We are pleased to present our most recently funded Early Development Fund projects.
The BFI NETWORK Early Development Fund supports writers who do not yet have the first draft of a script (or equivalent format for immersive work), to produce an initial treatment, a piece of writing that outlines the story, characters, themes and structure of the project and its related materials like a mood board or other visual content. The Early Development Fund supports long-form live-action, immersive and animation fiction projects.
During the 2025/26 round, we awarded six projects by talented writers and producers from across the Midlands, all within a broad range of genres and filmmaking backgrounds. Over the last few months, we have been working to support them closely in developing ideas, building their treatment and pitch deck for their films.
This fund is supported by the BFI and The National Lottery.
BARGE
Written by Ellie Hodgetts
Produced by Tuli Litvak
Genre: Drama
In the early 90s, April discovers Birmingham’s underground rave scene and, with her friend Murtuza, sets out to find her estranged mother, uncovering rebellion, community, and hope while navigating life on a barge with her emotionally distant father.
About Ellie
Ellie is a writer/director based in Birmingham, who has worked across documentary and fiction. Her writing work often draws from real events and has a focus on social realism, with an interest in stories that centre queer and women’s voices.
Her BFI NETWORK-supported short film 'Fairview Park' was named one of Iris Prize’s Best British Shorts of 2024 and is currently streaming on Channel 4. Ellie is currently developing ‘BARGE’, a feature set in early 1990s Birmingham about a teenage girl living on a canal boat with her dad, who becomes drawn into the city’s underground rave scene while searching for her mother, who left years earlier.
About Tuli
Tuli Litvak is a producer of Middle Eastern and Finnish heritage, passionate about championing underrepresented stories and diverse voices.
With a background in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, she has produced ten short films, including three BFI NETWORK-funded projects that have screened at over 60 festivals, including BAFTA and Oscar qualifiers.
Her recent short 'Fairview Park' was nominated for Best Short at Iris Prize 2024 and is currently streaming on Channel 4, while 'Bingo Queens' was nominated for Best Drama at the British Short Film Awards. Her next short, currently in pre-production, involves a BAFTA-winning cast and crew.
Alongside her narrative and documentary work, she has produced commercial content for Google, Nivea, and The Big Issue x Specsavers, as well as music videos for artists including 'WARPAINT' and 'Au/ra'. Her freelance credits include Production Coordinator on the Sky TV series 'Janet Jackson', and Assistant to the Lead Producer on features such as 'Tin Soldier' (starring Robert De Niro and Jamie Foxx) and 'Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan', produced by an Emmy-nominated team. She also works part-time as a Development Producer.
THE SHAME OF IT
Written by Max Tobin
Genre: Comedy
After being catfished, blackmailed and sexually humiliated, Jackson returns to his depressing hometown to rebuild his life.
About Max
Max Tobin is a writer/director from Dudley. Having won the Royal Television Society's inaugural 'Young Filmmaker Award' in 2021 for his short film 'I Will Despise You'.
Max now writes documentaries and short films, primarily for the BBC, and is developing long-form television scripts.
His work naturally gravitates towards darker themes and stories, alleviated by his passion for comedy.
THE ROMANTIC LIVES OF GHOSTS
Written by Luke Kondor
Genre: Romantasy/Rom-Com/Animation
'Beetlejuice' meets '(500) Days Of Summer'. After Young Elliot is killed in a hit-and-run — while on his way to meet the love of his life — he must find romance in the afterlife instead… an ever-nightly realm of broken hearts, yearning beauties, and getting ghosted by literal ghosts. Can Young Elliot let go of the love of his life, and instead find love in his death?
About Luke
Luke Kondor is the voice and showrunner of The Other Stories, an award-winning weekly fiction podcast with over 12 million downloads.
Over the past decade, he’s made a number of award-winning short films, and was recently commissioned by the George A. Romero Foundation to write a four-part audio drama set in the world of 'Night of the Living Dead'. For more, head to www.lukekondor.com
#REACTION
Written by Erinn Dhesi
Produced by Tuyet van Huynh
Genre: XR/Thriller
A hybrid cinematic–XR experience that turns you into the algorithm behind a child influencer’s rise and fall.
Every click shapes the story, complicity has consequences.
About Erinn
Erinn Dhesi is a writer-director based in the West Midlands. Their work blends theatre, comedy, and XR storytelling to explore complex emotional landscapes around trauma, the digital world, and identity.
About Tuyet
Specialising in film, short-form film, immersive film, theatre, and multidisciplinary work, Tuyet Van Huynh is a British Vietnamese-Chinese creative, dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices in the arts.
