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The British Film Institute (BFI) has revealed details of key changes to its Film Fund.

BFI Film Fund director Ben Roberts will discuss the changes, which follow on from many of the suggestions outlined in BFI2022, in an on-stage conversation today at the London Film Festival.

To read about the changes in Roberts’ own words, click here.

As part of the revised approach, the cultural hub lead organisations for the BFI Film Audience Network will hire six full-time regional talent development scouts, who will be based across England’s five cultural hubs (North, South West, South East, London, the Midlands). The six new recruits will be hired early next year.

The BFI is also setting itself concrete diversity targets for talent development as well as its development and production funds. These will apply to writers, directors and producers and will come into effect from April 1, 2018. They are:

  • 50-50 gender balance
  • 20% BAME (black and minority ethnic)
  • 9% LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer)
  • 7% disability

Elsewhere, the BFI is rewording some of the guidelines for its development and production funds. This will mean a more relaxed approach to form, length and theatricality.

As first mooted last year when the new five-year plan was unveiled, the organisation will now consider fully financing features with budgets up to £1m.

Read more: BFI’s Ben Roberts: how and why we’re reforming the Film Fund