Screen International held a launch party for its UK & Ireland Stars of Tomorrow 2026 at The Century Club in London on September 23, according to Screen Daily. The event drew many of the performers named to this year's list, among them Bo Bragason, Galaxie Clear and David McKenna.
The gathering brought the selected stars together with industry figures from film, funding bodies and talent representation, as reported by Screen Daily.
Why it matters
Stars of Tomorrow is one of the longer-running talent spotlights in the British and Irish screen industries, and the annual list functions as an early signal of who the sector expects to see more of in the years ahead. Screen Daily describes Screen International as a resource for the international film industry, publishing monthly editions, awards season weeklies, archive access and supplements that include Stars of Tomorrow and World of Locations.
For the people named, the list offers visibility at a point in their careers when a single high-profile credit can change the shape of what comes next. The launch party turns that recognition into a room full of producers, agents, sales executives and public funders — the kind of informal contact that rarely shows up in trade announcements but often precedes the next job.
The 2026 edition also arrives at a moment when the UK and Ireland are competing for international productions and trying to keep domestic talent working at home. A list that mixes emerging performers with established industry names is one way the trade press tracks that pipeline.
Who was in the room
Screen Daily's photo coverage from the evening names attendees across several parts of the business.
Among the 2026 Stars present were Jonathan Jules, Katie Sinclair, Bo Bragason, David McKenna and Galaxie Clear, according to the outlet's reporting. McKenna appears in one photograph alongside Susannah Norris of the Susannah Norris Agency and Elizabeth McKenna.
Industry guests included Briony Hanson and Catherine Bray of the British Council, Peter Debruge of SXSW, and Daisy Allsop of WestEnd Films, who was photographed with Katie Sinclair and Katherine Haggerty.
Screen International was represented by Matt Mueller and Charles Gant. Gant also appears in a photograph with filmmaker Marc Munden and Star Mitchell Robertson.
Film London and the British Film Commission were represented by Adrian Wootton, Lauren Preteceille and Phil Jones. Scott Benfold of Screen International also appears in that photograph.
The British Council's presence reflects the organisation's longstanding role in promoting UK creative work internationally, while Film London and the British Film Commission are the bodies responsible for attracting and supporting production in the capital and across the country. SXSW's attendance points to the festival circuit's interest in emerging British and Irish talent.
One name already attached to a major project
The source material notes one concrete production detail tied to the 2026 intake: Johnston will play Joan of Arc in Baz Luhrmann's Warner Bros-backed biopic of the 15th-century French heroine, according to Screen Daily.
That casting places a member of this year's list in a studio-backed period film from a director known for large-scale productions — a notable step up in scale for an emerging performer. The source does not specify a release date or further casting for the project.
Separately, the source reports that Pegah Ahangarani's Rehearsals For A Revolution took the best documentary prize. The material does not identify the awarding body or the ceremony at which the prize was given, so those details remain unconfirmed here.
What to watch
Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow list has historically been followed by its subjects appearing in higher-profile projects over the following year or two. For the 2026 group, the clearest early marker is the Luhrmann casting already attached to one of the named stars. Further announcements about that production, and about the projects the rest of the list signs on to, will indicate how quickly the recognition converts into work.
