UK Global Screen Fund announces latest awards ahead of its expansion from 2026 to 2029

The BFI has announced its latest UK Global Screen Fund awards. Financed through the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the awards allocate over £1.64 million through the fund’s International Co-production, International Distribution and International Business development strands.

The latest round of International Co-production awards, which support UK producers to work as partners on international co-productions and help create new global projects, sees five UK independent companies collectively receiving over £763,000 to collaborate with seven territories: Sweden, Belgium, Iceland, USA, Canada, Switzerland and Ireland. Four of the projects are feature films, including one documentary, and one is a TV documentary feature project. To date, this strand has now awarded over £9.6 million to 62 co-productions, supporting partnerships with 34 territories. 

The latest International Business Development awards, supporting business strategies that drive international growth and IP development for companies working in film, TV (animation, drama and documentary) and interactive narrative gaming, see a further £104,600 allocated to two companies, totalling over £9 million and 110 awards to date in this strand. A full round of International Business Development awards is set for announcement in the New Year.

Additionally, 36 International Distribution awards totalling £776,772 have been made, supporting the promotion of UK independent feature films with grants allocated for Festival Launch Support and Prints & Advertising (P&A) Support. Projects supported with P&A grants for the release of a single UK film across a grouping of at least four international territories include: Bird; Tornado; Urchin; The Thing With Feathers; Bring Them Down; and Hot Milk. Chaplin | Spirit of The Tramp becomes the first documentary to receive P&A funding through the new single-territory award for animation and documentary, with support towards its theatrical release in Japan. 

Festival Launch grants supported titles premiering at Cannes Film Festival including Urchin, My Father’s Shadow and Pillion, the latter of which went on to sell extensively for Cornerstone following its premiere in Un Certain Regard. A standout year for UK features and co-productions at Toronto International Film Festival and Venice International Film Festival saw 11 Festival Launch Support grants awarded to support premieres at Toronto, including Good Boy and Saipan, and five Festival Launch Support grants awarded to support premieres at Venice, including Orphan and 100 Nights of Hero. To date, the International Distribution strand has made 148 awards totalling over £3.58 million.

Following the UK Government’s June announcement of the new Creative Industries Sector Plan, which sees the UK Global Screen Fund’s budget increase from £7m per year to £18m per year for 2026-29, fund planning is currently underway, including consultation with industry into its development and expansion, with plans due to be unveiled early next year.

Denitsa Yordanova, Head of UK Global Screen Fund and International Funds, said: “This latest round of awards showcases the creativity and breadth of films, companies and strategies, all focused on international growth and success across co-production, distribution and business development. We look forward to continuing our work with government and consultation with industry to take forward plans for the future of the UK Global Screen Fund, supporting even more independent screen sector companies from across the UK to thrive and reach their full international potential.”

A minority UK co-production with Switzerland. The UK producers are Chris Curling and Anya Ryzhenkova of Zephyr Films, co-producing with Switzerland’s Turnus Films AG (Michael Steiger and Michela Pini). The feature film, written by Nat Luurtsema, Jessica Townsend and Denis Rabaglia, based on a story by Jessica Townsend, directed by Denis Rabaglia, follows Ruth (65) a determined woman who wants to do everything her own way. Even death. Ruth goes to Zurich for a tidy, orderly exit. But her granddaughter Lori (22) gatecrashes, and is determined not to go home without her.

A minority UK co-production with the United States. The UK producer is Sean Richard of Object Studios, co-producing with Catchlight Studios and Jason Clark, Mike Medavoy and Michael Peterson of Phoenix Pictures in the US. The feature documentary delves into Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and its strikingly prescient themes, spanning space exploration, artificial intelligence, and the metaphysical. The film will be directed by award-winning director, Stevan Riley, and is being made with the blessing of the Stanley Kubrick Estate. Also produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, and financed and executive-produced by Partners in Kind and Time Studios.

A minority UK co-production with Sweden, Belgium and Iceland. The UK producer is Emily Morgan of Quiddity, co-producing with Sweden’s HOBAB (Nima Yousefi) Belgium’s Need Production (Géraldine Sprimont) and Iceland’s Still Vivid (Anton Máni Svansson). The sophomore feature film, written and directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén and co-written by acclaimed Icelandic novelist, poet and screenwriter Sjón, is a gothic horror set in 19th century North America and stars Darla Contois with Alexander Skarsgård.

A minority UK co-production with Ireland. The UK producer is Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films, co-producing with Ireland’s Cowtown (John Wallace). The debut feature film, written and directed by Ita Fitzgerald, is an all-female road movie set on the West Coast of Ireland which follows a group of women brought together by the death of a childhood friend, as they embark on a journey in search of her child. Starring Imelda Staunton, Philippa Dunne and Charlie Murphy and made with the support of Screen Ireland.

A majority UK co-production with Canada. The UK producer is Kat Mansoor of Snowstorm Productions, co-producing with Craig Thompson of Canada’s Ballinran Productions, and David Piperni and Daniel Cantagallo of Cargo Film & Releasing. The documentary feature, directed by Lorna Tucker, follows iconic classical pianist Yuja Wang as she embarks on a deeply personal journey. Amidst the nonstop whirlwind of her touring schedule, Yuja confronts the pressures of fame and the cost of perfection, exploring passion, sacrifice, and the search for true happiness.

Support towards the hire of a Marketing and Social Media Specialist and Channel Assistant to implement a marketing strategy and drive international audiences and growth via a bespoke YouTube platform. The Norfolk-based production company specialises in creating high-quality factual documentaries, particularly in the natural history genre, has established a strong reputation for producing engaging and successful documentaries, with their work such as The Beasts of Halloween featuring on major platforms including Curiosity Stream and Sky Nature.

Support towards the hire of a bilingual Development Producer and researcher to help the company improve their development pipeline, initiate and develop new ideas for wider international markets. The South-West based high end factual production company is known for its exclusive access, as demonstrated with hit documentary 9/11: Inside The President’s War Room, and has garnered a number of accolades including being selected for the BBC Small Indie Fund and Channel 4 Emerging Indies Fund.

UK Global Screen Fund applications are now open, and assessed on a rolling basis, for:

• International Distribution Festival Launch Support

• International Distribution Prints & Advertising Support (P&A)

Applications for International Co-production funding will re-open in February, with International Business Development funding re-opening in April.