Doc Society, in collaboration with FACT and the BFI, has announced the selection of 10 groundbreaking projects for the Future Proof Development Lab, a UK-Denmark initiative aimed at supporting the development of non-fiction works tackling the challenges posed by new technologies and misinformation. Running over the course of three months, the lab will provide mentorship, technological workshops, and networking opportunities for emerging and mid-career filmmakers and artists working in cinema and immersive media.
Exploring New Media Landscapes
The programme will take place across multiple cities—Liverpool, London, and Copenhagen—and culminate in March 2026 with the introduction of the projects to industry professionals at the prestigious CPH:DOX festival’s CPH:Forum. Future Proof aims to assist the selected projects in refining their ideas and preparing them for financing, while also addressing the evolving relationship between image technologies and truth in the digital age. This includes exploring the impact of AI, big data, and virtual and augmented realities on storytelling and media trust.
Each of the 10 projects will be led by 11 key creatives, who will receive editorial guidance, technological expertise, and opportunities for direct engagement with prominent non-fiction directors and artists. The initiative is supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, which was launched in 2023 to tackle existing gaps in the film industry and foster innovation in the face of technological disruptions.
Luke W. Moody, Head of the BFI Doc Society Fund, emphasized the lab’s relevance to current cultural and technological trends: “We’re in a cultural moment where the relationship between image technologies and truth are advancing beyond public understanding,” he said. “This lab brings together immersive artists and filmmakers to think about how we reconcile, question, and play with emergent technologies to develop new stories, worlds, and trust in media.”
In line with the BFI’s goal to support immersive media creators, Mia Bays, Director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund, highlighted the program’s potential to empower filmmakers to take risks and broaden their creative perspectives. “The programme is ambitious in its provisions, offering the editorial and technological support needed to take risks, broaden perspectives, and pursue ideas that aren’t typically backed by commercial funding,” Bays noted.
Selected Projects and Creators
The selected projects include a diverse range of themes and genres, from AI-driven storytelling to explorations of virtual realities. The participating filmmakers and their respective works are:
- Alex Nevill – Filmmaker, producer – Project title: Restless Sea
- Anna Engelhardt – Artist, producer – Project title: Towards Dissolution
- Blu Smith – Artist, producer – Project title: The Odyssey of Recollection
- Comfort Arthur – Director – Project title: Ursula
- Eelyn Lee – Artist, producer – Project title: Conjuring Acts
- Gweni Llwyd – Artist – Project title: localhost
- Leo Nelki – Director, producer – Project title: Untitled River AI Film
- Livi Wilmore – Artist, producer – Project title: Browser History
- Oliver Bradley-Baker – Artist, filmmaker – Project title: Biome
- Ornella Mutoni – Director, producer – Project title: The Silence We Carry
- Patricia Echeverria Liras – Director, producer – Project title: Untitled River AI Film
As the Future Proof Development Lab advances into its second year, its focus will remain on fostering innovation in the intersection of documentary filmmaking and emergent technologies. This initiative provides an invaluable platform for artists to address the profound changes in how audiences consume and engage with media in the digital era.
