Image: Whitechapel Gallery, London
The artists shortlisted this year are Sadia Pineda Hameed, Ilona Sagar, Rhea Storr and Alia Syed. The winner of the Film London Jarman Award will be announced on 24 November 2026, and the award is presented in partnership with Whitechapel Gallery.
The exhibition showcases the incredible diversity within the world of artists’ filmmaking in the UK. Inspired by visionary British filmmaker Derek Jarman, the award recognises and supports artists working with the moving image.
‘A Protest, A Celebration, A Mixed Message’ presents celebration as protest at Leeds West Indian Carnival and looks at forms of authority while asking who is really performing. Following Mama Dread’s, a troupe whose carnival theme is Caribbean immigration to the UK, the work asks audiences to consider the visibility of Black bodies, particularly in rural spaces.
The listing includes Alia Syed’s ‘The Dhaba – 1st Chapter: Mr Sharif and 2nd Chapter: Mr Bhari’ (2025), a 30-minute film, and Sadia Pineda Hameed’s ‘Anak Where Did We Stay?’ (2026), which runs for 16 minutes. It also lists Rhea Storr’s ‘A Protest, a Celebration, a Mixed Message’ (2018), at 12 minutes, and Ilona Sagar’s ‘Other Actors’ (2025), at 60 minutes.
