Sargent Disc at Cannes 2025

The team was excited to be back in France last week for the opening weekend of the 78th Festival de Cannes. Sargent-Disc got involved in several great events that brought international delegates together.

At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, several British productions have garnered significant attention, showcasing the UK’s diverse cinematic talent.

Harry Lighton’s Pillion, a BFI backed production, received the festivals longest standing ovation, averaging 7.3 minutes, making it one of the most warmly received films of the festival. Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section, the film is nominated for both the Caméra d’Or and Queer Palm. Akinola Davis Jr’s My Fathers Shadow, also showcased Un Certain Regard and nominated for the Caméra d’Or, is being celebrated for its intimate storytelling and cultural significance as the first Nigerian film to be selected for Cannes’ Official Selection. My Fathers Shadow is also backed by the BFI and was developed by BBC Film.

The Caméra d’Or, which recognises the best first feature film, will be awarded on Saturday, May 24.

The Sargent-Disc International Producers Reception

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Sargent-Disc International Producers Reception, held at the Members Club, Plage du Festival on Saturday 17th May! It’s was a landmark year as it is also the 10th anniversary of DPO (Digital Purchase Order) and the launch of APA. Read more about the exciting new feature here.

 It was amazing to catch up with familiar faces and meet some new ones too, all over a fun evening of drinks, chats, and great company! Huge thanks to everyone who came along, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did (and that your shoes survived the sand)!

Special thanks to our partners of the reception the British Film Commission, Canadian Media Producers Association, Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films Independent Film and Television Alliance, Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television, Production Guild of Great Britain, Screen Australia, Screen Producers Ireland and New Zealand Film Commission for their support with the event.

If you missed any contact information or would just like to reach out to us please email marketing@sargent-disc.com

Women in Film and Television Brunch

We were proud to once again sponsor the annual Women in Film and Television (WFTV) brunch, hosted aboard the very stylish Coutts boat on Sunday 18th May. It was a brilliant chance for women, whether seasoned pros or just starting out, to connect, share insights, and chat about the ever-evolving world of film and TV (with a pretty great view, too!)

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Speed Dating for Entertainment Industry Professionals

This year, Cast & Crew and Sargent Disc proudly sponsored the 2nd annual Speed Dating for Entertainment Industry Professionals, brilliantly organised by the fabulous Vinca Jarrett. Filled with rapid-fire questions and professional sparks, it was a lively, energising event brimming with fun, connection, and creative chemistry.

Production Guild Of Great Britain Talent Showcase 2025

We were proud to have supported The Production Guild of Great Britain’s annual PGGB Talent Showcase last week. During the event, the winner of the third annual Duke of Edinburgh Film & TV Inclusion Award was announced. Launched in 2022, this initiative highlights the inspiring work of organizations and individuals promoting talent inclusion in the UK screen production workforce. This year’s award goes to the Sara Putt Associates Trainee Scheme & Foundation! The award was presented by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to Laurily Adams, Nicola Lees, and Kelly Spearman at The InterContinental Hotel in London. The winner was selected by a jury from PGGB’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

The evening was made even more special for the Sargent-Disc team and our guests with the chance to meet HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Founded 12 years ago, the Sara Putt Associates Trainee Scheme & Foundation aims to support new and diverse talent in the film and TV industry. This scheme helps trainees develop essential skills through workshops and events, providing them with valuable industry access. Additionally, the formation of the Foundation has expanded the talent pipeline, enabling individuals who might not otherwise have opportunities to enter the industry, enhancing diversity and representation.

The evening also featured an insightful panel discussion on the impact of inclusion in the industry, expertly hosted by the brilliant Ria Hebden. It was an inspiring reminder of the importance of diversity and representation in film and television.

All photographs by Theo Wood.

UK Launch of AP Automation

On November 20th, we were thrilled to host the UK launch of AP Automation—a ground breaking new feature in DPO that transforms how productions manage their accounts payable processes. The event began with an engaging showcase of the feature, followed by a audience Q&A session. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended and contributed insightful questions to the discussion.

After the presentation, attendees had the chance to network over some canapés and drinks, while also exploring the new system hands-on. Laptops were set up around the room, allowing participants to experience AP Automation first hand and discover how it simplifies and streamlines AP workflows.

