You can also listen to the guidelines.

1. Overview

BFI NETWORK is a collaboration between the BFI, national film organisations and leading cultural venues around the UK. You can find more information about the partners that make up BFI NETWORK on our funding finder page. You can also find the projects that have been funded by BFI NETWORK.

BFI NETWORK England short film funding supports projects with directors based in England and is run in partnership with the five English Film Hubs. The Hubs employ BFI NETWORK Talent Executives who review applications and work with filmmakers on their funded projects. This England-wide partnership means that more voices in more places can contribute to distinctive, original storytelling. The Talent Executives also run activities in support of our funds. In previous years this has included roundtables, one-to-one’s, online workshops, and webinars. If you want to find out more about the opportunities in your region, you should connect with your local talent team.

BFI NETWORK England short film funding supports fiction shorts, in live action, animation and immersive/VR. We will use the word ‘film’ or ‘project’ in these guidelines to cover all of these. Awards will be made to standalone projects, including those that have the potential to be developed into longer form or serial form in the future.

As the funding is intended to stimulate new ideas and stories, you cannot apply with an adaptation of existing material, unless the writer is adapting their own work for the screen and has secured the right to do so.

You can apply for funds from £5,000 to £25,000.

Aims of the funding

All projects funded by BFI NETWORK must address some of the following aims, which are also detailed in the stated principles and outcomes of the BFI National Lottery strategy:

Equity, diversity and inclusion - People from under-represented groups across the UK access the support they need to develop their careers and skills.

Projects should address under-representation in perspective and representation, talent and recruitment, agency and opportunities, widening the range of voices and audiences served.
Impact and audience - People across the UK access a wider choice of film and the moving image, including stories that reflect their lives.

We will prioritise projects that have a strong cultural or progressive impact for audiences.
Talent development and progression - Creative talent is supported and nurtured, as they emerge and throughout their careers and more people understand how to express their creativity through stories on screen.

The funding supports early career filmmakers (producers, writers, and directors) and projects with a reasonable proportion of early career cast and crew.
Creative risk - People are better enabled to innovate and experiment creatively; a wider range of stories on screen are told that otherwise would not be.

The funding supports projects that take creative risks.
UK-wide - Everyone across the UK should be able to experience and create the widest range of screen culture. They should feel the benefits from the screen sector in terms of jobs and growth too.

The funding will enable an increase in the number of projects and filmmakers outside London and the South East, looking at location and representation.
Environmental sustainability - Screen organisations significantly reduce their carbon footprint.

We will prioritise projects that address sustainability, both creatively and practically

If you’d like support when making your application, you can find information at access support for BFI fund applicants.

2. Check if you’re eligible

All applications for funding must be submitted by your project’s lead producer who will be the main contact for the BFI. The email address used to create the BFI account and application must belong to the lead producer. If your application is successful, the award will be made to the producer, or their production company, who will own the rights in the completed project.

The producer role is an integral part of the creative process, and our funding is designed to offer as many opportunities across the UK for emerging filmmakers across the roles of writer, director, and producer as possible. We want to ensure directors and producers can fully focus on their specific role on the project, which will help the project and the team to reach their full creative potential.

We’re unable to offer bespoke matchmaking between filmmakers and producers due to the volume of requests we receive and the very specific nature of this relationship but some of our delivery partners have put together some useful resources to help with finding collaborators.

The producer does not need to be in the same region as the writer or director and can be based anywhere in the UK.

You can also connect with your local talent team who may organise regional networking events and producer labs which can highlight exciting new producers coming through in your local area.

You’ll need to check the proposed first day of principal photography for your project allows enough time for BFI NETWORK to assess the application and, if successful, for the legal paperwork required to be completed.

Eligibility of applicant (lead producer)

The lead producer must:

be a UK resident
be the project’s dedicated lead producer and not the director of the project, although they can be the writer
ensure that their production company (if applicable) is registered and centrally managed in the UK

If applying through a production company, the lead producer must be any of the following:

registered as a director of the company
a permanent employee of the company
formally paired with the company as part of a BFI NETWORK Talent Lab

Eligibility of filmmaking team

Your team must be made up of at least two people across the three creative roles of writer, producer, and director (director-producers are not eligible to apply).

All team members need to be fully available to carry out their role and not take on potentially conflicting roles on the same project.

All team members must:

be over 18
be able to demonstrate a creative track record – this could be in film, television, documentary, theatre or other art forms, and can be student work or work created at a grassroots level without commercial or institutional funding
have finished full-time education before the proposed start date of the project
any student work will need to be fully completed before the proposed start date of the project meaning course materials, final projects and/or dissertations have been submitted, all examinations are complete, and you will not be entering a further year of study.

