Short Film Funding

The BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund supports fiction projects with directors based in England and is run in partnership with the BFI NETWORK Talent Executives who work with filmmakers on the delivery of funded projects. For directors based outside England or for filmmakers looking for documentary funding opportunities, please take a look at the BFI NETWORK Funding Finder.

This fund is for fiction shorts, in both live-action and animation. We want to support short films that:

• bring exciting new voices and bold narratives to the screen;
• provide space for experimentation and idea-testing;
• advance the careers of the filmmakers involved through showcasing their abilities to the industry and the public.

We support standalone short films and this can include projects that have the potential, further down the line, to be developed into other forms or formats (e.g. a feature film, content in serial form). The fund is intended to stimulate new ideas and stories, so it doesn’t support adaptations of existing material. We welcome applications for amounts throughout the available budget range up to a maximum of £15,000. We are seeking applications for films of any length up to a maximum of 15 minutes.

Our funding is accompanied by creative oversight of the short film by a BFI NETWORK Talent Executive. As well as working with filmmakers prior to and during production, the Talent Executives may be able to advise you on:

• finding screening opportunities regionally and further afield;
• ways to meet potential collaborators for your project;
• festival strategy for your film;
• other means to gain industry exposure for your work.

APPLICATION TIMELINES

Please note: Applications to the the Autumn 2021 round the Short Film Fund are now closed. Applications will reopen in Spring 2022.

Autumn 2021

Awards Announced: by 31 March 2022

We reserve the right to amend any of these dates where necessary.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL GUIDELINES AND TO APPLY