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Opportunities, Initiatives and Funding

Apply for  funding and screenings via these initiatives.

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  • Actors' Children’s Trust – ACT funds actors who are parents. ACT pays for children’s activities, support for specialist educational needs and disabilities, kit, IT and lots more – find out more here.

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  • Arvon – offers grants to help writers who are unable to afford full course fees – find out more here.

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  • BlueCat Screenplay Competition – founded in 1998 by award-winning writer Gordy Hoffman, BlueCat has remained committed to discovering the world’s unknown screenwriters, and continues to showcase their work to a global audience year after year – find out more here.

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  • Blue Zoo Animation Studio and Disney+: Success Story Competition – a competition to discover, support and develop diverse writing talent in the animation industry – find out more here.

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  • Breaking Through the Lens Grant – this €10,000 Action Grant is open to any feature film director who experiences marginalization due to their gender, including but not limited to cisgender women, transgender women, transgender men, and non-binary people – find out more here.

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  • British Council Film's Short Film Toolkit – a major new free-to-access short film toolkit designed to help navigate your route into the film industry, and your film's journey out into the world – find out more here.

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  • British Council Film's Short Film/VR Festival Travel Grant – offers grants to help short filmmakers and VR makers travel to international festivals where their work is being screened - find out more here.

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  • British Council Film's Lab Travel Grant – in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) NETWORK team, they now offer grants to help filmmakers attend international Labs to develop their projects and careers - find out more here.​

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  • The British Short Film Awards: Film Fund – open to British filmmakers who are seeking funding for their short films. These short films need to be in preproduction and have a good plan of how the film will be made: thebritishshortfilmawards.co.uk/film-fund​

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  • The Film Fund – provides short film funding in the UK to produce independent short film: thefilmfund.co/uk

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  • Film London – offers opportunities for emerging filmmakers and training, accommodation and travel bursaries: filmlondon.org.uk/funding​

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  • Final Draft's Big Break – an annual, international feature film and television screenwriting contest designed to help launch the careers of aspiring writers. Writers who have entered Big Break have had their screenplays optioned, sold, and have secured high-profile representation: https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest/

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  • Grey Moth and T A P E collective Non-Narrative/Non-Fiction Film Fund – an initiative that provides £5,000, bespoke production support, £2,500 kit hire credit and festival strategy towards one project challenging the conventional documentary format: https://grey-moth.com/originals/

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  • Inclusive Cinema – a UK-wide project developed by the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) designed to support screen exhibitors, and provides resources such as TLC (aka Tender Loving Care for Trans-Led / Trans-Loved Cinema), a holding space for trans curators, writers and thinkers within cinema exhibition, and Working Class Inclusion: Audiences, Colleagues & Programming: https://inclusivecinema.org/

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  • Iris Prize Documentary Film Finance Fund -  a fund to finance documentary film (Running time: 22/25 Minutes or 40 Minutes) produced by emerging British LGBTQ+ filmmakers. The fund will award up-to £20, 000 towards a production annually for at least three years: https://irisprize.org/documentary-film-financing-fund/

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  • Isle of Man Digital Creation Scheme – supports a range of business support schemes comprising funding, training and advisory services for businesses as they start, grow and invest in their enterprise in the Isle of Man: iomdfenterprise.im/financial-support/

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  • Liverpool City Region Production Fund – supports production of feature films, TV drama, animation and scripted comedy series that are intending to film in the Liverpool region: liverpoolfilmoffice.tv/production-fund

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  • The Phoebe Frances Brown Film Fund – a £1,000 grant that Mister Tibbs will award to a female filmmaker with a comedy idea they want to produce: https://www.mistertibbs.co.uk/phoebe

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  • Pictures for the People – working with Jobcentre Plus and The Princes Trust, they provide training and work experience opportunities to unemployed and disadvantaged young people throughout their film productions: https://picturesforthepeople.com/

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  • Pitch Film Fund – offers a £50,000 fund to make two films, plus training and development for entrants and finalists, providing the idea is based on a Bible story, theme or book: https://www.enterthepitch.com/the-fund/

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  • RISE2 - A Channel 4 Production Mentoring Initiative – RISE2 is an opportunity for deaf, disabled, and /or neurodivergent off-screen talent working in TV at a mid-career level or above. This could include people working in production management, editorial, craft and technical roles: https://triplec.org.uk/rise-2/

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  • Screen Industries Growth Network – SIGN is a unique, business-facing initiative supporting the TV, film and games industries in Yorkshire and the Humber: https://screen-network.org.uk/

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  • ScreenCraft Works International Mentoring Scheme –  provides structured career development with an international outlook, to enrich careers in film, TV and online work: https://screencraftworks.org/mentoring/

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  • Screen Scotland – provides a variety of funding for Scottish filmmakers and for filmmakers based outside Scotland who are developing and producing projects with writing and/or directing talent based in Scotland: screen.scot/funding-and-support​

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  • Sheffield DocFest: Amplify: Production Talent – an initiative for entry-level production professionals to elevate their careers. The initiative offers the opportunity to connect with UK production company executives in the factual/documentary TV sector, experience DocFest's marketplace to enhance and widen your network, and learn more about the documentary industry: https://sheffdocfest.com/news/applications-open-amplify-production-talent

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  • Shore Script – their Short Film Fund offers an opportunity for emerging screenwriters and filmmakers to have their short films financed and produced: shorescripts.com/shortfilmfund

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  • Short Circuit – Scotland’s Hub for Filmmaking Talent, supporting the creative and professional development of new and emerging writers, directors and producers: https://shortcircuit.scot/

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  • The Sundance Documentary Film Program – supports nonfiction filmmakers worldwide in the production of cinematic documentaries on contemporary themes: sundance.org/programs/documentary-film

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  • The Uncertain Kingdom – provides funding, supports the development of features and commissions short films: theuncertainkingdom.co.uk/

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  • The Whickers Awards – the Film & TV Funding Award and Radio and Audio Funding Award is awarded annually to an emerging filmmakers from anywhere in the world with the most promising pitch for a director-led documentary: whickerawards.com/apply/

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  • The Yorkshire Content Fund – a public-private investment fund for the TV, film, video games and digital sectors in Yorkshire and Humber, open to producers either based in Yorkshire or wishing to film or establish a base in the region: screenyorkshire.co.uk/content-funding/

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