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At the annual BFI and Chanel<\/a> Filmmaker Awards on Thursday, Tilda Swinton<\/a>, Edward Enninful,<\/strong> and BFI chief executive Ben Roberts<\/strong> came together to celebrate creative audacity in film and award prizes to emerging filmmakers. This year\u2019s awards were given to rising filmmakers Harry Lighton<\/strong> (writer and director of Pillion<\/em>), the Neurocultures Collective (which consists of Sam Chown-Ahern, Georgia Bradburn, Benjamin Brown, Robin Elliott-Knowles,<\/strong> and Lucy Walker<\/strong>) and Steven Eastwood,<\/strong> and Sandhya Suri (writer and director of Santosh<\/em>).<\/p>\n So what exactly does creative audacity entail? According to Roberts, \u201cI think it means that we see someone taking some risks in their work. This work is, how do we help people thread the needle of big, bold, imaginative, creative, risky ideas? They might fail spectacularly as well. But audiences love it when creative audacity lands.\u201d<\/p>\n Each of the award winners received financial support of 20,000 British pounds to aid in expanding their work and exploring new ideas. The winners were selected by a jury led by Swinton, Enninful, and Roberts.<\/p>\n \u201cI think all artists have to aim for [originality],” said Swinton during Thursday\u2019s event at Claridge\u2019s. \u201cThat\u2019s the project. Because no artist sets out to be a facsimile of anybody else. What we need is original artists. We don\u2019t need people dressed up as other people pretending to be other people. We need original, authentic voices.\u201d<\/p>\n Guests enjoyed a Champagne reception, presentation of the awards, and a sociable standing lunch. Attending the star-studded event were actors\u00a0Imogen Poots, Nathalie Emmanuel,<\/strong>\u00a0Sophie Cookson, George MacKay, Lily Allen,<\/strong> and\u00a0Connor Swindells.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think what [the BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Awards] demonstrate is how deeply Chanel understands what artists\u2019 lives are, what artists need to make work. They need time and they need support. Money is support. But money is also time,\u201d Swinton explained, while enjoying a miniature ice cream cone. \u201cYou can\u2019t eat it and not be funny. No, you can\u2019t stand in an insouciant way,\u201d she said jokingly of the tiny dessert.<\/p>\n Lighton, whose debut feature, Pillion,<\/em> stars Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd<\/strong> as a biker in the world of BDSM**,<\/sub>** was a highlight of the Cannes Film Festival<\/a>. Upon collecting his award, Lighton noted how his parents would see the film for the first time this Saturday. \u201cHow his parents react will be livestreaming,\u201d said Roberts.<\/p>\n Suri\u2019s narrative feature debut, Santosh,<\/em> was the UK\u2019s official selection for the best-international-feature Oscar in 2024, while The Stimming Pool<\/em> is an experimental docu-fiction made, in part, by a collective of autistic artists.<\/p>\n Chanel and the BFI have been partners since 2022, and are striving to create a burgeoning community of filmmakers. Previous winners include Kathryn Ferguson<\/strong> (Nothing Compares<\/em>), Savannah Leaf<\/strong> (Earth Mama<\/em>), and Pinny Grylls<\/strong> (Grand Theft Hamlet<\/em>).<\/p>\n The afternoon was a testament to the power of film. \u201cI honestly believe people need cinema. And as I say, they would really miss it if it wasn\u2019t there,\u201d Swinton said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n