The British Film Institute and British Film Council has unveiled the crop of films that will make up its annual Great 8 lineup of projects to be showcased in Cannes.
The features — from either first-time or early career filmmakers — will be introduced and screened to buyers and festival programmers in Cannes, where all eight will be available to distributors at the market.
This year marks the eighth year of the Great 8 initiative, funded and produced by the BFI and British Council with thanks to BBC Film and Film 4. Previous films to have been selected include Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” Rungano Nyoni’s “I Am Not A Witch” and Rose Glass’s “Saint Maud.”
“The 8th edition of Great 8 shows once again that UK film is in rude health with an upcoming slate that we can be proud of,” said Briony Hanson, the British Council’s Director of Film. “Again, this shows off the range of new UK talent, with hard-hitting social commentary sitting alongside broad comedy, with voices representing England, Scotland and Wales, and with a significant selection of stories exploring traditionally under-represented communities. There’s a lot to be excited about here – and we look forward to sharing the eight with international colleagues throughout Cannes.”
See the Great 8 line-up for 2025 below:
“Animol”
U.K.
Drama
Director: Ashley Walters
Writer: Nick Love
Producers: Thomas Hawkins, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Nick Love, Ashley Walters
Cast: Tut Nyuot, Vladyslav Baliuk, Stephen Graham, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Sekou Diaby
Production: Sky, Film4, BFI, Joi Productions, Rogue State Productions, SLNda
Sales: Bankside Films
Synopsis – Animol tells the story of 15-year-old Troy, who is remanded in custody for a murder he didn’t commit. Thrown into a notorious Young Offenders’ Institution, he tries to keep his head down and stay out of trouble—but survival isn’t easy when everyone wants something from you. Amid the chaos, Troy finds an unexpected ally in Krystiyan, another young inmate struggling to navigate the same volatile world.
“Ish”
U.K.
Coming of age
Director: Imran Perretta
Writers: Imran Perretta, Enda Walsh
Producers: Dhiraj Mahey, Bennett McGhee
Cast: Farhan Hasnat, Yahya Kitana, Avin Shah, Sudha Bhuchar, Joy Crookes, Arman Mohammed,
Is’haaq Hasan Haque, Hasnain Shah,
Production: Produced by Primal Pictures in association with Home Team, Good Chaos. Financiers: BBC Film, BFI. Additional support: Calculus Media, Out of Order
Sales: Film Constellation
Synopsis – “Ish” follows two best friends, Ish and Maram, on the cusp of being teenagers. In a society where racial profiling ensures brown boys are constantly under surveillance, their friendship is ended by a traumatic police stop-and-search. Ish soon discovers that ‘letting go’ can be the hardest part of growing up.
“Learning to Breathe Under Water”
UK/Ireland/Netherlands
Drama
Director: Rebekah Fortune
Writer: Richard Brabin
Cast: Rory Kinnear, Maria Bakalova, Ezra Carlisle
Producers: Jack Tarling, Patrick O’Neill
Cast: Zubin Varla, Sudha Bhuchar, Sarag Arya, Robert Ryan
Production: A Shudder Films and Wildcard production in co-production with KeyFilm & One Wave Films and in association with Eiru Films. Financiers: Screen Ireland, UK Global Screen Fund, Ffilm Cymru Wales, WRAP Fund, Netherlands Film Fund, Dias Feld, Finite Films, Bankside Films and Three Point Capital.
Sales: Bankside Films
Synopsis – Leo is eight, curious, wise and full of imagination. His best friend is a massive shark—half sculpture, half myth—that crashed through the roof of his house one night when his dad, Peter, gave shape to what he couldn’t say out loud. Leo’s world is full of questions: why do grown-ups act so strangely? Where did Mum go five years ago? And will Dad ever come down from the clouds—or at least remember to do the shopping? Peter’s either buried in big, bonkers art projects or barely speaking, so Leo daydreams vividly and shares his secrets with the shark, who might just be listening but can’t speak back. Then Anya bursts into their lives: a spirited au pair with her own questions to shatter the silence and answers more honest than Leo has ever heard before. Her fearless warmth and energy brings back colour to their world and uplifts their lives.
“Madfabulous”
Wales/U.K.
