Some of Scotland's brightest new creative talents will participate in the sixth year of the New Talent Mentorship Scheme, funded by the William Grant Foundation. The mentorship is for emerging professionals working in film, high-end television and animation. The mentees for 2025/26 were announced earlier this year but today the list of high-profile mentors who will provide them with practical support over the course of six months were revealed as:
Oscar-Nominated Animation Studio Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers, Breadwinner, Secret of Kells)
BIFA and BAFTA nominee and Grand Jury Winner at Sundance Charlotte Regan (Director of Scrapper)
Creative Executive and Executive Producer Sam Lavender (Saint Maud, The Lobster, The Killing of the Sacred Deer)
Director Julia Jackman (100 days of Hero)
Director Brian Welsh (What it Feels Like for a Girl, Beats)
Deadline for applications is Wednesday 18 June at 12 noon. Interviews will take place on W/C 30 June.
About
Now in it's sixth year, the New Talent Mentorship Scheme is for emerging professionals working in film, high-end television, or animation, from backgrounds currently under-represented in the industry. This scheme is funded by The William Grant Foundation.
The mentorship provides practical support and training for filmmaking professionals over a period of six months. Eight successful applicants are assigned mentors with expertise in their chosen field of screenwriting, directing or producing, who they will meet with once a month on an agreed date. Last year’s mentors include acclaimed filmmakers Ben Wheatley (Free Fire), Laura Carreira (On Falling), and Prano Bailey-Bond (Censor).
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Aims and what we're looking for
Aims of the New Talent Mentorship Scheme
The Talent Mentorship Scheme is run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and Glasgow Film Festival (GFF). Glasgow Film plays a leading role in cultural life for the city of Glasgow, for Scotland, for the UK and internationally. We provide an independent film programme for diverse audiences in Glasgow.
In its history, Glasgow Film Festival’s Industry programme has championed new voices, both in front of and behind the camera. We believe we have an important role to play in supporting diverse talent; the Talent Mentorship Scheme will assist those who will most benefit from mentorship to develop their filmmaking careers and is for emerging professionals working in film from under-represented backgrounds.
Quotes from Previous Mentees:
'My mentor has helped me to build my confidence and understanding of the industry, which I believe has helped me a lot in successfully applying for freelance commissions… These are all Scotland-based opportunities and I am particularly grateful to have worked with a mentor who is very knowledgeable about working in this country.' - Holly Summerson, who had mentor Sueann Rochester.
'My mentor’s belief in me helped me focus ...it encouraged me to push myself and test what I can do with the form and function of what I wrote. It was Campbell’s encouragement that led me to submit a new monologue to the BFI Film Academy in Eastside studios where young filmmakers produced it.' - Yusuf Javed, who had mentor Campbell X.
'Learning from someone I respect so much in the industry and having the opportunity of time to discuss my projects with her has been brilliant... In a truly unexpected way it has also shown the great benefit and power of learning from colleagues and other professionals who are also emerging in their fields.' - Reece Cargan, who had mentor Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor.
Who Are We Looking For?
You must be based in Scotland.
You must be aged 18 or over.
You must not be in full-time or part-time education.
You must have written, directed, or produced at least one short film in your chosen field.
You must have a short or feature film currently in development or be actively seeking to take the next steps in your career and build on your existing experience.
For applicants from a television background:
You must also be based in Scotland, aged 18 or over, and not in full- or part-time education.
If you have not written, directed, or produced at least one short film, we expect you to have either:
Completed a training role in your relevant area of TV, or
Worked in a relevant TV role for at least one year, demonstrating clear commitment to a career in the industry.
If you're from a TV background and unsure about your eligibility, please contact us in advance at Industry@glasgowfilm.org
Commitment Successful candidates will be required to commit to monthly meetings with their mentor and submit a number of progress reports throughout the Scheme with support from the Project Manager. Additional feedback reports from our funders may also be required – all details will be confirmed with successful applicants at the start of the Mentorship period.
The mentor meetings will take place via Zoom and/or in-person.
Accessibility Please let us know at the point of application if you have any access requirements. Financial support is available for any access needs you may have, for example, BSL interpreters, live-captioning, travel bursaries or note-takers.
Please note, whilst meetings can take place via Zoom, applicants must be based in Scotland.
Meet The Mentees
Meet the 2025/26 Mentees
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Mentors who will be working with the eight successful candidates include directors Charlotte Wells and Ben Sharrock, producer Sarah Drummond, and directors Louis Paxton and Michael Lee Richardson.
The scheme is funded by the William Grant Foundation. All mentors for the 2024/25 programme will be announced soon. The successful mentees are:
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About2
Applications for the New Talent Mentorship Scheme have now closed. Thank you to all who applied, we'll be updating this page very soon.
The New Talent Mentorship Scheme is for emerging professionals working in film, high-end television, or animation, from backgrounds currently unrepresented in the industry.
This scheme is funded by The William Grant Foundation.