Eligibility of the director

Along with the requirements for all team members, the director or writer-director for your project must also:

be resident in England
not have directed a fiction feature film that has received UK distribution in the last 5 years unless they have self-financed and/or self-distributed the work themselves.
not have directed more than one BFI NETWORK England short film

If the director has previously directed a BFI NETWORK England short film, then there must be clear career and creative progression outlined in the application for a second BFI NETWORK short film.

Eligibility of the writer

The writer can be based anywhere in the UK.

The writer and director can be the same person, as can the writer and producer. When working across two roles, the eligibility for both roles must be met by the individual (i.e. a writer-director must be a resident in England).

Eligibility of co-writers, co-directors and co-producers

If your team includes co-directors, they must meet the full eligibility of the role.

As long as the main writer and producer live in the UK, co-producers and co-writers on the project can be based outside the UK providing they meet all other eligibility.

Applying with more than one project

Directors, writer-directors and writers (and co-writers and co-directors) may only be attached to a single application per round.

Producers can be attached to up to two applications, as long as they’re the producer of both.

Writer-producers can be attached to up to two applications, as long as they’re a writer-producer for one, and producer for the other.

Members of the core team are allowed to take on crew or ‘below the line’ roles other than writer, writer-director or producer on additional projects.

If a writer, director and/or producer is involved in other applications that are seeking funds (or have secured funds) from the BFI (including BFI NETWORK) you should let us know in your application.

Eligibility of your project

We welcome applications for projects of different lengths but encourage applicants to carefully consider their level of experience when planning the scale of their project. Filmmakers new to narrative fiction storytelling should apply with shorter scripts, or equivalent document for immersive/VR or animation such as a storyboard.

All projects submitted to this fund must:

clearly engage with the aims of this funding
be a standalone fiction short film in live action, animation or immersive/VR
have a scheduled first day of production for your project that allows enough time for BFI NETWORK to assess the application and, if successful, for the legal paperwork required to be completed
be original to your writer, and not an adaptation of third-party existing material
not be a biopic (based primarily on the lives of one or more real individuals) or documentary, or be focussed on another art form such as literature, dance or poetry on film, opera or artists’ moving image
have a script, or equivalent document, of no longer than 16 pages including the title page (newer filmmakers should consider applying with shorter scripts)
have an intended length of up to 15 minutes, including credits (a typical page of dialogue will roughly equal a minute of on-screen time)
be capable of obtaining a BBFC certificate that is no more restrictive than BBFC ‘18’
- VR or immersive projects (which are not subject to BBFC certification), must be capable of meeting an 18 or equivalent rating if the content was to be presented within a traditional short film format
be capable of qualifying for certification as a British film (your own assessment of your project as being capable of qualifying for certification does not mean that it will necessarily pass
- if you need advice as to whether your project is capable of qualifying, contact certifications@bfi.org.uk before applying
have secured, or have a contractual right to secure, certain necessary rights to complete the project including the following:
the rights (including any underlying rights) in the idea you are proposing
- this includes use of any necessary archive or journalistic material or, the right to adapt an existing work created by your writer (but not works created by an unrelated third party as that would be ineligible)
- you’ll be required to provide proof of securing all such rights prior to any funding offer or payment of any award from the BFI
be able to clear all third-party rights, including the music for your project, for use throughout the world, in perpetuity, before it becomes part of your script, or is included in the project (this is to ensure that you do not infringe any third-party rights whenever or wherever you show the film)
not have commenced or finished principal photography or be in post-production

Get in touch with the team if you’re unsure if you are eligible for this funding by emailing bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk.

3. How much you can apply for

You can apply for funding from £5,000 to £25,000.

Most of our funded filmmakers don’t receive the maximum award of £25,000. We encourage applicants to carefully consider their level of experience when deciding the scale of project and the amount of funding to apply for. If you are working with a new director, i.e. if they are moving into filmmaking from a different medium for example, theatre, or if they haven’t yet directed a fiction short film you should consider applying for a lower amount with a shorter script.

Co-finance

You do not have to raise additional finance for your project, if you are able to make it with the amount of funding you are requesting from the BFI.

Where funding from third parties, in addition to the amount you have requested from the BFI, is required to make your project we consider the following are acceptable levels of co-finance:

Amount of funding you’re asking for	Percentage of overall budget
£5,000 to £20,000	40%
£20,000 to £25,000	30%

If you want to raise additional finance but haven’t yet done so when you apply, you’ll have to show us you have an achievable plan for securing these funds. We do not consider a UK tax credit loan as third-party funding.

