Applying for BFI NETWORK@LFF

1. Overview

The first stage of activity will take place during the opening week of the BFI London Film Festival, with participants attending scheduled sessions between the evening of the Thursday until the evening of the Monday in London.   

In the following spring, participants will meet again for a weekend to reflect on their experiences, share learnings, watch more films, and take part in masterclasses with invited filmmakers and industry professionals.   

Should any successful applicants subsequently be unable to attend the scheduled dates or have a change in circumstances, they will have the opportunity, prior to commencement, to elect to leave the programme without financial implications provided we are given sufficient prior notice (see Offer of place – Special terms and conditions for participants).  

Events and opportunities covered during the programme are likely to include but are not restricted to:  

Access to the festival and industry programme  

Participants will receive accreditation for the duration of the BFI London Film Festival and will have the chance to attend industry talks and screenings. Recommendations will be made along with scheduled time to engage with the festival freely. 

Networking  opportunities  

The cohort will be invited to industry events throughout the opening weekend of the festival to meet filmmakers and other guests.  

Filmmaker  Q&A sessions 

A selection of guests and filmmakers will be invited to meet the cohort for a Q&A on their work. 

Curated screenings and masterclasses 

The follow-up weekend in spring will feature curated film screenings alongside masterclasses with industry professionals. 

2. Who can apply? 

We are looking for the brightest emerging creatives with a significant body of short form work who now have the experience to make the step towards their debut feature. 

Applications are open to creatives from all backgrounds working in fiction, documentary or hybrid media who have a distinct quality to their short form work and are ignited by an insatiable passion to make their voices known. 

To be eligible to apply you must be able to satisfy all the following conditions:  

• resident in the UK 
• over 18 and outside of full-time education 
• have produced, written or directed a significant body of work that shows you are ready to take the step toward a debut long-form project 
  • by significant body of work, we mean a creative track record of multiple projects in short film (immersive, music video, theatre, TV, web series may also be considered) that have garnered industry recognition by way of awards, critical praise, or a substantial online audience
• not have written, produced, or directed a feature film that has received UK distribution (this includes via online platforms) 

3. How to apply 

We are unable to accept resubmissions or alterations of applications after the application deadline unless further information or supporting material is requested by our assessors. 

There is assistance available to applicants who have access requirements and need some support to apply. See Access support for BFI fund applicants. 

4. What happens after you apply

This is a very competitive programme, and we can only support around 4% of applicants.  

Eligible applications will be read and assessed by a BFI NETWORK or BFI Doc Society Fund representative and/or other BFI staff. We may also use external assessors depending upon the number of applications that we receive.  

How your application  is  assessed 

Participants will be assessed on the overall strength of their application, as well as their eligibility for the programme. We will also consider:  

• the extent to which the programme is likely to benefit your career progression as a filmmaker. 
• the strength of your work to date and your upcoming projects
• representation of all UK regions and nations across the cohort
• representation of writer, director and producer roles across the cohort
• the balance of creatives working in fiction, documentary and hybrid media 
• your demonstration of need for BFI NETWORK support
  • places can only be offered to creatives who demonstrate a compelling case for National Lottery support and a clear public benefit from the activity being funded

Assessment process 

Below we have explained the different steps of our assessment process. Applications are identified for progression at each step, and only some applicants will progress from one step to the next. 

Step  one 

Eligible applications will be read and assessed by a BFI NETWORK representative or other BFI staff. We may also use external assessors depending upon the number of applications that we receive.  

Assessors will review responses to these questions on the application form and score them out of 5 (maximum 25):  

• What have you learned from your short‑form work that you want to apply to long‑form storytelling?  
• What key milestones do you hope to achieve in your career over the next two years?  
• What distinguishes your creative voice as a filmmaker? 
• Tell us about the feature or long-form project you currently have in development that best represents you as a creative 
• How do you feel you would benefit from taking part in BFI NETWORK@LFF? 

The application form will also ask for:  

• your creative experience to date 
• a link to of up to five minutes of an excerpt of a film or piece of video content you have written, directed or produced that best represents your creative voice.   
  • assessors will only watch this previous work if they are considering progressing the application to the further steps of assessment
• an idea for a masterclass or session to be included in the BFI NETWORK@LFF programme 

The highest scoring applications from each region will progress to step two.

Step  two 

Applications that progress from step one will be reviewed again with the uploaded excerpt of previous work also considered. 

