EXCLUSIVE: Yvonne Ibazebo, Daisy Allsop, Anne Beresford and Savannah James-Bayly are among the cohort of Get It Seen 2026, a lab designed to help UK producers develop ambitious film sales, distribution and exhibition plans for projects in development.
Independent Cinema Office (ICO) is running the lab, with backing from the BFI Creative Challenge Fund and film and TV facilities company OnSight.
The programme is co-led by production, distribution and marketing specialist Julia Short, with co-founder and managing director of Verve Pictures, Colin Burch, and ICO director, Catharine Des Forges.
Speakers will include Carla Quarto di Palo, head of international sales, Cornerstone; Catherine Bray, Loop producer, filmmaker and senior consultant at British Council; Emily Evans and Alice Werdine, marketing managers at Picturehouse Entertainment; Tom Kelly, head of programming - UK & Ireland, Odeon Cinemas; Damian Spandley, managing director programming and sales, Curzon; and Steph Read, cinema programmer at Bristol’s Watershed.
According to a British Screen Forum report, only 10% of producers during the period 2014-2024 made more than one film. Of those 10% of producers, 92% have made no more than three films. The lab aims to support and equip filmmakers with the skills to identify which project on their current development slate they should prioritise, as well as help with scaling up and building projects that have the potential for commercial success.
The lab expands on a programme previously run by the ICO in 2013 and 2014. ICO’s Des Forges, said: “I’m thrilled that Get It Seen is back to help ambitious producers bridge the knowledge gap between development and production, where their expertise naturally lies, and the arena of sales, distribution and exhibition, where a good strategy can be critical in determining whether an independent film reaches a wide audience and makes a return on investment.”
The £2.7m (2023-26) BFI Creative Challenge Fund was set up to decentralise development support for UK filmmakers. Director of BFI Filmmaking Fund Mia Bays added: “As concerns deepen around the shrinking visibility of UK independent film in cinemas and the growing gap between production and release, Get It Seen will empower this cohort of producers to place their domestic and international audiences at the heart of their decision making from day one.”
Get It Seen 2026 producers and projects
Abid Khan – satirical drama The Ringtone King
Alice Lusher – coming-of-age drama On A Scale Of One To Ten
Anne Beresford – revenge drama The Art Of Cruel Embroidery
Carol Harding – female-led sports drama Little Arrows
Charlie Phillips – untitled documentary project
Daisy Allsop – romantic comedy Inigo + Sara
Emilie Jouffroy – drama Toad
Hannah Stevenson – horror-drama England And Son
Hollie Bryan – untitled drama
Jamie Gamache – comedy-drama Dust
Lena Vurma –comedy Tildypops
Michael Ford – family adventure Bagpuss: The Movie
Michelle Antoniades – LGBT romantic comedy Skating For Ladies
Rakasree Basu – untitled thriller/drama
Savannah James-Bayly – comedy It’s A Fake
Yvonne Ibazebo – romantic comedy/coming of age drama Yinka Where Is Your Huzband
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