Bafta Breakthrough cohort includes UK producer Hollie Bryan and filmmaker Imran Perretta

The Ceremony producer Hollie Bryan and Ish filmmaker Imran Perretta are among the 21 creatives across film, TV and games who have been selected for the 2026 edition of Bafta Breakthrough UK.

Bradford-based Bryan was selected as a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2026 and produced Bafta-nominated The Ceremony, which won the inaugural Sean Connery award for feature filmmaking excellence at the 2024 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Artist, composer and filmmaker Perretta’s feature directorial debut Ish received the audience award at Venice Critics’ week in 2025.

They are joined by Screen Rising Star Scotland 2026 and The Incomer filmmaker Louis Paxton plus Screen Star of Tomorrow 2025 writer-director Ted Evans, whose thriller Retreat is told entirely in British sign language.

Dreamers hair and make-up designer Regina Meessen and Sunny Dancer casting directors Lucy Allen and Tom Payne have also been selected.

Actors on this year’s list include Screen Star of Tomorrow 2025 Izuka Hoyle, star of Sky series Prisoner and Channel 4’s Big Boys.

The emerging talent year-round programme has been running since 2013 (previously known as Breakthrough Brits). Past recipients include Florence Pugh, Tom Holland, Josh O’Connor, Jessie Buckley, Paapa Essiedu, Bella Ramsey, Letitia Wright and Akinola Davies Jr. The initiative is supported by Netflix in the UK.

Bafta North America will announce the Breakthrough US talent later this month.

Bafta Breakthrough 2026 cohort

Film

• Hollie Bryan, producer - The Ceremony
• Louis Paxton, writer/director - The Incomer
• Lucy Allen, casting director - Sunny Dancer
• Imran Perretta, co-writer/director - Ish
• Regina Meessen, hair and make-up designer - Dreamers
• Ted Evans, writer/director - Retreat
• Tom Payne, casting directors - Sunny Dancer

Documentary / Unscripted

• Chris Lynch, presenter/producer - In The Driving Seat
• Myrid Carten, writer/director - A Want In Her
• Runako Celina, producer/reporter - Death In Dubai

TV

• Ella Bruccoleri, performer - The Other Bennet Sister
• Izuka Hoyle, performer - Prisoner
• Philippa Mumford, production designer - Juice (Series 2)
• Sophie Stone, performer - Falling
• Tom Cousins, creator/ executive producer - Rafi The Wishing Wizard
• Yassmin Abdel-Magied, writer - Emmerdale

Games

• Eloise Singer, writer/director - The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters
• Husban Siddiqi, game director/developer - Rogue Eclipse
• Kate Killick, creative director - Pieced Together
• Niru Fekri-Arnold, creator/designer - Cursed Words
• Tom McKay, performer - Mysteria Ecclesiae: Kingdom Come Deliverance DLC