Image (L-R) Row 1: Erica Monde, Dan Shaw, Ira Putilova, James Cooper, Klarissa Webster. Row 2: Michael Lee Richardson, Willow Senior, Morgan M Page, Adam Ali, Chez Oteka
We are delighted to announce the cohort for the second edition of our Queer Realities Director’s Lab, supported by the BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding.
Ten UK-based LGBTQIA+ directors with a documentary in development have been selected to take part in this exciting, in-depth development programme.
Built on the experience and successful outcome of the first edition, the lab will take place over the next eight months. During this extended period, the cohort will have a space to learn, share and explore the form of documentary through curated masterclasses, workshops and sessions with UK and international filmmakers, producers, artists and other industry professionals.
Our selected directors will also be individually matched with an industry professional for online mentoring hours and supported with a bursary to help develop their project.
Sheffield DocFest is committed to fostering a supportive environment and promoting connections and creative collaborations between industry representatives and the selected talents. The Queer Realities Director’s Lab cohort will have the chance to share their stories at the festival’s next edition from 9-14 June 2027.
The programme is part of our DocFest Develops strand of Participation & Engagement work.
Meet the cohort
Adam Ali (they/them)
Adam Ali is a Film Independent Spirit Award nominated actor, award winning director dedicated to celebrating queer visibility. A proud patron of Switchboard LGBTQI+ Helpline, the UK’s second oldest LGBT+ helpline, Adam is helping reshape representation both on and off screen. Their breakthrough short film BABA, the first LGBTQ+ short film from Libya, explores the country's underground queer community with tenderness and defiance. The film won the top prize at the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival and continues to screen at festivals worldwide. Attitude Magazine praised it for its "exuberant performances" and received the Best Cinematography award at BSC Short Film Awards, cementing BABA as in queer Arab cinema.
Chez Oteka (they/them)
Cherish 'Chez' Oteka is a BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker passionate about telling universal stories through the lens of often-erased communities, with a focus on identity, social justice and representation. Chez has collaborated with leading platforms including BBC One, Tate, Stonewall and The Guardian, and has been selected for prestigious talent schemes such as the BAFTA x BFI Flare Talent Lab, NETWORK @ London Film Festival, the International Documentary Association’s (IDA) Logan Grant, and the Arts Foundation Fellowship Award. Early-career recognition includes UKTV’s Rising Star Award, Best Documentary at the Movie Screen & Video Awards and Vimeo’s Breakthrough Creator (2023).
Dan Shaw (he/him)
Dan Shaw is a Sheffield-based, queer, working-class, disabled filmmaker and founder of Mood Light Pictures. His short documentary and narrative films tell authentic, relatable stories. His documentary short ‘I’m Shy’, which explores AuDHD, shyness, and directing, premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest 2026 and was shortlisted for the Iris Prize Micro Short Award 2026. Moving from theatre, photography, and narrative filmmaking into documentary, Dan is a BFI Network awardee, Edinburgh Talent Lab alumnus, and member of BAFTA Connect and DirectorsUK. Collaboration drives all of his work.
Erica Monde (they/them)
Erica Monde (they/them) is a director, film educator, and researcher based in Glasgow. They have been commissioned by Screen Scotland, the Scottish Documentary Institute, BFI Network, and BFI Doc Society to direct short documentaries and fiction films, and have also worked as a producer and story consultant on BAFTA nominated and award winning shorts. They are an alum of the Locarno Industry Academy, tutored on film courses at the University of Edinburgh, and run IMPRINT Documentary Collective. They recently participated in the Union Docs Research & Development Lab for their debut feature documentary, As We Move Towards The Sun.
Ira Putilova (they/them)
Ira Putilova is a Russian-born, non-binary director and editor based in London. Born and raised in Russia, Ira was a member of several Russian art-activist groups and directed films condemning state crimes, police brutality and violence against queer people. After claiming UK political asylum in 2013, Ira continued directing and editing work exploring gender, bodies, displacement and memory. Ira was selected for Doc Leipzig Short'n'Sweet 2020, Grierson DocLab's Editing Scheme 2021, IDFAcademy 2024 and CPH:DOX Intro:Dox 2025. They have edited and assistant-edited high-end Netflix, Channel 4, ITV, BBC and Sky documentaries, and directed the award-winning short documentary Bender Defenders (2024).
James Cooper (he/him)
James Cooper is a British writer-director. His short documentary 'Drawings of my BF' premiered at Sheffield DocFest and was released by The New York Times Op-Docs. His work has been supported by Arts Council England and Channel 4 Random Acts, having screened at festivals including BFI Flare, London Short Film Festival, Out On Film Atlanta, and Rainbow Reel Tokyo where his short film 'The 5 O'Clock Chime' was programmed by the British Council.
Klarissa Webster (she/her)
Klarissa Webster is a deaf filmmaker from Glasgow. She graduated with a degree in Art and Philosophy, and went on to work in youth work and visual art. Following a career change to filmmaking, Klarissa received her first commission through Scottish Documentary Institute’s programme, Bridging the Gap, creating Each To Their Own World, her first short documentary. The film received awards from Glasgow Short Film Festival’s Scottish Competition Award and Flatpack’s Optical Sound Award, and has screened at numerous festivals across the UK and internationally.
Morgan M Page (she/her)
Morgan M Page is a trans writer, historian, and filmmaker in London. She co-wrote the award winning feature documentary Framing Agnes, the film history book Boys Don't Cry, and executive produced the series Harsh Reality: the Miriam Rivera Story. She is the creator and host of the trans history podcast One From the Vaults.
Michael Lee Richardson (they/them)
Michael Lee Richardson is a BAFTA Scotland award winning writer and filmmaker with credits in short film, TV drama, radio drama and children’s. Their short documentary No Place Like Home debuted at Edinburgh International Film Festival in August 2026 and is currently on its festival run. Originally from Northumberland, Michael lives in Glasgow and is passionate about telling rich, authentic stories about queer and working class lives and cultures. They are represented by Louisa Minghella at Minghella Creative
Willow Senior (she/her)
Willow Senior (she/her) is an artist filmmaker working between observation and speculation. She received a BFA from Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University and MFA in Creative Documentary from UCL where she completed her newest film, AMERICA’S MOST WANTED BIRD. Willow’s debut short, BIRD BIRD premiered at Open City Film Festival and Braziers International Film Festival. Her films have screened at artist-led and experimental film festivals, including Offbeat Folk Film Festival and MicroActs. Willow directs short films for leading British artists including Celia Paul, Maggi Hambling and Rachel Whiteread. Elsewhere, Willow co-founded The Bench Collective, a research group exploring documentary, anthropology, fiction and art. In September Willow presented her films at Oxford University’s first ethnoornithology symposium.
Queer Realities Director’s Lab is delivered by Sheffield DocFest, supported by the BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding.