If we recommend your application for funding, we’ll be in touch with a date by which any co-finance must be raised.

4. What you can use the funding for

Costs we can support

Your budget should be created using industry norms and market rates and contain provision for the following:

all costs you expect to incur in order to complete and deliver the film
the costs of clearance of all rights (including music) in the project worldwide in all media in perpetuity on a full buy-out basis (save only for PRS payments for music)
working with environmentally sustainable suppliers throughout all stages of production (you can look at BAFTA albert’s list of sustainable suppliers)
- when preparing your budget, consider how you will account for specific elements of sustainable production practice — this could include:
  - sourcing renewable energy
  - increasing travel by train and other public or shared transport
  - catering using local, seasonal ingredients
  - using different and less environmentally impactful materials
  - choosing more sustainable solutions for digital storage and post-production
crew payments at least in line with the London Living Wage (or equivalent) with parity across grades and across departments
cast payments, at least in line with equity minimum (including any cast buy-out fees)
a fee for your film’s producer, director and writer (including writer-directors and writer-producers).
- this fee should at least be in line with other Heads of Department (HODs) on the project, or in line with cast and crew wages for shoot days
- this is the minimum requirement, but you can include higher fees
- fees cannot be waived or deferred
adequate unit publicity, stills and footage
reasonable external legal fees to cover the costs of your production legal services, including in relation to clearing all third-party rights, noting that for successful applicants the BFI will supply a pack of template agreements (covering the writer, director, individual producer, cast, crew, locations, music composer) for use on your project
all customary production insurances on which the BFI must be named as a loss payee
all delivery materials required by the BFI including enhanced access materials — check the summary of delivery materials we expect
a minimum 10% contingency to cover any unforeseen costs
sufficient allowance for accounting and audit costs including those related to the final audit and, if you intend to apply for UK tax credit for this production
up to £500 towards the costs of festival submissions or equivalent exhibition opportunities for the completed work
any other requirements of funding detailed within these guidelines

Access support costs

If any members of your core team, cast and/or crew have access requirements that mean there will be additional costs during the production of your project, you can include these on the Access Budget tab of the budget template provided. We define access support as specific help required by people who are disabled or have a physical and/or mental health condition, which will result in a verifiable additional cash cost to your production budget. This might include:

a BSL interpreter to work with members of cast or crew;
additional transport or accommodation costs for disabled team members;
fee for the personal assistant of a team member who requires assistance during the production
extra shooting time due to the need for regular breaks in filming

If you’re asking for the maximum award amount (£25,000), you can still apply for access costs on top of this if you need to.

Costs we cannot support

We cannot provide funding for:

core costs for day-to-day running of your production company which are not associated with the film
activity that is already specifically supported by another external source of funding
costs incurred prior to an offer of funding from the BFI

This list is not exhaustive, and we may inform you that other types of activity identified in your application may not be included in your production budget.

Budget spreadsheet

As part of your application, you’ll need to fill out a budget spreadsheet.

Not all cost types will be relevant to your project, and you only need to include estimated amounts for costs you think you’ll need to cover while making your film at this stage.

You can include contributions ‘in kind’, for example, of resources, locations or time – these should be clearly identified as such in your budget.

We encourage you to be economical when creating your budget, but we need to ensure that the projects we support are produced in accordance with all applicable UK laws, including in relation to cast and crew payments. You will need to demonstrate that cast and crew are being fairly paid.

If you’re unsure of how to use the spreadsheet or have any questions about your budget, contact your local hub or email bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk.

BFI NETWORK production budget templateMicrosoft Office - OOXML - Spreadsheet121 KB

5. What your project needs to achieve

Key Performance Indicators

The BFI will measure the success of BFI NETWORK England short film funding using the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

number of projects supported – 25
number of applications received – 600
applications received from outside of London and the South East (in terms of director location) – 50%
funded projects completing carbon footprinting – 100%
funded projects taking part in dedicated training in environmental sustainability for film – 90%

Equity, diversity and inclusion

All projects supported by our funding should address the BFI Diversity Standards for film.

You’ll need to show how your project meaningfully tackles under-representation in relation to disability, gender, race, age, sexual orientation and socio-economic status, while also considering the interactions of these identities and any other barriers to opportunity. If successful, you’ll need to evaluate and report on how you’ve delivered against the aims of the Diversity Standards in practice.

