The Screen Podcast

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team unpacks what this year’s Bifa nominations say about the UK indie film industry at large.

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by awards and box office editor Charles Gant and UK producer Helen Simmons (100 Nights Of Hero, Hoard) to delve into why the Bifa nominations included so few female filmmakers.

The trio also discussed the wider challenges facing the UK indie sector, including the disappearance of micro-budget features and challenges in the distribution landscape.

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team delves into the biggest talking points kicking off awards season.

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by awards and box office editor Charles to discuss how Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s documentary You Can See Everything has exploded the awards race, quickly becoming a top contender.

The duo also unpack what other films are emerging in the best picture race, how non-English-language films will fare and which performances will multi-contenders Sandra Huller and Robert Pattinson ultimately nab a nomination for.

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the CEO of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), David Austin, discusses new research into how audiences view horror, tiered fees, and working with streamers.

Senior reporter Ben Dalton chats to Austin about the latest BBFC polling which delved into how horror films should be rated in 2026.

”Sexual violence was the number one issue and people want us to classify that in a very strict way,” Austin revealed. ”We always have done but they want us to continue to classify it strictly. The second issue that people were most concerned about was suicide and self-harm.”

The duo then discussed how classification works, why streamers operate independently and the BBFC tiered fee system.

”The idea of having that tiered fee structure is that it encourages more smaller releases, independent releases,” Austin explained. “So the UK public has its widest possible choice of films that it can go and see.”

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, we hear from the head of the UK Global Screen Fund (UKGSF) and round up the latest from the BFI London Film Festival (LFF).

First, host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen reporters Ellie Calnan, Mona Tabbara and Ben Dalton to discuss the industry highlights from the LFF.

Then Tabbara is joined by UKGSF director Denitsa Yordanova to delve into the £18m-a-year initiative which provides funding for international distribution, co-production and business development. She explains what producers and sales agents need to know about the revamped fund.

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team looks ahead to the BFI London Film Festival, which kicked off last night (October 7) and runs until October 18.

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by awards and box office editor Charles Gant to discuss his interview with festival director Kristy Matheson, which covered landing world premieres, how the event fits into the awards circuit, and what recent funding changes mean for the LFF.

Then, Screen’s reviews editor Nikki Baughan highlights some UK titles to look out for at the festival, including Billy Lumby’s 'Florid' and 'Black Church Bay' with Tom Cullen and Joe Locke.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Rome Film Fest, which runs October 13-25.

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team looks back on Screen International’s ‘Financing the Future of UK Film’ summit, which brought together major industry figures to discuss the state of the UK indie sector.

Host and Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller is joined by deputy editor Louise Tutt and senior reporter, UK & international Ben Dalton to discuss what themes emerged from the panels, including the importance of angel investors and the need for more tax relief.

The Screen Summit took place on September 29 at the BFI Southbank.

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team reveals how Screen’s UK & Ireland Stars of Tomorrow are chosen, and we hear the latest from the San Sebastian film festival.

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen editor-in-chief Matt Mueller and box office and awards editor Charles Gant to discuss this year’s Stars of Tomorrow cohort and go behind-the-scenes of the selection process.

Then, Screen’s Europe editor Tim Dams talks to Spain correspondent Elisabet Cabeza in San Sebastian as the festival draws to a close. The duo discussed the buzzy Spanish films at the event, festival director José Luis Rebordinos’ legacy, and highlights from the Creative Investors’ Conference.

This week’s episode is sponsored by the Spain Film Commission, which works to showcase Spanish talent, locations, and incentives to the international audiovisual industry.

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode of The Screen Podcast, the team focus on the San Sebastian Film Festival, which kicked off last week and runs until September 26, and explores the Spanish screen sector’s production boom.

Screen’s deputy editor Louise Tutt is joined by Spain correspondent Elisabeth Cabeza, who talks about which films are going down well with festival audiences, particularly their reaction to Los Javis’ awards-season hopeful, La Bola Negra, which had its local premiere at the festival.

Then Screen’s Europe editor Tim Dams speaks to Spain Film Commission president Juan Manuel Guimeráns Rubio about the economic impact of government investment on the local industry and why big international films, including the Tomb Raider series, a live-action Tangled, and Woody Allen’s new feature, are heading to Spain.

This week’s episode is sponsored by the Spain Film Commission, which works to showcase Spanish talent, locations, and incentives to the international audiovisual industry. To find out more about their latest study, click here.

The Screen Podcast is produced by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team reflects on TIFF: The Market and picks out some festival highlights. 

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay and senior US critic Tim Grierson to delve into the Toronto Film Festival, which launched its inaugural market this year.

Grierson picked out a few highlights from the programme so far including Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care and Jessie Eisenberg’s The Debut.

Then, Screen’s Europe editor Tim Dams talks to critic Jonathan Romney about what to expect from this year’s San Sebastián Film Festival, which runs September 18-26.

This week’s episode is sponsored by the Spain Film Commission which works to showcase Spanish talent, locations, and incentives to the international audiovisual industry. To find out more about their latest study, click here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, a leading buyer and seller share their thoughts on the first ever edition of TIFF: The Market, which kicks off as part of the Toronto International Film Festival this week.

Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay is joined by Arianna Bocco, SVP global distribution and acquisitions at Mubi, and Zach Glueck, co-founder of the international sales agency Manifest Pictures.

The trio discuss how TIFF: The Market could stand out from the likes of Cannes, Berlin and the AFM, why many buyers have “decoupled their budgets from individual markets”, and what they are looking forward to in the festival lineup.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.