Queen Mary film-maker and neurodiverse collective win BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Award

Samantha Fletcher

Great to see the creative talent of Neurodiverse people been recognised and winning an award. Here is a summery of the article

A collective of neurodiverse (autistic) artists — the Neurocultures Collective (including Sam Chown-Ahern, Georgia Bradburn, Benjamin Brown, Robin Elliott-Knowles, Lucy Walker) — co-led by Steven Eastwood (Professor of Film Practice at Queen Mary) has won one of the 2025 British Film Institute (BFI) & Chanel Filmmaker Awards: Celebrating Creative Audacity. Queen Mary University of London

They were recognised for their experimental feature film The Stimming Pool (2024). The 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.” Queen Mary University of London

The award ceremony took place on 16 October in London, presented by actor Tilda Swinton. Each winner of the award receives £20,000 to support future projects. Queen Mary University of London

The film had support from a Queen Mary Impact Accelerator Award, enabling a partnership with Dartmouth Films for a UK cinema release in 2025. Queen Mary University of London

Since its premiere it has screened internationally (Denmark, Canada, Iceland, Australia, South Korea) and sold out all its screenings at the 68th BFI London Film Festival in 2024. Queen Mary University of London

The article highlights how the School of the Arts at Queen Mary continues to support inclusive, innovative filmmaking that expands representation of under-represented voices in the UK’s cultural landscape

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2025/humanities-and-social-sciences/hss/queen-mary-film-maker-and-neurodiverse-collective-win-bfi-and-chanel-filmmaker-award.html