Your project will contribute towards achieving our inclusion targets for writers, directors and producers which are:

disabled (including those with a longstanding physical or mental condition and those identifying as D/deaf or neurodiverse) – 18%
Black and Global Majority (London) – 40%
Black and Global Majority (outside London) – 30%
Gender balance – of those identifying within the gender binary (also monitoring trans and non-binary identities) – 50%
sexual identity (those identifying as LGBTQIA+) – 10%
working-class background – 39%

UK-wide

Everyone across the UK should be able to experience and create the widest range of screen culture. They should feel the benefits from the screen sector in terms of jobs and growth too. BFI NETWORK is a UK wide initiative to ensure that new and emerging filmmakers throughout the UK are supported.

Environmental sustainability

We ask all applicants to outline how environmental sustainability principles will be embedded into their production from development stage onwards. This includes reducing carbon emissions as much as possible, minimising negative impacts, and maximising environmental benefits.

Key areas to address in your planning and application: energy, transport, food, materials use, biodiversity, and influencing change.

Funded projects are required to:

have at least one of the creative team (writer, director, producer) complete a relevant BAFTA albert academy workshop. We also recommend that relevant crew members take BAFTA albert training to strengthen your team’s sustainability efforts
complete carbon footprinting via BAFTA albert, which should be started in pre-production

Additionally, you may choose to apply for BAFTA albert certification by creating a Carbon Action Plan. This formally recognises that you have taken action to produce your project in a more sustainable way.

The BFI will signpost you to a range of tools, resources, and training to support you in making your BFI-backed production more sustainable.

6. How to apply

We can only make awards to projects that have been submitted to us through the online application process. This means that we cannot accept, or read, application materials submitted by any means other than the online application portal.

You will need to create an account to make your application online. You can save your application and return to it later, but we strongly encourage you to keep an offline copy of your application in case of any technical issues.

Make sure you complete all the sections in full as incomplete applications will be automatically ineligible and declined.

Access a PDF preview of the application form:

Application Form Preview - BFI NETWORK England Short Film Fund.pdfPDF401 KB

Information you’ll need to provide

In the application you’ll need to complete the following sections:

Lead contact and organisation details

Contact details of the lead producer making the application along with their organisation details if they are applying as a company.

Team information

details of the individual producer(s), writer(s) and director(s) or writer/director(s), including their key credits and relevant career history
one example piece of previous work from your writer, director and producer. The viewing links must be provided with any applicable passwords and set to not expire during the assessment period and which we can view without needing a subscription or a login
- we may decide not to review all of these before making a decision
- you should provide some brief context as to why you’ve included each link: for example, the work is similar in tone to that of the proposed project, or perhaps you learnt something specific from making the film, or encountered a challenge that you’d like to address on your next film.

Project information

your project’s title or working title
proposed pre-production dates
proposed principal photography dates
story outline – up to 500 words that explains the full storyline, including reveals and ending
directors statement explaining their creative vision for the film (written or video statement) – 500 words
statement about the audiences you want to reach with your film and the impact you want it to have (written or video statement) – 500 words
career progression — how this funding would benefit your team’s careers (written or video statement) – 300 words
production proposal (written or video statement) — 200 words
UK-wide and/or regional impact — details of where work will take place on your film and how it will represent and benefit people in this region and beyond – 300 words
environmental sustainability — how it is addressed in your story (if applicable) and how you will apply environmental sustainability principles in the production of your project – 300 words
details of any previous funding you have applied for from the BFI, including BFI NETWORK or any applications you are waiting to hear back on

Supporting materials

Optional links to materials expressing your ideas for your project for, for example:

mood board or taster reel
production design
images

We strongly encourage you to include something that will give us an understanding of your director’s visual ideas for the film.

Finance and budget

This section will ask for:

the amount of funding you are seeking from the BFI
the total cost of the project
any access costs you want to apply for
your case for National Lottery good cause support
details of any other finance you have secured, or will need to secure, in order to make your project

BFI Diversity Standards

This section asks you to describe how your project responds to the BFI Diversity Standards for film.

Documents you’ll need to attach

At the end of the form, you’ll need to attach:

a completed production budget using our template which includes:
the full budget for your project
- a finance plan showing any additional finance you intend to raise for your project
the full script (not a treatment or outline) for your project in standard industry format, submitted as a PDF or Word doc and dated on the front page.
- if your project has a format that doesn’t lend itself to regular script presentation (for example, animation, immersive, XR or VR), or you have an alternative mode of expression you would like to use (for example, because you’re neurodivergent and work more visually), you can submit your ideas in your preferred medium
- for example, applications for an animated short may submit a storyboard instead of a script
proof of address for your director or writer-director
- this should be in the form of a bank statement, utility bill or other official document dated in the past three months, showing their name and address
- personal details (such as bank details) other than the name and address of the director or writer-director should be redacted
any other materials relevant to the project, if you’ve not provided links in the previous section

Equality monitoring

You’ll be asked to complete an equality monitoring form when you submit your application. This collects data to help measure how effective the BFI is in attracting a diverse range of applicants for funding. It requests information about the writers, directors and producers on your project. When filling it in, you can select ‘prefer not to say’ if you’d rather not share the information requested.