So, what is AP Automation? The innovative new DPO feature is designed to significantly reduce the time and effort that currently goes into traditional AP processes. By automatically suggesting best match purchase orders for invoices sent directly to DPO, users can shift their focus to higher-value activities, while DPO handles the tedious work—such as data entry, document collation, and approval routing.

With PO and AP approvals integrated into DPO, as well as seamless integration into PSL+, productions can benefit from a one-stop-shop approval workflow. This streamlined process not only enhances efficiency but also improves visibility, enabling departments to track the real-time status of invoices and purchase orders with ease. The result? Faster, more transparent approvals that keep your production running smoothly.

If you’d like to see AP Automation in action or learn more about its integration with PSL+, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at sales@sargent-disc.com to schedule a demo or for more information.

Celebrating Talent – Production Guild Awards 2024!

The 2024 PGGB Awards are a celebration of the depth and breadth of talent working within the UK production industry. Launching the evening in style, sponsors Cast & Crew, Sargent-Disc’s parent company, was delighted to welcome guests to the pre-Awards reception.

 

Award nominees across the six categories were a roll call of the best talent working within our industry.  The winners all stressed the importance of the production team to deliver the very best work, and the quality of the talent they work alongside.

 

Producer, David Heyman (Barbie, Wonka and Paddington) was presented with the ‘Contribution to the Industry Award’ for his incredible body of work which includes all eight Harry Potter features, the three Fantastic Beasts movies, Paddington, Barbie and Wonka.  He thanked the Guild and said, “This has been a really challenging period for the film and television industries in the UK – we’ve had COVID, we’ve had the strikes, and the economy in general has been struggling, to put it mildly. But I feel we’re turning a corner.”

 

“Next year, I think more productions will start up and more will come to the UK because it’s the best place in the world to make films and TV shows.”

 

Cast & Crew with Sargent-Disc hosted a table, and with our guests, we toasted the nominees and winners.  We were delighted that Sargent-Disc founder Marija Sargent was able to join us, whom with the late John Sargent, won the 2018 PGGB ‘Contribution to the Industry’ Award.

Courtesy of The Production Guild of Great Britain

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

The 2024 winners were:

Contribution to the Industry – David Heyman

Production Team of the Year, Film – Wonka

Production Team of the Year, HETV – Supacell

Inspiration Award – Georgette Turner

Diversity and Inclusion – Valeria Bullo

Spotlight on New Talent – Marc Ronnie

Courtesy of The Production Guild of Great Britain

Congratulations to the Edinburgh TV Festival 2024!

Patrick Spence – Producer AC Chapter One; Monica Dolan – actress; Sarah McKenzie, Business Development Sargent-Disc

Cast & Crew was delighted to be the headline sponsor of the Edinburgh TV Awards 2024 for the third year running at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

Another inspiring Festival, the 2024 edition shone the spotlight on several key issues including the social make-up of the work force and reduced production budgets. It also celebrated the incredible depth of talent, creative and crew, within the British industry.

The pain felt by company closures was clearly acknowledged. However, many industry insiders such as Patrick Holland (Banijay UK), Charlotte Moore (BBC), Nicola Shindler (Quay Street) and Ian Katz (C4) expressed a long held view that there were just too many indies to be sustainable.

This ‘resizing’ of the workforce is likely to make it harder for working class people to enter the industry and build their careers. Both James Graham during his McTaggart Memorial Lecture and Carol Vorderman in her Alternative McTaggart Lecture highlighted how serious an issue this is for the future of the industry. They spoke about the detrimental impact of only 8% of those working in television coming from a working-class background – in terms of content, representation and workplace role models. Several participants feel that the TV Access Project (TAP) is making a difference. It’s importance was also flagged up by Julie Clark, ITV Studios, Director of Production Drama during her Sargent-Disc International Women’s Day In Conversation. With the support of the broadcasters and streamers it is having a real impact, but more work needs to be done.

The extent of talent and creativity within the UK television industry along with the current financial challenges were clearly evidenced in so many of the festival sessions. For instance, ‘Back From the Brink: Reimagining The Future of Television’, the ‘Spotlight On …….’ series with ITV, BBC, Netflix, C4, Warner Brothers;  ‘Will.I.Am: AI and The Future of Creativity’ supported by his AI assistant, ‘Saving Mr Bates: The Future of Factual Drama’ and many more.

