BFI London Film Festival unveils 2026 Industry Forum programme with Danny Boyle and Pippa Harris

The BFI London Film Festival has announced the full programme for its 2026 Industry Forum, which will run from 8 to 15 October at Picturehouse Central in London. Part of the 70th BFI London Film Festival, the programme brings together filmmakers, producers, craftspeople, programmers and emerging screen talent for conversations spanning the future of UK cinema, international co-production, costume design, archives and immersive storytelling.

This year’s line-up includes Danny Boyle in conversation with Matt Belloni for The Town podcast, producer Pippa Harris, independent producer James Wilson, costume designer PC Williams and filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr.

Danny Boyle and leading UK producers join the programme

Danny Boyle will appear on 9 October at 3pm in conversation with Matt Belloni as Puck brings its Stories of the Season series to the festival for the first time. Their discussion will look at the current UK film industry and Boyle’s recent work as director and producer on the Murdoch drama Ink.

On 10 October at 11.30am, costume designer PC Williams, whose credits include We Are Lady Parts, My Father’s Shadow and The End We Start From, will join British-Nigerian filmmaker and visual artist Akinola Davies Jr. Their conversation will examine costume design across different genres, opportunities for experimentation and the importance of supporting emerging talent. The event is presented in association with Variety.

Producer James Wilson will take part in a Spotlight Conversation with journalist Danny Leigh on 8 October at 3pm. Drawing on more than three decades in independent film, Wilson will discuss a career that includes The Zone of Interest, Under the Skin, You Were Never Really Here, The Voice of Hind Rajab and his recent production NAZA.

Pippa Harris will appear in conversation with Edith Bowman on 12 October at 3pm. The producer and Neal Street co-founder will discuss projects including Sam Mendes’ forthcoming quartet of Beatles films, alongside a body of work spanning Hamnet, 1917, Revolutionary Road, Call the Midwife and Penny Dreadful.

Audiences, international production and emerging writers

The Industry Forum opens on 8 October with a discussion on the state of UK cinema exhibition following the spring and summer 2026 season.

Ben Lyndon of Curzon, Carol McKay of Picturehouse Cinemas and Madeleine Mullett of BFI IMAX will examine changing audience behaviour and the relationship between mainstream and independent releases. Charles Gant of Screen International will host the conversation.

International co-production takes the spotlight on 12 October. Producers Alan Maher, Adrià Monés, Dyveke Bjørkly Graver and Rodrigo Teixeira will discuss working across Ireland, Spain, Norway and Brazil, with attention to funding, business opportunities and the creative challenges of cross-border production. Wendy Mitchell will moderate the session in association with The Hollywood Reporter.

The programme also returns to emerging screenwriting through the fourth edition of Fade In on 11 October. Hosted by Holly Daniel of Take Three, the panel features Travis Alabanza, Gemma Bedeau, Paul Carey, Alice Clark, Alex Mathias and Carly Mills, whose experience spans theatre, film, television, children’s programming, graphic novels, games and live performance.

On 13 October, the festival will turn to archive-based filmmaking. Theo Rollason, Nanette Burstein, Rafael Guendelman and the BFI National Archive’s Simon McCallum will discuss how archival materials can be shaped into new creative narratives. The session is presented with Sheffield DocFest and hosted by Raul Niño Zambrano.

LFF Expanded Industry Day returns

The LFF Expanded Industry Day will take place on 15 October at Picturehouse Central, bringing together work across extended reality, gaming and immersive media.

A Works-in-Progress showcase will feature six projects, including DARKFIELD’s participatory audio project PILGRIMS, AΦE’s augmented-reality reinterpretation of Peter and the Wolf, Comfort Arthur’s animated VR documentary Ursula, Humira Imtiaz’s mixed-reality work The Kids are Halal and Keiken’s Morphogenic Angels: Alchemy of Perspectives.

The day will also include funding surgeries with the BFI Doc Society Fund, BFI Filmmaking Fund and BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund, alongside talks addressing the future of immersive venues and the growing mainstream visibility of immersive work.

LFF Expanded itself runs from 3 to 18 October across BFI IMAX, BFI Southbank Atrium and St Martin-in-the-Fields, presenting nine projects across immersive art, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and gaming.

“This year’s Industry Forum brings together an exceptional group of filmmakers and industry voices, including both UK and international talent whose work is having a real impact on cinema around the world,” said Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival Director.

The programme also includes co-production meetings, UK talent development initiatives and Film London’s Production Finance Market, extending the Industry Forum beyond public conversations into practical opportunities for filmmakers and producers to build international collaborations.

Full details of the 2026 Industry Forum are available on the BFI website.