Gurinder Chadha OBE + Charlotte Regan Unveil The National Lottery ‘Walk Of Stars’ Installation To Mark The Start Of London Film Festival
The National Lottery has created the ‘Walk of Stars’, in partnership with the BFI, an installation which shines a light on the incredible talent behind brilliant films, as well as the rising stars of the UK film industry, who have all been supported by National Lottery funding through the BFI.
Film directors and writers Gurinder Chadha, OBE (Bend it Like Beckham, 2002) and Charlotte Regan (Scrapper, 2023) unveiled the Hollywood-inspired ‘Walk of Stars’ at London’s South Bank today in celebration of this year’s BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express, taking place 4th October–15th October.
National Lottery players raise around £30 million every week for good causes across the UK, and the contribution to the UK film industry includes having funded the making of more than 600 films in the past 26 years, which have won an astonishing 504 awards including 16 Oscars, 124 BAFTAs and 33 Cannes awards, from more than 1,868 nominations.
To celebrate the start of the BFI London Film Festival, today the South Bank – the heart of the festival - received the red carpet treatment as Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha OBE and Scrapper director Charlotte Regan unveiled The National Lottery’s ‘Walk of Stars’ installation. In partnership with the BFI, the installation celebrates the incredible talent behind just some of the brilliant National Lottery funded films, as well as a handful of rising stars of the UK film industry who have achieved extraordinary things thanks to National Lottery funding through the BFI.
Gurinder Chadha OBE, is one of 10 talented individuals who have been honoured by The National Lottery with a star on the ‘Walk of Stars’. Gurinder is one of the U.K.’s most proven and respected filmmakers, with the BFI naming her as one of the U.K’s most prolific female directors working today. Gurinder is known for creating films that break barriers, with the impact of one of her most successful film, Bend It Like Beckham, still being felt today.
Alongside Gurinder, Charlotte Regan, is also honoured by on the ‘Walk of Stars’. Charlotte is a BAFTA-nominated, writer-director from London and started her journey making music videos for grime artists when she was 15, and then taking part in BFI Film Academy short course the following year. Her unique talent has been supported by the BFI Network mentoring programme, which led to an opportunity to showcase an early cut of her award winning short film STANDBY to the Sundance Ignite Film Festival team.
Other recipients recognised for their contributions to National Lottery funded projects include actors Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach), Sophie Okonedo CBE (Wild Rose, directed by Tom Harper), and David Jonsson (Rye Lane, directed by Raine Allen-Miller).
Beyond acknowledging these established talents , the ‘Walk of Stars’ also spotlights five rising stars in the industry whose The National Lottery funded projects are breaking boundaries, as they hope to change the shape of UK film. Among these emerging stars are filmmakers Greta McMillan, Ross Wilders and Mdhamiri á Nkemi, screenwriter Eden Quine-Taylor and upcoming producer Parker Dawes, whose contributions have already begun to illuminate the path toward a captivating cinematic future.
Emerging filmmaker Greta McMillan uses an eyegaze computer, so her eyes become her mouse and cursor which allowed her to create multi award winning ‘Change Direction’, a short film about the climate crisis. Film maker Mdhamiri á Nkemi, alumni of the National Lottery-supported BFI Film Academy who received the Toledo Scholarship, has worked on films that have been BAFTA shortlisted and Academy Award longlisted, including a BIFA win for The Last Tree (supported by BFI National Lottery funding). Eden Quine-Taylor, whose first short film script “Happy Ever After” won an award at The International KidsNFilm Festival, continues her work exploring behaviour and relationships of society. Ross Wilders is a successful short filmmaker and continues to develop his skills in videography, editing, and filmmaking. Whilst Parker Dawes is a rising star having produced an award-winning animated film in English and Gaelic, ‘Gàidhlig sa Chiste’ inspired by Gaelic signage.
Each week, National Lottery players contribute approximately £30 million to good causes across the nation with a proportion of this funding going to the UK film industry, through the BFI. The National Lottery has funded the making of more than 600 films in the past 26 years, which have won an astounding 504 awards including 16 Oscars, 124 BAFTAs and 33 Cannes awards, from more than 1,868 nominations. This substantial financial support is instrumental in nurturing and fostering the exceptional talent that graces both the big and small screens.
Screen Culture is a powerful form of cultural expression with the unique ability to build cohesion and to share information and ideas, so the BFI invests around £45m of National Lottery funding per year to help preserve its past and support its future. This includes inspiring and funding the next generation of UK filmmaking talent and crew, supporting vibrant and representative stories to be told on screen, helping audiences to access a wider range of independent UK and international cinema, unlocking the UK’s film heritage, and ensuring UK film is seen and enjoyed all over the world. With National Lottery funding, the BFI works to bring screen culture to the centre of the lives of UK citizens, to maximise its cultural, educational, social and economic benefits UK-wide.
Gurinder Chadha, Director of ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ said “Film has the unique power to bridge cultures, evoke emotions, and tell stories that resonate with people from all walks of life. The support of The National Lottery has been instrumental in bringing these stories to the forefront and ensuring that diverse voices in the film industry have the opportunity to shine. This recognition serves as a reminder of the immense impact cinema can have on society and an example of that is the increased awareness of women’s football following Bend It Like Beckham. I am honoured to be featured in this installation and am deeply grateful for the continued support of The National Lottery in fostering creativity and diversity within our industry.”
