Hot Shots 2025: Runako Celina

Since returning to her native Bristol in 2020 after seven years in China, Runako Celina has established herself at the cutting edge of journalism, both on-screen and off.

During her MA in investigative journalism at City University, she pitched what would become her breakthrough BBC Africa Eye film Racism For Sale, which led to her assistant producer role.

In a string of BBC Eye investigations – Finding My Torturer; Tik Tok Begging In Syria; Finding Mr Fox; They Call Us Meat; Sanction Me If You Can – Celina has set new standards for using Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) to unlock hidden truths about social and human rights issues.

Racism For Sale earned Celina a Grierson nomination for Best Documentary Presenter and the New Voice Award at the 2023 One World Media Awards, which hailed her “journalistic integrity mixed with star quality”.

BBC Eye executive producer Milene Larsson says Celina has “a rare talent for fi nding fascinating and important stories and taking them through from development to delivery”.

For Larsson, Celina is the future of current a airs. “She is full of fresh ideas, she has vision and is a talented investigative journalist and OSINT investigator. Her bravery will stop at nothing to speak truth to power. Watch this woman – she will go far.”