The London Film Festival has announced its 2025 industry forum, and Tessa Ross, a UK industry veteran and producer of the Edward Berger’s Conclave, is among the headline speakers.
Ross will be the subject of this year’s LFF Spotlight conversation. She is the Co-CEO of House Productions, the film and television production company she co-founded in 2016 with Juliette Howell. Her other credits include Sebastián Lelio’s BAFTA-nominated The Wonder, Bird from Andrea Arnold, and she was an executive producer role on Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest.
Also set for the Industry Forum is Maria Ekerhovd of Mer Films, the veteran producer behind Sentimental Value. Ekerhovd will take part in a session alongside producers Emily Morgan of Quiddity films, Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska of Madants and Mid March Media, and Lorna Tee, Secretary General of the Asian Film Alliance Network. They will be discussing international co-productions. The session will be moderated by Wendy Mitchell.
Elsewhere, Festival heads Thomas Rosso (Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique), Jacqueline Lyanga (Berlinale), Pia Lundberg (Göteborg Film Festival), and Kristy Matheson (BFI Festivals) will take part in a session on the “evolving role of festivals in supporting films and talent.” Scroll down for the full line-up.
“We are delighted to be welcoming international creatives and industry leaders across the whole programme of panel events, taking a deep dive into key areas of the industry from VFX to international sales and screenwriting to festival curation,” Silvia Angrisani, BFI London Film Festival, Industry Programme Manager, said in a statement announcing the line-up.
“We are especially pleased to be welcoming leading UK producer Tessa Ross for this year’s Spotlight event and to be hosting so many producers across the programme, in a celebration of the integral and instrumental role that independent producers play in the film ecosystem.”
LFF runs from October 8 — 19.
SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATION WITH TESSA ROSS
In a career spanning over 30 years, Tessa Ross has been a leading figure in the UK film production landscape. As Co-CEO of House Productions, the film and television production company Ross co-founded in 2016 with Juliette Howell, her credits include Edward Berger’s Oscar-winning Conclave, Sebastián Lelio’s BAFTA-nominated The Wonder, Bird from Oscar and Cannes-winning director Andrea Arnold, and an executive producer role on Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning The Zone of Interest.
In her prior role as Controller of Film and Drama at Channel 4, Ross played a key part in creating both critical and commercial hits including Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Kevin Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland, Shane Meadows’ This is England, and Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Shame and 12 Years a Slave. Ross received a CBE for services to broadcasting in the 2010 New Year Honours and received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2013.
Upcoming projects include Sweetsick, the directorial debut from acclaimed screenwriter Alice Birch (Succession) starring Cate Blanchett, and the anticipated BBC crime drama series Mint created, written, and directed by award-winning filmmaker Charlotte Regan (Scrapper).
The cultural impact of her films goes well beyond the UK’s borders. In conversation with BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts, Ross will discuss her experience of discovering and nurturing talent, her approach to collaborating with filmmakers to enable their vision, how to balance creativity and risk, and the relationship between films and audiences. This is an opportunity for the audience to discover the craft and creativity embedded in the producer’s role.
Thursday 9 October, 11:30, Picturehouse Central
THE ART OF VFX: CREATING WORLDS, SHAPING VISIONS
This spotlight on the art and craft of visual effects explores how VFX teams work in close collaboration with directors, producers, and heads of department – across costume, production design, cinematography, stunts, and performance – to bring stories to life. From supporting directors in pitching to studios, to designing characters and environments, planning complex sequences in pre-production, on set supervision, and delivering finals in post, VFX is woven into every stage of filmmaking.
This deep dive into the world of visual effects will feature four distinguished creatives and executives driving innovation at some of the most prestigious VFX studios in the UK: Fiona Walkinshaw, CEO of Framestore Film & Episodic (Gravity, Notting Hill), Sara Bennett, VFX Supervisor and co-founder of Milk (Ex Machina, The Woman King), Ellen Walder, COO and co-founder of beloFX (Disclaimer, The Last of Us), and Arpita Venugopal, Head of FX at One Of Us (Napoleon, The Sandman). Moderated by film writer and critic Ian Haydn Smith.
Thursday 9 October, 14:30, Picturehouse Central
A CELEBRATION OF CINEMA: THE EVOLVING ROLE OF FESTIVALS IN SUPPORTING FILMS AND TALENT in association with Screen International
This timely conversation about festival programming, curation and talent development will explore how festivals are evolving to better support cinema and creativity.
Featured speakers include: Pia Lundberg, Artistic Director of Göteborg Film Festival, the largest festival in the Nordic region; Jacqueline Lyanga, Co-Director of Film Programming at the Berlinale; Thomas Rosso, Programme Manager at the Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique and Director of Next Step workshops; and Kristy Matheson, Director of BFI Festivals, including BFI London Film Festival and BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. Moderated by Film and Culture Programmer Nadia Maria Oliva.
Friday 10 October, 11:30, Picturehouse Central
FADE IN: EMERGING WRITERS IN CONVERSATION supported by WGGB – The Writers’ Union
Six emerging screenwriters from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will discuss their craft, their passions and their writing process. Featuring a cop-turned-writer, a community pharmacist-turned-novelist and two screenwriters who started as actors, all six have had original pathways into screenwriting. They have been working across theatre, radio, television and film and their credits include Small Axe, Vigil, Lockerbie and critically acclaimed stage plays. They are: Rachelle Atalla, Maryam Hamidi, Zia Holloway, Noel McCann, Jenny Takahashi Stark, and Chris Urch. Moderated by Anna Higgs, Managing Director of drama production company, Character 7.
