Image (Left-Right): Clio Symington, Kate Reid, Simon Bunney, Taofeeqat Olanlokun, Xinlan Rose
We are thrilled to announce the finalists for the Channel 4 First Cut Pitch!
Meet the five new directors who will pitch to a panel of industry experts on Friday 20 June for the chance to win a commission for their first 60-minute film on Channel 4.
Channel 4 will once again be offering five new directors the chance to pitch to some of its documentary commissioning team, before a live audience. The winner will walk away with a commission for their first 60-minute film, one month of fully paid development and mentorship with an indie to support the development of their idea. You won’t want to miss this playful session.
Judges:
Rita Daniels (Commissioning Editor, First Cut)
Sacha Mirzoeff (Senior Commissioning Editor and Head of Bristol Hub)
Ashley Francis Roy (Director)
Liza Williams (Executive Producer and Director)
Moderator: Will Rowson (Co-Creative Director, Dragonfly Film and TV)
Meet the finalists:
Clio Symington
Clio has nearly a decade of experience working on sensitive access documentaries that provoke discussion. Most recently, she produced the single BBC documentaries Love and Loss: The Pandemic 5 Years On and Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice as well as edit producing on ITV's two-part series The Essex Millionaire Murders.
Clio also has extensive experience on acclaimed observational series including as a self-shooting producer/director on Ambulance, shooting producer on The Met and in the gallery on 24 Hours in A&E.
Clio is passionate about telling human stories that resonate with audiences and brings a sensitive approach to complex and challenging subjects.
Kate Reid
Kate is a Grierson-award-winning documentary producer based in Glasgow. She works mainly in the true crime space, taking a sensitive and contextual approach. Her most recent release is the Amazon Prime Video feature "The Orkney Assassin: Murder in the Isles".
Simon Bunney
Simon is a producer who has worked on numerous award winning documentaries and series, most recently Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher and Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story, both for BBC2.
Prior to a career in television, he worked for a youth charity that helped young unemployed people back to work in the arts and creative industries.
Taofeeqat Olanlokun
Taofeeqat is a Nigerian-Irish Producer on the path to becoming a Director. She has worked on multiple documentaries that have been nominated for or have won, BAFTA and Emmy awards, covering subjects such as FBI entrapment, conspiracy theorists, the U.S. Capitol Insurrection, and the 2021 evacuation of Kabul.
Fascinated by the human experience, Taofeeqat has a keen eye for discovering compelling characters and untold stories. Her ambition is to create documentaries that challenge perceptions, entertain, and leave a lasting impact.
She is currently working on a feature with Mindhouse Productions — an edge-of-your-seat rescue mission set in the Pakistan Himalayas.
Xinlan Rose
Xinlan is a Shooting Producer who is producing Free Nelson Mandela, a 3-part Channel 4 series at Rogan Productions with Director James Rogan.
Her recent credits include The Search for Nicola Bulley (BBC) and award-winning films like Russell Brand: In Plain Sight (Channel 4) and The Clinic (ITV). She is experienced in development and has had multiple ideas commissioned.
Xinlan is also a qualified lawyer with a Broadcast Journalism masters from City University and an English degree from Oxford University. She is a TV Foundation Visionary (previously Ones to Watch) 2024-25 and The Network and Rising Waves mentor.
