Short film funding: BFI NETWORK and regional film hubs

By James Jones, founder of Granary Digital · Updated 5 November 2026

The BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund is a national grant for early-career filmmakers in England, with awards of £5,000 to £25,000 for original fiction shorts. It is delivered through regional BFI NETWORK talent teams, and the Film Hubs are delivery partners. This guide covers who can apply, what the money can pay for, the calendar and the application.

The yearly calendar

As at 5 November 2026, Film Hub South East lists both funds as closed, and gives the Short Film Fund's production window as 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027. Dates move, so read the current guidelines before you plan.

Who can apply

The fund is for teams. The BFI sets rules for each role:

• Lead producer. A UK resident who is dedicated to the project and applies under their full legal name. They cannot be the director.
• Director. Resident in England. They cannot be the producer or co-producer. They must not have had a commercial distribution deal in the last five years, must not have directed more than one BFI NETWORK England short (a second needs clear progression), and must not have been attached to a BFI Filmmaking Fund or BFI NETWORK development or production award in the last two years.
• Writer. Based in the UK, with the same distribution and prior-award restrictions as the director. The writer and producer can be the same person.
• Everyone. Over 18, with a creative track record. Student work must be completed no later than 12 weeks after the application deadline.

Directors and writers can appear on one application per round. Producers can appear on up to two.

What the film must be

• A standalone fiction short in live action, animation or immersive work, up to 15 minutes including credits.
• A script, or equivalent document, expected to run to no more than 16 pages including the title page.
• Original material, or the writer's own work with rights secured.
• Capable of a BBFC rating no stricter than 18, and capable of qualifying as a British film.
• Rights cleared for worldwide use in all media, in perpetuity.
• Principal photography not yet started, and not in post-production.

The fund does not cover documentaries, films with characters based on real individuals, adaptations of third-party work, art-form films such as dance or poetry on film, or projects made mainly for broadcast TV.

What the money can pay for

Eligible costs include everything needed to complete and deliver the film, plus full rights clearance. The BFI sets some floors you must budget for:

• crew paid at least the London Living Wage or equivalent
• cast paid at least Equity minimum
• producer, director and writer fees at least in line with other heads of department, which cannot be waived or deferred
• a minimum 10% contingency
• up to £750 for festival submissions
• production insurance naming the BFI as loss payee
• access support costs, where the extra cost can be verified

Costs incurred before a funding offer are not eligible. Neither are the core running costs of a production company, or any activity another external source has already funded.

Co-finance and a worked example

Co-finance is optional. For requests of £5,000 to £20,000, it can be at most 40% of the total budget. For requests above £20,000, up to £25,000, the cap is 30%. A UK tax credit loan does not count as third-party funding.

For example, a team asks for £20,000. The grant must then be at least 60% of the total budget, so the budget cannot go above about £33,300. At the top tier, a £25,000 request with the 30% cap supports a budget of about £35,700. Divide the grant by one minus the co-finance cap to find your ceiling. A film that needs more than that has to be scaled to fit or funded some other way.

How applications are assessed

1. Initial assessment and regional longlisting.
2. Central shortlisting.
3. An interview with the director's regional hub.
4. Due diligence and ID checks.
5. Approval by the BFI Grant and Lottery Finance Committee.

At least two people read every application: an external reader and a regional BFI NETWORK talent hub. A project cannot go to the committee less than eight weeks before principal photography begins, so allow for that in your schedule.

What to prepare

You apply through the online portal after creating an account. The lead producer submits it. Prepare:

• CV summaries for the core team, with one previous work link each
• title, logline, shoot dates and a full story outline including the ending
• statements on the director's vision, impact, production, UK-wide and regional impact and environmental sustainability
• a completed budget, preferably on the BFI template, with a finance plan
• the full dated script as a PDF or Word file
• the director's proof of address dated within the past three months
• the equality monitoring form, which must be done before assessment

Incomplete applications are declined, and late applications are not considered. The BFI cannot accept changes to key creative team members after submission.

If you win

The BFI sets conditions. You must deliver by the date in the production finance agreement, and no later than 12 months after it is signed. You must carry the specified BFI NETWORK credits and logos in the opening and closing credits, and deliver open captions (English) and an audio description track. Carbon footprinting is required in pre- and post-production. For the access deliverables, see our guide to accessible video. For the carbon side, see albert certification explained.

Where the Film Hubs fit

The Film Hubs and the regional BFI NETWORK talent teams can point you towards local producers and resources. The BFI says BFI NETWORK does not offer bespoke matchmaking between filmmakers and producers, and does not produce or production-manage funded films. Build your team before you apply.

Costing the shoot

A budget needs real day rates. As a guide, Granary lists a camera operator from £450 and a sound recordist from £495 a day plus VAT, as indicative rates, and the White Space cove at £395 for a full day plus VAT. Our short film budget template sets out the lines, and the page on film crew hire covers the crew. If your film is feature length rather than a short, UK film tax reliefs explains what a larger production can claim.

Common mistakes

• Applying as a director-producer.
• Spending before an offer.
• A script well over 16 pages or a film over 15 minutes.
• Budgeting crew below the London Living Wage floor.
• Leaving out the 10% contingency.
• Missing the equality monitoring form.

Sources

• BFI, BFI NETWORK FAQ, read 5 November 2026
• BFI, Applying for BFI NETWORK England short film funding, read 5 November 2026
• Film Hub South East (Independent Cinema Office), Available funding, read 5 November 2026

Related guides

• UK tax reliefs explained: AVEC 34%, animation 39%, independent film 53%
• Short film budget template for UK funding applications
• All guides and tools