Meet the participants awarded through the Early Development Fund 2023-24.
The first step in the BFI’s development support for live-action and animated fiction projects, the Early Development Fund supports writers produce an initial treatment. It supports people at the very beginning of their development process for feature-length projects.
The Early Development funding programme is aimed at ‘New writers’ – people who have not yet written a feature film script that has been produced and distributed – as well as producers and directors working with new writers. BFI Network South East supports those based in the South East region.
Awardees
Amarjit Bassan
Writer - Bol Lalit Bol
Amarjit Bassan is a writer with extensive experience in developing impactful narratives. Selected for the RIFCO Associate Artists Scheme, Amarjit created Southall Park for the British Asian Festival. With a background in Channel Four’s 4Screenwriting course and a Screenwriting MA from Royal Holloway, Amarjit was part of London Voices with the BBC. Currently, he is thrilled to be developing his first feature, Bol Lalit Bol, with BFI’s Early Development scheme.
Tamas Fekete
Writer - Weight of Air
Tamás Fekete is an award-winning director/writer and a directing alumnus of the National Film and Television School. To date he’s directed six shorts. Assaut was invited to Poitiers Film Festival, Deep Water his documentary about a swimmer was showcased at DOK Leipzig. He participated in TorinoFilmLab – TFL Next in 2023 with his miniseries about a woman uncovering unresolved family traumas affecting her feelings about becoming a mother. Tamás is currently developing his debut feature, a father-son drama about co-dependency, set in the world of competitive swimming.
Emily Everdee
Producer - Blue
Emily Everdee is a BIFA-nominated film producer, developing screen projects through her company Everdee Media.
She is Associate Producer on Film4/BFI feature film Layla, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2024.
Emily has produced or executive produced seventeen short films, including John Ogunmuyiwa’s BIFA-nominated Mandem, Courteney Tan’s 2023 Iris Prize-nominated queer short Longing (now streaming on Channel 4), and Louisa Connolly-Burnham’s 2024 drama Sister Wives.
Emily is a BAFTA member and BIFA voter.
Courteney Tan
Writer - Blue
Courteney Tan is a writer/director from coastal Kent. Her latest BFI-commissioned short Longing was shortlisted for the BAFTA-qualifying IRIS PRIZE and premiered on Film4.
In 2023 she completed additional directing on Netflix film Scoop.
As a writer, she has been selected for several schemes including for Film London, BFI and Sky. Her original pilot script Zayla was selected by Jed Mercurio as part of a prestigious mentorship for working-class writers and is now in development at HTM Television.
She is repped by Curtis Brown Talent.
Tuli Litvak
Producer - The Bitten
Recipient of BFI Feature Early Development & Screen Ireland Feature Development funding. Producer of eight shorts, including three funded by BFI NETWORK. Her shorts have received nominations for ‘Best Short’ at Iris Prize and ‘Best Drama’ at the British Short Awards, and have screened at BAFTA, BIFA, and Oscar-qualifying festivals including BFI Flare and Galway. Tuli produced music videos including for WARPAINT, worked as a Production Coordinator for a SKY TV series and was a Producer’s Assistant on Toy Soldier starring Robert De Niro.
Nick Finegan
Writer - The Bitten
Nicholas is an award-winning queer filmmaker from the South-East. He trained at the American Film Institute in LA and is a recipient of the BAFTA Piggot Award.
Nicholas’ latest short, Some Kind of Paradise premiered at Tribeca 2024.
His first narrative short film, Bingo Queens, was supported by BFI-Network. It screened at numerous BAFTA-qualifying festivals including Cambridge Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Bolton Film Festival, Flatpack, and BFI-Flare.
Nicholas’ filmmaking places queer characters front and centre in lyrical dramas that blend visceral social realism and heightened, colourful camp. To date, his films have received a Vimeo Staff Pick, SHORTOFTHEWEEK highlight, nomination for ‘BEST DRAMA’ at the British Short Film Awards, and the Jury Prize for ‘Best Narrative Short’ at OUTshine Miami.