Project Detail

Bel

Black and white image. A woman wearing glasses looks directly into the camera
A woman singing into a microphone

Synopsis

Bel was a Kenyan-Scottish woman who dreamt of singing to the whole world. A gifted musician, singer, and writer, she performed under the stage name Heir of the Cursed and in 2021 was on the absolute cusp of wider fame. But just as the world was finally about to discover her name, Bel took her own life, leaving behind poignant video diaries and a mobile phone full of amazing, unreleased songs.
She was a brilliant artist fighting to be heard, yet she remains largely unknown today. Her untimely death and a small but beautiful body of work form her legacy now. Much like the legendary musician Nick Drake who also died young, the power and mystery of Bel’s music lies within the heavy pathos of her life's sudden end. Whatever deep internal struggles led to her tragic death were also at the very heart of what powered her mesmerising art.
This documentary tells the story of an artist on the edge of stardom, and her sister Leah’s fierce determination to fulfil Bel's dream: releasing her final record and sharing her with the world.
Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026 - Closing Night Film - World premiere

Details

Year
2026
Type of project
Features
Running time
90 min
Format
4k
Director
Lou Lockwood 1st Feature
Producer
Sarah Howitt
Executive Producer
John Archer, Nancy Bornat, David Harron, Emma Loach, Tony Nellany, Mark Thomas
Editor
Audrey McColligan
Director of Photography
Lou Lockwood, Sarah Howitt
Composer
Beldina Odenayo, arranged by Joe Rattray
Film Title Note
FKA Bel Heir of the Cursed

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Hopscotch Films

John Archer
Film City Glasgow
401 Govan Road
Glasgow
G51 2QJ
+44 (0)1414 406740/ +44 (0)7710 344508

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th June 2026. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Baku oilfields circa 1970 The Contract of the Century

Director: Christina D. Bartson

Year: 2027

An all-archival film which tells the story of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline - one of the most ambitious energy projects of the 21st Century - and the scientists, activists, and farmers that came close to stopping it. Part ghost story, part road trip film, the feature documentary examines how the ghosts of the empire haunt the present, as the world burns.

Image of a vicar holding up the eucharist. Matter of Britain

Director: Peter Treherne

Year: 2026

MATTER OF BRITAIN was an English country village’s performance of the Holy Grail myth. In that myth, King Arthur’s knights quest for the Holy Grail in order to heal their wasted land. The performance took place over 12 months from 2023 to 2024 in multiple locations across the parish of Mayfield, East Sussex. Over 300 members of the community took part as questing knights, angelic choirs, guiding anchorites and tempting devils. The performance was documented and subsequently made into an ethnographic fantasy that has screened at the Museum of Modern Art, CPH:DOX, Cinéma du Réel and Open City Documentary Film Festival. The work was supported by an Arts Council England Project Grant, the Lund Trust, High Weald AONB, East Sussex Arts Partnership, the University of Reading and the Museum of English Rural Life.

Louise is in  the bath, we can see Meg filming her in the reflection in the mirror. They are talking Mother's Influence

Director: Meg Wriggles

Year: 2025

Growing up with an unconventional single mother – an influencer navigating aging and body dysmorphia, Meg admires her but questions how it shaped her own self-image. Through laughter and vulnerability, they unpack identity, influence, and the complexities of their evolving relationship. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026 – World Premiere