Queen Mary film-maker and neurodiverse collective win BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Award
A collective of autistic artists co-led by Professor Steven Eastwood, Professor of Film Practice at Queen Mary University of London, has won one of this year’s BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Awards: Celebrating Creative Audacity, which recognise film-makers whose work pushes the boundaries of storytelling.
The Neurocultures Collective – Sam Chown-Ahern, Georgia Bradburn, Benjamin Brown, Robin Elliott-Knowles, Lucy Walker – and Professor Eastwood were recognised for their experimental feature film The Stimming Pool (2024). The hybrid film explores the world through neurodiverse perspectives and was praised by the jury for creating “something completely new, beautiful and educative without ever being patronising.”
Presented by Oscar-winning actor Tilda Swinton at a ceremony in London on 16 October, the awards are a partnership between the BFI and Chanel, offering £20,000 to each of three winning filmmakers to support future projects, cultivating co-creation and knowledge exchange in the UK film community.
The jury said of The Stimming Pool:
“In The Stimming Pool, the team have created something completely new, beautiful and educative without ever being patronising. The film had such a potent and lasting impact with us as an audience, and we were compelled by this powerful showcase of true collaboration.”
Professor Eastwood said:
“This recognition means a great deal to everyone involved in the Neurocultures Collective. The Stimming Pool was made collaboratively from the ground up by autistic artists, and we’re thrilled that its approach and vision are being celebrated at this level.”
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Oscar-winning actor Tilda Swinton presents the winners of the BFI & Chanel Filmmaker Awards 2025 Courtesy of Oliver Holms
Ben Roberts, Chief Executive of the BFI, added:
“This year’s winners have all made startling and moving films, and we hope this award offers them the space and freedom to continue to take risks and be audacious in the next steps of their careers.”
The film’s success builds on support from a Queen Mary Impact Accelerator Award, which helped the team secure a partnership with Dartmouth Films for a UK cinema release in 2025. The funding enabled wider industry engagement and audience development, extending the film’s reach beyond the festival circuit.
Since its premiere, The Stimming Pool has screened at international festivals in Denmark, Canada, Iceland, Australia and South Korea, and sold out all its screenings at the 68th BFI London Film Festival in 2024.
The award also supports the BFI’s mission to back the next generation of UK independent filmmaking talent and to widen the representation of voices in the UK’s cultural landscape.
Through projects like this, Queen Mary’s School of the Arts continues to champion inclusive and innovative approaches to film-making that amplify under-represented voices and reshape how audiences experience cinema.
For more information, visit thestimmingpool.com and autism-through-cinema.org.uk.