This fund is for filmmaking teams with directors based in England. It supports the production costs of standalone fiction films. These can be live action, animation or immersive/VR and must be no more than 15 minutes long. The fund is intended to stimulate new ideas and stories, so it doesn’t support adaptations of existing material, apart from of the writer’s own previous work.
If your project does not fit the criteria for this fund (for example, your director is based outside England, or your project is a documentary), use our funding finder page to find relevant opportunities.
How much you can apply for
You can apply for funds from £5,000 to £25,000.
Demand for BFI NETWORK funding
Based on previous rounds, we expect to receive a very high number of applications to this fund, and we have a limited amount of funding available. In 2023, we received 1,161 applications and were only able to offer funding to 36 of these films.
Our detailed guidelines will help you and your team decide if this is the right funding route for your project, and give you details about how we assess applications, and the priorities that guide those difficult decisions about which projects we will support.
Working with BFI NETWORK
If your application is successful, along with the funding amount, your project will also receive support and creative oversight from a BFI NETWORK Talent Executive in the region where your director lives.
As well as working with you before and during production, the Talent Executives may be able to advise funded filmmakers on:
- finding screening opportunities regionally and further afield
- ways to meet potential collaborators for your project
- festival strategy for your project
- other means to gain industry exposure for your work
How to apply
The last round of this fund closed at midday on Thursday 9 May 2024. It’ll open again in Spring 2025.
You can still read the funding guidelines.
For more information on funding you can apply for and what support we provide, read our FAQs.
If you have any questions relating to this fund or your application, you can email bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk.
Audio guidelines
You can also listen to an audio version of the guidelines on Soundcloud.
Finding collaborators for your projects
If you are looking for a writer, director or producer to work with on your project, you can get in touch with your local BFI NETWORK team to see if they have any upcoming networking events.
Get help with your application
We are committed to making our funding accessible to all. If you have access requirements and need some support applying for funding, see access support for BFI funding applicants.
British Sign Language (BSL) introduction
An introduction to BFI NETWORK funding in England.
Alternative formats to introduce BFI NETWORK Short Film Funding
The resources below will give you a summary of information about the fund. They do not supersede the main funding guidelines. If you want to apply for BFI NETWORK England Short Film Funding, you must read the full guidelines.
Easy read introduction
This Easy Read Introduction is only a summary of information and does not supersede the main funding guidelines. If you want to apply for BFI NETWORK England Short Film Funding you must read the full guidelines.
Since the first National Lottery draw in 1994, ticket sales have funded more than 690,000 projects, raising more than £49 billion for good causes. If your project is funded by the National Lottery, you are required to publicly acknowledge this source of funding, thank National Lottery players, and communicate this effectively, particularly using elements of your project which are likely to engage a public audience. Find out more about where National Lottery funding goes.