The Black Filmmakers Community Network (BFCN) is a quarterly event series dedicated to supporting Black filmmakers across Scotland. Programmed and delivered by Briana Pegado, Balenji Mwiche and Liz Chege, the network has been created following a period of consultation with Black filmmakers working in Scotland to help this community grow their creative careers, whilst also driving meaningful change across the sector.
By fostering open dialogue through feedback sessions, roundtables, and direct engagement with industry leaders, the programme will play a key role in advancing diversity and inclusion within the Scottish screen industries. The network will provide a programme of free events that feature decision-makers, industry leaders, and offer professional development workshops.
BFCN Event Module
OUR FIRST EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN SPRING 2026.
STAY UPDATED AND LEARN HOW TO SECURE YOUR FREE TICKET BY SIGNING UP TO OUR INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER.
BFCN Event Module
OUR FIRST EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN SPRING 2026.
FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO SECURE YOUR FREE TICKET, PLEASE VISIT OUR EVENTBRITE PAGE.
One of Glasgow Film Festival’s strategic aims is to positively influence the diversity of the sector. Through evaluation of our programmes and initiatives we identified we were not reaching Scottish Black filmmakers. Two years ago, we began a consultation period with that community to see how we could do better to understand the barriers they face.
We’ve created BFCN as a particular initiative focused on filmmakers from Black African and Caribbean communities. By providing a space tailored to Black filmmakers’ needs, we hope to nurture talent and ideas that will benefit the whole industry long-term. This event is one of many ways Glasgow Film supports a diverse range of creatives.
BFCN is made possible thanks to a legacy generously gifted from one of our valued Glasgow Film customers. This donation means that we can invest in a number of co-produced initiatives over the next few years that will champion under-represented voices in film and screen.
Briana Pegado is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and an award-winning social entrepreneur, activist, and author with nearly a decade of senior experience in Scotland’s creative industries. In 2010, she helped set up the University of Edinburgh’s first Black History Month and is an anti-racism and anti-oppression consultant.
She is a long-time contributor to BBC Radio Scotland’s Tuesday Review and Sunday Morning Show with Cathy MacDonald, Janice Forsyth, and Tony Kearney (2017–2025). She was Creative Director of Fringe of Colour Films in 2021 and Co-Director of We Are Here Scotland CIC from 2021–22.
Balenji Mwiche
Balenji is a development producer and coordinator across script and talent development, with festival curation experience. She has worked with We Are Parable, the European Cultural Institute, and previously with Short Circuit, Screen Scotland, and the Fringe on the 2023 Screen Fringe programme.
Currently, she is the Funny Features Project Officer in Glasgow Film Festival’s Industry Team, supporting filmmakers who move beyond tokenism and dominant perspectives, with an ambitious scope.
Liz Chege
Liz Chege is a curator, critic and researcher based in Glasgow and Nairobi. In 2022, she was invited as a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, is an Acumen Fellow and BAFTA Connect member. She is a Berlinale Talents alumna and a founding member of Come the Revolution, a collective exploring Black life and cultural expression through cinema.
She was programme producer of the British Council’s “No Direct Flight” at the BFI, a cross-media exploration of global African diaspora moving-image makers, and is currently Lead Programmer for Leeds International Film Festival’s Louis le Prince International Competition.
FAQs
FAQ’s
I am not a Black filmmaker – can I attend?
This network has been established through a two-year consultation with Black Filmmakers. The network and content have been informed and co-produced with this community in mind. We hope to replicate this model of co-produced community network in future to create more opportunities for Scottish filmmakers under-represented in the sector.
If you don’t identify as a Black filmmaker but are looking for support in film, you can attend these events, but Glasgow Film also offers a range of programmes for all filmmakers so please get in touch if you’d like us to send other opportunities available. Please also sign up to our monthly industry newsletter LINK where we keep you up to date on all things GFF plus we also share any opportunities for filmmakers available around the UK.
Is this a free event?
Yes. These quarterly free events are made possible thanks to a legacy generously gifted from one of our valued Glasgow Film customers. This donation means that we can invest in a number of co-produced initiatives over the next few years that will champion under-represented voices in film and screen, with the BFCN being the first project.
What else are Glasgow Film Festival Industry doing to support Scottish filmmakers?
Glasgow Film Festival is currently working through a ten-year plan that will establish the festival as a vital part of the Scottish and UK filmmaking eco-system, with a long-term approach to talent development that nurtures filmmakers at various stages of their career, through a programme of comprehensive support and opportunities for growth.
GFF currently offers three year-round Talent Development programmes:
New Talent Mentorship – 6-month mentorship supporting new writers, directors and producers
Animatic – Scotland’s only talent development lab dedicated to animation, preparing Scottish creatives to work internationally
During the Festival we also offer Industry Focus, a 5-day conference that runs across the 12 days of GFF. The conference aims to provide professional networking opportunities, raise awareness and share stories, plus bring together key industry stakeholders with filmmakers and screen professionals.
Through our monthly newsletter we also share a roundup of opportunities available for filmmakers across the UK, and signposting other events or sources for career development.
