya Mehta, Jyoti Dogra, Krish More, Ravi Ranjan

Synopsis: After years apart, 12-year-old Maya returns to India pinch her mother to reunite pinch her begetter – a sandmining business man. Immersed successful a world wherever labour, bequest and extraction collide, she forms a vulnerable enslaved pinch Kiran, a young worker. When a tragic mishap leaves him permanently injured, a constabulary investigation turns Maya into a cardinal witness, pinch her begetter relying connected her relationship to absolve him. Torn betwixt loyalty and a increasing unease she cannot name, Maya originates searching for nan truth herself. As her mother softly unravels wrong a stifling marriage, Maya uncovers a shape of silence, exploitation and repeated harm-forcing her to face her father’s deception and nan family’s inherited complicity she must take to break. 

Shalini Adnani is a Chilean-born, Indian-origin writer and head based successful London. Her short movie White Ant premiered astatine Sundance, was agelong listed for a BIFA, won Best UK short astatine Raindance 2023 and was acquired by Canal+. Her BFI and Film4 funded India-set characteristic debut Our Share of Sand is presently successful post-production. She is simply a London Film School and Berlinale talents alumni and was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2025.

SALVATION

UK

Psychological Thriller

Director/writer: Tom Nicoll

Producers: Dom Riley, Tom Nicoll, Scott Trotter

Cast: Liam Harkins, Stephen McMillan, Kathleen McDermott, Conor McCarron

Production: Creative Scotland, Lane Films

Sales: Lane Films

Synopsis: A tenacious aspiring guru must spell to utmost measures to salary disconnected nan debts he’s accrued from trying, and failing, to group up an online life-coaching business successful a post-industrial Scottish town. 

Exploring nan world of antheral influencer civilization and really it mightiness beryllium affecting nan young men who travel into its orbit, Salvation blends mounting tension, acheronian drama and a forensic attraction connected its protagonist to research nan very modern communicative of a illusion life coach spiralling retired of control.   

Tom Nicoll is an award-winning Scottish director, whose activity has screened astatine festivals worldwide, received Vimeo Staff Picks, and been shown connected online movie channels including Short of nan Week. He has had a short movie funded done Creative Scotland’s SFTN Emerging Talent Scheme which screened connected nan BBC and received funded improvement for a characteristic movie pinch Screen Scotland. Tom is simply a personnel of nan European Film Academy, BAFTA Connect and Directors UK.