She champions East and Southeast Asian representation within the UK’s cultural sector, advocating for diversity and inclusion through her work. Her recent projects include 'Star Nha Ease: Vietnamese Cinema', finalist for the Vietnamese International Awards 2025 for the category Arts, Media and Entertainment and the BFI-backed immersive project 'Consensus Gentium', winner of Best XR Experience at SXSW 2023. Other works include 'Echo Land', 'Artist Manual Against Apartheid', and a permanent public Vietnamese Sculpture. Tuyet continues to merge creativity, technology, and social advocacy in her artistic practice.
THE STALLION JOB
Written by Alfie Flewitt
Produced by Chloe Brown
Genre: Comedy-thriller/Coming of age.
With their best friend’s career on the line, a group of disillusioned queer twenty-somethings plan a ketamine heist at the Worcester Races.
About Alfie
Born and raised in the East Midlands and a recent graduate of the NFTS Screenwriting MA program, Alfie's work explores the intersection of masculinity and queerness across genres.
For TV, he is currently in development on semi-autobiographical magical realism comedy 'Baboons' with House Productions and on-the-run comedy thriller 'Bad Daddies' with Joi Productions. For film, he is adapting Allie Bailey's book 'There Is No Wall' with New Empire Productions, and an original idea with Blown Away Studios. Whilst at the NFTS, he wrote on a number of live action and animation short films, including the Iris Prize-nominated 'Bleach', as well as acting as a BFI mentor for their 16-19 young writers scheme. He is represented by Rupert Stonehill at Independent Talent.
About Chloe
Chloe is a producer, proudly from the West Midlands, a champion of regional talent. She most recently was Associate Producer on series 5 of 'Man Like Mobeen' (BBC Three / Tiger Aspect).
Prior to this, she has many years of experience in HETV production management for companies including BBC, Netflix and Paramount, among others. While working in Production, Chloe continued to build her slate. Her proudest works are Queer comedy 'Placenta Pâté', and RTS Nominated 'The Existential Hotline' starring Mathew Horne (Gavin and Stacey, Bad Education) and Iwan Rheon (Misfits, Game of Thrones). In 2023, she was awarded 1 of 11 places on the BBC Comedy Collective from an application pool of 1400+. Here, she was mentored by Gill Isles on the multi-BAFTA-winning series 2 of 'Alma's Not Normal' (BBC / Expectation). She is now in development on several shows and feature films spanning live-action and animation, working with emerging talent and established names.
SAMEFOOD
Written by Nadine O'Mahony
Produced by Carol Harding
Genre: Comedy
Shiv goes on a downward spiral after her favourite cereal changes its recipe. Decapitating a cardboard raccoon mascot, gate-crashing a music gig and planning a cereal factory heist. This has nothing to do with the fact that her boyfriend Miles has just dumped her. This is a separate, totally unrelated event. She is fine... Honestly!
About Nadine
NADINE O’MAHONY is a writer/director who makes films about misfits seeking connection. She is a BAFTA Connect member and was selected for the 2024 BFI NETWORK Midlands Directors Lab.
Her screenplay 'Video Nasty' was longlisted for the Funny Women Awards, Best Comedy Writing and shortlisted for the BBC Comedy Collective. She wrote and directed the BFI NETWORK-funded short 'Rushed', which won Best Breakout at the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival. She is currently in post-production on 'Meet-cute', a comedy short starring Jake Bhardwaj and Poppy Abbott. She is a programmer for community cinema and film collective Screen B14 and presenter of the Brum Picture Show on Brum Radio.
About Carol
Carol Harding is an award-winning producer and founder of Vicarious Productions, a company championing underrepresented voices and stories that deserve to be heard.
Her slate includes projects in development with BFI, BFI NETWORK, and Ffilm Cymru, and she’s a recipient of the West Midlands IP Fund and participant of the WM Create Growth Programme. Carol was selected for the inaugural Access to Market 2025 event by The British Blacklist and the Film Distributors Association, and is part of the Wonder Women 2025 Leadership Programme. She also co-led the WFTV Kay Mellor Screenwriters’ Lab at Arvon in 2024.
Carol produced 'My Name Is Leon' — winner of the C21 International Drama Award for Best TV Movie (2022) — adapted by Shola Amoo ('The Last Tree') from Kit de Waal’s bestselling novel, directed by Lynette Linton for Douglas Road Productions/BBC. Previous credits include 'The Last Witness' (Alex Pettyfer, Talulah Riley, Michael Gambon) and a range of acclaimed TV dramas, including 'Black Ops' (BBC One), 'The Confessions of Frannie Langton' (ITV), 'Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar', and the BAFTA-nominated 'Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle'.
A former BBC Drama Development Executive and BAFTA Life Member, Carol’s career is defined by a commitment to storytelling that amplifies fresh voices and untold perspectives.