British Film Institute, Chanel, Tilda Swinton team at the New Filmmaker Awards

The British Film Institute has teamed up with fashion house Chanel to award a new award to the film industry’s rising stars, with a focus on underrepresented voices.

The BFI & Chanel Filmmaker Awards will award three awards worth £20,000 ($24,000) to British filmmakers who they say “demonstrate originality and boldness and are keen to explore new dynamics in their work”. At least one award will go to a female filmmaker or someone who identifies as non-binary, and all projects that qualify must meet the BFI’s diversity standards.

The judging panel will be overseen by BFI Fellow, Chanel Ambassador and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, who will select the honorees along with BFI CEO Ben Roberts, Marie-Louise Hongji, producer and founder of Le Cinema Club and Edward Enninful OBE, British Vogue the Editor-in-Chief. Swinton will be on hand to announce the winners onstage at the BFI’s Luminous fundraising gala on September 29. A panel of industry experts from across the industry will nominate the filmmakers.

“Both the BFI and House of Chanel are recognized benchmarks, long committed not only to the vibrancy of the new, but also to the conscientious and dedicated stewardship of our precious cultural archive,” said Swinton.

“The partnership of two people is a strong and important alliance. It is a joy for me to work closely with these two families in my daily practice – bringing this kindness to more and more artists is a real cause for celebration. The Filmmaker’s Award will greatly enhance this scholarship and the Luminous Gala reinforces the important financial support to this indispensable community effort. It is a sincere honor for me to be of service to this incredible combined initiative in any way I can.”