Assessors then meet and decide by consensus which applicants to invite to interview taking into consideration the need for the final cohort to have a mix of: 

• geographical locations 
• creative roles (writer, director, producer) 
• media formats (fiction, documentary, hybrid) 

A shortlist will then be agreed by consensus. All applicants that do not progress to step three will be notified that they have not been selected on this occasion. 

Step  three 

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview with a panel made up of BFI NETWORK staff and a BFI Doc Society Fund team member or BFI NETWORK@LFF alumni filmmaker. Questions will be sent to applicants in advance. 

5. Getting a decision 

Following the interviews, the panel will meet to decide on the cohort of participants for the programme. We aim to curate a balanced cohort across roles, practices and regions to ensure a broad representation of filmmaking talent across the UK.  

If you’re unsuccessful  

Some of the reasons an application may be unsuccessful include: 

• The applicant did not demonstrate enough relevant experience or a significant body of work that has garnered industry recognition 
• The applicant’s key milestones were not clearly defined or too ambitious for the opportunity 
• The application did not give a strong sense of the applicant’s creative voice 
• It was unclear how the programme would benefit the applicant’s progression to longform work 
• The applicant has already received substantial National Lottery support at a similar professional level through other schemes 

We are only able to support a small percentage of the applications we receive and, unfortunately, have to say no far more often than we can say yes. Strong applications may be unsuccessful where we have a high number of candidates working in similar creative roles, media formats or from the same geographic area.

Feedback 

Due to the large numbers of submissions we receive, we are unable to give feedback or enter into dialogue about your application. However, if you reached the interview step, feedback on your application may be provided.  

If you’re successful 

Up to 15 participants will be chosen for the programme. If you’re selected, you’ll be asked to enter into an agreement with the BFI setting out the terms and conditions (See Offer of place – Special terms and conditions for participants) attached to your participation in the programme. 

6. Offer of place – special terms and conditions of participation 

In addition to the General Conditions of National Lottery Funding for successful applicants, they will include:  

1. Confirming your participation and supplying us with personal details authorising us to make arrangements in your name 
2. As a participant in the programme you will be benefiting from a non-cash grant funded through the National Lottery. As such, as an award recipient, we are required to publicise information about you including names and a brief biography 
3. All reasonable travel and accommodation costs associated with participating in the programme will be met by the BFI provided that they are agreed with us in advance or booked directly by the BFI. We will not be providing subsistence or “per diems” but meals may be provided during some sessions 
4. We will also meet reasonable costs associated with any personal access needs that an individual might encounter in order to participate fully in the programme. We define such needs as specific support with an actual cash cost required by people who are disabled or have a physical or mental health condition. For example: a BSL interpreter or additional transport or accommodation costs for disabled individuals. Successful applicants are invited to discuss this with us once they have received an offer of a place on the programme 
5. You will be expected to attend all events, sessions, meetings etc. organised by the BFI, as part of the overall programme and to represent, promote and advocate for the UK screen sector. In doing so, you are expected to act in a collegiate and collaborative manner, adhering to all relevant codes of conduct, for example, those in use by the London Film Festival 
6. Following the confirmation of programme dates you will be given the opportunity to withdraw from the programme. If you then agree to participate, and subsequently fail to attend part or all of the programme and/or to meaningfully engage with its activities, you will be required to reimburse the associated costs incurred on your behalf (unless BFI at its sole discretion agrees otherwise) 
7. The BFI has Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Racism guidance and principles in place and is committed to providing a safe, welcoming, accessible, and inclusive work environment for all our participants, partners and organisers, in-person and online. Our expectation is that every delegate, representative, or partner attending our events or programmes, as well as every member of our team is behaving in a respectful, responsible and reasonable way towards colleagues. Any kind of discrimination, abuse, harassment, harmful behaviour or bullying, such as: use of offensive or discriminatory language; intimidating behaviour; micro-aggressions has no place on our programmes and anyone not observing these principles will be stopped from attending immediately and asked to reimburse the costs incurred by BFI by way of this non-cash grant 
8. You will be required to comply with all applicable laws associated with your attendance at the programme and not act in a way which, in our reasonable opinion, might be damaging to the BFI or the National Lottery’s, reputations or goodwill whether directly, by association or otherwise 
9. Completing an evaluation form at the end of the programme