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We were delighted and proud to see that filmmaker Luis Hindman recently won Best British Short at this year's British Independent Film Awards for his film Magid / Zafar. Hindman was named a One to Watch at the Into Film Awards in 2015, and we're incredibly proud to have played a part in his journey to becoming an award-winning filmmaker.
We caught up with Hindman after his win to discover how being a Ones to Watch helped to kick-start his filmmaking journey, and how his career has progressed to the point of becoming a BIFA-winning filmmaker.
Congratulations on your recent BIFA Award win! How was the experience?
It means a lot. We only premiered the film a couple of months ago, and the reception has already been very touching. There's never any guarantee of what happens to a short after you make it - it's a highly populated space and visibility is very competitive, so for the film to be recognised by BIFA is really special.
The experience at the awards ceremony was great. It was nice to be there and celebrate with our lead actors, our team at BFI and Film4, and the other nominated filmmakers.
When did you first become interested in a career in the film industry?
I started making home movies and obsessing over behind-the-scenes documentaries when I was about 8, or maybe younger, so the interest started early - but I only began to consider it as a possible career at around 15, which was also when I was awarded the Ones to Watch Award by Into Film.
How did you get involved with Into Film?
It is all thanks to my Mum, who came across the Into Film website and discovered the Ones to Watch awards scheme as part of the Into Film Awards. She encouraged me to apply and helped with the submission.
What was your experience as an Into Film Awards Ones to Watch Winner?
The 2015 Into Film Awards was the first time I'd met anyone else my age who was also making films. Building a sense of community early on was very special, as making films felt like a very solo/interior passion. It might be different now, as filmmaking is even more democratised and we're in a post-Letterboxd / video essay world, but at the time, in 2015, the idea of wanting to make films felt very unheard of - at least in my sphere - and there were not any traditional support systems in place or familiar paths to follow.
Into Film was the first organisation I interacted with that shed light on this and introduced me to the industry in a very tactile way.
How has Into Film supported your career journey so far?
First and foremost, I'm still in touch with a lot of the fellow Ones to Watch cohort. Following the 2015 Awards, I worked with Sam Hartshorn the following year on a short film I made, and we've stayed in touch ever since. He even worked on Magid / Zafar as a visual effects artist.
I also reconnected with Kieran Howe a few years back, as we crossed paths on a music video project I directed for Glaswegian soul-pop artist Joesef. Similarly, I also saw Hope Kemp very recently, as she was involved in the BIFA-nominated film Lifehack - it was very serendipitous to be seated at the same table for the awards ceremony.
As part of the Ones to Watch scheme, we were also introduced to director James Kent for a mentorship meeting, whom I've stayed in touch with since and he has been incredibly generous and helpful. For Magid / Zafar, James helped throughout the process, from reading the script, to meeting with me in pre-production to give advice, and watching early cuts in post-production.
How has your career journey progressed from the Into Film Awards to now?
Following the Into Film Awards, I was entirely set on filmmaking as a career. The following year, I began pivoting into directing music videos, which allowed me to work with budgets and professional crews. I opted against going to university or film school, and instead got a job at a production company as a production assistant - it was a small company that also let me experience other departments.
I then went freelance and worked primarily in the camera department as an AC, eventually stepping up to working as a DOP for a bit. Throughout all of this, I was still directing passion projects and music videos on the side, at weekends, etc.
Eventually, this focused down to just directing and editing. I worked primarily as a director on music videos for four years, up until 2022. At that point, I really wanted to make a narrative short with a proper budget and production support, working with similar resources to those I had on music videos. So, I focused all my energies into this, into one project, and ultimately it led to making Magid / Zafar.
Next, I'm in development on my debut feature with BFI and Film4.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Keep making work. Trust your instincts. Focus less on the ‘what', and more on the ‘why'.
Enter the Into Film Awards 2026
Since Luís' cohort won in 2015, our Ones to Watch category at the Into Film Awards has continued to recognise brilliant young filmmakers and the brightest talents on the cusp of breaking into the screen industries.
Entries for the Into Film Awards 2026 are open until 12:00pm on Monday 23 February 2026. Visit our Awards page to find out more, and who knows - perhaps the young people you work with could find themselves on a similar journey to Luís.
