BFI Film Fund Appoints Louise Ortega As Senior Production & Development Executive

The BFI has named Louise Ortega as Senior Production and Development Executive for its Film Fund.

Ortega has had roles at companies including See-Saw Films, Vertigo Films and Slim Film and Television. At the BFI, she will work across both the development and production funds, accessing applications, recommending funding decisions and providing hands-on creative production support for filmmakers. Her portfolio will have a focus on debuts.

She will report to Natascha Wharton, the Fund’s Head of Editorial, and work alongside Senior Exec Kristin Irving, as well as Editor-at-Large Lizzie Francke and development executives Aoife Hayes and Phoebe Sutherland. The role replaces Farhana Bhula, who joined Film4 earlier this year.

Mia Bays, Director of the BFI Film Fund, said: “I am excited about Louise joining, bringing a wealth of experience and dynamism to round out the Film Fund team. She has a built up a real specialism around developing writers and story which will be really valuable to us the team and of course to the filmmakers we support.

Louise Ortega added: “I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the formidable team Mia Bays is heading up at the BFI Film Fund at what I believe to be a fascinating time for cinema. Film is more important than ever in this new reckoning we’re undergoing, in bringing us together and reflecting us back to ourselves