Morgan Quaintance and Onyeka Igwe Share Historic 2025 Jarman Award

Morgan Quaintance and Onyeka Igwe have been named joint winners of the 2025 Film London Jarman Award, marking the first time the prize has been shared. The announcement was made at a ceremony held at Soho Hotel on November 25, 2025. Quaintance creates abstract, non-linear films that blend experimental visuals with sound, as seen in works like Repetitions (2022) and Surviving You, Always (2021). Igwe explores historical and political themes through film, sound, and performance, often examining connections between Britain and Nigeria, with her exhibition our generous mother currently at Tate Britain. They were selected from a shortlist that included Hope Strickland, Arwa Aburawa and Turab Shah, Karimah Ashadu, and George Finlay Ramsay. The jury, featuring representatives from Barbican, Channel 4, Whitechapel Gallery, Film London, and 2024 winner Maryam Tafakory, praised both artists for pushing filmmaking boundaries. An exhibition of shortlisted works will run at Whitechapel Gallery from November 18 to December 14, 2025. The award honors radical filmmaker Derek Jarman (1942–1994) and recognizes emerging moving-image artists in the UK.