2026 Listening Pitch Winners Announced by Aesthetica Film Festival and Audible
Audible and the Aesthetica Film Festival have revealed the three recipients of the sixth annual Listening Pitch, a platform dedicated to commissioning sound-driven documentaries. The selected projects include 'Nibclout Neebors' by Duncan Cowles, 'Cissé-Ceesay' by Tobi Kyeremateng, and 'Worm Charming' by Hermione Spriggs. Cowles's documentary features a 1964 cassette of his great-grandfather reciting a Scots poem, delving into themes of collective listening in Blyth Bridge. Kyeremateng's film chronicles cultural historian Sofia Cissé Akel's journey to Casamance, Senegal, to explore her heritage through Griot traditions. Spriggs's project investigates non-human listening through worm charming, spanning the Willaston Worm Charming Championships and Florida's Everglades. The festival will take place from November 4 to 8 in York, UK, with the Listening Pitch premieres on November 5.
Key facts
- The Listening Pitch is in its sixth year, commissioned by Aesthetica Film Festival and Audible.
- Three winners: Duncan Cowles ('Nibclout Neebors'), Tobi Kyeremateng ('Cissé-Ceesay'), Hermione Spriggs ('Worm Charming').
- Cowles's film uses a 1964 cassette recording of his great-grandfather reading a Scots poem.
- Kyeremateng's film follows Sofia Cissé Akel to Casamance, Senegal, exploring Griot oral tradition.
- Spriggs's film examines worm charming as non-human listening, set in Cheshire and Florida's Everglades.
- Previous winners screened at Sundance and SXSW.
- 2025 shortlist included Roberto Duque's 'Voice Shift' and Carin Leong's 'Untitled Fetal Heartbeat'.
- The festival runs November 4–8 across 15 locations in York, UK; premieres on November 5.
Entities
Artists
- Duncan Cowles
- Tobi Kyeremateng
- Hermione Spriggs
- Sofia Cissé Akel
- Omar Touré
- Roberto Duque
- Carin Leong
- Matthew Herbert
- Meghan McDonough
- Liberty Smith
- Ornella Mutoni
- Sparsh Ahuja
- Omi Gupta
- Jade Ang Jackman
- Jessi Gutch
- Liz Jackson
- Ross McClean
- Anna Müller
Institutions
- Aesthetica Film Festival
- Audible
- The Guardian
- Sundance
- SXSW
- Aesthetica Magazine
Locations
- Blyth Bridge
- Scottish Borders
- Casamance
- Senegal
- Willaston
- Cheshire
- Florida
- Everglades
- York
- UK