Neal Street Productions to be honoured at Newport Beach Film Festival
February 5, 2026
The Newport Beach Film Festival has announced that Neal Street Productions, the Oscar and BAFTA winning UK powerhouse behind some of the most influential storytelling of the past two decades, will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Global Entertainment award at this year’s UK and Ireland Honours. The prestigious UK and Ireland Honours event returns for its ninth year as a star-studded celebration of British and Irish creative excellence, hosted by Edith Bowman and Nick Mohammed.
Founded and led by Sir Sam Mendes, Dame Pippa Harris, Caro Newling and Nicolas Brown, Neal Street is being recognised for its extraordinary impact across film, television and theatre. The honour follows the critical acclaim of Hamnet, directed by Chloe Zhao, co-produced with Hera Pictures, Amblin and Book of Shadows, which has emerged as a major BAFTA and Oscar frontrunner across multiple categories, further cementing the company’s reputation for ambitious, emotionally resilient storytelling. It also comes as the 25th series of Neal Street’s award-winning BBC One drama Call the Midwife is on air each Sunday. The show has sold in more than 200 territories worldwide and has been the highest rated drama on UK TV over the past year.
The award also celebrates Neal Street’s bold upcoming slate including The Magic Faraway Tree, adapted by from the Enid Blyton novel by Simon Farnaby (Wonka, Paddington 2), The Beatles, a four-film cinematic event to be released in 2028, directed by Sam Mendes, and the highly anticipated stage adaptation of The Traitors, bringing the global phenomenon to the theatre.
Over the past 20 years, Neal Street has produced a body of work that has helped define modern prestige storytelling, with acclaimed films including 1917, Empire of Light, Revolutionary Road and Starter for 10; globally beloved television series such as Call the Midwife and Penny Dreadful; and major West End and Broadway award-winning productions of The Lehman Trilogy, The Hills of California, and The Fifth Step.
Beyond its creative achievements, Neal Street is widely respected for its commitment to the health and sustainability of the creative industries. It was the first production company to get the Albert sustainability mark for a major film when 1917 was the first large-scale British film to receive a three-star albert certification. The company has championed the wellbeing of the industry as a whole, having spearheaded and supported vital initiatives such as the Screenwriters Bursary Scheme, the New Playwriting Commissioning Scheme, and the Theatre Artists Fund, reflecting a long-standing dedication to nurturing talent and supporting creative communities. Over the past 20 years, the company has also created jobs for tens of thousands of freelancers across its film, television and theatre projects.
Sir Sam Mendes and Dame Pippa Harris said: “We feel delighted to be recognised by the Newport Beach Film Festival and Visit Newport Beach teams, who champion British and Irish talent globally. We are incredibly proud of our body of work past, present and future, and this is a wonderful testament to the dedication and skill of everyone on the Neal Street team, and to the many brilliant collaborators we have been fortunate enough to work with over the years. We look forward to celebrating together at the ceremony in February, along with our fellow honourees across the remaining categories”.
President & CEO of Visit Newport Beach, Gary Sherwin said: “We have long been fans of the brilliant projects helmed by Pippa, Sam and the exceptional Neal Street Productions team, having previously honoured talent from titles such as 1917 and Empire of Light. We are thrilled to award Neal Street with this special ‘Outstanding Contribution to Global Entertainment’ honour, to demonstrate our continued appreciation of their artistry and all they do for the global entertainment industry, and our excitement for what they do next”.
Renowned broadcaster Edith Bowman returns to host the event, joined for the first time by actor and comedian Nick Mohammed. Bowman has decades of experience hosting across TV, radio and podcasts, and is now one of the most well-respected and sought after personalities in the film, television and audio industry. She is the founder of social platform Be in the Scene, and host of BBC Radio 3’s Saturday flagship show Sound of Cinema and Cinematic Soundtracks for Radio 3 Unwind, whilst also presenting her own award-winning podcast Soundtracking with Edith Bowman, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Mohammed meanwhile is an established, double Emmy-nominated actor, comedian, and writer, with credits including Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Deep Cover (Prime Video) and Renegade Nell (Disney+), with additional appearances as himself on hit shows including Taskmaster (Channel 4) and the inaugural series of Celebrity Traitors (BBC One).
2026 marks the ninth year of the Newport Beach Film Festival’s UK and Ireland Honours event. Last year’s ceremony, hosted by Edith Bowman and Cat Deeley, saw an exciting range of talent honoured, including Marisa Abela, David Jonsson, Joe Alwyn, Will Sharpe, Sharon Horgan, Emma Corrin and Felicity Jones, with Sir Stephen Fry receiving the prestigious Icon award. This year’s honourees will be announced in the coming weeks.
For 27 years, the Newport Beach Film Festival, one of the largest luxury lifestyle film festivals in the US, has included a dedicated UK showcase during its eight-day programme. In 2015, the Film Festival and Visit Newport Beach partnered to elevate the connection to the UK industry by honouring talent via the Newport Beach Film Festival UK Honours.