Isabel Davis Named Director of BFI Filmmaking Fund – Global Bulletin
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- Isabel Davis appointed director of the BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Funds, overseeing approximately £20 million ($26.8 million) annually for U.K. independent filmmakers on a five-year fixed-term contract beginning in October.
- Davis arrives from Screen Scotland, where she served as executive director for eight years, and previously spent seven years as BFI's head of international brokering co-production treaties with China and Brazil.
- Davis succeeds Mia Bays, the outgoing director since 2021 whose tenure saw BAFTA outstanding debut wins for "Kneecap" and "My Father the Shadow" in consecutive years, plus a best British short animation win for "Two Black Boys in Paradise."
- BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts called Davis "tenacious when it comes to doing the right thing for U.K. independent film," while Davis described the moment as "critical for the future of U.K. film."
- In a separate bulletin item, the BBC cast Toheeb Jimoh and Dujonna Gift as leads of "Open Water," an eight-part adaptation of Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut novel filming in Birmingham and London for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, produced by Mam Tor Productions and B-Side Productions.
Why it matters: Davis inherits a fund that delivered two consecutive BAFTA-winning debuts under Bays with roughly £20 million in annual backing, and her prior brokering of BFI co-production treaties with China and Brazil positions her to expand international funding pipelines at what the BFI itself calls a 'critical' moment for U.K. film.