Friday 10 October, 14:30, Picturehouse Central
A FINE CHORUS: PRODUCERS ON THE CRAFT OF CO-PRODUCTION in association with Variety
Four award-winning producers will shine a light on the intricate art of international co-productions and will share their experience of working with, or from, the UK when building an international project: Maria Ekerhovd, of Mer Films who produced eight-party co-production and Cannes Grand Prix-winning Sentimental Value; Emily Morgan of Quiddity films, producer of nine-party co-production The Settlers in 2023 and who has Dreamers screening in this year’s main programme; Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska of Madants and Mid March Media and producer of European-US project Orphan; and Lorna Tee, Secretary General of the Asian Film Alliance Network (AFAN)producer of Japan-Malaysia-Philippines co-production Diamonds in the Sand. Moderated by Journalist and Film Festival Consultant, Wendy Mitchell.
Monday 13 October, 11:30, Picturehouse Central
FROM BOOK TO SCREEN: THE DEATH OF BUNNY MUNRO
The much-awaited adaptation of Nick Cave’s acclaimed second novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, comes to the screen as a six-part limited series for Sky, starring Matt Smith in the title role and Rafael Mathé as his nine-year-old son, Bunny Junior. Delving into the production and creative processes behind the series, the discussion will cover the optioning of the novel and its adaptation, the choice of director and casting of the main role, the visual approach to the story and the creative choices to bring this father and son relationship to the screen.Joining the discussion are: award-winning director Isabella Eklöf (Kalak, Holiday, Industry seasons 2 and 3); BAFTA-winning writer Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy), and award-winning producer Ed Macdonald from Clerkenwell Films (Baby Reindeer, The End of the F***ing World). The panel is programmed in collaboration with Edinburgh TV Festival and will be hosted by the festival’s Creative Director, Rowan Woods.
Monday 13 October, 14:30, Picturehouse Central
IDEA, STRATEGY, IMPACT: INNOVATIVE DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES FOR NON-FICTION FILMS
This discussion around strategies and best practices in documentary distribution will explore the opportunities offered by event cinema, impact campaigns, grassroot marketing and other innovative strategies around sales and distribution campaigns. Joining the discussion to help navigate the UK and international markets are: International sales agent Stephanie Fuchs from Autlook (Only on Earth,Super Nature,Khartoum), Indox founder Luke Brawley (Seeds, Blue Road, Invention) and founder of UK distributor Modern Films Eve Gabereau (Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat; Tish; Shooting the Mafia). Peruvian producer Lali Madueño will bring a producer’s perspective, as well as lessons learned from the extraordinary journey of The Memory of Butterflies – from its world premiere at the Berlinale to a festival tour spanning Latin America, Asia and Europe. The panel is programmed in collaboration with Sheffield DocFest and will be hosted by DocFest’s Creative Director Raul Niño Zambrano.
Tuesday 14 October, 11:30, Picturehouse Central
ANATOMY OF A DEBUT: ISH in association with The Hollywood Reporter
Ish is the debut feature from award-winning artist Imran Perretta and producer Dhiraj Mahey, developed through their company Primal Pictures with BBC Film. Acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Enda Walsh (Die My Love, Hunger) came on board as co-writer and interest in the project grew. Production finance was secured from BBC Film and the BFI, and Mike Goodridge (Good Chaos) and Bennett McGhee (Home Team) boarded as Executive Producer, and second Producer, respectively. Global Constellation also boarded at script stage, handling international sales. Ish World Premiered at Venice Critics’ Week where it received the People Choice’s Award. Writer-director Imran Perretta will be joined by producer Dhiraj Mahey and co-writer Enda Walsh for a deep dive, making-of discussion that will cover the film’s creative genesis, production history, and first steps into the international marketplace. Moderated by former BAFTA Head of Programmes Mariayah Kaderbhai.
Tuesday 14 October, 14:30, Picturehouse Central
LFF EXPANDED INDUSTRY EVENT:
Creativity Unleashed? Balancing Artistic Freedom and Distribution Requirements
This session examines the balance between artistic freedom, distribution requirements and audience expectations in the immersive space. Speakers include May Abdalla (CEO, Anagram), Jazia Hammoudi (Producer, Onassis ONX; Curator, Tribeca Immersive 2025), Gabrielle Jenks (Digital Director, Manchester International Festival) and Esteban Lecoq (Co-founder & Co-Artistic Director of AΦE and A+E Lab, Choreographer, Dancer). Hosted by Samantha King, Head of Programme, VIVE Arts.
Wednesday 15 October, 15:00, the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room
LFF EXPANDED INDUSTRY EVENT:
Championing Immersive Storytelling – Funding Opportunities at The BFI
This session explores BFI funding opportunities for immersive projects, with Mia Bays (Director of Filmmaking Fund, BFI), Ben Luxford (Director of UK Audiences, BFI) and Luke Moody (Head of BFI Doc Society Fund) outlining the support available to producers and artists. Case studies will be shared by two BFI-funded creatives: award-winning filmmaker Baff Akoto (Collateral Echoes) and producer Sophie Crockett (Crossover Labs’ Immersive Fictions Lab). Hosted by Tonya Nelson, Executive Director, Enterprise & Innovation, Arts Council England.
Wednesday 15 October, 16:00, the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room
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