UK Production Guild reveals inclusion award finalists

The Production Guild of Great Britain has announced the five finalists in its third annual Duke of Edinburgh Film & TV Inclusion Award.

The finalists are Denise Rose - Mouth That Roars, Futures in Film CIC, Katie Player, Natalie Edward-Yesufu and Nicola Lees - The Sara Putt Associates Trainee Scheme & Foundation.

Finalsits were selected because their work involves championing, nurturing and inspiring inclusion within the industry, from recruiting crew and providing training to creating initiatives and practices which can be adopted by others.

The winner will be announced at the Talent Showcase on Monday 24th March 2025, hosted in association with The Walt Disney Studios and supported by Sargent-Disc.     

Nominations came from across the UK and the winner will be chosen by a jury led by PGGB’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Read more about the nominees below.

Mouth That Roars (MTR) was formed 27 years ago by Denise Rose and is a young people’s rights media organisation based in Hackney, east London and it provides opportunities for marginalised young people to learn the skills to forge careers in media.  MTR’s support allows them to tell their own stories and to produce enlightening and challenging dramas, documentaries and animations.

Futures in Film CIC provides pathways between disconnected regions in the north-west of England and the wider film and TV industry. The original pilot project in East Lancashire has been a catalyst for regional growth and has paved the way for a lasting socio-economic impact. 

Katie Player is a renowned line producer who is a wheelchair user. She is co-founder of the “Underlying Health Condition” (UHC) campaign, which led to the creation of TAP and Access Co-ordinators.  As well as training others to become Production Managers and Line Producers, she also works as an Accessibility Consultant, helping broadcasters and streamers build a blueprint for accessibility from greenlight through post productions. 

Natalie Edward-Yesufu is a filmmaker, producer, and creative leader whose work exemplifies a commitment to diversity, inclusion and the empowerment of storytellers. She is founder of Transition Stage Company, a film and events organisation and the creator of Enter.Stage.Write, a screenwriting gala and competition. The formation of her companies were sparked by Natalie’s ambition to bring more under-represented voices into television. She also advocates for greater production investment in Birmingham and the West Midlands from government and broadcasters.

Sara Putt Associates Trainee Scheme & Foundation, led by Nicola Lees, was founded over 10 years ago to support new and diverse talent and was created by the leading UK independent agency that represents behind the camera production and technical talent. Each year, 25 candidates across all departments are selected and encouraged to form a peer group network and ten online workshops are delivered to candidates over Zoom.

The first recipient of The Duke of Edinburgh Film & TV Inclusion Award was 6ft From the Spotlight, which works to improve mental health and wellbeing in the UK film and TV production workplace. Last year the award went to Million Youth Media, for their work to provide talented young people from under-represented communities with the tools, opportunities and knowledge they need to thrive in film and TV.