Your local talent executives

Alix Taylor-Searle
Alix is the Talent Executive for BFI NETWORK in the South West. Prior to joining at Watershed, she was with Calling the Shots, where she was Project Manager on New Creatives (South West), the BBC Arts and Arts Council talent development scheme.
While working on New Creatives, Alix oversaw the selection, production and delivery of audio, film and interactive projects from artists aged 16-30 for BBC platforms. Managing a network of regional partnerships across the South West to deliver mentoring, training, development and support to artists locally.
Previously she programmed the digital education courses and specialised film screenings of short film, artists moving image and alternative features for the multi-arts venue, Exeter Phoenix, as well as developing new talent through their short film commissioning schemes.

Nadia Attia
Nadia is a published film/TV journalist with an award-winning filmmaking background. At Met Film School she was a marketing manager and occasional directing mentor, and at Curzon she co-programmed popular ‘Midnight Movies’ events. Most recently she worked at the BFI as an Editor and Copywriter, where she was a culture champion and a member of the Race Equality Network steering group.
During this time she also graduated from the NFTS with a Script Development Diploma, and has freelanced for many years as a script reader/consultant for companies including Green Door Pictures, BFI, BBC, Studiocanal, Stage 32 and Channel 4. Her passion for storytelling also feeds her own work as a writer (her debut novel will be published in 2023).
SHORT FILM FUNDING
Our Short Film funding programme supports projects with directors based in England and is run in partnership with the BFI NETWORK Talent Executives who work with filmmakers on the delivery of funded projects.
This fund is for fiction shorts, in both live action and animation. We want to support short films that:
- bring exciting new voices and bold narratives to the screen;
- provide space for experimentation and idea-testing;
- advance the careers of the filmmakers involved through showcasing their abilities to the industry and the public.
EARLY DEVELOPMENT FUNDING
Our Early Development funding programme supports projects with writers based in England. If you’re a new writer with an exciting, bold idea – particularly if you’ve not yet teamed up with a producer – this is the fund for you.
‘New writers’ are people who have not yet have written a feature film script that has been produced and distributed. This fund is also for producers and directors working with new writers.
This fund is the first step in the BFI’s development support for live action and animated fiction projects from new writers. It supports people at the very beginning of their development process to produce an initial treatment and related materials.
QUESTIONS?
You can get in touch on: bfinetwork@watershed.co.uk