Lore gets first Sleeper award from BFI Distribution Fund

Lore, Cate Shortland’s Second World War drama, has secured the first financial award from the BFI Distribution Fund’s Sleeper strand.

UK distributor Artificial Eye has been awarded $60,000 (£40,000) to take the German-language film to around 10 further screens around the UK.

Lore, in which a German girl is left in charge of her siblings after her Nazi parents are imprisoned, was released in the UK on Feb 22 across 20 sites.

The BFI’s funding is primarily intended to help Artificial Eye build on the current momentum of its initial release and crease greater audience awareness of the film through media advertising.

Invitation only

Applications for Sleeper awards can only be made by invitation from the BFI Distribution Fund and the distributor is contacted on the first working day after opening weekend if deemed eligible.

Lore was considered as a result of strong reviews, a strong opening with a particularly good regional traction and a “demonstrable opportunity to expand”.

The pilot Sleeper strand of the new-look BFI Distribution Fund has been established to react quickly to support in-release films that show real potential to reach a wider audience, particularly regionally.

A strong opening weekend is important but the film also needs to generate a strong critical reaction and be specialised, which the BFI defines as foreign language, documentary or British independent titles.

The goal of Sleeper funding is to expand the film’s reach and awareness, helping it reach a wider audience.