A Spotlight conversation with House Productions co-CEO Tessa Ross will open the Industry Forum of the 2026 BFI London Film Festival (LFF).
Ross will take part in the conversation with BFI chief executive Ben Roberts on Thursday, October 9, at London’s Picturehouse Central venue.
The producer will discuss her career, which has included producing Edward Berger’s Oscar-winning Conclave, and her former position as controller of film and drama at Channel 4, through which she had a key role in titles including Slumdog Millionaire, This Is England, The Last King Of Scotland and 12 Years A Slave.
Running from October 9-15, the Industry Forum has programmed nine different panels, including ‘A Celebration Of Cinema: The Evolving Role Of Festivals In Supporting Films And Talent’, in association with Screen. The session will include LFF director Kristy Matheson alongside fellow speakers Pia Lundberg, artistic director of Goteborg Film Festival; Jacqueline Lyanga, co-director of film programming at the Berlinale; and Thomas Rosso, programme manager at Cannes’ Critics Week.
Further sessions include ‘Idea, Strategy, Impact: Innovative Distribution Strategies For Non-Fiction Films’, hosted by Sheffield DocFest creative director Raul Nino Zambrano, with panellists Stephanie Fuchs from Autlook, Luke Brawley from Indox, Eve Gabereau from Vue Lumiere and Modern Films, and producer Lali Madueno.
‘Fade In: Emerging Writers In Conversation’ will host six emerging UK-based screenwriters, while another session will delve into the production and creative processes of Sky limited series The Death Of Bunny Munro, with director Isabella Eklof, writer Pete Jackson and producer Ed Macdonald, hosted by Edinburgh TV Festival creative director Rowan Woods.
There will be further sessions on international co-production, hosted by Screen contributing editor Wendy Mitchell; and an ‘Anatomy Of A Debut’ session on Imran Perretta’s Ish, winner of the audience award at Venice Critics’ Week this month.
The LFF Expanded programme for immersive storytelling will host two Forum events, on distribution and funding opportunities respectively.
Further Forum offerings are the LFF UK Talent Days from October 10-13, including the Works-in-Progress showcase, the programme for which will be announced on September 29.
Producer delegations from both Germany and Brazil will attend the Forum, while returning industry offerings include the LFF Critics Mentorship Programme, and BFI Network@LFF.
The Film London Production Finance Market will take place from October 7-8, while the annual Buyers and Sellers event will run on October 10.
“Our popular networking events and curated meetings will continue to foster new creative and business collaborations, and I look forward to seeing the results of these in the years to come,” said Matheson.
The 2025 LFF runs from October 8-19.