The Whickers

22/05/2026

The Podcast Show, London 2026. Another fab year mixing and mingling with the great and the good of the podcast world.

The show was PACKED!! Packed with people and also content - if the numbers tell us anything, it is that podcasts are having a moment. It feels like a very exciting time to be part of this world!

We also caught up with lots of people - old friends (), supporters (), one of this years judges (Kent De Pinto from ) and even last year's winner of the Podcast Award of £15k ( )

Till next year!

12/05/2026

The “man with the cross” was a familiar sight on the streets of West London throughout the 1980s and 90s ✝️

Now, Whicker Podcast winner 2025 Chris Mitchell is bringing his story to life in a new podcast, Redemption Man 🎙️

Determined to uncover the truth behind this mysterious figure, where he came from and why he carried a fold-up white cross everywhere he went, Chris has traced Redemption Man’s roots back to Guyana.

Chris has just returned from a research and production trip to the South American country, where he spoke with community elders, merchant seamen, religious leaders and historians in an effort to piece together the hidden story behind the “man with the cross”.

Spanning Guyana and the UK, the story explores history, trauma and untold truths within Black British life post-Windrush.

Read more about Redemption Man and Chris’s journey in the thevoicenewspaper article (link in bio) or via The Whickers news page.

And if you remember seeing the 'man with the cross', or have stories to share, we would love to hear from you.

05/05/2026

We are delighted to reveal the judges for the Whickers Podcast Pitch Award 2026 🎙️

In partnership with , this year’s panel brings together three outstanding voices from across the audio industry:

✨ Mohit Bakaya (Controller BBC Radio 4 & Director BBC Speech Audio)

✨ Kent DePinto (Director of Original Content, Audible UK)

✨ Eleanor McDowall (Director, Falling Tree Productions)

Together, they bring a wealth of experience across commissioning, production, storytelling and distribution …. supporting the next generation of podcast creators.

Join us live at to see the finalists pitch their projects 🎧

⭐ Saturday 13th June, 10am-12pm
⭐ Crucible Playhouse, Sheffield

Read more about our judges in the full news story on our website. See link in bio

30/04/2026

PODCAST FINALIST ANNOUNCEMENT 🎙️

We’re so excited to reveal the FINALISTS for the Whickers & Podcast Pitch Award 2026!

It’s been our most competitive year yet, with a record number of applications.

After much deliberation, we’re thrilled to introduce the five outstanding projects that will pitch live at for the chance to win:

✨ £15,000 Production Award
✨ £5,000 Development Fund

Meet the finalists:

⭐ My Memory Fails Me | Libby Liburd | UK

⭐ The Actress and The President | Natalie Gumede | UK, Zimbabwe, South Africa

⭐The Digital Immortals of Varanasi | Abhishek Maji | India

⭐ The Many Gendered Mothers of My Heart | Shirley Abraham, Tihany Sengupta | India

⭐ The Riverbank | Chirae Cannon | USA

The live pitch will take place:

📍 10am – 12pm, Sunday 14th June
📍 Crucible Playhouse

We can’t wait to follow each of their journeys and wish the very best of luck to all our finalists! 💥

For the full story see link in bio.


gumede

27/04/2026

When Beechtobeach told us she planned to avoid flying entirely throughout 2025, we’ll admit we were sceptical.

Her work as a mentor, consultant and Editorial Consultant for The Whickers regularly takes her to film labs and markets around the world, and it was hard to imagine how she would meet those commitments without taking to the air.

But she did … and we were seriously impressed.

In an interview with Documentary Magazine, Jane shares what happened when she gave up flying for a whole year.


3 m

Jane Mote, whose work usually takes her to film labs and markets all over the world, explains what happened when she avoided flying for all of 2025

17/04/2026

The Whickers & are delighted to share the 2026 Podcast Pitch Award shortlist!

Now in its 4th year, the award has reached new heights, with a record number of submissions from 59 countries which is a real testament to the growth of bold, original audio storytelling worldwide.

We’re excited to introduce 15 exceptional shortlisted projects, with 5 finalists set to pitch LIVE at Sheffield DocFest this June.

✨ £15,000 production award for the winner

✨ £5,000 development prize for the runner-up

Discover the 15 fantastic projects shortlisted for this year’s Podcast Pitch Award.

⭐ Before the Legends | Kaia Fincher | UK

⭐ Black Tide: The Wreck of The SS Torrey Canyon | Louise Fox | UK

⭐ Eating Earth | Ena Miller | London, Nigeria

⭐ Escazú Souls. The Podcast | Nicholas Hooper H | Chile, Spain, Brazil

⭐ Love, Mystery and Science: A Childhood Miracle in the Dark

⭐ Genome | Rajesh Mirchandani | USA, UK

⭐ Lullabies from Ukraine | Oksana Lemishka | Ukraine, Austria

⭐ My Memory Fails Me | Libby Liburd | UK

⭐ Rana | Maria Cheresheva | Bulgaria, Egypt, Scotland, Palestine/Gaza

⭐ Seeds of Tomorrow | Nicodemus Omundo | Kenya, Tanzania

⭐ The Actress and The President | Natalie Gumede | UK, Zimbabwe, South Africa

⭐The Baconian Heist | Guy Szafman | UK, Spain

⭐The Digital Immortals of Varanasi | Abhishek Maji | India

⭐ The Many Gendered Mothers of My Heart | Shirley Abraham, Tihany Sengupta | India

⭐ The Real Sally Bowles | Verity de Cala | England, Spain

⭐ The Riverbank | Chirae Cannon | USA

Thank you to every single applicant, the talent and creativity this year has been truly inspiring.

