Renowned American documentary filmmaker Sam Pollard has been appointed to preside over the BFI London Film Festival's Official Competition jury in 2026, which will select the festival's best film award. Pollard brings an impressive track record spanning decades, including Peabody and Emmy Awards, an Academy Award nomination, and the International Documentary Association's Career Achievement Award, making his appointment a significant recognition of his standing in contemporary cinema. His recent acclaimed work includes Tutu, which won the Peace Film Prize at the 2026 Berlinale.

The festival has also announced the heads of its other three competition juries: Amir El-Masry will lead the First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award) jury, British-Indian writer Sandhya Suri will head the documentary competition (Grierson Award) jury, and producer Helen Simmons will lead the short film jury. Each jury comprises three members drawn from across the international film industry, including programmers, producers, and sales executives. Pollard expressed his enthusiasm upon the appointment, saying he was "very surprised" but left "over the moon and very excited" by the invitation to participate in the festival.