The data you submit on this form will be confidential and anonymous. It will not be available to anyone assessing your application.

We cannot assess your application until you have completed the equality monitoring form.

If you have any questions when completing the application form, please contact us on bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk

Start your application

7. What happens after you apply

We’ll send you confirmation that we have received your application within five working days. If you have not received an email from us within five working days (and have checked in your junk folder for it), please email bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk

Eligibility checks

We will check that:

your application has been submitted by the project’s lead producer
there are at least two individuals across the roles of writer, director and producer
all core team members are UK residents, and the director is based in England
you are only attached to a maximum of two applications and in the role of producer on both or one in the role of writer-producer and one application as a producer.
your director and writer or writer-director are only attached to one application in this funding round
your project’s estimated length is no more than 15 minutes
your project is not an adaptation of an existing piece of work which was written by someone other than your writer
you’re applying for £5,000 to £25,000 (excluding any access costs)

If your application passes our initial eligibility checks

You’ll be sent:

an email letting you know that your application will be moved on to the first step of the assessment process
a unique ID number for your application

If your application is ineligible

We’ll let you know via email that we cannot consider it for funding.

If you’ve made a mistake in your application, and that’s the only reason it’s ineligible, we may give you the opportunity to correct it.

Updating an application

If you have updates to the project or information after submitting your application, we may be able to include these on your application if you email bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk. However, we cannot guarantee the application will not have been assessed when you get in touch, and we won’t have the capacity to reread an application.

We’re not able to accept any changes to the key creative team members (writer, director or producer) at any stage following the submission of an application.

For projects that need to change a member of the key creative team after an application has been submitted, or approved by the BFI Grant & Lottery Finance Committee, you must withdraw the application and seek approval from your Talent Executive to resubmit in a future funding round.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed against how well it meets the aims for the funding. We will also consider the following assessment criteria:

the ambition and strength of the project proposal and its script (or other submitted materials)
how the story will connect with audiences
the strength of the project team
the strength of the case made for the potential career impact of the project for the filmmaking team
the feasibility of the budget, its value for money and whether the project as described in the application requires the amount of money requested from the BFI
your demonstration of need for National Lottery funding. Our funding is not intended to substitute or replace existing or commercial funding or other income that would or might otherwise be available, or to fund activity that can be achieved without our funding. National Lottery funds can only be awarded to applicants who demonstrate a compelling case for National Lottery support and a clear public benefit from the activity being funded
the overall balance of projects receiving support, to ensure variety in the nature of the projects funded by the BFI

If you’ve received National Lottery funding before

When assessing applications, we will also take into account previous National Lottery awards received by the applicant producer and their team.

We will not generally prioritise applications from producers who have received more than 4 formal offers of BFI NETWORK National Lottery funding for short film production or early development within the last 5 years.

Such applicants will need to demonstrate exceptional engagement with our core priorities including through presenting a case for significant talent progression and wider industry impact, in order for us to consider making a further award to the same applicant in respect of another project.

When you’ll hear from us

As the regional hubs all handle a different number of applications, the assessment process can vary in length, and the assessment steps may not happen at the same time across the different regions.

If we receive exceptionally high numbers of applications, if we are waiting for you to give us more information or if there are other circumstances out of our control the assessment period may be extended.

We will keep you updated on timeframes.

In the event the assessment period is extended for whatever reason, the proposed start date of principal photography of the film should be extended accordingly.

If we contact you at any stage of the assessment process to discuss your project, including requests to update documents or information or fix broken links, this doesn’t mean any commitment has been made to fund your project.

Assessment process

Eligible applications will be assessed in steps against the assessment criteria:

A minimum of two different people will review each project:

a BFI NETWORK Talent Executive or BFINETWORK team member
an independent external reader
- external readers are recruited via an open call application process. They are from a wide range of backgrounds, and collectively bring a wealth of industry experience to the role
- our current pool of readers have experience spanning script development and consultancy, talent development, production, and writing. We also have readers with a specific interest and expertise across animation and VR / XR.

At any stage of the assessment process, we may also share parts of your application with other BFI teams, or other external consultants, to help with our assessment.