The Festival’s major celebration of this creativity was the 90 minute 2024 Edinburgh TV Awards which showcased the best of the previous year’s British and international productions. Cast & Crew was honoured to support the event. Sargent-Disc, Cast & Crew’s UK company, was proud to Chair the ‘Best Drama’ and ‘Best International Drama’ judging panels and to present the best Drama Award to the very deserving winner ‘Mr Bates v the Post Office’. It was a thrill to realise Sargent-Disc had provided payroll, production accounting and Digital Production Office services to so many of the nominated productions

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

Patrick Spence and Monica Dolan accepting Best Drama Award for Mr Bates v the Post Office.

The 2024 winners were:

Outstanding Achievement Award:
Martin Lewis

 

Channel of the Year:
ITV1

 

Production Company of the Year:
Studio Lambert

 

Best Drama:
‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ – ITV Studios and Little Gem for ITV1

 

Best International Drama:
‘The Bear’ – FX Productions for Disney+

 

Best TV Actor – Comedy:
Bridget Christie in ‘The Change’

 

Best TV Actor – Drama:
Monica Dolan in ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’

 

Climate Impact Award:
‘The Great Climate Fight’ – Keo Films Ltd for Channel 4

 

Best Comedy Series:
‘Big Boys’ – Roughcut TV for Channel 4

 

Small Indie of the Year:
Hardcash Productions

 

Best TV Presenter Entertainment:
Graham Norton – ‘The Graham Norton Show’

 

Best TV Presenter Factual: Nadifa Mohamed – ‘Britain’s Human Zoos’

 

Breakthrough Performance:
Dylan Thomas Smith in ‘G’wed’

 

Best Documentary:
‘Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland’ – Keo Films & Walk on Air Films for BBC Two & BBC Northern Ireland

 

Best On Demand Service:
BBC iPlayer

 

Best Entertainment Series:
‘The Traitors’ – Studio Lambert for BBC One

 

Best Popular Factual Series:
‘Sort Your Life Out’ – Optomen for BBC One

 

Production Group of The Year:
Banijay UK

 

TV Moment of the Year:
‘Hairy Bikers Coming Home for Christmas’

 

What a fantastic year it’s been!

Sargent-Disc Summer BBQ 2024

Sargent-Disc was delighted to hold the Summer BBQ for the second time in June – this time with a new addition. The SD team had the opportunity beforehand to vote for their favourites to win the first ever Sargent-Disc Awards!

Members of the team came together with their families at the Beaconsfield Rugby Club to enjoy the sunshine and discover who would be taking home the prizes. The event was a success yet again and we hope everyone had a lovely time. See below for the list of winners.  

2024 Sargent-Disc Award Winners:

Best Dressed Award: Anna Iwanek

From Left Anna Iwanek, Lara Sargent

Masterchef Award (best lunch): Charly Grace

From left: Laurence Sargent, Alex Rayner, Lara Sargent

Always in a Meeting Award: Laurence Sargent

From left: Laurence Sargent, Marija Sargent

The Coffeeholic Award: Scott Hardy

From Left: Laurence Sargent, Jam Sutton

Office Jokester Award: Logan Kwiecien

From left: Laurence Sargent, Logan Kwiecien

On the day, there was also a ping pong competition, of which Chloe’s son Loris was crowned champion! He was very pleased with his chocolate prize!

From left: Loris, Laurence Sargent

Sargent-Disc celebrates World Day for Cultural Diversity

The team enjoyed sharing their cultures with each other for World Day for Cultural Diversity last week. We took the opportunity to reflect and recognise the importance of embracing diversity and the impact this has on our world as well as making our work space a vibrant, welcoming place.

The Sargent-Disc team embraces diversity and each other’s heritage, so we loved the chance to mark the day in a special way. The office communal spaces hosted a plethora of food as colleagues brought in dishes to represent their cultures including Coconut Turnovers from Trinidad; Indian Rassomalai; Welsh Cakes; a selection of cakes from the UK and Almond Tart and Cheese Bread with Guava Dip from Portugal.

Over lunchtime, members of the team also participated in games together including flag bingo, with prizes for the winners!

Sargent-Disc returns to France for the 77th Festival de Cannes

Members of the team were pleased to return to France last week for the opening weekend of the 77th Festival de Cannes. Sargent-Disc were involved in a number of events designed to bring together international delegates.

