Finding Emily writer-director Alicia Macdonald, Our Share Of Sand director Shalini Adnani, writer-director Fateme Ahmadi, documentary filmmakers Mark Craig and Kim Longinotto, and producer Denzil Monk are among the speakers confirmed for the industry programme of the inaugural edition of the Turn Up Film Festival (TUFF), which will take place in London from January 12-16, 2027.
Co-founded by Queen Mary University, Regent Street Cinema and the University of Westminster, TUFF aims to connect emerging talent and film students with industry professionals through a programme of pitching sessions, networking, talks and masterclasses.
A further 18 London university and education institutions are also supporting the event, which will see students and recent graduates screen their work to industry and public audiences.
“Universities have a distinctive role within the development of screen talent,” said Athena Mandis, co-founder of TUFF, filmmaker and senior lecturer in film practice at Queen Mary University.
”They teach practical skills, but they also provide something more foundational: the space in which students develop critical judgement, creative confidence, cultural knowledge, collaborative habits, problem-solving ability and the capacity to adapt.
“These qualities matter precisely because the screen industries are not static and careers rarely follow a single predictable route. New production models, audience engagement, sustainability, entrepreneurship and pathways into the industry require ongoing dialogue between educators, practitioners and the next generation of filmmakers.”
Prizes
Some 14 awards will be handed out by a jury chaired by journalist and writer Jane Crowther, and including Aardman producer Rachel Plant, Altitude Film Entertainment’s director of sales Bryony Forde, Dogwoof’s head of theatrical sales Tom Howson and Neil Fox, professor of film practice and pedagogy, Falmouth University.
The industry speakers will also include Picturehouse cinema exhibitor Jon Barreneche, audio technologist/composer Natalia Milanesi, music supervisor Carmen Montanez-Callan, multi-platform exec producer Katharina Gellein Viken and IP platform matchmaker Christine Hartland.
Billy Watson, managing director of Regent Street Cinema and co-founder of TUFF said the festival was aimed at ”creating a practical event connecting students directly with the professionals shaping today’s industry. The backing of our industry partners is helping TUFF prepare the next gen of creative and entrepreneurial talent that the sector needs”.
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