We’re excited to announce the 8 filmmakers representing the North in the 2021 BFI NETWORK Creative Producer Lab. Our class of 2021 will join an 8-strong contingent from the Midlands on a career and creative development journey over the next few months. During that time, they'll sharpen up their production management skills, learn from leading industry figures and expand their filmmaking networks.

The Lab's Northern cohort draws together Producers with a range of filmmaking and theatre experience, and includes creatives with exciting work in development through our Short Film Fund. We can't wait to see what they all come up with next - but, in the meantime, we're proud to introduce the class of 2021.

Chloe is an emerging producer based in Manchester. Having produced mainly for independent theatre on stories centred around under-explored voices and perspectives, she is now keen to transfer that experience to film. 

Chloe is currently working on the short animated film Woodland: a BFI NETWORK funded film about two gay arborists who fall in love in rural UK, but who struggle to reconcile their relationship with the traditional values of their local community. She’s very excited to be taking part in the Creative Producer Lab 2021, and to meet and learn from others working in the same field.

Jack is a producer, photographer and freelance crew member committed to Northern voices, innovative narratives and the spirit of independent filmmaking. 

Born and bred in Salford, Jack’s experience comes from studying filmmaking at the University of Salford, and his work as a Co-Producer with Manchester-based production company Serious Feather who have recently completed their debut feature, Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist. Jack is interested in producing films which authentically explore British working class life, informed by his own experiences and those of his collaborators.

Suzanne is a BIFA and Academy Award winning Writer/Producer. She began her career at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has since gone on to work in both film and television. 

In 2020 she founded 808010 Productions in Cumbria, and is also a development executive for the New York-based Caffeinated Unicorn Productions. Keen to focus on the life, history and humour of Cumbria, she is currently developing an exciting slate of projects alongside other local filmmakers.

Suman is a multi-award-winning Writer-Producer based in Leeds, best known for the documentary Plates, fiction shorts What Next? and True Colours (funded by BFI NETWORK) and the feature Tell Me About It. 

Suman was a jury member at the Royal Television Society Awards from 2019 - 2020 and has worked with some great British film festivals including Tongues on Fire Film Festival, Get Smart Film Festival and Golden Years Film Festival. Suman is passionate about working with bold and original ideas that have the potential to radically improve on-screen representations.

Hugh is a Creative Producer whose narrative and documentary work focuses on the duality of man, the underdog and the morally complex decisions they face. 

He founded ENON films in 2012. Hugh has produced BFI NETWORK & Screen Yorkshire funded short films and created commercial content for brands such as Sainsbury’s and Amazon. Hugh teaches upcoming filmmakers through Screen Yorkshire’s Beyond Brontë’s Programme and he is currently being mentored by BAFTA winner Diarmid Scrimshaw & BIFA nominee Rebecca Mark Lawson.

Neal is a Producer and Writer from Liverpool. His most recent short film, Beast of Burden is currently on the festival circuit, and he has recently wrapped on a new short, Homecoming that is currently awaiting completion. 

Neal sees the Creative Producer Lab as the perfect opportunity to further develop his producing skills and resources, and to reach a place where he can better support Writers, Directors and other crew to thrive. Neal takes great pride in being able to support and collaborate with young creatives in his home city.

Patrick is a Writer, Producer and Director from Manchester. After working across different stages of the production process for companies like the BBC, Feel Films and Metrodome, he studied at the Met Film School where he made his first short, Still Dark. 

In 2017, he made his first short in his hometown, The Spirit of ’58, for which he was nominated for Best Short of the North West and Best Director at the 2017 Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival. His most recent film, FORTYEIGHTPOINTONE is a dystopian allegory of Brexit made with Roundhouse London’s And Now What? Film Fund.

Dermot is a Producer and Writer based in Newcastle who has produced both documentary and drama. After graduating with a MA in Creative Writing from Newcastle University, Dermot has gone on to produce with BAFTA-nominated Shudder Films and Bridge + Tunnel Productions. 

Recent projects include Lost Ones: an elevated-genre short produced with Shudder Films; and White Pudding Supper: a BFI NETWORK funded short produced with Rockall Films. Dermot's key ambition is to facilitate meaningful artistic works, which have a strong awareness of and resonance with the world in which they sit.