In September 2025, Developing Room Films was launched as the dedicated in-house production arm of creative network The Developing Room.

 

While The Developing Room exists to nurture growth, learning, and creative development, Developing Room Films is about putting that training into practice — producing ambitious projects with experienced teams and professional standards at their core. We like to think of it as a natural progression: you train, experiment, and build your voice within The Developing Room, and when you’re ready, you graduate into Developing Room Films, where ideas are elevated into fully realised, world-class work.​

​

Developing Room Films' debut slate of three short films brings together an impressive roster of creative talent including Emmy-winning Karina Michel (Tallulah Films) and BAFTA-winning Tobi Kyeremateng (Them Ones); actors Kulvinder Ghir (Blinded by the Light, Bend It Like Beckham), Melissa Knatchbull (Industry, Four Weddings and a Funeral), and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn (Small Axe); alongside directors Raphaela Wagner (Saitenstich), Keshav Shree (Where Are You Really From?), and Jeremiah Towolawi (Phoenix Rise), and executive producers such as David Beazley (Shore Scripts) and John Jencks (The Uncertain Kingdom).

​

Each short has already secured industry recognition through competitive funding grants and awards. 'To Catch A Siren' won the Grand Prize in the Shore Scripts 2024 Spring Short Film Fund and received funding from Hessen Film & Medien, Verein Südkultur, and the CineCircle Film Fund; 'The Truth About Space' won the Shore Scripts 2025 Spring Short Film Finishing Fund and previously received support from The Uncertain Kingdom Belief Grant and CineCircle Film Fund.

​

Melissa Knatchbull, playing Sister Cordelia in 'To Catch A Siren', said “The script immediately drew my attention and my empathy for the main characters. It works on several levels, whilst confronting current crises. It was a pleasure to work with this young, passionate, creative team. In particular Raphaela, the director, who has an ability to convey a narrative in motion, beyond her years.”

​

'To Catch A Siren' is a modern fairytale about a young refugee who believes her absent mother is a mermaid, using allegory to humanise the ongoing migrant crisis, exploring trauma, loss and resilience through the eyes of a child. Starring newcomer Layla Badat and Melissa Knatchbull, the film is written by Harvey John and Jasmine Mohtashami and produced by John alongside an international team of executive producers.

​

'The Truth About Space', written and directed by Jeremiah Towolawi and produced by Emily Radakovic (Kino Films), follows a man recently released from prison who must confront the lie his estranged daughter has been told - that he was in space. Blending imagination with harsh reality, the film challenges perceptions of incarceration and rehabilitation. It stars Jordan Kouamé (Malpractice, Dope Girls, Scoop), Olivia‑Rose Colliard (Back to Black, The Kitchen, Champion) and Amarah‑Jae St. Aubyn.

​

'Dinner for Loners' is a sharp, darkly comic short from writer‑director Keshav Shree, shining a light on the epidemic of loneliness, particularly within the UK’s South Asian community. Newly single Dev, played by Shree (This England), enlists his dysfunctional Indian family to host a reunion dinner in a desperate bid to reconnect. The film co‑stars Kulvinder Ghir, Ruchika Jain (The Sandman) and Leo Anand (No Time For Goodbye), is produced by Shree and Harvey John, and co-written by Vikram Devalia.

​

All three films will be entering the international film festival circuit in 2026.​ This initial slate underpins a pipeline of long-form projects in development, led by a feature version of 'To Catch A Siren' entitled 'How to Catch a Mermaid'.