Isabel Davis Appointed To Lead BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Funds

The British Film Institute (BFI) has appointed Isabel Davis as Director of its BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Funds.

Davis will join the BFI in October 2026 on a five-year fixed-term contract, following eight years as Executive Director of Screen Scotland.

In the post, she will oversee the £20m-a-year BFI Filmmaking Funds and lead the BFI’s strategic efforts to support UK independent filmmakers.

She replaces Mia Bays, the outgoing Director of the Filmmaking Fund, who has led the fund since October 2021. During Bays' tenure, the BFI backed features including the BAFTA winning Kneecap and My Father's Shadow.

"I'm honoured to be stepping into this role at a time when this public funding is critical to building a successful future for UK film and the public value it represents," Davis said. "It's a challenging moment for UK independent film, economically and structurally. But audience appetite for great stories, and for the communal experience of cinema-going, is strikingly resurgent and our filmmaking talent continues to be among the world's best."

www.ibc.org