Our Working-Class Producers’ Forum, hosted by film and TV producer Sophie Reynolds, will take place online on Tues 3 Feb 2026 from 6pm-7:30pm. This forum is open to producers based in the south west of England who identify as being from a lower socio-economic background.
Ten participants will benefit from valuable industry insights from an established and respected working-class producer and will take part in an open and constructive discussion about the unique challenges faced by producers with this lived experience. The aim is to provide you with knowledge, motivation, the support of a valuable peer network and the tools to help you build your slate and progress your career.
Who is this event for?
We’re looking for people with the clear ambition to be film producers and who, partly due to their economic status, have struggled to gain traction in the film and TV industry. The ideal candidate will have good communication skills, a passion for storytelling and the ability to work collaboratively.
To be eligible for this opportunity you must:
- Identify as someone from a lower socio-economic background. We are aiming to support producers who have not had the same access or opportunity to industry due to their financial upbringing or circumstances. We know this can be difficult to define and we encourage you to be open about whether this applies to you.
- Have produced or co-produced at least one film or moving-image project (this can include ads, corporate/charity films, documentaries or promos).
- Not have a high-end TV credit or publicly released feature film credit (including on streaming platforms) as producer or co-producer (since we are prioritising those who would most benefit from this opportunity).
- Not have received BFI NETWORK Short Film Funding as a producer or co-producer more than once.
- Not have previously attended one of our Producer Labs in the past two years.
- Be over 18 and not in full-time education.
- Have a passion for cinema and an idea of the stories you want to tell.
- Be a resident in the south west of England (see region map on our FAQs page).
Remember to check out our guide Top Seven Tips For Applying to BFI NETWORK Labs & Programmes ahead of applying.
Applications open on Thu 27 Nov and close Thu 8 Jan at 10am.
Apply here when applications open
About Sophie Reynolds
Sophie Reynolds is a film and television producer. She produced all five episodes of the critically acclaimed ITV series Malpractice, a medical thriller for World Productions starring Niamh Algar, written by Grace Ofori-Attah and directed by Philip Barantini. Prior to this she produced the second series of State of the Union written by Nick Hornby, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Brendan Gleeson and Patricia Clarkson, who won an Emmy for her performance.
Through her production company Sona Films, Sophie recently produced Thea Gajić’s feature debut, Surviving Earth, which was backed by Film4 and the BFI and had its world premiere at SXSW. In 2018 she set up the UK Producers’ Roundtable with Loran Dunn and Helen Simmons to campaign for better accessibility and career sustainability for UK film producers.