Joy Wilkinson
Joy was the Emerging Talent Grand Prize winner in 2021, receiving a £1,000 cash prize for her evocative short, Ma’am. She subsequently directed her first feature, 7 Keys, which premiered at SXSW in 2024.
New Renaissance Film Festival · London
Emerging Talent
Awards
Backing exceptional filmmakers at the beginning of their careers.
Supporting new voices
New talent deserves a platform.
The Emerging Talent Awards recognise the talent of directors in the early stages of their careers who demonstrate exceptional promise, a distinctive creative voice and the potential to make a lasting contribution to film. They are not restricted to debut films.
Selection is deliberately strict. Only work displaying accomplished storytelling and clear potential for continued artistic development qualifies for this focused recognition.
With the support of SAPHIRA Group, NRFF gives meaningful financial backing directly to short-film directors.
Katie Partridge
CEO of SAPHIRA Group and patron of the New Renaissance Film Festival since 2021. Her support provides meaningful financial backing for filmmakers at a formative stage in their careers.
“It’s vital we support emerging filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, whose stories inspire fresh perspectives.”
Katie Partridge · CEO, SAPHIRA Group · NRFF Patron
Visit SAPHIRA Group ↗
A continuing commitment
Recognition with real impact.
Focused recognition and direct financial support can give a promising director crucial momentum at a formative point in their career.
15approximately selected finalists
6cash prizes awarded
£14k+awarded since 2021
Recent case studies
Where talent
leads.
Former Emerging Talent recipients have converted early recognition into feature films, international nominations and distribution. Their journeys show the value of identifying distinctive voices while their careers are still taking shape.
Andrew McGee
Andrew received a £500 Emerging Talent cash prize in 2024 for two exceptional science-fiction shorts he wrote and directed, First Sight and The Edenbound. He has since been nominated for a Sony Future Filmmaker Award in Los Angeles.
Bjorn Franklin &
Johnny Marchetta
In 2023, Bjorn and Johnny received a £250 Emerging Talent cash prize and the Best Director Award for their short film Fred. They later completed their debut feature, Salvable, which secured distribution in the UK, Ireland and the United States.
Lee Knight
Lee was the Emerging Talent Grand Prize winner in 2025. In 2026, he received an Academy Award nomination for A Friend of Dorothy, starring Miriam Margolyes.
24–27 September 2026Discover the filmmakers shaping what comes next.