The BFI is planning road shows across the UK throughout November to spread the message of its five-year growth plan.

The film body, which recently announced it would invest nearly £500m over the next five years to boost the British film industry, will host five workshops and a one-on-one surgery on each stop.

Open to the public as well as industry professionals, the workshops are designed to give people the opportunity to explore the range of new initiatives that will support films, filmmakers and audiences throughout the UK.

The workshops

Film Fund: Ben Roberts, Director of Lottery Film Fund
Supporting the future success of British film

Ben Roberts, Director of the Lottery Film Fund and Senior Executives Lizzie Francke, Natascha Wharton, and Chris Collins will discuss the BFI’s production and development plans, including the New Talent Network, targeted Development Programmes and new Distribution Fund, what these mean and how they will work.

Audiences and Education: Tim Cagney, Deputy Chief Executive 
Boosting audience choice across the UK

The BFI Audience Fund contains a range of initiatives to boost audience choice across the UK - including the UK Audience Network, the Film Festivals Fund and the Programming Development Fund. In this workshop ambitions for the Audience Fund will be discussed with further information on the different funding elements which are soon to be open for application.

Expanding education and learning opportunities: Eddie Berg, Head of Partnerships

Film Forever sets out a new focus and ambition for film education across the UK. The BFI’s new offer for 5-19 year olds intends to achieve a significant step change with one easy and accessible programme for all, while the BFI’s new Film Academy network will identify and develop young talent. This workshop will update on current schemes and open a discussion on ambitions for the BFI particularly around Higher Education, lifelong learning, advocacy and research across the UK Archive.

Unlocking film heritage for everyone to enjoy: Heather Stewart, Creative Director

The BFI’s third strategic priority is focused on making the UK’s screen heritage available to everyone and, for the first time ever, involving the public in selecting what it digitised. We are seeking new ways to open up access to the nation’s collections, increasing access through digitisation and interpretation, and seeking appropriate partnerships with copyright owners.

MEDIA Desk UK, Agnieszka Moody, Director Media Desk UK

MEDIA Desk UK is a promotion and information office for the EU’s MEDIA Programme which offers a wide variety of funding for film and television, from training through project development and distribution to markets, events and festivals. Agnieszka Moody, Director of MEDIA Desk UK, will present the various funding strands and how to access them, as well as the wider support offered by the Programme.

Certification: Anna Mansi, Certification Manager

The Certification Unit is the first point of contact for producers wanting to qualify their film as British and access the UK’s film tax credits. The unit offers advice on qualification under the Cultural Test, the UK’s Co-production Agreements and the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production. Anna Mansi, Certification Manager, will be available for one to one sessions to talk through the application process.

Dates (Nov)

  • 7th         Glasgow, Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane Glasgow, Scotland G1 3NU
  • 8th         Londonderry/Derry, Playhouse, 5-7 Artillery Street, Derry Londonderry, BT48 6RG
  • 14th       Salford, Digital World Centre, 1 Lowry Plaza, The Quays, Salford, Manchester, M50 3UB
  • 16th       Birmingham, MAC, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH
  • 21th       Newcastle/Gateshead, Baltic, Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road Gateshead NE8 3BA
  • 22th       Nottingham, Broadway, 14-18 Broad Street City Centre, Nottingham NG1 3AL
  • 29th       Bristol, Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX
  • 30th       Cardiff, Chapter, Market Road, Canton, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF5