Announcing our second cohort of directors taking part in Directors UK Inspire 2025-26, our year-round director-to-director mentoring programme.
Inspire takes place across the year and is designed to encourage Directors UK members across all genres to pursue and manage structured support from a more experienced director. Our most recent cohort had the following to say about participating on the scheme:
“I believe Inspire could be an invaluable springboard, creating meaningful connections between senior talents and early career directors like myself. Directing can often feel isolating and disheartening, so having that mentorship and network support is crucial for creative growth and resilience.” — Jay Manari
“Having regular conversations with my mentor is already giving me invaluable insight into directing high-end television. I'm keen to build on the skills I've developed over the past decade while expanding into new territories that will strengthen my voice as a filmmaker.” — Jason Bradbury
“To have the ability to ask questions with someone so vastly experienced and successful is a money can’t buy-opportunity. I feel that the confidence this will give me will speed up my progress greatly. To have that human interaction — hearing my mentor’s stories of how she handled similar scenarios in the past — is deeply reassuring.” — Sophie King
Meet the directors taking part below.
Abbie Stephens
Mentor: Tom Kingsley
Abbie is a London-based director known for concept-led, visually distinctive work that blends bold aesthetics with grounded performance. She has directed campaigns for Nescafé, Monzo and Neutrogena, working with talent including Nicola Coughlan and David Beckham. Her short films Observations on Relationships, Misery Guts, and Solo (Channel 4 Random Acts) have received critical recognition on the festival circuit. Abbie is now expanding into TV and film, with an ambition to direct dramedy and bring her visual style to emotionally rich, narrative-led work.
Website: https://abbiestephens.com
Instagram: @abbiestep
Alice Panerai
Mentor: Alicia MacDonald
Alice is a Bristol-based director working in commercials, drama and comedy. She began her career in production at Aardman Animations and spent a decade at an agency as an Associate Creative Director. She has created multi-award-winning campaigns for brands such as Pukka, Jagermeister and Badoo.
Alice was selected for last year’s BFI NETWORK Director Lab cohort and went on to win the Bournemouth Film School short film commission. Her second short, Ramble, will be shot later this year.
Website: https://alicepanerai.com/
Instagram: @alicepanerai
Cat Davies
Mentor: Alice Lowe
Welsh born northerner Cat lives on the London/Kent border. Her latest comedy short film Rubbers, shot in 360 and 2D, is released soon. She directed the music video ‘collecting dust’ for Screen South in May. She has features in development, and a TV pilot developed with NFTS Cymru, supported by All3Media.
Her previous award-winning genre shorts include Connie and Blood Shed (as writer/producer) which screened at sixty festivals including awards qualifiers. Both films are streaming now on Arrow Player, Amazon and iTunes.
Website: www.catdavies.com
Showreel: https://vimeo.com/793684617
Instagram: @kittycatdavies
Bluesky: @thecatdavies.bskyb.social
Jason Bradbury
Mentor: Hong Khaou
Jason is a writer/director based in Glasgow. He began his career at film distributor Peccadillo Pictures before moving into trailer editing, and later becoming creative director at Intermission Film where he won a RTS Craft Award.
Jason has made several shorts that have resonated with audiences internationally, including We Once Were Tide (with over 20 million views online), My Sweet Prince (which debuted on BBC4), and We Collide (winner of BMW x BFI Filmmaking Challenge and which premiered at London Film Festival). Jason's work explores themes of identity, memory, and the search for belonging for LGBTIQ+ people. He is driven by a passion to bring diverse and impactful stories to the screen.
Website: jasonbradbury.co
Instagram: @jbradburyfilm
Jason C. Nwachukwu
Mentor: Christiana Ebohon-Green
Jason is a British-Nigerian writer, director and editor based in London and Cardiff. Jason has worked with organisations such as Sony and Bad Wolf, and his latest short film, Him & I, has screened at BIFA Qualifying festivals. He has an interest in exploring themes that involve family and identity, searching for beauty in the ordinary through the lens of underrepresented perspectives.
Website: jasoncnwachukwu.co.uk
Instagram: @jay.nwa
Jay Manari
Mentor: Suri Krishnamma
Jay is a non-binary, award-winning director based in London, specialising in film and TV period dramas, romance, and coming-of-age stories. Originally from Italy, Jay has worked across Europe, the U.S., and the UK, assisting on acclaimed Netflix and Walt Disney Plus series. Named 'Filmmaker of the Month' by My First Job in Film in June 2024, Jay is currently shadowing on feature projects and directing an original comedy/satire, while continuing to champion diverse, independent storytelling through their work.
Website: www.jaymanari.com
Showreel: https://www.jaymanari.com/film-director-show-reel
Instagram: @jaymanariofficial.uk
Joshua Warren
Mentor: Al Mackay
Joshua is an award-winning writer/director from the Midlands. His short films have screened at festivals internationally, with the most recent, the BFI Network backed My Dreams Have Been Dark of Late, screening at the Oscar-qualifying Sitges, as well as FrightFest, Dead Northern and Octopus Film Festival. His work focuses on terror, esotericism and spirituality.
Website: https://joshua-warren.co.uk/
Instagram: @joshuaawarren
Kaljeven Lally
Based in Scotland, Kaljeven’s first Broadcast directing credit came in 2021 with an episode of the Continuing Drama River City. This has led to him directing several blocks since. He has also worked as a 2nd unit director on Shetland (Season 8), Screw (Season 2) and most recently Outlander: Blood of my Blood (Season 2).
Prior to this he spent several years working in Post-Production, climbing the ranks from Trainee to Assistant Editor to Editor.
Showreel: https://vimeo.com/922964209
Katie Bonham
Mentor: Prano Bailey-Bond
Katie is a working-class film and theatre writer/director based in the South West. A BAFTA Connect member, her creative interests include exploring social commentaries and championing female characters within the concepts of folklore, the uncanny and horror.
Her Méliès d’Argent award winning slate has been commissioned by BBC Arts, BFI Network, Ffilm Cymru and Arts Council England, screening at festivals worldwide, and broadcast on the BBC. She co-runs Welsh based production company Panad Productions, who were recently selected for BFI/Screen Scotland’s Funny Features to develop the feature film Beach Body.
Katie was selected for the BFI Network Directors lab in 2024, and is in development for her debut feature Arcana.
Showreel: https://vimeo.com/796703840
Website: https://www.katiebonham.com
Instagram: @bonhamkt
Leah Moore
Mentor: Chris Foggin
Leah is from Dublin and based in London. Her credits include bonus content for season two of GO from Amazon Prime, In The Cards (Galway Film Fleadh Premiere), and Sleuth (Dublin International Film Festival Premiere). Leah is part of the directing duo Grandads with Douglas Reddan and they are both currently in production for their short film Pull Hard. Leah, along with Douglas, won the Emerging Directors Award Ireland for Take Flight’s The Dragon and was nominated for a Young Directors Award in Cannes Lion 2025.
Instagram: @Leah.moore613
Lily Rose Thomas
Mentor: Georgi Banks-Davies
Lily is a London based writer/director represented by Agile Films. She has directed music videos and branded content for global brands including Nike, Adidas and PayPal. Her work is true to life and character-driven, blending drama with dark comedy, and her two shorts — Girls Who Drink and Down, Down, Down — have played at BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festivals.
Showreel: https://vimeo.com/1066533926
Website: https://lilyrosethomas.com/
Instagram: @lilyrosethomas
Luke Shelley
Mentor: Adam Wimpenny
Luke is a BIFA long-listed director and writer based in London. His films include the Royal Television Society-winning western Fear the Unknown Men, micro sci-fi Postponed, and the award-winning surrealist drama What We Wished We Could Be which premiered at the Oscar and BAFTA qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival. The film went on to be recognised by BIFA and featured as one of their 12 best short films of the year.
