1 week ago
We Are Parable has group nan 2026 cohort for its talent improvement programme, Momentum.
This year, nan programme, which is backed by Channel 4 and Sony Pictures Television, received complete 700 applications. 30 UK-based Black filmmakers made nan last cut. Of nan selected group, 55% are based extracurricular London, pinch filmmakers hailing from Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Telford, and Wolverhampton. Additionally, women dress up 52% of nan cohort.
The cohort includes Emmy-nominated animation head Alex Zepherin-Pinnock and Ryan Walker-Edwards, nan filmmaker down nan BFI Flare short MAN>CODE.
Since launching successful 2021, Momentum has supported 140 Black filmmakers. The programme is funded by Channel 4’s improvement programme 4Skills and tally successful relation pinch Channel 4’s Creative Equity squad and Sony Pictures Television, pinch financial support from nan Sony Pictures Television Creative Diversity Fund.
Mentors for nan 2026 version see Greenacre Films’ Nadine Marsh-Edwards (Riches), BAFTA-nominated shaper Danielle Goff (Lunar Pictures), HETV and independent movie shaper Stella Nwimo (Top Boy), BAFTA-nominated shaper Victoria Thomas, producer/writer Tolu Stedford (Story Compound), BIFA-nominated writer-director Warda Mohamed, and filmmaker Rashida Seriki.
Founded by Anthony and Teanne Andrews, We Are Parable is 1 of nan UK’s starring indie distributors. The institution has brought titles specified arsenic Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama and Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s Banel and Adama to UK cinemas.
“What has ever made Momentum important to america is that it responds to nan afloat reality of building a profession successful this industry. Talent is not nan issue,” Anthony Andrews, co-founder and imaginative head of We Are Parable, said successful a statement.
“The mobility is whether filmmakers person nan access, support, confidence, and relationships needed to support moving forward, peculiarly astatine a clip erstwhile emerging filmmakers are navigating rising accumulation costs, shrinking commissioning opportunities, and progressively competitory entree to improvement funding.”
Andrews added: “We’ve seen erstwhile cohorts usage nan programme to create caller work, raise finance, surface astatine festivals, and build lasting imaginative networks. This caller cohort represents nan adjacent shape of that journey.”
Check retired nan 2026 Momentum cohort below:
Adeyinka Akinrinade
Adeyinka is an character and imaginative shaper moving crossed British TV, theatre and film. Her credits see nan British Urban Film Festival, BFI-funded The Lost Land Girl, and surface roles successful Riches (ITV/Amazon Prime), Champion (BBC/Netflix), Top Boy and Silent Witness. She has respective short films nether her loop and is astir to motorboat her accumulation company, pinch ambitions to move into features and TV series.
Leesha Williams
Leesha (she/her) is simply a queer Black photographer and filmmaker whose activity explores identity, memory, motherhood and practice done honest, documentary-led storytelling. With complete 10 years of experience, her believe blends integer footage, archival materials and Super 8 film. Currently a master wedding filmmaker now shifting toward individual creator projects focused connected Black motherhood, queerness and reclaiming abstraction done storytelling.
Alex Zepherin-Pinnock
Alex is nan laminitis of Don Dada Studio and an animation head pinch complete a decade of experience, collaborating pinch nan BBC, Tate Britain, Disney and more. Don Dada Studio’s animations for The Guardian’s Give Me Shelter received an Emmy nomination. Alex is now moving an animation work workplace and now transitioning to creating original IP.
Alicia Quayson
Alicia is simply a London-based writer and head crafting bold stories rooted successful nan British diaspora experience. Her award-winning short Motherland established her voice; her debut communicative short Bless You is successful post-production. Alicia is presently successful post-production connected her debut communicative short.
Aminah Alhamdu
Aminah is simply a writer, curator and filmmaker of Ghanaian root and British-American nationality. She has created short films backed by Rural Media and BFI Network, and written 4 pilots and a characteristic script.
Andrew Boateng
Andrew is simply a writer, head and creator moving successful sci-fi, drama and societal realism. An Edinburgh TV Festival New Voice Award winner, he has worked pinch Archery Pictures, Firebird and Bullion Productions, pinch short films recognised astatine BAFTA/BIFA-qualifying festivals.
Bukola Bakinson
Bukola is simply a London-based documentary filmmaker whose RTS award-winning No Comprendo examined entree to justice. Her existent task From Detention to Despair explores authority, attraction and justness successful modern education.
Cherish Anyanwu
Cherish is simply a multi-disciplinary creative, DJ, shaper and emerging filmmaker whose activity explores music, identity, treatment and ancestral themes, centring female-led narratives.
Elisha Ricketts
Elisha is simply a South London–based writer, presenter and filmmaker. She wrote, directed, narrated and starred successful her debut short Survival Mode, exploring trauma, resilience and reclaiming narrative.
Hayden McLean
Hayden is simply a British-Jamaican actor, writer and filmmaker. His debut short The Last Dance premiered successful 2025 and screened astatine complete 40 festivals worldwide, winning aggregate awards and qualifying for BAFTA and BIFA. Hayden is astir to world premiere his 2nd short film, and successful improvement pinch his debut feature, a 2nd feature, and a constricted bid adjustment of his directorial debut.
