OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS | Rip It Up: Here’s to the joy and defiance of being young in the UK
Delivered in partnership with BFI, FAN is proud to unveil the new UK-wide season – RIP IT UP - where audiences are invited to celebrate 75 years of youth culture in the UK. Here’s to the defiance and the joy of being young in the UK.
May - October 2026
Find out how to apply below
What is "RIP IT UP"?
Rip It Up explores and celebrates the changing face of youth rebellion, culture and expression, from joy to heartbreak - on screen in the UK.
Youth culture in the UK has a wide and varied history, from the defiant rebellion of Teddy Boys, mods and rockers and the many activist movements that have shaped our society, to hedonistic self-expression in the music and fashion scenes and the emotional rollercoaster that simply is being a teenager, all of which have been portrayed on screen in a multitude of ways.
With the Southbank Centre marking the 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain - a landmark moment of post-war cultural renewal - and the 50th anniversary of Punk being celebrated in 2026, BFI FAN members are invited to join in these UK-wide celebrations and explore how youth scenes and counterculture have impacted and resonate to this day, inspiring new generations and beyond.
Backed by a UK-wide Press and marketing campaign and a central listing platform, the season will have a broad audience appeal.
Rip It Up has two core elements, both of which need to include big screen moments and offer audiences opportunities to reflect on the evolution of generational rebellion from the 1950s through to today, here in the UK.
- Activity involving young programmers/creatives, focusing on youth scenes and/or counterculture that they themselves are part of or can relate to, with clear potential to engage their peers.
- Activity celebrating the transformative energy and evolution of youth culture over the past 75 years, tapping into a selection of key titles with potential to engage a range of audiences across generations.
Where do I start?
You must be a member of Film Hub Midlands to access support from this programme.
To be eligible for support, organisations must be registered members of Film Hub Midlands and be legally constituted with a nominated UK Bank Account. Proposals from individuals or non-members will not be considered.
Once you're registered, take a look at the Creative Brief below for more information about the programme scope and to get some inspiration.
Also, get ideas from the list of contextual titles that are available to book.
What support is available?
There are three ways you can engage with the programme and access support MENU, BESPOKE & CROSS-FAN:
MENU: Access up to £500 (£125 per film) for programme enhancement, wraparound activity and audience development when you book one or more of the key titles.
BESPOKE: Apply for up to £15,000 (average awards likely to be circa £5,000) to develop a more bespoke season of films within the parameters of the Creative Brief. There is also scope for site-specific, immersive and ‘event cinema’ project activity. If your bespoke activity includes Menu titles, please include costs associated with those screenings within your activity budget rather than applying separately for the menu.
CROSS-FAN: Apply for up to £15,000 to support programme/ marketing/outreach activity with the potential to scale or tour across the UK and/or projects involving multiple site-specific events in more than one region/nation. If your Cross FAN activity includes Menu titles, please include costs associated with those screenings within your activity budget rather than applying separately for the menu. Please note that we won’t be funding many cross-FAN projects this year, so they will need to have a clear audience development and outreach plan, as well as confirmation from five or more venues about their participation, to be considered. If you are interested in submitting an application, you should contact BFI FAN season producer Ti Singh before applying.
For BESPOKE and CROSS-FAN projects, see Creative Brief for inspiration and a longer list of titles available through your Film Hub.
You will be asked to fill in an application form online and upload a budget in the template provided.
Period of activity:
The bulk of the season takes place in May-October 2026 across the FAN membership.
Key dates:
o First deadline for Bespoke and Cross FAN Proposals – Monday 13 April, 2026
o Final deadline for Bespoke applications – Wednesday 1 July 2026
o Menu applications open until Monday, 7 Sept 2026 (subject to funds
remaining)
▪ Menu Expressions of Interest can be submitted until Monday, 7
September 2026 (but note that for your activity to be included in
initial listings announcement, you will need to confirm your
bookings by the end of April.)
Accessibility:
If you require any access needs for completing the form, you may email us directly at hello@filmhubmidlands.org, and we can advise how we can accommodate your needs to complete a proposal.
You can find further support for access here.
How do I apply?
Please read carefully the Creative Brief and Funding Guidelines below. A list of contextual titles is available to book and browse for inspiration for your own programmes.
The Creative Brief gives you an overview of the curatorial framework for the season and the types of activities we are looking to support.
The Guidelines give you an overview of our strategic objectives, our commitment to access and inclusion and additional areas of focus, as well as our eligibility and assessment criteria.
All applications (Cross-FAN, Bespoke and Menu titles) are to be submitted via the Airtable link below
If you require this application form in a different format, please let us know.