News for directors, directly to you.
In the news this week, Tim Davie will become co-chair of the Creative Industries Council, the BBC Comedy Collective sets a pot aside for mid-level creatives who want to further their scripted comedy careers, and a ReFrame report reveals notable declines in representation of women and non-binary directors in narrative feature productions.
HEADLINES
- Outgoing BBC Director General Tim Davie will become co-chair of the Creative Industries Council – under Davie, the council will continue to focus on what it termed Sector Plan priorities, including innovation, access to finance, workforce, trade and investment. (Deadline)
- The BBC Comedy Collective opens bursary scheme applications next month, with a £150,000 pot set aside for mid-level creatives – including directors – who would like to further their careers in scripted comedy. (Broadcast)
- A report by ReFrame sees the first “significant” decline in gender-balanced narrative feature productions in six years, with notable declines in representation of women and non-binary directors. (Screen Daily)
- Screen International opens applications for Screen Stars of Tomorrow – the annual portfolio of new talent from the UK and Ireland is open to directors who are at an early stage in their film career and are ready to progress to the next level. (Screen Daily)
- The BBC warns of “fewer commissioning opportunities” amid a renewed savings push in its 2026/2027 annual plan, but pointed to a focus on handing out business on YouTube and in the nations and regions. (Broadcast)
- Film and TV lending platform Allegro Finance secures a £2 million working capital facility: “[P]rivate institutional capital [can be deployed] into the UK film and television sector at a level not previously seen. This is precisely how public capital can unlock private investment, support high-growth businesses and strengthen one of the UK’s most globally competitive industries.” (Deadline)
- The BFI announces an Expanded Screen Fund, with up to £150,000 available per project from experienced UK creative leads and producers with a track record in immersive works of fiction, or related screen-based practice. (BFI)
OPINION
- Leading comedy executives fear the relocation of the Edinburgh TV Festival would be a “disaster” for British creatives. (Deadline)
DIRECTORS ON DIRECTING
- In his directorial debut, James McAvoy challenges stereotypes about his homeland via the remarkable tale of a real-life hip-hop hoax: “I’ve been “that Scottish person”, reduced to a noise that comes out of my mouth.” (The Guardian)
CELEBRATING CRAFT
- Claire Denis will be honoured with the Carrosse D’Or at this year’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, the prize which celebrates filmmakers whose liberated vision and directing style has “deeply marked” cinema. (Deadline)
OBITUARY
- The “actor's director” and producer Mike Vardy has passed away, leaving an indelible mark on British television which defined a generation. (Televisual)