BFI NETWORK Future Producers Weekender 2024 - Participants

Godgift Emesi is an award-winning creative producer and storyteller, born in Nigeria and raised in London, now based in Colchester. A #YouTubeBlack Voices Creator Class of 2023 member, her documentary Stranded in Nigeria was shortlisted for the 2020 EVCOM Focus Film Awards. She co-runs “Make It Common”, a non-profit YouTube channel amplifying underrepresented voices, with 18k+ subscribers and 100k+ TikTok followers. Currently a Junior Producer, she creates AV and social content for Prime Video across UK/EMEA markets and has produced for global powerhouses like Sony Music and Nike. Passionate about digital storytelling with a positive socio-political focus, Godgift specializes in creating culturally resonant content for Millennial and Gen Z audiences.

Alex is a production coordinator at Premier League Productions, where he manages both domestic and international shoots, overseeing logistics, budgets, and the on-time delivery of live and pre-recorded programming. He has worked on a variety of high-profile productions, including Magic Mike 3 and Netflix’s The Crown (S5), where he gained valuable experience in both large-scale narrative film and high-pressure commercial environments. Alex is particularly drawn to the intricacies of large-scale productions and is eager to further explore this area of filmmaking. In addition to his career in production, Alex is also producing short films, steadily scaling up the ambition of his projects and aiming to bring fresh, innovative ideas to the screen.

Benedicty is a film and music enthusiast blending her love for both in her creative endeavors. While at the University of Edinburgh, Benedicty was part of the university’s Filmmaking Society, contributing to the production of short-films and the organisation of filmmaking workshops for society members. Although studying Computer Science and Maths, she explored her interest in cinema academically, writing Mothers and Daughters, an essay looking at Lady Bird (2017), as part of her Contemporary Cinema elective. In 2023, Benedicty joined the Young Barbican Film Programmers, where she worked on the 2024 edition of the Chronic Youth Film Festival. Her responsibilities included sourcing film from distributors, developing marketing strategies, coordinating daily festival operations, and promoting events with press outreach. She notably co-hosted the post-film discussion for the sold out screening of Nowhere (1997) at Barbican Screen 1.

Kim Lloyd is an aspiring new film producer living in the South East of England. After a successful career in commodity trading, he felt it was time to explore new interests and challenges. Along with spending more time with his young family, he is actively involved in philanthropic work as a trustee, treasurer and fundraiser for a small charity. More recently, partnering with a good friend of his, he has launched a new film production company, Bloodaxe Studios. The aim is to produce commercially successful, action-adventure, feel-good, escapist, independent films.

Natalie is an award-winning actor and filmmaker from Norfolk. She brings a wealth of experience to her projects, having taken on roles as a writer, director, producer, actor, and editor. Her debut short film as a creative producer, STI: Sexually Transmitted Introductions, is currently making an impressive impact on the festival circuit, earning awards and official selections at This Is England, Giggle, Manchester Health Education, West London, Funny Life, Golden Nugget, and Jane Austen Film Festivals this Autumn. Natalie is currently in post-production for her Writer-Director debut, Eggshells, an experimental short film exploring non-linear and split narrative structures. She is also in early development for two upcoming short films and a semi-autobiographical feature that champions her Norfolk roots. A proud, bursary-supported alumna of the University of Oxford and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Natalie is a passionate advocate for improving access to education. She works as a freelance mentor, tutor, and education consultant, specialising in students with special and additional educational needs.

Nick Hafezi is a producer, with a portfolio spanning video games, theatre, commercials and online content. He’s currently producing his first short film, Speculation, directed by Oliver James Newman, and developing an independent feature film, Medusa of the Roses, in collaboration with writer Navid Sinaki. Nick is set to complete a Certificate in Producing at the National Film & Television School in 2025. Passionate about storytelling, Nick’s slate delves into the complexities of immigrant identity, the Persian diaspora, LGBTQ+ individuals and BIPOC communities. He is particularly drawn to exploring the intersectionality of these experiences and their place within the fabric of mainstream society.

Phil Rhodes is a Filmmaker from Suffolk. He studied Film and Moving Image Production at Norwich University of the Arts where he developed his interest in social commentary. Phil has worked as a Production Assistant on various film and television productions as well as making films in his local region. He runs the East Anglian Film Network which helps people to get together and work on film projects.

Sirah Haq is a London based script consultant and screenwriter who has worked on feature film projects in Australia, Britain and Pakistan. She specialized in Script Development for Features from the prestigious National Film and Television School, London and also holds a BA (Hons) in Film from Brunel University, London and a Masters in English Literature from Kinnaird College, Lahore. Her most recent projects as script consultant include feature films ‘Babylicious’ (Pakistan, 2023) and ‘Mask of the Devil’ (Britain,  2022);  and web series ‘Phaatak’ (‘Railway Track’) (Pakistan, 2022)  and ‘Khoj’ (‘The Search’)  (Pakistan, 2022). She is currently in development with four of her own features and one web series as screenwriter and producer. She has worked in TV development in Pakistan for many years and has taught screenwriting at SZABIST and Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi.

Tiffany Oamen is an aspiring film and TV producer based in Hertfordshire, passionate about telling compelling stories that centre black girlhood and black women. She is currently developing the script for her first short film, The Audition, which explores themes of ambition, identity, and black female rage. With experience as a production assistant on a student film and training from All Spring Media’s Production Assistant Skills Bootcamp, Tiffany is building a strong foundation to transition into producing her own work. She loves superhero films like Guardians of the Galaxy and romcoms like How To Be Single and is deeply inspired by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Tiffany’s ultimate aim is to produce films that amplify underrepresented voices and craft narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.