Pilot P&A fund launched at Sundance extends to SXSW.

The BFI has extended its P&A support for UK films seeking US distribution to a crop of titles bowing at SXSW.

The BFI will make awards of up to £25,000 ($42,000) to US distributors who pick up UK premieres, to help them strengthen the marketing campaigns for the US releases of the films.

Films must have budgets under £2m ($3.3m).

The SXSW titles to benefit from the scheme are The Legend of Shorty, Beyond Clueless, The Possibilities are Endless, Pulp and Soul Boys of the Western World

The initiative was launched as a pilot at Sundance, where three premieres applied and all three – Hong Khaou’s Lilting, Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl and Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s Nick Cave doc 20,000 Days on Earth – have secured US theatrical deals.