Individual awards of up to £25,000 have been made to grass roots organisations across the UK which support and promote filmmaking activities.

Creative England has awarded a total of £150,000 through its Film Network Fund, which is open to networks and organisations whose work “supports and promotes filmmaking activities in the English regions.”

It is the first round of awards made via the BFI lottery backed Film Network Fund, which was launched in December 2011. It is also the first round of funding for grass roots organisations since the demise of the regional screen agencies, according to Creative England.

Individual awards ranged from £8,750 to Sheffield-based 104 Films’ new programme in support of disabled new filmmaking talent, to £25,000 for networking sessions for animators.

Priority was given to those groups who have historically been underrepresented in the film industry or those areas of work previously identified as neglected.

Chris Moll, Creative England’s head of talent, said: “It is a great reflection of the vitality of filmmaking support in England that we received so many strong applications for our Film Networks Fund. While this round of funding is somewhat transitional pending final agreement on the BFI’s Forward Plan, Creative England is committed to longer-term partnerships that can develop key regional talent and voices on the national and international stage.”

Confirmed awards to date are:

£9,000 to Northern Film & Media, Gateshead: The Digital Bridge - labs and masterclasses for up and coming film-makers in the North East of the UK
£10,000 to Producers Forum, Birmingham -industry training for producers in the West Midlands
£15,000 to First Take, Liverpool, & Signal Films, Barrow-in-Furness: FilmTrain - aims to create a strong North West film-making community
£17,500 to FilmWorks, Bristol, Nottingham and Sheffield -a partnership hoping to bring producers and exhibitors together
£25,000 to All Animated, Yorkshire, Bristol and West Midlands - networking session for animators
£8,750 to 104 films, Sheffield. Disabled & Disadvantaged New Film Talent Workshop Programme -workshops for emerging disabled film-makers
£9000 to UnderWire Regional Networks and Forums - celebrates women film-makers
£11,973 to Wavelength Films, Norwich. Write 2 Screen - offers support for film professionals in the East of England with a focus on screenwriting

The remaining £40,000 worth of funding has been awarded but is yet to be confirmed.

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