In this guide:
1. About this fund
We have dedicated a portion of the International Connections Fund to support UK screen industry professionals to attend international markets, festivals and other international events that provide opportunities for collaboration and building networks. This will lead to increased international collaboration across the screen sector.
We aim to support UK screen industry professionals and talent to:
- build mutually beneficial creative relationships with international industry
- discover new international funding opportunities
- discover new international distribution opportunities
This will have ongoing reciprocal benefits for industry professionals and give them the potential to scale-up projects and reach new audiences.
All activity funded through the BFI International Connections Fund will deliver against the following outcomes of the BFI National Lottery strategy:
- an increase in the international engagement and reach of the UK screen sector
- creative talent is supported and nurtured, as they emerge and throughout their careers
- better support available for small and medium-sized enterprises and independents to develop their businesses
- a wider range of stories are told that otherwise wouldn’t be
- people from under-represented groups across the UK can access the support they need to develop their careers and skills
All activity must deliver against our three principles for National Lottery funding: equity, diversity and inclusion; UK-wide; environmental sustainability.
Group attendance at EFM DocSalon 2027
The BFI’s International Fund, with the collaboration of the BFI Doc Society Fund, are inviting applications from experienced, independent UK producers who have documentary feature film projects in active development, production or post-production, to take part in a group attendance at EFM DocSalon during the Berlin International Film Festival between Thursday 11 February 2027 and Tuesday 16 February 2027 in person in Berlin, Germany (the Event).
DocSalon is a specialised programme running as part of the European Film Market (EFM) during the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany. A dedicated annual meeting hub and networking platform for the documentary community, the 9th edition of DocSalon in 2027 will host a programme of curated talks addressing current developments in the documentary landscape; tailored, pre-scheduled meeting formats; and a range of dedicated networking activities. More widely, EFM is one of the top three meeting places of the international film industry, bringing together an approximate 12,500 international industry delegates annually.
For this group attendance, up to seven experienced, independent UK documentary producers will be selected to participate, giving them access to:
- participation in a dedicated UK Documentary Showcase, open to all EFM accredited industry, at which the producers will pitch a feature film documentary project looking for international co-producers and partners
- DocSalon industry programme of talks, roundtables and one-to-ones
- DocSalon dedicated meeting space
- Documentary-specific networking events, including the Doc Lunch
- EFM market and conference programme, including access to other market programmes such as Animation Days, Producers and Innovation Hub, Series Market
For any questions about this group attendance, please contact [email protected].
2. Check if you’re eligible
To apply to take part in this group attendance, you must:
- be a producer working in the UK screen sector on a freelance basis, or in a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) that is not substantially owned by a non-UK entity, broadcaster, streamer or studio
- be a UK resident
- have at least one lead producer credit on a completed feature film or TV project (one-off long-form programme or series) that has been released or broadcast commercially in the past five years
Get in touch with the team if you are unsure whether you are eligible for this fund: [email protected]
3. What costs will be covered
The BFI will make ‘in-kind’ awards to successful applicants. This means we will arrange the majority of the group attendance on your behalf and reimburse you for eligible expenses.
The award will cover:
- return economy international travel between the UK and Berlin, Germany, up to a total of £300
- up to five nights’ hotel accommodation in Berlin, Germany
- EFM Market accreditation
- reasonable travel within the UK to and from the point of international departure (no taxis unless related to access requirements)
- local travel in Berlin, Germany (if required)
We will organise the majority of the group attendance on behalf of successful applicants but will ask individuals to make their own international travel arrangements. We expect to reimburse eligible international travel costs to successful applicants after the attendance has taken place. However, we may approve an early reimbursement of eligible international travel costs (prior to the attendance) on a case-by-case basis.
You cannot use funding for:
- subsistence costs (general refreshments, meals, or per diems) other than any stated above
- hotel incidentals
- travel insurance (essential)
- upgrading of flights or train tickets
- any marketing or press activity associated with your attendance at the Event
- additional baggage or freight costs associated with attending the Event
If you require access support to take part in the group attendance, you will be able to detail your requirements and any associated costs in your application. If your application is successful, we will let you know the total contribution towards these costs that we can cover.
