UK producers “cautiously optimistic” about aspects of BFI Filmmaking Fund but worried about fall in overall funding

UK producers have applauded the focus on transparency and clarity from the revamped British Film Institute (BFI) Filmmaking Fund unveiled earlier this week, but are increasingly concerned about the fall in funding for indie features and an apparent reduction in the number that will be supported through the National Lottery Funding.

“I appreciate their effort to have more transparency and formalise the application processes a bit more in terms of response time for instance,” said Hélène Sifre, producer at Kleio Films, who produced Bifa-winning Blue Jean, the debut feature from Georgia Oakley, which received backing from the BFI alongside BBC Film.

“The idea of having a separate application with three rounds per year for debut features seems like the fairest way to assess them and I, as a producer, would find it easier to plan around this for my other debut films. It also helps manage expectations of success, knowing how many films per year they will support.”

Scroll down for full details on the BFI Filmmaking Fund for fiction features

For many producers to whom Screen has spoken, the selection process has long been a been a point of frustration and confusion. Some are pragmatic about it.

“The BFI can’t please everyone. Overall, I think it does a good job in trying to please a lot of people with different perspectives on the purpose of the fund,” said Western Edge Pictures CEO Vaughan Sivell, whose credits include Alice Lowe’s upcoming title Timestalker, which received some BFI support. “It’s good to see regional production, like Wales, being given such attention. It’s definitely something that can improve the quality of the work and the lives of crew in further evolving regional centres of production.”

Support for up-and-coming producers has also been well received, with £3.5m set aside for six debuts as part of the BFI Discovery Fund, the opportunity for enhanced overhead support for emerging producers as part of the £4.5m Development Fund and a target introduced for applications from production companies who have not received BFI National Lottery funding in the past.

“I’m very pleased they’re recognising how difficult it is financially for new producers to start out and that they’re allocating extra financial support for emerging producers with bigger overheads,” said Sifre. “I do feel it’s a shame they didn’t renew or incorporate an equivalent of the [producer investment and training programme] Vision Award. I was hoping the Creative Challenge Fund would be something similar for companies trying to support diverse voices but it doesn’t look like that’s the case.”

The Creative Challenge Fund will open later in 2023, funding labs and development programmes to decentralise project development.

“I’m also very glad they’re rethinking their diversity standards and recognising mental health and neurodivergence as barriers that may require extra support and recognition,” she continued, reflecting on the revised Diversity Standards for BFI-backed films, ”but also that they’ve highlighted supporting more people from working class backgrounds as I do strongly believe lack of outside resources can be the biggest barrier to entering this industry.”

One producer observed: “It doesn’t sound unlike the old UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund and Premiere Fund. There were two clear funds: one was for emerging talent and one was for more commercial films. Everything comes round and round in this industry.”

It is not yet known whether each fund will have a specific head (as they did under the UK Film Council), and who will be managing the funds following the departure of editor-at-large Lizzie Francke, head of production Fiona Morham, and head of editorial Natascha Wharton in early summer. 

Funding constraints

The new-look BFI funds are being unveiled at a time when many UK producers believe it has never been harder to raise the budget for an independent film. 

“What is still clear is that in practical terms the difficulty in finding experienced crew for the kind of budget of independent films, particularly genuinely experienced heads of department, is still very real,” said Sivell, “and therefore shooting them gets more expensive. The amount of ‘soft money’ a producer can find is often what underpins the budget as a whole. The BFI support is still hugely important.”

The revised funding sees £18m a year for the BFI Filmmaking Fund, compared to £25m in 2022/23 for the BFI Film Fund. Fewer films are likely to be backed per year, with 11 to receive production funding from the Discovery Fund and Impact Fund, compared to an average of 15-16 films that received support in the last three years of the previous BFI Film Fund iteration, BFI2022. Over this period, an average of 70 development awards a year were handned out, compared to the suggested 60 under the new guidelines. “Ouch,” was one producer’s reaction.

“If I was a much more established filmmaker whose films aren’t fully commercial and still require backing from the National Lottery fund, I might be feeling a little differently [about the Filmmaking Fund committing funds to debut filmmakers specifically],” posited another.

“I am cautiously optimistic that the strategy is good,” the producer concluded. “I’m disappointed at the number of films they are going to be able to support, and I’m curious about some of the policy areas that perhaps haven’t been fully fleshed out.”

• BFI director Mia Bays digs into detail on revised Filmmaking Fund: “Whatever you apply with, it’s an even playing field”