For the full story and more details about each project, visit our website news story via link in bio


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gumede

09/04/2026

FINALIST ANNOUNCEMENT

We’re beyond excited to reveal the FINALISTS for the Whickers Film & TV Funding Award 2026 🎬

After our most competitive year yet, these 5 outstanding first-time projects will pitch at for the chance to receive:

£120,000 Production Award
£25,000 Development Fund

✨ Meet the finalists:

All Fixed Up | Hao Zhou | China

Ashes | Daham Alasaad | Syria, France

Children of Honey (Olanakwe Sa Ba’alako) | Jigar Ganatra & Emmanuel Musa Marco | Tanzania

Mexico is Ours | Eoin Wilson | Mexico

Welcome to Our Bathhouse | Tommaso Barbetta | Japan

Our judge Fozia Khan, Head of Unscripted, Amazon UK said "I think the quality is just incredible. It’s been really hard to judge as all of the projects are developed and they all have a proper narrative structure. They are all incredible."

📍 Sunday 14th June
📍 Crucible Playhouse

We can’t wait to follow each of their journeys and wish the very best of luck to all our finalists! 💥







Find out more via the link in bio.

20/03/2026

🥰

🎉 We are happy to share that Ashes, a documentary project by Daham Alasaad, from our Close Up '24-'25 cohort and currently in the 2025-2026 Close Up Rough Cut Program with editor Delphine Dufriche, has been shortlisted for The Whickers Film & TV Funding Award!

🌟 Selected from over 500 applications from 90 countries, the project will now go forward to an expert panel of judges, who will select 5 finalists to pitch live at Sheffield DocFest 2026, competing for the £120K top award and £25K development prize.

🎬 Across Paris, Berlin, and Damascus, Syrian war survivors in exile fight for justice, guided by a filmmaker who shares their past. Then the unimaginable occurs: The fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. Is justice finally within reach for the Syrian people?

👏 Congratulations to Daham and the whole team!

📸 ASHES is a participant in our 2025-26 Rough Cut Program.

19/03/2026

🎬 All-time bumper year for entries!
We’re thrilled to announce the Film & TV Funding Award Shortlist 2026.

In our 11th year, we received well over 500 applications from 90 countries 🌍 what an incredible showcase of global storytelling.

Thank you to everyone who trusted us with your stories.

After an intensive selection process, we’ve narrowed it down to 15 outstanding projects, chosen for their originality, craft and promise.

These projects now go forward to our expert panel of judges, who will select 5 finalists to pitch live at Sheffield DocFest 2026, competing for our £120K top award and £25K development prize.

👏 Congratulations to our shortlisted filmmakers:

All Fixed Up | Hao Zhou | China

Ashes | Daham Aalsaad | Syria, France

Children of Honey | Jigar Ganatra | Tanzania

Excoded | Javier Lovera | Canada

Finding Feruza | Yeyoung Kim | South Korea

Harbinger | Greg Eggebeen | United States

How Love Moves | Pallavi Paul | India

Maï & Miles | Lea Hejn | United Kingdom

Mexico is Ours | Eoin Wilson | Mexico

Reclaiming Time | Fuad Hindieh | France, Palestine

Shields | Jan Stöckel | United Kingdom, Germany

Street Poets | Shadi Tabibzadeh | Iran, Germany

The Last Guató | Thamys Trindade | Brazil

The Useful Time Machine | Eno Enefiok | United Kingdom

Welcome to Our Bathhouse | Tommaso Barbetta | Japan

✨ Thank you to every single applicant, the talent and creativity this year has been truly inspiring.

🔗 For the full story and more details about each project, visit our website news story via link in bio

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18/03/2026

🎬 And the winner is…

On Sunday 8 March, The Whickers’ Ambassador for India, Mandakini Gahlot, announced the winner of the 8th Whicker DocEdge Bursary Award 2026.

The £3,000 prize went to first-time documentary director Manisha Halai for her beautiful and deeply personal film 'Orange, Beetle, Mother & I'.

As climate change threatens her family’s orange orchards, the filmmaker returns home, caught between a mother holding on to a disappearing way of life, a sister longing to leave and her own evolving relationship with memory, identity and love.

A richly layered and intimate story, the film explores universal themes of environmental change, shifting traditions and generational tension.

said that "Manisha, completely won over the room with her brilliant pitch… making a powerful impact with the DocEdge audience.”

👏 Special mentions also went to:
'Every Home Ablaze' by Sadia Rao & Karanjit Singh

and

👏 'Whisper of the Warm Spring' by Samstan Gurmat & Sonam Nurboo

🔗 Link in bio for the full story
🔗 Watch the award moment on our YouTube channel