Barbara Broccoli Named President of National Film and Television School

Barbara Broccoli, the producer behind the James Bond films, has been appointed head of Britain’s screen-training academy (NFTS), the school announced on November 12, 2026. She will take over from fellow producer David Puttnam, who is becoming president emeritus. Broccoli is the school’s first woman to hold the presidency.

Broccoli has had a longstanding connection with the NFTS and has supported its work developing emerging filmmakers. She said the role was a great honor and praised the school’s contribution to nurturing talent and shaping the film industry. She also linked the appointment to the upcoming opening of a new building named for her late father, producer Cubby Broccoli.

The Cubby Broccoli Building, at the NFTS campus in Beaconsfield, is scheduled to open in January. It will include teaching and creative facilities, as well as the school’s first student accommodation on campus. Broccoli said her father believed in filmmaking and in helping talented people find opportunities.

NFTS chair Sophie Turner Laing welcomed Broccoli’s appointment and thanked Puttnam for his support of the school. Broccoli and her brother Michael G. Wilson received an honorary Academy Award in 2024. In 2025, she handed creative control of the James Bond franchise to Amazon MGM Studios. The NFTS also added producer Pippa Harris and YouTube U.K. head Alison Lomax to its board last month.