Farhana Bhula, who had taken interim charge of Film4 upon Ollie Madden‘s exit, has landed the job permanently.
Bhula, who oversaw the likes of Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex and Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers in her previous Film4 role, will start immediately and her appointment comes following an “extensive external recruitment process,” according to Channel 4.
Bhula joined Film4 in January 2022 as Head of Creative and Deputy Director and has since worked across the likes of Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada, Oliver Hermanus’ The History of Sound and Philippa Lowthorpe’s H is for Hawk, all of which are upcoming. She will remain on Channel 4’s exec team and Senior Leadership Team, reporting to Martin Baker, Chief Commercial Affairs Officer, who has assumed interim responsibility for Film4 under interim CEO Jonathan Allan, and led the external recruitment process. She used to be a Senior Development and Production Executive at the BFI, where she worked on Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper, Dionne Edwards’ Pretty Red Dress, and Ben Sharrock’s Limbo.
Bhula’s appointment comes off the back of Madden’s surprise exit to Netflix. Madden had only recently taken up a joint role running Film4 and TV drama for Channel 4 but will join the streamer next month as its Director of UK Film. His role at Film4/Channel 4 has been split back into two and the permanent TV drama boss is yet to be unveiled, with Gwawr Lloyd currently in post on an interim basis.
Bhula said: “Film4 has long been the home of original, daring filmmaking that truly cuts through. Under the dynamic and inspiring leadership of Ollie Madden, and alongside the passionate Film4 team, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most exciting writers, directors, and producers in the world. It’s an honour to now lead Film4 into its next chapter.”
Allan added: “I am delighted that Farhana will take on this hugely important role, after a rigorous and competitive external recruitment process. Farhana’s experience within Film4, dedication to emerging talent and her established industry relationships will deliver a new exciting era and success for our filmmakers and the Film4 brand on the world stage.”
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