THE 14TH edition of the BFI Future Film Festival Awards announced their winners.

From a selection of 45 short films by aspiring filmmakers aged between 16-25, the victors were chosen.

The awards sought to recognise and celebrate young breakthrough talent, and was watched by audiences around the world.

From February 18-21, the festival took place online. Three of the ten awards were judged by activist and filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab, broadcaster and filmmaker Reggie Yates and actor Malachi Kirby, alomgside others.

The four-day festival, which was supported by Netflix, gave away prize money of up to £10,000 and mentorships from industry leaders.

The likes of Director Simisolaoluwa Akande won the award for best experimental film for Dudu.

This year’s film festival boasted an array of black British talent. Films such as The Moderator, Princess and Dudu were notable showcases that portrayed the black British experience, and explored race and identity. Some of these films were led by black filmmakers.

Despite not taking home any awards, producer of The Moderator – Ali Gambo – spoke of his pride at being featured at this year’s film festival.

“As a filmmaker of colour, having the film in the BFI Future Film Festival proves that there is a thirst for stories with people of colour at the centre,” he said.

“Hopefully, it means a broader range of people can relate to the stories shown at the festival. I have seen so many shorts in other festivals however, while great, they lacked diversity and representation, so I hope The Moderator can be a nice change of pace.”

Taking inspiration from his time working in social media, with The Moderator film, he sought to “highlight how a darker side exists to the social media content we consume.”

He also explores the trauma faced by content moderators.

Speaking about the impact he wants his film to have, Gambo said: “I would hope the audience is impacted by the story and its characters and get to take away a broader understanding of a subject matter they might not have known before.

“I hope the audience is inspired to get on to Google and do further research like I do when I watch anything that sparks my interest.”