Harriet Finney, BFI’s Deputy CEO, said "The ‘Walk of Stars’ installation is a celebration of the extraordinary contribution National Lottery funding has made to the world of UK independent film. Shining a light on these fantastic individuals and the brilliant work they have produced, highlights the significant impact National Lottery funding can have in developing talent across the UK, supporting careers in front and behind the camera, improving representation in our sector and helping to make great films! We are immensely proud to honour those featured on these stars, and hope they – and our many other National Lottery supported stars and films – inspire future creativity in UK screen culture.”
The ‘Walk of Stars’ will be displayed on Queen’s Walk in London’s Southbank from Wednesday 4th October to Thursday 5th October.
To celebrate the start of this year's London Film Festival, The National Lottery, in partnership with the British Film Institute, teamed up with film directors and writers Gurinder Chadha, OBE and Charlotte Regan to unveil the 'Walk of Stars' at London's South Bank. The installation shines a light on how the £30m raised every week by National Lottery players goes towards good causes across the UK by celebrating the incredible talent behind brilliant films, as well as the rising stars of the UK film industry, who have all been supported by National Lottery funding through the BFI.
For more information on The National Lottery funding go here.
Full Walk of Fame Recipients
- GRETA MCMILLAN | RISING STAR
o Talented filmmaker Greta McMillan uses an eyegaze computer, so her eyes become her mouse and cursor. This enables her to communicate, paint, and play music. Greta directed a short film ‘Change Direction’ about the climate crisis when she was 17 years old, which went on to win multiple awards including the 'Changes for a Better World' filmmaking category at the 2022 Into Film Awards. Into Film are supported by BFI, awarding National Lottery funding.
- MDHAMIRI Á NKEMI | RISING STAR
o Mdhamiri á Nkemi is a filmmaker who received the Toledo Scholarship and was awarded 2019’s Most Promising Student Awards at NFTS. Initially exploring his interest of film through The National Lottery funded BFI Film Academy in his youth, as an editor, he has worked on films that have been BAFTA shortlisted and Academy longlisted, including a BIFA win for The Last Tree (supported by BFI National Lottery funding).
- EDEN QUINE-TAYLOR | RISING STAR
o Eden Quine-Taylor is a young filmmaker whose work has an emphasis on telling stories that explore the behaviour and relationships of society. Eden’s first short film script “Happy Ever After” won an award at The International KidsNFilm Festival. Her 2018 short film ‘I’m the One’ also won Best film aged 11-15 at the 2020 Into Film Awards and the Into Film Awards ‘Ones To Watch’ category 2022. Into Film are supported by BFI, awarding National Lottery funding.
- ROSS WILDERS | RISING STAR
o Ross is a Strabane-based BSc Cinematic Arts Graduate with a first-class honours degree, specialising in videography, editing, and filmmaking workshops. His passion for film started at a young age, leading him to directing the successful short film ‘Plumbing the Depths of Knowledge” through the BFI Film Academy, delivered by Nerve Centre and funded by The National Lottery.
- PARKER DAWES | RISING STAR
o Parker is a rising star in the film industry and has produced an animated film in English and Gaelic, ‘Gàidhlig sa Chiste’ which was inspired by Gaelic signage. The film won the Best Original Screenplay and Best Film prizes at Film G, the Gaelic film awards. Parker Dawes attended the BFI Film Academy delivered by Screen Argyll.
- GURINDER CHADHA | WRITER/DIRECTOR / BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (2002)
o Gurinder Chadha, OBE was born in Kenya, and grew up in London. Her career started with BBC Radio, before directing several award-winning documentaries for the BBC. In 2001, Chadha set up her own production company, Bend It Films, and directed the National Lottery funded ‘Bend It Like Beckham’, along with a host of other hugely important UK films.
- HAYLEY SQUIRES | ACTOR / I, DANIEL BLAKE (2016)
o Actor Hayley Squires’ breakthrough role was in BFI he National Lottery funded film I, Daniel Blake. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and best UK film at the 2017 BAFTA, where Squires was nominated for best supporting actress. Since then, she has starred in a number of TV shows and films and is also a playwright. Most recently she stars in BFI National Lottery funded Hoard, the directorial debut from Luna Carmoon.
- CHARLOTTE REGAN | WRITER DIRCTOR / SCRAPPER (2023)
Charlotte Regan started directing music videos for grime artists when she was 15 and has since had more than 200 no-to-low budget music promo credits to her name. She first received National Lottery support through the BFI Film Academy at 16, and has also been supported by BFI NETWORK. Her award-winning BFI National Lottery funded comedy-drama film ‘Scrapper’ is in cinemas across the UK, which was also funded by BBC Films.
- SOPHIE OKONEDO | ACTOR / WILD ROSE (2018)
o Actress and singer Sophie Okonedo OBE, made her acting debut in 1991 in the British coming-of-age drama, Young Soul Rebels. In 2004, she gained critical acclaim for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda. Sophie also starred in the 2019 film, Wild Rose, which was funded by BFI National Lottery.
- DAVID JONSSON | ACTOR / RYE LANE (2023)
o Actor David Jonsson began his career on the West End. He is known for his role in the BFI National Lottery funded film, Rye Lane. He was recently named a 2023 Bright Young Thing by Tatler and a Screen International’s Star of Tomorrow.
About The National Lottery
- National Lottery players raise more than £30 million every week for good causes.
- Since The National Lottery began in 1994 it has made more than 6,800 millionaires but its primary purpose is giving to good causes. National Lottery players have raised over £47 billion for projects and over 670,000 grants have been awarded across the UK, that’s the equivalent of 240 projects per postcode area
- The majority (70 per cent) of National Lottery grants are for Parker Dawes, Scotland (NLA nominee)
- £10,000 or less, helping small projects make a big difference in their community!
- For more information, please visit Lottery Good Causes
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