EXCLUSIVE: The British Film Institute (BFI) has unveiled the details of its £33.5m audience development fund, including recipients of its FAN activity and Spotlight programme.
Funding will be allocated over three years (2026-2029) and represents a notable 21% increase from 2023-2026.
The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) is to receive a 9% increase in funding totalling £10.8m to enable 10 UK-wide partners to deliver audience-facing work. Organisations and venues include Film London, Glasgow Film Theatre and The Independent Cinema Office.
The BFI FAN hub will also continue to deliver the Spotlight programme, which targets different areas of the UK with limited public access to film screenings. Locations include Derry, Luton and Cornwall.
Scroll down for the full list of FAN and Spotlight recipients
The Open Cinemas Fund is set to receive £3m for the Escapes programme, which launched in February 2024 and offers free access to screenings in over 120 independent cinemas across the UK each month. The programme is organised by entertainment specialists elevenfiftyfive. Over 215,000 tickets have been claimed in 223 locations since it was launched.
A further £19.87m has been allocated to the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund, which supports distributors, exhibitors and festivals working across independent and immersive film. Applications for this fund are currently open, and initial awards will be announced in the coming months.
”Our UK-wide audience development strategy is three-fold to ensure maximum public benefit,” said Ben Luxford, director of UK audiences at the BFI.
“The BFI Film Audience Network to deliver funding and leadership at a local level; the BFI Audience Projects Fund to enable events of national scale; and Escapes, which ensures there is a regular, accessible offer for the public that also helps us respond to our industry’s need to grow new audiences for independent film.”
BFI FAN partners
Film London – London
Broadway – Nottingham (in partnership with Flatpack in Birmingham)
Showroom – Sheffield (in partnership with HOME in Manchester)
Queen’s Film Theatre – Belfast, Northern Ireland
Glasgow Film Theatre – Scotland
The Independent Cinema Office
Watershed – Bristol
Chapter – Cardiff, Wales
BFI FAN’s Spotlight Programme recipients
Film Hub London: Redbridge & Enfield (previous SPOTLIGHT area of Barking & Dagenham will also continue for a further year)
Film Hub Midlands: Ashfield, Bolsover, Chesterfield and Mansfield, in partnership with Flatpack Festival
Film Hub North: Hull, in partnership with Hull Independent Cinema, plus Blackburn with Darwen, Rochdale and Oldham
Film Hub Northern Ireland: Derry/Londonderry and surrounds, in partnership with Nerve Centre
Film Hub Scotland: Fife & Clackmannanshire, in partnership with OnFife
Film Hub South East: Luton
Film Hub South West: Cornwall, with a focus on the East, North and Camborne, in partnership with Creative Kernow
Film Hub Wales: South West Wales, in partnership with WOW
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