C4, Sony Pictures Television’s We Are Parable programme backs more Black UK filmmakers

L-R: Alex Zepherin-Pinnock, Hayden McLean and Ryan Walker-Edwards

Channel 4- and Sony Pictures Television (SPT)-backed talent development programme We Are Parable has selected 30 UK-based Black filmmakers from more than 700 applications for its fourth edition.

More than half of those selected for the 2026 Momentum cohort, 55%, are based outside London, with filmmakers representing Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Telford and Wolverhampton.

Women make up 52% of the group, which the scheme said reflected its commitment to supporting a broad range of voices across the UK screen sector and building a more representative talent pipeline.

Spanning writers, directors, producers, documentary filmmakers, animators and multidisciplinary creatives working across film, television and digital storytelling, the cohort includes Emmy-nominated animation director Alex Zepherin-Pinnock, Hayden McLean (The Last Dance) and Ryan Walker-Edwards (MAN>CODE).

For the first time, We Are Parable has also launched a dedicated alumni strand designed to extend its support beyond the initial programme period. This will include masterclasses, networking events and further professional development opportunities.

Since launching in 2021, Momentum has supported 140 Black filmmakers, with alumni going on to secure festival selections, funding support, broadcast opportunities, development placements and wider industry recognition across the UK screen sector.

Momentum is funded by C4’s development programme, 4Skills, and run in association with the broadcaster’s Creative Equity team and SPT, with financial support from the SPT Creative Diversity Fund.

The new cohort will take part in sessions with established screen industry professionals, with mentors drawn from across C4, SPT and We Are Parable’s wider network.

Alongside mentorship and industry access, Momentum also features a dedicated mental health and wellbeing strand, delivered with a psychological therapist and focused on industry-specific pressures including precarity, rejection and informal network dependency.

Anthony Andrews, co-founder and creative director of We Are Parable, said: “What has always made Momentum important to us is that it responds to the full reality of building a career in this industry.

“Talent is not the issue. The question is whether filmmakers have the access, support, confidence and relationships needed to keep moving forward, particularly at a time when emerging filmmakers are navigating rising production costs, shrinking commissioning opportunities and increasingly competitive access to development funding.

“We’ve seen previous cohorts use the programme to develop new work, raise finance, screen at festivals and build lasting creative networks. This new cohort represents the next stage of that journey.”

Neila Butt, creative equity lead at Channel 4, described Momentum as a “vital platform for supporting and elevating Black British creatives,” while Hannah Smith and Gemma Isaac, co-chairs of the SPT Creative Diversity Fund, said it has proven to be an “invaluable resource for previous cohorts and an important first step for many finding their way into the industry.”