With our funding, we are able to support the early careers of ambitious filmmakers, and take risks on talent, form and content, prioritising work that recognises the quality of difference – in perspective, in talent, in recruitment.

Updated process and guidelines for this year

Heads up - we’re doing things differently this round.

Doc Society is a delegate partner of the BFI in receipt of National Lottery funding, enabling us to award funding to, and to support, the UK documentary sector to fulfil the ambitions and objectives set out in the BFI’s outgoing strategy, BFI2022. As this strategy comes to an end [in April 2023, following an extension from April 2022 due to the pandemic], all the BFI’s funded partners are preparing to wind-down their BFI-funded activities.

To allow better access to our funding, we will be keeping the fund open through July, August and September, closing for funding for the year on 16th September. This will allow all the awards made by the fund to be contracted and deliverables to be ready by the 31st March 2023.

This means that, for example, that if you apply for support towards archive research for a film, this research will need to be completed and evidence of the work having been done sent to us by the 31st March 2023, even if your film will of course not be ready for some time after that.

The Fund will continue to support work at any stage of development, production or completion providing the work can be delivered by the 31st March 2023.

Rather than waiting until the fund is closed to start the decision making process, we will be assessing projects and making decisions while the fund is open. We anticipate high demand; therefore we advise you to apply when you are ready, and not wait until the closing date to apply.

We can support:

• Any stage - Development, Production, Completion
• First time filmmakers
• Hybrid forms
• Multi-platform

What we don’t fund:

• Filmed productions such as a theatre show, filmed sporting or music event
• Artist installation work
• Journalism
• Films intended primarily for broadcast television

To bear in mind:

• All films have to pass the cultural test to be eligible