BFI Doc Society Fund Reader / Peer Reviewer Consultant

BFI Doc Society Fund Reader / Peer Reviewer Consultant

Location: Remote working. Applicants to this freelance consultant position may be based anywhere in the world.

Roles:

Doc Society seeks to appoint new freelance external readers and peer reviewers for the BFI Doc Society Features Fund and the short form film fund known as the Made of Truth Fund. Both funds support and nurture independent non-fiction film and immersive projects by UK filmmakers, prioritising expansive, director-led storytelling.

The BFI Doc Society Features Fund operates on a rolling application basis and will appoint one new external reader through to March 31st 2026, and three groups of three peer reviewers for the financial year beginning April 1st 2025 (9 in total). In addition, the Made of Truth Fund opens once a year for an open call and we want to appoint three new peer reviewers for the 2025 open call.

External readers are expected to provide the first assessment of applications submitted to the funds, while peer reviewers are expected to comment on applications that have progressed past this first stage. Both consultants operate in partnership with the BFI Doc Society team and their work contributes to the decision making process of each strand of funding, as set out in more detail below.

Equity and Inclusion:

We want Doc Society to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, to stay and to do their best work. Doc Society’s promotion of diversity and inclusion is clearly reflected in all of our documentaries and across all of our programmes. We are fully focused on equality and believe in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other characteristics that make us who we are. For this reason we strongly encourage applicants from under-represented groups.

MAIN PURPOSE OF POSITION

Working with the BFI Doc Society Fund team, the external readers and peer reviewers are an integral part of assessing applications to the BFI Doc Society Fund. Consultants are asked to give thorough consideration to the applications to be read, watch the material included and provide measured and considered feedback in line with the fund guidelines and core priorities, as amended from time to time and communicated to them.

BFI Doc Society Features Fund

External Reader Consultants

Once progressed from an expression of interest assessed by the BFI Doc Society team to a full application, projects are reviewed by two readers: an internal reader drawn from the Doc Society editorial team, including the Head of Fund and an external reader, to provide an informed external perspective. The external reader will read all full applications made to the BFI Doc Society Fund.

We are looking for 1 reader, appointed for a fixed term from January 2025 through to April 2026.

Peer Reviewers Consultants

If progressed to a shortlist, applications undergo a peer review process involving three peer reviewers. A peer reviewer will read and view all application materials and add their opinion on the project to the existing assessments, and the application will either be rejected at this stage or progressed to an interview and shortlist, from which final grantees will be selected.

We are looking for 9 peer reviewers, each appointed for a fixed term of 4 allocated and consecutive months (within the financial year April 1 2025-March 31 2026) to be agreed with Doc Society

Fees

The per application rate for reading and reviewing one application is £20. As the fund is a rolling fund, there is no minimum guarantee of a fixed number of applications requiring review. We anticipate receiving around 100 full applications over the course of one financial year. We cannot guarantee how many will require reviewing in any given period through that year. There is no minimum fee.

BFI Doc Society Made of Truth Fund

Consultant Peer Reviewers

Projects on the shortlist are shared with peer reviewers for their assessment, and consolidated into a list of projects to be interviewed. Final decisions are then made alongside the BFI committee.

We are looking for 3 Consultant Peer Reviewers, each appointed for a fixed term of no longer than 2 weeks.

Fees

Peer Reviewers will be paid a flat fee of £260 for reading and reviewing up to 20 applications.

Payment will be made in arrears, on submission of a valid invoice.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Assessing award applications and drafting review notes within the online portal
  • Drafting any feedback notes as requested

Are you the right candidate?

The successful candidate will have a demonstrable track record of working in film, content or other relevant digital media development, production and/or distribution, with strong communication skills and a commitment to the values and objectives of the BFI Doc Society fund

Essential skills & knowledge

  • Good knowledge of contemporary film, ideally in the documentary cinema field
  • Experience in either production, distribution, exhibition or criticism of cinema
  • Ability to sustain reading and viewing of varied quality applications in a short period of time
  • Good command of written and spoken English language (all applications and visual material will be in English language)
  • Strong communication skills

Desirable skills & knowledge

  • Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the UK documentary feature film ecosystem and market
  • Demonstrable understanding of the impact of successful and unsuccessful grant applications on film makers

This is not an entry level position - candidates should write about their professional experience in relation to the role and essential skills needed in their cover letter.

If your skills & experience fit the above requirements and you would like to take the next step, please provide a CV and covering letter via the following Airtable links below by Thursday 9th January 2025.

The short covering letter should reflect on your work experience and why you are suited to this role.

We would also appreciate you filling out our Equality Monitoring Form, which is anonymous, so we can better track who we are reaching.

How to apply

Applicants are requested to complete a brief online application alongside their CV and a cover letter (maximum 1 page).

The closing date for applications is Thursday 9th January 2025 at 1pm BST.

To apply, please follow this link:

https://airtable.com/appE2pEMwvYMGW73B/shr5u1ib1mFzhMzCp

and complete the Equality Monitoring form included in the application.

About DOC SOCIETY

We are an innovative non-profit organisation founded in 2005 that works with the most inspiring independent documentary filmmakers all over the world. We are a team of around 20 people working from offices in London and New York.

For more information about the BFI Doc Society Funds visit our website https://bfi.docsociety.org/

Our mission:

We bring people together to unleash the transformational power of documentary film. We stand in solidarity with filmmakers and work to unite them with new friends and allies, building new models globally. We aim to innovate, share and innovate again.

A commitment to anti-racism, economic justice and climate justice is embedded in all we do and how we do it.

Our driving principle:

Great documentaries enrich the lives of individuals. They have a unique ability to engage and connect people, transform communities and improve societies.