5 Funding and Support Sources for film makers in the UK

Author: Kaitlyn Hogg

Background

Financing can be argued as one of the most important parts of a film project, the production team needs funding to enable the entirety of the filmmaking process. 

Funding a film can be as hard as making the film, but there are financing opportunities out there. These range from the smaller sources such as the British Film Institute to large sources in the likes of UK tax relief. 

The Film and TV industry is booming and film offices are reaching peak levels of productivity. In order to be sustainable, or even grow their operations, film offices need to know who’s offering funding to filmmakers and who is eligible. 

We’ve put together a short guide to a selection of funding opportunities in the UK that Film Offices need to know about:

BFI Film Fund

The BFI film fund is one of the seven examples of a national agency in the UK. With the £26 million per year dedicated to majority to minority film productions, provided by the national lottery, the BFI certainly gives both smaller and majority filmmakers the chance to show their full potential. In April this year, the UK Global Screen Fund was launched, developed in partnership between the BFI and the UK government. It will support independent companies across the UK, along with providing networking and development opportunities across the sector.

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Regional Agencies

An example of a regional agency would be Screen Yorkshire. Screen Yorkshire has set up the Yorkshire Content Fund to support local projects and individuals involved with the screen sector. Not only do they provide funding and support, , but they also provide a platform to showcase work via their website. This gives those in the industry the opportunity to demonstrate their social and economic value to Yorkshire, and beyond. 

“Since the Yorkshire Content Fund was launched in February 2012, Screen Yorkshire has invested in over 40 projects including: Official Secrets, Hope Gap, Ackley Bridge, Fighting For A City, Yardie, Ghost Stories, Dad’s Army, Swallows and Amazons, Testament of Youth, National Treasure, Peaky Blinders and All Creatures Great and Small.”

Other regional investment funds:

West Midlands Production Fund

Isle of Man Digital Creation Scheme

Liverpool City Region Production Fund 

iFeatures

UK film tax relief

By qualifying their film as British, filmmakers can receive  access to the UK’s film tax relief.This production incentive can provide a cash rebate of up to 25% on UK qualifying expenditure. The two routes to accessing the tax relief consist of passing a cultural test, or qualifying as a British co-production. 

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Channel 4’s emerging Indie Fund

Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund opened for applications on 15th September 2021.

“The aim of the Emerging Indie Fund is to support indies in the Nations and Regions by providing financial assistance for slate development, underpinned by commissioner commitment, to help enable small, new, emerging indies across the UK grow.”

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BBC Film

BBC Film supports filmmaking and film makers throughout the creative process. Continuously offering opportunities to new filmmakers along with a protected, collaborative space for those already established in the industry.

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Conclusion

The UK is ready to support filmmakers in realising their ambitions and bringing them to fruition. But in order to make the most of what the UK can offer, productions must first discover the national, regional and local resources for funding and support.

“We take Chances” – UK public film funds issue rallying cry to Filmmakers

Click here to begin your creative journey.