We define access support as specific help required by people who are disabled or have a physical or mental health condition, which will result in a verifiable additional cost. These costs might include additional transport costs for disabled screen professionals, or transport and accommodation costs for a personal assistant to accompany you on the trip.
4. What the fund needs to achieve
Key Performance Indicators
The BFI will measure the success of the International Connections Group Attendance Fund using the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Each trip will contribute towards the following targets for 2026-2029:
- 75 beneficiaries
- 50% of beneficiaries based outside London
- 25% of beneficiaries new to BFI National Lottery funding
- diversity of beneficiaries (see below)
- an increase in UK professionals’ networks and connections
- an increase in collaborations (including co-productions) involving UK partners
- increased ability of beneficiaries to attract partners and financing to their projects
- increased exposure and visibility of projects originating from the UK at global events
Equity, diversity and inclusion
All activity supported by our funding should address the BFI Diversity Standards and will contribute towards achieving our inclusion targets. As part of your application, you’ll need to tell us how your work and business practice supports equity, diversity and inclusion.
UK-wide
Our funding supports national, regional, and local activity to ensure that communities throughout the UK feel the benefit of the screen industries and culture. You’ll need to tell us how your business practices address this principle. This might include:
- where your company is based
- where your previous work has been set
- where current projects on your slate might be set
- where your regular collaborators are based
- any other commitment at the heart of your business practice to being ‘UK-wide’
Environmental sustainability
You will be required to:
- demonstrate a commitment to sustainability (whether in terms of production, onscreen content, or overall business practice); and
- consider how you can make your travel to the event more sustainable.
We will:
- consider the types of transport that are funded on each trip, and may not support air travel where an event can be reached by train;
- be unlikely to support travel to an event that can be attended with the same level of benefits through online participation; and
- aim to support attendance at sustainability-related sessions at events.
5. How to apply
When you can apply
Applications close at 10am on Tuesday 27 October 2026.
Information you need to provide
In the application form you will need to provide the following information:
- your name, address and contact details
- your experience and track record
- demonstrable professional interest in working with partners from the international documentary industry who will be at EFM DocSalon, including rationale for co-producing with those partners
- specific documentary project(s) in active development, production or post-production that could be structured as international co-productions, and which could be presented to industry at the UK Documentary Showcase
- your international co-production experience to date
- why you need National Lottery support
- your response to the BFI’s three Principles for Funding
- if you have any access needs, or anything else that you think we need to be aware of when making arrangements on your behalf
Equality monitoring
You’ll be asked to complete an equality monitoring form when you submit your application. The form asks for your demographic information. The data that you submit on this form will be confidential and not seen by the staff assessing your application. However, we will not be able to put forward your application for assessment until you have completed the equality monitoring form.
Submitting an application
After you’ve read the guidelines, you’ll need to complete the online application form.
Make sure to complete all the sections, as incomplete forms will be automatically ineligible.
If you have any questions when completing the application form, please contact us on [email protected]
Get help with your application
We are committed to making our funding accessible to all. You can get help if you need support to apply for funding.
6. What happens after you apply
- You’ll get confirmation we received your application within 1-2 working days.
- You’ll get a decision within three weeks of the closing date.
Once submitted, we will review your application and, if necessary, may write to you to obtain more information. If your application is ineligible, we will email to tell you we will not be able to consider it.
How your application is assessed
We are looking for experienced, independent UK documentary producers who can demonstrate some success on an international level and a strong interest in international collaboration, particularly with the international industry who are likely to be present at EFM DocSalon. We will also strongly consider whether an applicant has a project (or projects) in active development, production or post-production that could be structured as a viable international co-production and which can be presented to industry at the UK Documentary Showcase.