Festival Winners

With the festival having wrapped on Saturday 25th May, we reflect on the winners. The prestigious Palme d’Or was awarded to Sean Baker’s Anora – the US comedy-drama follows a sex worker who must fend off the parents of a Russian oligarch who are keen to action an annulment after she finds herself married to him.

Jacque Audiard’s Emilia Perez took home the best actress prize shared by Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez. Whereas Jesse Plemons took the award for best actor for Yorgas Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness.

Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas was met with a standing ovation as he was presented with an honorary Palme d’Or by Francis Ford Coppola.

View the full list of winners here.

The Sargent-Disc International Producers Reception

For the ninth time, Sargent-Disc hosted the International Producers Reception at the Members Club, Plage du festival on Saturday 18th May. Producers and financiers came together in a relaxed setting to establish new relationships and build on existing ones. The company gives thanks to the British Film Commission, International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), New Zealand Film Commission, Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT), The Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB) and Screen Producers Ireland for their support with the event.

Women in Film and Television Brunch

The team was proud to sponsor the annual brunch held by Women in Film and Television (WFTV) again, held on the Coutts boat on Sunday 19th May. The event offered the opportunity for women, established and new to their careers, to meet and converse about the state of the industry.

Sargent-Disc to set off for the 77th Festival de Cannes

Sargent-Disc, a Cast & Crew company, is pleased to be returning to Cannes this year for the 77th edition of the film festival. Members of the team will be in attendance for the opportunity to meet with industry professionals alongside hosting/supporting several festival events.

UK and Irish Films at Cannes

UK and Irish films will have an impressive representation this year at the festival, including three films from Dublin, London and Belfast-based production company Element Pictures. Andrea Arnold’s sixth Feature Bird starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski will be featured in Competition – Arnold’s fourth time – and produced by House Productions, counting BBC Film and BFI within the funders. The esteemed Directors’ Fortnight’s Carrosse d’Or award will also be presented to Arnold this year.

Yorgas Lanthimos’ latest collaboration with Element Pictures, Kinds of Kindness, also sits in Competition whilst Santosh, Sandyha Suri’s neo-noir narrative debut with UK company Good Chaos plays in Un Certain Regard.

Events

Sargent-Disc is honoured to be supporting two important events at the festival this year. The Women in Film and Television Brunch, on Sunday 19th May, and our own International Producers Reception, on Saturday 18th May, will both be opportunities for industry figures to network and celebrate the latest successes in UK Film.

Sargent-Disc Team Attending:

Dr. Laurence Sargent (Director, Sargent-Disc; Co-Head of International, Cast & Crew)

Lara Sargent (Director, Sargent-Disc; Co-Head of International, Cast & Crew)

Sarah McKenzie (Business Development Consultant)

Imogen Mohr (Sales and Marketing Administrator)

Contact Us

If you have an enquiry, or would like to meet with a member of the team, please contact us at cannes@sargent-disc.com

Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc host a Production Finance Reception

Following a successful Royal Television Society Programme Awards – the first year with Cast & Crew as the headline sponsor – Sargent-Disc, with Cast & Crew held a reception for those working within production finance and the production office on Wednesday 27 March at the Century Club, 61 – 63 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6LQ.

The evening saw members of the industry meet to discuss the current state of the industry, alongside the range of leading products and services offered by Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc.

Imogen Mohr; Lara Sargent; Laurence Sargent; Bogdan Büchner (DPO); Jamika Sutton; Sarah McKenzie; Emma Wilford
Jeff Caruso (C&C); Andrew Jablonski (C&C); Lara Sargent; Laurence Sargent; John Berkley (C&C); Bogdan Büchner
Anna Iwanek (SD); Naomi Mercurius (SD); Pav Purewal (SD); Alison Small (Netflix)
Raj Patel, Ana Stichini and David Campbell (Coutts)
Georgina Voysey; Tallulah Jackman; Emma Wlford
Imogen Mohr; Emma Wilford; Angela Kelway (Trevanna)
Jamika Sutton; Emily Massey (Trevanna)
Sneha Nemchand (Raw TV); Laurence Sargent; Jane Gant (Raw TV)
Naomi Mercurius; Paula Chidgey ; Lara Sargent; Emma Wilford
Angela Kelway; Chantel Dilip (Trevanna); Jeff Caruso; Guillermo Quintanilla (Trevanna); Annie Gaudet (Trevanna); Sarah McKenzie (SD);