Girl director Adura Onashile and Pretty Red Dress filmmaker Dionne Edwards are among the 13 recipients of the 2026 Independent Cinema Office (ICO) Miles Ketley Memorial Fund bursary for emerging UK filmmakers.
Funded by the ICO, the bursary supports early-career directors and producers with perspectives otherwise underrepresented in the industry.
Further recipients include documentary filmmakers Chloe Abrahams, who is behind Bifa-winning The Taste Of Mango, and Ali Catterall, who co-directed Scala!!!.
This year’s fund saw a 40% increase in available support. The filmmakers will receive £7,000 each year from 2026 to 2028.
Director-producer Chloe White, producer Lorine Plagnol and shorts directors Ishwari Bhalerao, John Ogunmuyiwa, May Kindred-Boothby, Mykea Fairweather Perry, Rosanna Lee and Leonie Rousham have also been awarded.
The bursary was founded in 2022 as a tribute to late ICO trustee and producer Miles Ketley. Filmmakers are eligible through previous participation in ICO Screening Days or its ‘Introducing…’ slot.
As well as funding equipment, the bursary allows filmmakers to access wider career development by investing in travel to international film festivals and project development.
ICO director Catharine Des Forges said: “We’re committed to supporting early-career filmmakers, many of whom face barriers within the industry or are overlooked by mainstream funding routes, to develop their craft and build sustainable careers.”
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