BFI Locked Box

Three types of funds may accrue to a BFI Locked Box:

• BFI Corridor – when the BFI awards production funding to a film, a portion from the BFI’s recoupment income is put aside for the benefit of the UK producer, writer and director of the film
• UK Tax Credit Entitlement – independently of, and in addition to, the BFI Corridor, the UK producer can receive an equity entitlement position in the film’s recoupment schedule equivalent to the amount of the UK Tax Credit advance included in the finance plan for the film or, if less, the actual UK Tax Credit proceeds
• Recycled Development Funding – when the BFI awards development funding to a UK producer, money repaid to the BFI can be allocated to a BFI Locked Box for use by that UK producer

Locked Boxes can only be accessed by a film’s producer if they are UK nationals or residents and if the film has been funded through a UK registered production company.

A BFI Corridor can also be accessed by the film’s writer or director if they are a UK national or resident.

Where a UK producer co-develops or co-produces a film with a non-UK co-development or co-producing partner (whether or not the film is an official co-production), only the UK producer is entitled to a BFI Locked Box and related entitlements.

Recycled Development Funding can not be accessed by a producer that was not the original recipient of BFI development funding (e.g. a producer that has taken on the project after turnaround) unless BFI exercises its discretion to allow this in exceptional circumstances.

Please ensure you have a BFI Entitlement Agreement confirming your BFI Locked Box entitlements and setting out the terms and conditions of access to the funds before requesting funds from your BFI Locked Box.

Further details of the BFI Locked Box scheme are set out in the BFI Locked Boxes fact sheet: 

BFI Locked Box funds can only be used for one or more of the following:

• costs of development of a feature film project
• investment in the production of a feature film project
• costs of training for staff employed by the UK producer

View the application form preview:

If you have a question about the BFI Locked Box scheme that’s not answered in the fact sheet, please email locked.box@bfi.org.uk.