4 British Funding programs dedicated to short films:

1. BFI Short Film Funding:

How does the programme work?

- The short film funding programme supports 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.
- This fund supports the production costs of fiction shorts, in both live action and
animation.
- They support the following:
- The early careers of ambitious filmmakers.
- Filmmaking that takes risks on talent, form and content.
- Work that recognises the quality of difference – in perspective, in talent, in
recruitment.
- Work with cultural relevance or progressive ideas.
- Work from filmmakers based throughout the nation, not just in traditional industry
centres.

How much funding do they award?

- They welcome applications for amounts throughout the available budget range up to
a maximum of £15,00.
- They seek applications for films of any length up to a maximum of 15 minutes.

What are the application criteria?

- Must be a maximum of 15 minutes long.

- Directors must be based in England.
- They support fiction shorts.
- They support standalone short films that have potential further down the line to be
developed into other forms or formats (e.g., a feature film).
- The short film fund opens twice a year in the Spring and Autumn.
- They publish the application dates six months in advance so that filmmakers can plan
their applications, polish their draft scripts and find collaborators in good time.

2. First Flights

How does the programme work?

- The short film fund allows emerging talent from around the world to test their ideas
before embarking on a feature film.
- The fund can act as a development platform to support short films as a proof of
concept for feature films.
- The find is intended for live action and documentary short films of any genre.
 - Awards will be given to projects which intend to be in production no more than six
months after the deadline closes.
- Awards provided are non-recoupable grants.

How much funding do they award?

- They grant up to £7,000.

- The funding is available towards the production costs of all scripted genres and
documentary short film content.

What are the application criteria?

- It must be a live action short film or documentary.

- It can be of any genre.
- Filmmakers get to have full creative control of the project but will receive support in
submitting the film to festivals and can offer distribution through our partnership
with streaming platform BirdBox.film.

3. Collabor8te

How does the programme work?

- Collabor8te welcomes submissions from writers with a variety of creative disciplines

and backgrounds.
- Writers may submit up to 2 scripts each.

How much funding do they awards?

- They grant up to £10,000 per film.

What are the application criteria?

- Scripts up to 15 pages.
- Writers can only submit 2 scripts.
- While collabor8te is keen to develop narrative films with strong stories and
characters.

4. ShortFLIX

How does the programme work?

- ShortFLIX is a short film initiative for aspiring new filmmakers aged 18-25 who are
not in full-time education, employment or training.
- They seek out ideas from creative, talented and ambitious young people that have
the potential to make great short films for broadcast on Sky Arts.
How much funding do they award?

- They offer a budget for up to £10,000 and a professional crew to make their film.

What are the application criteria?

- They are particularly interested in applications who may have had fewer
opportunities to get started in filmmaking, including those who are currently
underrepresented in the industry.
- No previous experience is required.
- ShortFLIX is led by creative England in partnership with Sky Arts and supported by
the ScreenSkills Film Skills Fund with contributions from UK film productions.