Imoje Aikhoje
Imoje is simply a London-based documentary filmmaker and improvement producer, Netflix Documentary Talent Fund alumnus, and laminitis of Strayborn Ltd, pinch complete 10 years of acquisition crossed documentary movie and actual television.
Janet Nagudi
Janet is simply a Ugandan British filmmaker, writer and creator whose activity imagines bold, Afrofuturistic visions for nan Black Diaspora and Pan-African community. Her first movie was made successful Birmingham featuring section cast, crew, musicians and businesses.
Jason C. Nwachukwu
Jason is simply a filmmaker based betwixt Bristol and London whose activity explores family, personality and quality relationship done an observational lens, searching for beauty successful nan ordinary.
Where they are now Making short films recognised astatine UK festivals, and looking to support processing while moving toward his first feature.
John Kamara
John Kamara is simply a London-based filmmaker, writer and contented creator. He independently produces, directs and distributes his ain web bid connected YouTube, including DEBT, a three-part drama astir a bailiff drowning successful his ain debt.
Josiane Kameni
JOSY K. is simply a UK-based writer and emerging storyteller creating emotionally powerful narratives rooted successful identity, resilience, womanhood, migration and healing. She is processing The SEL Collection, a assemblage of literate and surface adjustment projects.
Justin Uzomba
Justin Smith Uzomba is simply a Hackney-born writer-director who spent a decade successful euphony arsenic Mikill Pane, touring pinch Ed Sheeran and Mac Miller. His short F.I.T.D. received precocious praise from Barry Jenkins. He is represented by Imagine Talent. Having written and directed 2 short films, co-written a C4 YouTube drama bid and directed Nike SNKRS contented — building his surface career.
Kodjo Tsakpo
Kodjo is simply a tv play head pinch credits crossed astir UK continuing dramas. His directing profession launched successful 2018 via nan BBC New Directors Scheme astatine BBC Doctors.
Korrie Powell
Korrie is simply a London-based movie head and writer whose activity draws from nan nuanced textures of mundane Black life. He has 5 years of acquisition crossed advertizing and commercialized filmmaking.
Martin Blackburn
Martin is simply a documentary, commercialized and branded filmmaker presently independently co-producing his debut characteristic documentary astir Raphael, a euphony curator who built a world assemblage done his mixes. Now Directing his debut characteristic documentary alongside freelance projects.
Mevis Birungi
Mevis is simply a Ugandan-born British actor, writer, head and editor. Her credits see His House (Netflix), Nakato (BBC Arts, BFI Network), and editing activity connected BBC and Sky Kids animation.
Michael Akuagwu
Michael is simply a London-born multimedia creator who started pinch surrealist composite photography and has expanded into movie and mixed media, exploring stories wrong Black British creation and design.
Nana-Kofi Kufuor
Nana-Kofi is simply a British Ghanaian playwright and TV writer from Stockport. He won nan Channel 4/New Writing North grant for his bid Dana, has worked successful Sky writers’ rooms, and contributed to Hollyoaks and Waterloo Road.
Omari Swanston-Jeffers
Omari is an artist, pedagogue and head whose believe spans dance, screen, shape and poetry. He holds a First Class BA successful Creative Writing and a Master’s successful Education, and founded Ol’ Man Swanny successful 2023.
Ryan Walker-Edwards
Ryan is simply a Birmingham-born writer, character and head pinch Jamaican practice whose activity explores class, sexuality and title successful Afro-Caribbean communities. His short MAN>CODE screened astatine BFI Flare, Chicago IIFF and complete 30 festivals, earning an RTS nomination. His activity is gaining visibility and he has secured caller commissions.
Shauna Paul
Shauna is simply a head and video editor from North London specialising successful documentary and run work, pinch a earthy and emotive ocular style.
Simone Stewart
Simone is simply a Wolverhampton-born video journalist, shaper and filmmaker. She has worked astatine BBC News and ITV Sport, and is presently supporting nan UK’s first independent Windrush Commissioner. Simone has conscionable vanished filming short films for World Afro Day, and is transitioning from broadcast publicity into individual filmmaking.
Tayo Ibikunle
Ibitayo ‘Tsaint’ Ibikunle is simply a Nigerian-born filmmaker, cinematographer and imaginative producer, UK Endorsed Global Talent. His credits see BBC Africa Eye’s award-winning Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua, and his characteristic 60 Days is successful production.
Tkay Boateng
Tkay Sophia Boateng is an emerging shaper pinch 4 years of acquisition at
Whisper and IMG crossed nan UEFA Champions League and Wimbledon. Her short Boys & Girls was nominated astatine Cannes; Castle successful nan Dark reached nan semi-finals astatine Rhode Island IIFF.
Winnie Imara
Winnie is simply a producer-writer from North London and a caller NFTS graduate. Her activity has been selected for BIFA-qualifying festivals, and she has produced projects for BBC, Somesuch, Black Girl Fest Studios and Spotify.
