Sadia Pineda Hameed, Ilona Sagar, Rhea Storr, and Alia Syed have been shortlisted by Film London for this year’s Jarman Award. 

The award, which is administered by the local arts body Film London, honors UK-based artists and filmmakers working in the medium of experiential moving image. The award, of course, takes its name and inspiration from the seminal British filmmaker Derek Jarman and comes with a £10,000 cash prize. 

2026 marks the award’s 19th year. This year, the shortlist has been dropped from the traditional six nominees down to four. Previously shortlisted artists include Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Oreet Ashery, Duncan Campbell, Monster Chetwynd, Luke Fowler, Imran Perretta, Heather Phillipson, Charlie Prodger, Laure Prouvost, Elizabeth Price, James Richards, Sin Wai Kin and Project Art Works, all of whom went on to be shortlisted for or to win the Turner Prize.

The Jury who selected this year’s shortlist are: Eve Gabereau, founder and chief executive Officer at Modern Films; Woodrow Kernohan, Director at John Hansard Gallery; Luke Moody, Head of the BFI Doc Society Fund; artist Hope Pearl Strickland; and Gilane Tawadros, director at Whitechapel Gallery.

Sadia Pineda Hameed is a Filipina Pakistani artist based in the Ebbw Valley, Wales. She is best known for working in 16mm film and hi8 video, sculptural installation, text and performance. Her films have been selected for the Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival 2026, the Wales One World Film Festival 2026, FOCUS Wales 2026, and the Queer East Film Festival 2025.

Ilona Sagar is a London-based artist and filmmaker, and resident of Somerset House Studios. Her work has been presented internationally at venues including the 24th International Exhibition at Triennale Milano, the Serpentine Gallery, the Barbican Art Gallery, the Hayward Gallery, and the Wellcome Collection. 

Rhea Storr makes films that consider Black, mixed-race and diaspora cultures, including her own Bahamian-British ethnicity. She has recently screened work at MoMA Doc Fortnight. New York Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival. 

Alia Syed was born in Swansea and has worked in experimental film for over 40 years. Syed’s films have been shown at numerous institutions around the world, including CCA Glasgow, Whitechapel Gallery, Yale Centre for British Art, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.