Alternative period drama
Director: Celyn Jones
Writer: Lisa Baker
Producers: Sean Marley, Nadia Jaynes
Cast: Callum Scott Howells, Ruby Stokes, Rupert Everett, Paul Rhys, Siobhán McSweeney
Production: Mad as Birds, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Creative Wales
Sales: Mad as Birds
Synopsis – A riotous, uncompromising celebration of otherness inspired by the unlikely British aristocrat who theatrically bankrupted his estate, lived fast and died young. When the flamboyant Henry Paget arrives in 1890s North Wales from France to claim his aristocratic inheritance, his theatrical flair and defiant eccentricities send shockwaves through the upper-class elite, much to the amusement of the local townspeople. Alongside his spirited cousin Lily and loyal butler Gelert, Henry tries to carve out his own identity as the Fifth Marquess, while contending with the cold ambition of his calculating cousin Neville and the looming threat of the ruthless Lord Penrhyn. Together, Henry and Lily navigate suffocating traditions, scheming relatives, and the long shadow cast by Henry’s estranged father.
“Mission”
U.K.
Drama thriller
Director/writer: Paul Wright
Producers: Kate Byers, Alex Thiele, Linn Waite, Marie-Elena Dyche, Lowri Roberts
Cast: George Mackay, Rosy McEwen
Production: Early Day Films, 65 Wilding Films, Meraki Films, Rapt, BBC Film, Screen Scotland, Ffilm Cymru Wales
Sales: Blue Finch Films
Synopsis – Mission is a punk exploration of the psyche which follows alienated Dylan (George MacKay) as he throws off the shackles of his solitary life in an attempt to experience the highs and lows of existence at its most extreme. Estranged from his sister Claire (Rosy McEwen), he embarks on a thrilling journey of self-discovery that proves both inspiring and terrifying.
“On The Sea”
U.K.
Drama
Director/writer: Helen Walsh
Producers: David Moores, David A Hughes; Executive Producers: Mike Goodridge, Chris Clark
Cast: Barry Ward, Lorne MacFadyen, Liz White, Henry Lawfull, Celyn Jones
Production: Red Union Films
Available for sales: Red Union Films, Good Chaos
Synopsis – Jack has been married to Maggie for over half his life. He works as a hand raker on the mussel beds in North Wales alongside his younger brother, Dyfan, and Dyfan’s three sons. Jack has always assumed that his own boy, Tom, will join the family business on leaving school but Tom’s resistance to follow in his footsteps creates familial tension. Tensions are further inflamed by the arrival of an itinerant deckhand, Daniel, who makes known his feelings for Jack. In this remote, rural community where life revolves around Church and fishery, Jack is faced with an impossible dilemma. On The Sea is a beautiful, sensual and at times, tragic exploration of masculinity, place and desire.
“Retreat”
U.K.
Thriller
Director/writer: Ted Evans
Producers: Michelle Stein, Jennifer Monks, Alex Usborne
Cast: Anne Zander, James Boyle, Sophie Stone,Ace Mahbaz, Anna Seymour
Production: BFI, BBC Film and Creative UK present a The Fold and 104 Films Production
Sales: XYZ Films
Synopsis – Raised in an isolated deaf community, cracks begin to appear in Matt’s seemingly idyllic world when the arrival of enigmatic outsider Eva forces him to question the realities of his identity. Is Matt prepared to discover what lies beneath the surface of his supposedly utopian community and the costs demanded to maintain it?
“The Son and the Sea”
U.K.
Drama
Director: Stroma Cairns
Writers: Imogen West, Stroma Cairns
Producers: Imogen West, Kelly Peck
Cast Jonah West, Stanley Brock, Connor Tompkins, Grant Lindsay
Production: BBC Film, In The Company Of, Studio Cloy, Moment Film Group, Creativity Media, Creativity Capital
Available for Sales: Studio Cloy, In the Company Of
Synopsis – Jonah (26) charismatically ADHD, is a man-child who keeps on slipping, whilst his best mate, Lee (26), nimbly climbs every ladder. After hitting yet another bump and under pressure to see his great-aunt, who is lost to dementia, Jonah contrives that he and Lee go visit, hoping it might also offer respite from himself and the mess he’s creating. Though the north-east coast of Scotland wasn’t quite what Lee envisioned, it holds a certain wildness and wonder. There, they meet Charlie (26), who is profoundly Deaf and attempting to clean up after his shady twin brother. Through a developing friendship that surpasses their language barriers, the three boys form a connection that encourages them to step out of their boyhood, discover the courage to be vulnerable, and that joy is possible despite loss.
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