Luke is currently represented by the Academy Award-winning production company Slick Films as a commercial and music promos director under their Talent roster.
Website: https://www.lukeshelley.uk/
Instagram: @dirlukeshelley
Margo Roe
Mentor: Tom Shankland
Margo is a writer and director from the Midlands. With a background in dance and an MA in Screendance, her work blends movement with working-class narratives and social commentary. Her films have been backed by Channel 4, BBC, and BFI, screening at BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying festivals. Margo is developing her debut feature EAT, and has worked as a Shadow Director on Netflix’s Adolescence, as well as Shadow and Splinter Unit Director on Disney’s A Thousand Blows.
Website: https://margoroe.com/
Instagram: @margo.roe
Michael Jenkins
Michael is an award-winning writer and director from Bristol whose work spans film, TV and moving image. He’s passionate about underrepresented voices, the underdog and telling character driven narratives through drama and horror. Commissioned by the BBC, Channel 4, BET and BFI Network his films have screened at international festivals in the US and Canada.
Recently he was the additional material director on The Outlaws and 2nd unit director on an upcoming Apple TV series. Named among Bristol's 100 influential people, he is a full BAFTA member and co-artistic director of the Bristol School of Acting.
Website: www.bymichaeljenkins.com
Showreel: https://vimeo.com/1000360550
Instagram: @bymichaeljenkins
Nina Caspari
Nina is a London-based filmmaker working across fiction, experimental film, and video art. With a background in photography, costume and production design, her work blends visually rich, surreal storytelling with a focus on women’s stories and experiences. Her films have screened at BAFTA-qualifying Aesthetica and Oscar-qualifying Interfilm festivals. She’s currently developing a psychological sci-fi thriller marking her transition from experimental to narrative filmmaking.
Website: https://www.ninacaspari.com/
Showreel: https://www.ninacaspari.com/showreel
Instagram: @casparinina
Scott Hurran
Mentor: Jim Archer
Scott is a director and writer from Essex. With a background in theatre, he has directed award-winning stage productions alongside acclaimed short films including Van Kampen and the Mosquito and Clause. His work spans comedy and drama, often blending sharp humour with character-driven storytelling. Scott is currently developing his debut feature and aims to expand into television, while continuing to experiment with his comedic style across new short-form projects.
Instagram: @scott_hurran
Sophie King
Mentor: Dearbhla Walsh
Sophie is a director based in Warwickshire whose focus is on telling darkly comedic, visually motivated tales that pack a punch. She directed pilot Disability Benefits (Channel 4, Merman - Winner Best Newform Series at C21 Awards), and Season 2 of Buffering (ITV, Avalon). Her short Does Your Condom Make You Fat? (Panavision, GiF) has screened at festivals including Austin Film Festival and Flickers Rhode Island. Her super 8 Straight8 made with Merman won the Audience Award at Cannes Lions, and she was the 2023 Edinburgh TV Fest New Voices scripted director winner.
Sophie is represented by Humphrey Elles-Hill at Independent Talent for film & TV and Merman for commercials.
Website: www.sophie-king.com
Showreel: https://vimeo.com/1069272463/8b6a494fa1
Instagram: @SophieKingCR
Tamzin Haughton
Mentor: Menhaj Huda
Tamzin is an award-winning female director returning to industry. Her work includes broadcast short film Swimming for FilmFour, and the multi award-winning short Hotel Metro (awards include; Best Indie Director, The Dreamers Film Festival 2024, Silver Award Director, New YorkFilm Awards 2023, Best International Short, Rome Movie Awards 2023). She also has extensive experience in screenwriting and production roles, including feature film development work with FilmFour and Universal Pictures.
Tamzin has led productions involving action, fight choreography, and complex stunt coordination, proving a strong ability to handle dynamic, high-pressure environments. Her focus now is to step up to long-form drama and feature film directing.
Website: www.tamzinhaughton.com
Instagram: @tamzinhaughton_studio