The mentorship provides practical support and training for filmmaking professionals over a period of six months. Eight successful applicants are assigned mentors with expertise in their chosen field of screenwriting, directing or producing, who they will meet with once a month on an agreed date. Previous mentors include Alice Birch, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor and John Hodge. Successful mentees will also receive complementary accreditation for Glasgow Film Festival 2024.
The Talent Mentorship Scheme is open to all people from under-represented backgrounds, including (but not limited to) individuals of the global majority, LGBTQIA+, low or no income backgrounds, and people with disabilities. You must currently live in Scotland, be over 18, and not in full-time education.
If you are a filmmaker and would like to be a mentor, please email industry@glasgowfilm.org
Aims of the New Talent Mentorship Scheme
The Talent Mentorship Scheme is run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and Glasgow Film Festival (GFF). Glasgow Film plays a leading role in cultural life for the city of Glasgow, for Scotland, for the UK and internationally. We provide an independent film programme for diverse audiences in Glasgow.
In its short history, Glasgow Film Festival’s Industry programme has championed new voices, both in front of and behind the camera. We believe we have an important role to play in supporting diverse talent; the Talent Mentorship Scheme will assist those who will most benefit from mentorship to develop their filmmaking careers and is for emerging professionals working in film from under-represented backgrounds.
Quotes from Previous Mentees:
'My mentor has helped me to build my confidence and understanding of the industry, which I believe has helped me a lot in successfully applying for freelance commissions… These are all Scotland-based opportunities and I am particularly grateful to have worked with a mentor who is very knowledgeable about working in this country.' - Holly Summerson, who had mentor Sueann Rochester.
'My mentor’s belief in me helped me focus ...it encouraged me to push myself and test what I can do with the form and function of what I wrote. It was Campbell’s encouragement that led me to submit a new monologue to the BFI Film Academy in Eastside studios where young filmmakers produced it.' - Yusuf Javed, who had mentor Campbell X.
'Learning from someone I respect so much in the industry and having the opportunity of time to discuss my projects with her has been brilliant... In a truly unexpected way it has also shown the great benefit and power of learning from colleagues and other professionals who are also emerging in their fields.' - Reece Cargan, who had mentor Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor.
Who Are We Looking For? Eligibility Criteria
The New Talent Mentorship Scheme is open to all people from under-represented backgrounds, including (but not limited to) individuals of the global majority, LGBTQIA+, low or no income backgrounds, and people with disabilities. You must currently live in Scotland, be over 18, and not in full-time education.
You will have worked on one or more short films in your chosen field and are now looking for support to progress in a filmmaking career. You may be currently working on developing a film project, or looking to make next steps in building on your experience and accessing opportunities.
The scheme will focus on screenwriting, directing or producing. People specialising in narrative fictional filmmaking, documentary, animation or experimental/artists’ film are welcome to apply. We are looking for applicants who would like to build their career in filmmaking and who would benefit from a mentorship towards achieving this.
Commitment Successful candidates will be required to commit to monthly meetings with their mentor and submit a number of progress reports throughout the Scheme with support from the Project Manager. Additional feedback reports from our funders may also be required – all details will be confirmed with successful applicants at the start of the Mentorship period.
The mentor meetings will take place via Zoom and/or in-person.
Accessibility Please let us know at the point of application if you have any access requirements. Financial support is available for any access needs you may have, for example, BSL interpreters, live-captioning, travel bursaries or note-takers.
Please note, whilst meetings can take place via Zoom, applicants must be based in Scotland.
Meet The Mentors
Meet the 2024/25 Mentors
Mentors
Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley is a filmmaker from Essex behind such titles as Sightseers, Kill List, and Free Fire. Blending filmmaking styles typical of thrillers and comedies, his body of work explores the darker elements of human nature, often with a satirical twist. His film High-Rise won the Platform Prize at TIFF in 2015, and he has received nominations and honors for his other films from BIFA, SXSW, and Cannes.
Prano Bailey Bond
Prano Bailey-Bond is a London-based filmmaker, originally from Wales, whose body of work invokes imaginative worlds, fusing a dark vocabulary with eerie allure. Her feature-length debut, Censor, was released in 2021 following its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival and its European premiere at the Berlinale. Backed by the BFI, Film4 and Ffilm Cymru Wales, Censor received 9 BIFA nominations, winning the Méliès d’Or at Sitges Film Festival and being voted by critics as one of the best British films of the 21st Century.
Oscar Sansom
Oscar Sansom is a BAFTA winning Director who's multi award winning films and trailblazing works in music film have seen him recognized as one of the countries foremost directors of the genre. He crafts bold and sometimes surreal visions of the world, which celebrate and explore the human condition. A director with an uncompromising approach and extreme focus on detail, he is an expert in crafting powerful and emotive stories.
