Four aspiring film makers have been selected to take part in the BBC’s initiative to champion up-and-coming new documentary directing talent.

Sian McIlwaine, Tomasz Frymorgen, Elle Mower and Flynn Esther have been chosen to direct their first film long form documentary for BBC Three and iPlayer.

First launched in 2016, the initiative takes place every 18 months. It partners the new directors with an indie and a docs executive producer to mentor them through the process, with additional support in the form of masterclasses from experienced industry talent.

The initiative has had huge success with a large number of brilliant and award-winning films including Defending Digga D, which won director Marian Mohamed the BAFTA for Emerging Factual Talent, Ziyaad Desai’s Bad Influencer, and Manchester Bomb: Our Story by Lizzie Kempton.

Many alumni from the initiative have moved on to direct on BBC documentary series like Parole, Ambulance, House of Maxwell and The Elon Musk Show and on powerful one-off films like Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers and The Case of Sally Challen.

Beejal-Maya Patel, Commissioning Editor, Documentaries says: “We are now in the seventh year of the New Documentary Directors Initiative, which has proved itself as an invaluable pathway for upcoming new directing talent. By giving aspiring directors the opportunity to train at the heart of the BBC’s factual content, we continue to reinvent our slate with new ideas and unrivalled creativity.”

Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, says: “We are committed to providing opportunities for new directing talent to grow their careers and tell the stories that really matter to our audience. This initiative has a really impressive track record in supporting a diverse range of new voices to break through and I’m excited to see what this year’s cohort will bring.”