BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Award: Imran Porta, Director of 'Ish,' Among 2026 Winners

The BFI has announced the winners of its fifth annual Filmmaker Awards, held in partnership with the French fashion house Chanel. The 2026 winners are director, producer and cinematographer Rich Fulgate (Ma, Hated); director and writer Olive Nwosu (Madam); director-co-writer-composer Imran Porta (Ish); and director and writer Rachel Tapperjohn (Something Familiar). The award comes with a £20,000 prize and was presented yesterday […]

The BFI has announced the winners of its fifth annual Filmmaker Awards, held in partnership with French fashion house Chanel.

The 2026 winners are director, producer and cinematographer (Us, The Hateful) Rich Flegate. Director and Writer Olive Nwosu (Lady); director-collaborator-writer-composer Omran Perta (Ish); and director and writer Rachel Tupperjan (Something Familiar).

The award carries a prize of £20,000 and was presented yesterday at a luncheon at Claridge's in London by a panel of judges led by Edward Enninful OBE, co-founder and chief creative officer of EE72. Marie-Louise Khondji, founder of Le Cinéma Club; and Ben Roberts, CEO of the BFI. Jesse Buckley and Gwendoline Christie joined this year's judging panel and announced the winners. Related News Sarah Maldoror's daughter Anoushka D'Andrade in her long battle to keep her mother's job (with a little help from Martin Scorsese) News BFI launches refreshed Film Academy program with 12 new skills centers across the UK.

Previous winners of the Filmmaker Award include Catherine Ferguson, who won in 2022 with her award-winning debut documentary Nothing Compares about Sinead O'Connor. Ferguson then directed Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes, a documentary about the Hollywood icon for Universal. Savannah Leaf won in 2023 with Earth Mama and won the BAFTA for Best British Writer in 2024. Director and producer Penny Grylls won the Raindance Award as the writer and director of Grand Theft Hamlet in 2024. The Maverick Award at the British Independent Film Awards that year. Last year, Pillion director Harry Layton was among the winners. Watch on Deadline

BFI CEO Ben Roberts said in a statement: “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Chanel and present these unique awards to some of Britain's brightest filmmakers.

"This year's winners have all made moving and moving films, and we hope that this award will give them the space and freedom to continue to take risks and be bold in the next stages of their careers."

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