43 ‘must-watch’ creatives join BAFTA Breakthrough cohort for 2024
43 up-and-coming creatives have joined the BAFTA Breakthrough collective, a cohort of rising artists across film, games and television in the UK, US and India.
Supported by , this exciting talent initiative is now in its 11th year who are either in the midst or on the cusp of their breakthrough moment.
To support their careers and future mainstream success, each person named in the year-long initiative will have access to one-to-one meetings for career guidance as well as full voting membership and access to BAFTA events.
Those listed include the masterminds behind some of the biggest hits of the year as well as independent gems that are a must to seek out.
BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip said: ““BAFTA Breakthrough, now in its 11th year, spotlights a host of emerging and talented ‘must-watch’ creative practitioners working across film, games and television.
“This year we have an amazing roster of casting directors, producers, writers, performers, lead artists, cinematographers, lead developers, and more. We urge the industry to take note.
“A huge thank you to , whose support makes BAFTA Breakthrough possible.”
Previous alumni include the likes of One Day’s Ambika Mod, The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, Strictly sensation Rose Ayling-Ellis and acclaimed actors Paapa Essiedu and Jessie Buckley.
The full 2024 cohort is as follows:
BAFTA Breakthrough 2024’s UK cohort
UK BREAKTHROUGHS (21):
● Alice Russell, Director – If the Streets Were on Fire
● Beth Park, Lead Performance Director – Black Myth: Wukong
● Clair Titley, Director – The Contestant
● Cobbie Yates, Costume Designer – Layla
● Daf James, Creator/Writer/Executive Producer/Musical Director – Lost Boys & Fairies
● Fred Hoffman, Art Director – Paper Trail
● Georgina Hurcombe, Creator/Producer/Director – Pop Paper City
● Harry Gilbert, Casting Director – G'wed
● Jennifer English, Performer – Baldur's Gate 3
● Kyla Harris*, Lead Performer/Co-Creator/Co-Writer/Associate Producer – We Might Regret This
● Lauren Sequeira, Creator/Writer/Executive Producer – Domino Day
● Lee Getty*, Co-Creator/Co-Writer/Associate Producer – We Might Regret This
● Loran Dunn, Producer – Hoard
● Luna Carmoon, Writer/Director – Hoard
● Luned Tonderai, Series Director – Miriam: Death Of A Reality Star
● Mawaan Rizwan, Performer/Writer/Creator/Executive Producer – Juice
● Otto Baxter, Writer/Director/Performer – The Puppet Asylum
● Poulomi Basu, Creator/Director/Writer/Art Director – MAYA: The Birth of a Superhero
● Rochelle Newman, Producer – White Nanny Black Child
● Shahnaz Dulaimy, Editor – Top Boy
● Sophie Knowles, Lead Artist – Viewfinder
*applied as a team
BAFTA Breakthrough 2024’s US cohort
US BREAKTHROUGHS (13):
● Angela Walker Patton**, Director – Daughters
● Elaine Gómez, Creative Director – Blink Land
● Erica Tremblay, Writer/Director – Fancy Dance
● Hanna Park, Editor – Bottoms
● Jih-E Peng, Cinematographer – Girls Will Be Girls
● Joy Ngiaw, Composer – WondLa
● Juliana Hoffpauir, Costume Designer – Hit Man
● Karrie Shirou Shao, Game Writer/Lead Designer – Pacific Drive
● Nafisa Kaptownwala, Casting Director – Dìdi
● Natalie Rae**, Director – Daughters
● Nava Mau, Performer – Baby Reindeer
● Nicole He, Creative Director – The Crush House
● Sean Wang, Writer/Director – Dìdi
**applied as a team
BAFTA Breakthrough 2024’s India cohort
INDIA BREAKTHROUGHS (9):
● Abhinav Chokhavatia, Game Producer – Down and Out
● Christo Tomy, Director – Curry and Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case
● Deepa Bhatia, Writer/Director/Producer – First Act
● Dhiman Karmakar, Sound Designer/Production Sound Mixer – Amar Singh Chamkila
● Jaydeep Sarkar, Showrunner/Series Director/Executive Producer – Rainbow Rishta
● Monisha Thyagarajan, Series Producer – The Hunt for Veerappan
● Neeraj Kumar, Producer/Lead Developer – Artifice: War Tactics
● Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy, Writer/Director/Performer – Aachar & Co.
● Varun Grover, Writer/Director – All India Rank