The Directors Series is designed to help emerging directors build confidence on set, sharpen their communication with actors, and deepen their understanding of the creative and technical decisions that shape a film. Whether you’re preparing for your first funded short or looking to develop your craft further, this programme offers practical tools and honest industry insight.
From Pitch to Production
Wednesday 13 May, 1 to 2pm
Edem Kelman and Michael Mante discuss their routes into filmmaking, from crowdfunding to BFI NETWORK support, and share what they’ve learned about sustaining a practice outside of traditional funding routes.
Prepping for a Shoot
Wednesday 20 May, 1 to 2:15pm
A practical session on how directors prepare for production, covering script notes, location scouting, floor plans, shot lists, storyboards, working with single and two-camera setups, and preparing for the Tech Recce and Production Meeting.
The Director-Producer Relationship
Wednesday 27 May, 1 to 2pm
A case study conversation between Emily Morgan and Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, exploring how a director and producer relationship develops, from first meeting through to a finished project, including how to navigate creative differences and build a long-lasting working partnership.
Working with Actors
Wednesday 3 June, 1 to 2:15pm
This session will focus on the craft of directing performance, giving participants tools and frameworks to take directly onto set.
Who are the sessions for?
These sessions are open to any director based in the South East (as defined by the BFI’s regional boundaries – see map), and will be geared towards entry-level emerging filmmakers.
Across the series, you’ll come away with skills and insights you can apply directly to your work, from on-set communication techniques and production preparation, to a clearer understanding of key industry relationships. You’ll also have the chance to connect with other directors and filmmakers at a similar stage in their careers.
What do the sessions cost?
All of the sessions are free to attend, and we encourage filmmakers to attend all of the sessions to get the most out of them, as we cannot guarantee that they will be recorded.
Speakers
Michael Mante
Michael Mante is a British Ghanaian writer/director. He has directed numerous short films with support from the BFI Network and Channel 4, with his BFI Network Short Sandpaper being nominated for Best UK Short at Raindance Film Festival in 2020. Michael is a filmmaker determined to interrogate and subvert archetypes from within his diasporic heritage onto larger and expressive cinematic forms.
Edem Kelman
Edem Kelman is a self-taught, French-born, British writer-director of Togolese and Cameroonian heritage. His debut short film, PRINCESS, was long-listed for the BIFA for Best British Short Film, and his most recent short, Terence, was BAFTA nominated in the same category. He is now preparing his debut feature, CHAIRMAN, backed by Film4 and the BFI, and set to shoot later this year. Edem’s work centres on pushing stories from the African diaspora into the realms of romance and spirituality, drawing on both memory and contemporary lived experience. He was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2021.
Emily Morgan
Emily Morgan is a London-based producer and the founder of Quiddity, developing film and TV projects with partners across the world. Her first feature production was the BAFTA-winning I AM NOT A WITCH, written and directed by Rungano Nyoni, which screened in Cannes, Sundance and TIFF. She then went on to produce MAKEUP, written and directed by Claire Oakley, and SUPERNOVA, written and directed by Harry Macqueen and starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. Recent projects include THE SETTLERS, a revisionist Western directed by Felipe Gálvez, which won the FIPRESCI Prize in Cannes in 2023; Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s directorial debut DREAMERS, which premiered at the 2025 Berlinale; and the upcoming THE WOLF WILL TEAR YOUR IMMACULATE HANDS, directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén.
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor is an award-winning director and producer and founder of Joi Productions. She produced the box-office hit Blue Story (2019) and Aml Ameen’s Boxing Day (2021), the UK’s first all-Black Christmas film, and was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and a BAFTA Breakthrough in 2020. As a director, Joy’s short For Love (2021), supported by BBC Film, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Short, before screening in competition at SXSW, Aspen, Outfest and BlackStar amongst others, winning multiple awards. Her debut feature Dreamers (2025) premiered in the Panorama section at the 75th Berlinale, where it was nominated for the Teddy Award, and went on to compete at BFI London Film Festival for the First Features Sutherland Award. Dreamers was also longlisted at the BIFAs for Best Debut Director and Writer. With Dreamers, Joy has established herself as a bold new voice in British cinema, crafting intimate, lyrical stories that centre underrepresented voices while reaching audiences worldwide.