MPI has named MPI filmmaker Toby Fell-Holden and his project Help Is on the Way the winner of the 2026 First Feature Lab, announcing the selection during its Meet the Filmmakers event last week. The script will now move forward toward production as an MPI Original feature film.

The First Feature Lab is the capstone of MPI’s Rising Filmmaker Program, giving MPI filmmakers the opportunity to develop their first feature-length films. Over the course of the inaugural lab, nine filmmakers developed six feature projects through a dedicated Script Development Fellowship, working with industry mentors and MPI producers to refine their screenplays and prepare their projects for production.

At the conclusion of the lab, participants submitted final scripts and pitch decks and pitched their projects to the MPI team, which selected Help Is on the Way to move forward.

The film follows a free and opinionated man and his foul-mouthed 82-year-old mother whose refusal of a voluntary inspection turns them into barricaded suspects with a rapidly growing online audience.

Toby Fell-Holden is a writer-director whose work blends psychological drama with subversive genre storytelling. In 2016, he was named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow, an annual showcase recognizing emerging talent in the UK and Irish film industries. His acclaimed short Balcony won more than 30 awards, including the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, while his MPI-supported short Little Shadow was BAFTA-longlisted. He has also served as lead director on BBC’s The Break II, was a Sundance Labs finalist and 1497 mentor, and received a fellowship from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Congratulations to Toby Fell-Holden on this exciting next step! This year’s lab featured an exceptional group of filmmakers and projects, making the decision incredibly difficult. We look forward to seeing what each of these talented filmmakers does next.

Learn more about the First Feature Lab and MPI’s opportunities for rising filmmakers here.