British Creatives

The BFI Doc Society Fund opens again in September.

So, something rather amazing has happened to Doc Society. We’ve been given the incredible opportunity to lead the UK’s national documentary film funds for the next few years! It is a huge privilege and a weighty responsibility. It is also a dream come true for us. Huge thanks to all the filmmakers and partner organisations who supported our application and to the BFI for putting their trust in us.

The BFI Doc Society Fund aims to develop storytellers from all parts of the country and all communities, backing feature projects with bold cultural and social ambitions.

The Fund will encourage talent to take risks on form and content, where the more commercial sector cannot. We heart the cinema, but we are also platform agnostic and open to projects that reach audiences in new ways.

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:

From 2018 Doc Society will be the BFI's delegate partner for the UK's documentary funds with £650,000 to spend annually.
The BFI Doc Society Fund will be an open call fund with three funding rounds a year. The first round was in April 2018.
A call for new talent shorts will open separately in the Summer.
A regional touring programme of screenings and workshops will run four times a year, meeting you where you are
There will be a new dedicated Edit Lab for Fund grantees and UK editors
Fund Guidelines (PDF)
Preview the Application Form questions (PDF)

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