All non-BFI staff assisting with assessment are required to maintain confidentiality regarding the contents of your application and agree not to retain application materials after their review.

Step one – initial assessment and regional longlisting

Talent Executives or BFI NETWORK staff will review:

your script
your full application form
up to 15 minutes of your director’s previous work
any supporting materials provided

External readers will review:

your script
CV summaries for your producer, writer and director
your project’s story outline
your director’s creative vision for the film

External readers may also review:

other sections of the application form
some of your team’s previous work
any supporting materials provided

The BFI NETWORK Talent Executive or staff member will only review budgets, and the previous work of the other team members for projects they are considering progressing to the further steps of assessment.

Projects that are considered to have responded most successfully to the aims of the funding and the wider assessment criteria will go on a longlist to progress to step two.

Applicants that are not on the longlist are notified in writing that they have been unsuccessful.

Step two – regional shortlisting

Talent Executives in each region will share the projects that they are considering progressing with the central BFI NETWORK team and Talent Executives in other regions to ensure variety in the nature of the projects proposed for support. Each region creates a shortlist of projects.

Applicants that are not on the shortlist are notified in writing that they have been unsuccessful.

Step three – regional interviews

The shortlisted teams are invited to interview with the Talent Executive(s) in their director’s region to discuss their project.

All interviewed teams are informed in writing that their application is either being recommended for formal approval at the BFI Grant & Lottery Finance Committee (the final step in the assessment process), or that it has been unsuccessful.

Step four – due diligence checks

The BFI NETWORK Talent Executive(s) in the director’s region will contact you to let you know that we plan to recommend your project for funding to the BFI Grant & Lottery Finance Committee. Depending on your shoot dates, the BFI Grant & Lottery Finance Committee date might be some time after we have let you know that we are intending to make a recommendation. There may need to be a further meeting with the project’s producer to discuss the project.

The BFI must then carry out due diligence checks on the application and will undertake the following:

review the application to check if the project and team still meet all of the fund eligibility criteria
request the bank details of the lead applicant, their personal address and date of birth. We will use this data to run an identity check (this isn’t a credit check and will not affect the ability to receive credit from other organisations)
if the producer is applying under a production company, we’ll also request the personal address and date of birth of the CEO or Managing Director of the organisation. We use this data to run an identity check (this isn’t a credit check and will not affect the ability of the CEO or Managing Director to receive credit from other organisations)

We will be unable to progress your application further until we have received these details from you and completed our due diligence checks.

Step five - BFI Grant & Lottery Finance Committee (G/LFC)

To ensure our recommendations to the G/LFC are as strong as possible, we need your project to be as close to finalised as possible. For this reason, we will not present your project to them until around 8 weeks before your shoot dates. This means, depending on your shoot dates, that there may be some time between us letting you know that we intend to recommend your project for funding and formally approving it. We cannot ask G/LFC to approve projects less than 6 weeks before your first day of principal photography as this time is needed for your pre-production and for us to finalise legal paperwork.

To ensure we have all the information needed for the G/LFC paperwork, you will need to send the Talent Executive(s) in your director’s region:

a final budget – after reviewing your budget, we may request that you amend specific lines and/or allocations before we make a final funding recommendation and may offer you a different amount to the one you’ve requested
the production schedule for the project
the applicable draft funding agreements or other evidence of commitments related to any co-finance you have secured

Once we have received all of the information from you, the BFI NETWORK team will finalise the paperwork.

If we have not received the necessary information within 12 months of the closing date of the funding call, we will decline your application at this stage unless there are extenuating circumstances.

8. Getting a decision

The BFI Grant & Lottery Finance Committee will approve or decline the recommendations made by the BFI NETWORK team.

Applicants of projects that have been recommended to the G/LFC are notified in writing that they have either been approved or declined.

The decision of BFI as to whether it wishes to support your application is final.

If you’re unsuccessful

We may have turned down your application because we determined that your proposal:

did not sufficiently meet our core priorities, including in relation to engagement with the BFI Diversity Standards
was too ambitious for the budget
did not demonstrate enough relevant experience
was not yet developed enough
did not demonstrate sufficient need for National Lottery support and should be financed by other means

Due to the limited amount of funding available, we have to decline the majority of applications, including those with evidenced potential and even some that meet the aims of the funding. We understand that this is disappointing, and we try to communicate this carefully, but it’s also important to emphasise for all applicants ahead of submission.

Feedback

We want to give as much feedback as possible, but we also must find a balance with what is manageable in responding to applicants with the resources we have.

Unless you opt out of receiving feedback, we will at a minimum, let you know the assessment criteria which we felt could have been improved on in your application.

