British Egyptian actor and producer Amir El-Masry is chairing the First Feature Competition jury at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, which runs from 7 to 18 October. His panel will choose the winner of the Sutherland Award, the festival’s prize for debut features. The award is named after BFI patron and filmmaker Dennis Sutherland.
El-Masry is joined on the jury by Alemberg Ang, a Filipino independent producer and former schoolteacher known for Moonglow, and Rosa Bosch, an international sales, distribution and awards strategy executive. Bosch’s career has included work with AFI FEST, the BFI London Film Festival and HBO Films, and she is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The appointment reflects El-Masry’s rising standing in British film. He won a Scottish BAFTA for Limbo in 2020, in which he played a Syrian refugee waiting for asylum on a remote Scottish island. That year he was also named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, and in 2021 Screen International listed him as a Star of Tomorrow. His recent screen work includes Giant, a biographical drama about British-Yemeni boxer Naseem Hamed, and 100 Nights of Hero. He has also moved into producing in recent years.
The festival has four competitive sections, each with its own jury. American documentary maker Sam Pollard, who holds Peabody and Emmy Awards and an Academy Award nomination, leads the Official Competition jury for the Best Film Award, alongside Argentine filmmaker Mariano Llinás and Julie La Bassiere, chief strategy officer at DDA. British Indian director Sandhya Suri, whose debut feature Santosh premiered at Cannes, heads the Documentary Competition jury for the Grierson Award, with Kate Fitzpatrick, senior programmer at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and producer Andee Ryder. Producer Helen Simmons, co-founder of Erebus Pictures, chairs the Short Film Competition jury, which also includes comedian Leo Reich and script editor Jack Casey.
Festival director Kristy Matheson said this year’s competition films cover a wide range of stories and voices, and that each jury brings “distinct perspectives” to the selection. For El-Masry, the role adds a jury credit to a career that already spans acting and producing. Winners in all four sections will be announced before the festival closes on 18 October, with the Sutherland Award offering an early boost to the careers of first-time directors.
