20 exceptional creatives working in film, games and television in the UK have been selected to join this year’s prestigious BAFTA Breakthrough UK cohort
BAFTA Breakthrough is the arts charity’s flagship talent initiative supported by Netflix in the UK, offering year-round programme of industry meetings and professional development opportunities
Celebrating its 12th year, alumni include Ambika Mod, Bella Ramsey, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Mawaan Rizwan, Luna Carmoon, Paapa Essiedu, Josh O’Connor, Jessie Buckley, Vivian Oparah and Letitia Wright
Today, BAFTA announces the 2025 cohort for BAFTA Breakthrough UK, supported by Netflix, featuring 20 ‘must-watch’ creatives working in film, games and television.
BAFTA’s flagship new talent programme, Breakthrough remains an essential part of BAFTA’s mission to inspire and nurture creative talent – a vision shared by Netflix, who support the scheme in the UK. The year-round initiative provides hand-selected creatives from a vast range of disciplines, who are on the cusp or in the midst of a breakthrough moment, with a springboard to the next exciting phase of their careers. The initiative offers one-to-one meetings and career guidance, full BAFTA awards voting membership, access to BAFTA industry networking events and screenings, both in the UK and internationally. BAFTA North America will announce the Breakthrough US talent in December.
This year’s UK cohort span craft specialisms from costume design, production, casting, editing and games design, to performance, writing, directing, composing and cinematography, and have worked on some of the most acclaimed creative projects from the last year.
The full list of this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough UK cohort is as follows:
Akinola Davies Jr – director/co-writer (My Father’s Shadow)
Alderney Middleton – series producer (Maddie + Triggs)
Cara Ellison – writer/ narrative designer (Ghost Town)
Ellis Howard – performer (What It Feels Like for a Girl)
Jodie-Simone Howe – costume designer (Mr Loverman)
Kyle Banks -director (Farewell North)
Laura Carreira – director/writer (On Falling)
Marie-Elena Dyche – producer (Harvest)
Mark Choi – composer (Empire of the Ants)
Matthew Gurney – performer (Reunion)
Megumi Inman – co-director/producer (Atomic People)
Nathalie Pitters – director of photography (Brian and Maggie)
Nathaniel Price – writer/associate producer (Mr Loverman)
Olaide Sadiq – director (Grenfell: Uncovered)
Owen Tooth – director (EastEnders)
Pinny Grylls – director/writer/editor (Grand Theft Hamlet)
Sally Beaumont – lead voice actor/script consultant (Old Skies)
Stanley Baxton – solo developer (LATEX, LEATHER, LIPSTICK, LOVE, LUST)
Stephanie Taylor – composer (The Search For Nicola Bulley)
Vivian Eguridu – series casting producer (Love is Blind UK Series 1)
Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, said: “It is an absolute pleasure to welcome this year’s outstanding participants of BAFTA Breakthrough. For 12 years this BAFTA talent programme has supported creatives and practitioners in film, games and television to navigate the often complex corridors of the screen arts. I am enormously grateful to Netflix for their continued support of BAFTA and for their shared passion and commitment to providing opportunity and career pathways for UK talent from all backgrounds.”
Anne Mensah, Vice President, UK Content at Netflix, said: “Netflix is passionate about supporting and uplifting the next generation of talent from across the industry. The Breakthrough UK cohort announced today comprises such an exciting range of names, and it is an honour to continue to support an initiative that will help these brilliant creatives build connections, improve confidence, and ultimately launch the next phase of their careers.”
Globally, over 330 people have passed through the programme to date, including screenwriters, actors, games designers, producers, costume designers, directors, director of photography, editors and production designers. Many go on to develop their own games, TV shows or features and achieve national and international industry acclaim, including 200 BAFTA nominations and over 80 wins.
Breakthrough participants are selected through an open application process. This year’s cohort were selected by five sector specialist groups made up of leading industry figures from the world of film, games and television with BAFTA and Netflix representatives.
Now in its sixth year supporting BAFTA Breakthrough UK, Netflix continues to play an integral role in the scheme – helping to spotlight and provide opportunities for emerging talent across creative disciplines, and to develop and support stories and voices from a diverse range of backgrounds.
CREDITS
Photography: BAFTA / Hollie Fernando, set designer – Elena Horn, first assistant – Millie Noble, second assistant – Bella Galliano, digi-op – Jess Segal, set assistant – Sam Baldwin
All Images are available here.
Makeup – Claire Walker, Holly Bee & Jemima Greenhalgh
Hair – Philipp Haug and Connie Marshall courtesy of Schwarzkopf Professional
Stylist – Peter Bevan
Styling Assistant – Clementine Lucy Brown
Notes to editors:
BAFTA Breakthrough is part of BAFTA’s year-round initiatives to nurture the next generation of creative talent. Its long-established and celebrated programmes, such as BAFTA Elevate, Young Game Designers, and the BAFTA Student Awards, help thousands of people build their careers in film, games, and television. From children and students to rising stars and new practitioners, levelling the playing field for all is at the heart of BAFTA’s mission.
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About BAFTA
BAFTA’s mission as a charity is to champion the creative and cultural importance of the screen arts across film, games and television. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of talent initiatives and learning events that include masterclasses, lectures, scholarships, bursaries and mentoring schemes in the UK and North America, BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new screen talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
About Netflix
Netflix is one of the world’s leading entertainment services, with over 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films, and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching, as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.