Feedback is given in the spirit of constructive comment and owing to the high level of applications we receive we will not be able to enter into dialogue about the project and its further development.

We will keep the data and supporting materials you sent to us in line with our records retention policy.

Resubmissions

If your application has been declined, this usually means you can’t resubmit it for future rounds of the fund. We may allow you to resubmit a project if:

the original application was voluntarily withdrawn before a decision was made
there is a significant change to your previous proposal. This would usually be a change of director or a significant rewrite of the material.
the producer has changed on your project, in which case they will need to evidence all of the necessary rights have been cleared, and that a clean chain of title can be provided before it can be resubmitted.

If you’re resubmitting a project, you’ll need to contact the Talent Executives in the region where your director lives for their approval before you apply again with the same idea.

If given approval to resubmit an application, you should clearly identify the revised elements of the project in the new application.

If you’re successful

Following formal approval (step five) for your project, we will contact you to let you know your funding has been approved.

We’ll need to agree the following with you:

final production calendar and schedule
confirmation of certain specifications for your project such as confirmed HODs, cast, delivery format & length (or equivalent alternatives for animation and/or immersive/VR projects, where applicable)

This will form part of your production finance (PFA) agreement with the BFI. The PFA is a legal document that explains, among other things, how:

you’ll receive the funding
you must use it
we expect you to report to us

We may request a further meeting with you before we issue the PFA agreement. Once issued the PFA must be returned it to the BFI within 14 days, or sooner if required in relation to commencement of shoot dates.

In the event that you do not provide the BFI with the necessary information to issue the PFA within 12 months of the closing date of the funding call, or if the PFA is not signed within 14 days, the BFI shall be entitled to review its intention to invest in your project.

BFI National Lottery funding is project-based, time-limited funding, and as such, there should be no expectation of ongoing support beyond the term of any award made. In exceptional circumstances however, such as when a film encounters unexpected challenges during production, we may offer to provide additional production funding, subject to approval by the BFI Grant & Lottery Finance Committee. If we do identify a need for additional funding, and we have sufficient funds available, then we will ask you to make a short additional application to us for the amount required.

We welcome your feedback on the application process and how we might improve it at bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk.

9. Conditions of funding

If your application for funding is successful then, in addition to the General Conditions of National Lottery Funding, the following conditions will apply to your award. These will be set out in more detail in your production finance agreement (PFA).

