BFI Film Academy Recommends
Funding opportunities available for aspiring screen creatives – read more below!
Do you want to reach young audiences through film? We are looking Film Hub South East members to deliver “BFI Film Academy Recommends” screenings, consisting of short and feature films targeting young people aged 16-25.
There is a budget of £500 is available per screening. You can receive financial support for up to three screenings maximum. For more details on eligible and ineligible expenses, see more details at the bottom of this page.
This funding is designed to reach young audiences aged 16-25, therefore an element of your plan should reflect this (such as programming, marketing, events etc.)
All screenings must be branded or co-branded “BFI Film Academy Recommends”.
Assets and the choice of film(s) must be signed off by Film Hub South East. Films selected must be independent British or international film.
For a list of films that have been pre-approved, please see below:
- On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
- Queer
- Nosferatu
- We Live In Time
- Babygirl
- Presence
- The Brutalist
- Sister Midnight
- La Cocina
- Bring Them Down
- A selection of BFI NETWORK South East short films (if you are interested in these shorts, please reach out as this will require additional lead time)
All screenings must be delivered before 31 March 2025.
We will provide you with an Audience Survey to survey your audiences, as part of National Lottery Funding.
You must be a member of Film Hub South East as part of BFI Film Audience Network to access support from this programme. Find out more about joining Film Hub South East here.
We will cross-promote your activity on our channels and via the BFI Film Academy central newsletter. We will also be on hand to support you in the creation of marketing assets.
You can send us a request for financial support from now until 16 January 2025 23:59.
We aim to get back to you with a decision within 1 week of your expression of interest. It’s possible the fund will close early if funds have all been allocated.
Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.
Eligible expenses:
- Marketing, advertising and PR
- Bespoke asset creation
- Wraparound activity costs (such as co-curator, host and speakers’ fees)
- Venue hire and activity-specific equipment hire costs
- Activity-specific staffing costs – e.g., curation, marketing or project management
- Audience development expenses – e.g., young programmers’ workshop
- Minimum guarantee, screening licences, film rights costs and print transport
- Captioning or other access costs, such as BSL interpretation, providing transport for isolated audiences
- Event or screening costs such as venue or equipment hire
- Event documentation (such as photography and filming)
This list is not exhaustive and other items may be considered.
Ineligible expenses:
- Support for filmmakers to develop or distribute their own work, or for programmes that exclusively engage filmmaker audiences
- Capital costs covering building repairs
- Programmes entirely comprised of free events, unticketed events or screenings where audience numbers cannot be reported
- General running costs of organisations not specifically related to the activity
- Activity that should be covered by statutory education, including events taking place on school grounds/in school hours
- Events not primarily focused on film exhibition
- Activity covered by existing funding arrangements
- Activity taking place in a venue not open to the public – for example members only venues