When assessing your application, we will consider:
- your relevant experience and track record (including in international co-production)
- evidence of your interest and need to find international partners and/or international co-producers at EFM DocSalon
- your commitment to, and justification for, working and/or co-producing internationally
- how you have managed any previous BFI awards
- your demonstration of need for National Lottery funding
- how you have addressed the three BFI Principles for Funding
Applications will be assessed by members of the BFI’s International team with members of the BFI Doc Society Fund team. We may share parts of your application with other BFI teams or external consultants to help us assess it.
How we’ll prioritise applications
We’ll prioritise applicants with the strongest combination of experience, demonstrable professional interest in and need to connect with international partners at this event, and demonstration of need for National Lottery funding.
We’ll pay particular attention to applicants who have not previously participated in a BFI International Fund Group Attendance, as well as applicants who have identified barriers to progressing in their career, including those linked to being from an under-represented background.
Identity checks
We undertake due diligence assessment of all applications we are recommending to the decision-making committee; if we are recommending your application for approval, we will request your full name, address and date of birth to allow us to carry out an identity check.
This is not a credit check and will not affect your ability to receive credit from other organisations. We will be unable to submit your application to our decision-making committee until we have received your completed form.
Lottery Finance Committee consideration
Following assessment of each application, funding recommendations will be made to the BFI Grant and Lottery Finance Committee. This is the final stage of the funding decision process. All applicants will be informed in writing of the decision on their application.
7. Getting a decision
If you’re successful
You will:
- receive a written offer of funding
- need to sign the offer of funding and return it to the BFI within three working days
If you’re unsuccessful
We receive a high number of applications that meet our assessment criteria and have to make tough decisions on who to support. We may have turned down your application because we determined that it did not:
- fit our funding aims and outcomes
- demonstrate a strong enough commitment to one or all of the following BFI Principles for Funding: equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI); environmental sustainability; UK-wide
- demonstrate enough relevant experience
- demonstrate sufficient need for National Lottery support
We will keep the data and supporting materials you sent to us in line with our records retention policy.
Feedback on an unsuccessful application
We’re a small team and unfortunately that means we are unable to give feedback to individual applicants. We welcome your feedback on the application process and how we might improve it.
8. Conditions of funding
If you are offered an ‘in-kind’ award from us, in addition to the General Conditions of National Lottery Funding, the following conditions will apply to your participation at the Event.
If you are selected as a participant, you will be asked to enter into a short agreement confirming your attendance at the event and supplying us with personal details allowing us to make arrangements in your name. We will confirm which costs are being met by BFI, what you need to do and how we expect you to report to us.
As a participant in the group attendance, you will be benefiting from an in-kind award funded through the National Lottery. As an award recipient, we are required to publicise information about you including your name and a brief biography.
You will be expected to attend all events, sessions, meetings etc. organised by the BFI and its partners as part of the overall Event, 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, including those in use by the relevant festival or market.
If you fail either to attend the Event at all or to participate in all of the set sessions within the Event, you may be required to reimburse costs incurred on your behalf.
The BFI has a set of principles in place which aim to tackle and prevent bullying, harassment and racism in the screen industries (the “Principles”), and is committed to providing a safe, welcoming, accessible and inclusive work environment for all our participants, partners and organisers, in-person and online. The Principles were developed with the input of leading screen sector industry organisations and are available on the BFI website. Our expectation is that every delegate, representative, or partner attending our Events, as well as every member of our team, behaves 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.
You will be required to promise that you will comply with all applicable laws associated with your attendance at the Event and not act in a way which, in our reasonable opinion, might be damaging to the BFI or our partners’ reputations or goodwill whether directly, by association or otherwise.
You will be required to share your findings in the form of two detailed impact reports looking at the impact of your attendance at the Event (the first shortly after the Event and the second 12 months later) and may additionally be asked to share findings verbally for the benefit of the wider UK film industry at future events to be organised by the BFI.
BFI will work with our designated cultural sustainability partner to assess the environmental impact of each trip. To help us do this, as part of the impact report you will be asked to provide us with information on your travel that will enable us to calculate the carbon footprint of the trip as a whole.