The award will take the form of a non-recoupable grant.
You will be required to include specified credits (for BFI NETWORK, our Film Hub partners and the National Lottery) in the opening and closing credits for the project.
A Talent Executive in your director’s region will provide creative input and oversight of your project and will be your main point of contact as you produce your project.
You will be expected to take part in training and professional development events as part of your award.
A legal undertaking by you that the work being funded is wholly original to you and your team and that all third-party materials incorporated in the project are cleared, or capable of being cleared, for use in the project throughout the world, in all media in perpetuity. You will need to provide evidence of such (for example, writer and director agreements) before we advance any funding. Where chain of title documentation is in a language other than English, you will be required to provide a certified English translation. You will be required to clear worldwide rights in all media in perpetuity from all individuals or organisations who are contributing to, or whose material is to be featured in, the project (save only for music public performance rights).
You will not have allowed and nor will allow the creation of any type of charge, third party security, interest or other arrangement of any kind with any creditor in respect of the project, the copyright and/or the delivery materials, other than as set out in the PFA.
The BFI will require certain approvals over your project including approval over all key production and financial documentation prepared in relation to the project. You will be required to obtain approval from BFI of the following elements before the release of any BFI funding to you:
1. final script
2. all main production elements including key crew, key casting and final credits
If applying as a company, a fully executed inducement letter from the lead producer (and company director if lead producer is an employee) using a template that we will provide to you
Evidence that any other finance required to meet your final budget has been secured, including copies of the BFI pre-approved fully executed agreements under which such other finance has been provided
A risk assessment for the project
Copies of all production insurance policies for the project naming the BFI as a loss payee and confirmation that the applicable premiums are within the budget
The BFI will have rights of approval during the production of the project and a right of approval over each cut of the film.
The BFI will take rights as outlined in point 12 below. The BFI normally agrees to delay its entitlement to exercise these rights to allow a period of festival exhibition for the project and will be designed to maximise audiences for your work. We will agree a release strategy with you that takes in both festival and online exhibition.
You will be required to provide a permanent, non-exclusive license to the BFI to copy, reproduce and / or exhibit the project: (a) non-theatrically including, without limitation, in educational establishments (including the BFI Mediatheque) or online on the BFI websites (including BFI Player) throughout the world; and (b) the right to use clips from the project for promotional purposes in relation to the project or in relation to promoting BFI National Lottery funding. The BFI will own the delivery materials provided to us and may choose to deposit, preserve and permit access to such materials through standard terms applied by the BFI National Archive.
A delivery date by which you agree to complete your project and submit the required delivery materials to us. We require all projects supported to be completed and delivered by the delivery date agreed in their PFA, and in all circumstances, no more than 12 months after signature of their PFA.
A cashflow that breaks down the award total into instalments, with the final payment being subject to submission to us of the delivery materials. The majority of the award is generally paid by way of an initial instalment (for example, of 90%), with a final instalment of the balance being paid upon receipt by us of all required delivery materials. Any underspend on the award will be retained by, or reimbursed to, the BFI.
You will be required to ensure that your project is produced in accordance with the requirements of all unions and guilds having jurisdiction and with all applicable laws and statutes.
The requirement for the Producer to adhere to and promote the set of principles aimed at tackling and preventing bullying, harassment and racism in the screen industries commissioned by the BFI and partner organisations. This entails taking active steps to help tackle and prevent bullying, harassment and racism in the screen industries and, in particular, in connection with the funded project.
A requirement to undertake BAFTA albert carbon footprinting for the project, in both pre- and post-production.
Where relevant to your cast and crew, you will need to adopt safeguarding provisions for protecting children and vulnerable adults.
An undertaking from you to deliver against the plans made by you in relation to the BFI Diversity Standards. Failure to deliver against those undertakings without good cause may affect your ability to receive future project funding from the BFI.
You will be required to ensure that any agreement for the distribution of your production in the UK provides for the availability of soft-subtitling and audio-description materials in cinemas and on any video-on-demand, DVD or Blu-ray disc release of the production.
VAT is not payable on any BFI NETWORK England Short Film Funding awards. The total grant funding supplied through the BFI award is outside the scope of VAT and the BFI award is fully inclusive of any and all taxes that may be payable in connection with the granting, receipt or use of the BFI award. Producers receiving BFI funding will need to deduct any such taxes out of the BFI award and in no circumstances will the BFI be required to pay any additional sums in respect of such taxes.
Any third party funding must be secured in advance of the BFI’s final approval of funding via its Grant & Lottery Finance Committee. No work will commence on the film until said third party funding is secured and its terms and conditions are approved by BFI, and we have confirmed that all other pre-conditions to our award have been met.
The BFI will not advance any funding until you have signed the PFA and have complied with the conditions of funding above and as further particularised in the PFA.

10. List of delivery materials for funded projects

We are committed to ensuring that the cinema experience is open to all, especially to disabled audience members. It is therefore a requirement of our funding that the film is delivered with subtitles and audio description, and that the availability of these materials is publicised, and they are made available in time for any screenings of the film.

The cost of the following delivery materials for funded projects must be contained in the production budget for your project.

A more detailed list of delivery materials will be provided to projects that receive BFI NETWORK funding.

Film and video materials (for live action and animation projects)

an Unencrypted SMPTE DCP
a Pro Res 4444 or XQ QuickTime (.mov) file
a H264 .mov or .mp4 file
a Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM)

If your project is immersive/VR, we will discuss your specific materials delivery requirements with you at the point of issuing you a funding agreement.

Enhanced access materials

We’re committed to ensuring that the cinema experience is open to all, especially to disabled audience members. Our funding requires that your film is delivered with subtitles and audio description and that:

the availability of these materials is publicised
they are made available in time for any screenings of the film

You’ll need to include both:

open captions (English)
audio description (AD) track

You should factor the creation of these materials into your production timeline and ensure you’ve budgeted for them.

Cost estimates for this work can vary considerably so it is important to shop around as early as possible.

Publicity materials

a selection of approved publicity stills
a selection of ‘Behind the Scenes’ stills taken from the film
film and team written information

Documentation

a Final Cost Report
a Release Plan
a BAFTA albert carbon calculator report – comprised of pre- and post-production calculations – submitted via the albert website
PDF copies of all clearance agreements including Artists Agreement(s), Director and Writer Agreement, Contributors’ Agreements (to include at a minimum all Heads of Department: DOP, Sound Recordist, Editor, Art Director/Production Designer, Sound Designer (if applicable)), Music Contributors Agreement, along with a copy of the music cue sheet, and any other clearance documentation required to clear all rights in the project.
an equality monitoring report submitted online – this will request information on the contributors to your project and will be used to measure success against the BFI Diversity Standards

Applying for BFI NETWORK England short film funding

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