Isabelle Sieb
Isabelle Sieb is an Emmy-winning and multi BAFTA-nominated director for film and television. She is the lead director of Matt Charman’s new Netflix thriller The Choice starring Suranne Jones, Julie Delpy and Corey Mylchreest. For film, she is developing a feature with the BFI based on the true story of the Cascades Female Factory in Tasmania. Previous credits include the epic action adventure show Nautilus which will air on Amazon in the UK and AMC in the US in Autumn 2024.
Laura Carreira
Laura Carreira is a Portuguese filmmaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her first short film Red Hill won the New Visions Award at the 73rd Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Short Film award at the 2019 BAFTA Scotland Awards. Her short film The Shift premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2020 and was nominated for the European Film Awards and the London Critics' Circle Film Awards.
Nikki Parrott
Tigerlily Productions is a multi-award-winning independent production company with a reputation for tackling powerful subject matter with sensitivity and artistry. Their output covers scripted and non- scripted documentaries, arts and music, history and current affairs across a range of media. In 2018, Tigerlily Two in Scotland was formed with the purpose of exploring new talent and stories outside London, and to be a prominent co-producer for international projects and teams. It is run out of Glasgow and headed by Nikki as Managing Director.
Nickie Sault
Nickie Sault is a Bafta nominated producer with 25 years' experience working in the UK Film and Television industry. Being a working-class woman from South Yorkshire last year Nickie launched Class 5, a film and television production company dedicated to finding the next generation of filmmakers with an emphasis on working class and underrepresented groups. “At its core, Class 5 fosters a space where creativity thrives, and opportunities are accessible, empowering both emerging and seasoned storytellers to craft compelling, impactful narratives that leave a lasting impression."
Henrietta Ashworth
Screen’s ‘Star of Tomorrow’ 2012; Broadcast ‘Hotshots’ 2013; and listed in the BBC’s New Talent Hotlist in 2017, along with her sister and writing partner Jessica, Henrietta wrote her first script The Shakespeare Club – a farce about authorship controversy – aged 15. Their script Olivia and Jim came third on the Brit List 2011. Following on from their TV work on the third series of Fresh Meat and the BAFTA-winning Dixi, the Ashworths wrote on the second series of Phoebe Waller Bridge’s BAFTA-winning Killing Eve for the BBC and Akiva Goldsman's The Crowded Room starring Tom Holland for Apple US.
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Frequently Asked Questions Q: Who is the Talent Mentorship Scheme for?
A: If you who live in Scotland, are over 18 and are not in full-time education please read the FAQ’s below to determine if you meet the minimum requirements for the New Talent Mentorship Scheme. We welcome applications from is open to filmmakers from groups under-represented in the filmmaking industry, including but not restricted to the global majority, disabled, LGBTQIA+ people, and/or those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds*. *An economically disadvantaged background is self-defined and we expect this to include people from working class backgrounds and/or who grew up in low-income or otherwise economically disadvantaged households.
Q: What level of filmmaking skills and experience do I need to have to apply for the Talent Mentorship Scheme? A: You need to have worked on at least one short film in your chosen field, e.g. screenwriting, directing, producing. There is no specific level of skill you need to have reached in your chosen field. Q: Does a film I’ve worked on need to have screened at a film festival?
A: No - the one short film that you must have worked on as a minimum level of experience does not need to have screened at a film festival or have reached audiences in any other specific way. Q: Do I need to specify one area of filmmaking that I want to specialise in? A: Yes - for the purpose of applying to the New Talent Mentorship Scheme you must state which area of filmmaking, e.g. screenwriting, directing, producing, you would like to focus on.
People specialising in narrative fictional filmmaking, documentary, animation or experimental/artists’ film are all welcome to apply. Q: Which benefits will I gain from the mentorship? A: If you are successful in your application, you will gain practical advice, encouragement and support from the mentorship. Our appointed mentors have a wealth of experience in filmmaking and working within the film industry. You will receive their support in developing your filmmaking career and/or advice on a specific film project you’re working on. At the end of the mentorship, we anticipate you will have improved your overall knowledge in filmmaking and the industry as well as your confidence in pursuing a filmmaking career. Q: Can I request a specific mentor when I apply or if I am successful in my application? A: No - we will assign a mentor to you based on our assessment of your application and interview. You will not be able to request a specific mentor. Q: What happens after I’ve submitted my application?
A: We will select applicants for an interview stage, which will take place after applications close. If you have not been selected for an interview, we will aim to notify you as soon as possible after this date. If you are selected for an interview, we will notify you of the date for this after applications have closed. Q: Will interviews and mentor meetings take place face to face or remotely?
A: The interviews will take place via Zoom and/or in-person. Successful applicants and their mentors will discuss what option works best for them.
Q: Which other access measures are available to support people taking part in the mentorship? A: Support for travel and accommodation as well as access costs will be available. For example, if you require BSL interpretation, note-taking or any other access measure, you will be able to request this and we will do our best to meet all requirements.
This New Talent Mentorship Scheme is funded by The William Grant Foundation.
