BFI and DCMS invest over £3.3 million into the UK’s independent screen sector

The British Film Institute (BFI) and the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) have announced a significant investment of over £3.3 million into the UK’s independent screen sector. Through the UK Global Screen Fund, the BFI has awarded grants to support international co-productions and enhance the international business development of UK screen content businesses.

International Co-production Awards

The latest round of the International Co-production awards will back seven new feature films collaborating with 12 territories. This marks the first time the fund has supported collaborations with Hungary, Norway, and Spain. The funding will also support partnerships with Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, and Sweden. These awards, in the form of non-recoupable grants, aim to support UK independent companies as minority co-producers for feature films of all genres, as well as majority and minority co-producers for TV projects in animation and documentary genres.

Some of the feature films that will receive financial support include:

1. A Prayer for the Dying: A minority UK co-production with Norway and Sweden, based on Stewart O’Nan’s novel. Set in a small Wisconsin town still affected by the repercussions of the Civil War, the film follows the story of a man forced to make a difficult choice.
2. Birthday Party: A minority UK co-production with Greece, Spain, and Belgium, based on a novel by Panos Karnezis. The film depicts the events that unfold during a Greek tycoon’s daughter’s 25th birthday celebration on his private island.
3. Butterfly: A minority UK co-production with Norway, Sweden, and Germany. The film revolves around two sisters who reunite on the island of Gran Canaria following their mother’s mysterious death.
4. Good Boy: A minority UK co-production with Poland. This film, directed by Jan Komasa, tells the story of a football hooligan who is kidnapped by a middle-class family determined to transform him into a “good boy.”
5. Lomu: An official UK-New Zealand co-production centered on the life and work of late All Black global rugby superstar, Jonah Lomu.
6. Nightborn: A minority UK co-production with Finland, Lithuania, and France. This horror fantasy feature film follows a couple whose dream of a perfect child turns into a nightmare after the baby is born.
7. Orphan: A minority UK co-production with Hungary, France, and Germany. The film takes place in Budapest in 1957 and follows the story of a young boy after the end of the war and the Hungarian Uprising.

International Business Development Awards

The International Business Development awards will support 23 UK screen content businesses in their efforts to expand internationally. The funding will be allocated via two tracks:

1. Film Transformation: This track focuses on internationally-focused transformational business strategies related to independent UK films, with strategies spanning three to five years.
2. General: This track supports business strategies to create, acquire, and/or exploit intellectual property (IP) across film, TV, animation, documentary, and interactive narrative video games, with strategies spanning three years.

The funding, provided in the form of non-recoupable grants ranging between £50,000 and £150,000 over a three-year period, aims to help companies establish new international business partnerships, enhance their profile and reach in the global marketplace, and increase revenue generation through export and international expansion.

The companies receiving International Business Development awards include:

1. Alleycats (Icebox Films trading as Alleycats): Funding to expand the factual side of the business into high-end content targeted at the US market.
2. Big Little Fish Television: Funding for the hire of an Executive to further expand the company’s presence in the US market in unscripted programming.
3. Dare Pictures: Funding for the full-time employment of a Head of Scripted Development, a Scripted Development Assistant, and a Digital Marketing Consultant.
4. DB Films: Funding to build a slate of elevated genre films with strong international appeal.
5. FunDay Studios: Funding for the creation of original intellectual property and widening the global audience reach through marketing, localization, and global partnerships.
6. Greenacre Films: Funding for the hire of an International IP Consultant and to increase the company’s development team.
7. Ground Shatter: Funding for the hire of an international business development role and for international games market attendance.
8. Hoho Rights: Funding for dubbing the popular series “Shane the Chef” into German, leading to additional brand partnership and broadcast opportunities in the German-speaking markets.
9. JOI Productions: Funding for the hire of a Creative Producer to help expand the company’s slate internationally.
10. Luti Media (Portobello Post Ltd trading as Luti Media): Funding for the hire of a Global Executive Producer and Head of Production to expand into the African continent.
11. Mallinson Television Productions: Funding for the creation of a new label focused on writer/director projects with an intersectional approach and stories from diverse themes.
12. Miracle Tea Studios: Funding for the hire of a Junior Programmer and a Community Manager to increase content development ability and promote IP to additional international territories.
13. Moonraker VFX: Funding to build out a successful IMAX / fulldome immersive and TV content strategy, centered on own IP, across multiple platforms and types of content.
14. Nosebleed Interactive: Funding for the hire of a Lead Coder and an Art Director to support international business development.
15. Paper Owl Films: Funding for the hire of a Head of Production to pursue international business opportunities and international co-productions.
16. Particle Productions: Funding for the hire of a Head of International Business Development to support the company’s international ambitions.
17. Ping Online Communications: Funding for the hire of a Data Analyst and Marketing Manager to increase the company’s capacity for narrative game development.
18. Pirate Productions: Funding for the hire of a Development Executive, a Marketing/Social Media Manager, and marketing costs.
19. Proper Content: Funding for the hire of a US-facing developer to maximize international opportunities.
20. RapidEyeMovers: Funding for community managers and support for marketing activity to increase international audiences.
21. Severn Screen: Funding for option fees, research costs, and international market attendance to increase international co-productions.
22. TAUNT: Funding for the hire of a Business Development Manager to attract additional investment into the company’s slate.
23. Tin Roof Media: Contribution towards expanding in-house distribution capabilities by hiring a Distribution Sales Manager, along with supporting marketing and event attendance.

The BFI and DCMS are committed to maximizing the potential of the UK’s film, TV, and video game firms to drive economic growth and showcase creative excellence worldwide. Through the UK Global Screen Fund, independent British productions are receiving the support they need to develop international partnerships, attract investment, and reach new audiences on a global stage.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer expressed her determination to support the global trailblazers of the UK’s film, TV, and video game industry, highlighting the importance of investment in independent films. Denitsa Yordanova, BFI Head of the UK Global Screen Fund and International Funds, commended the inspiring global ambitions of the independent screen sector and the wide variety of ambitious plans for creating new content with international resonance.

The UK Global Screen Fund continues to accept applications on a rolling basis throughout the year for various initiatives, including International Distribution Festival Launch Support, International Distribution Film Sales Support, and International Distribution P&A Support.

For more information and updates on the UK Global Screen Fund and its awards, visit the BFI’s official website.

Additional Information:

• The BFI and DCMS have invested over £3.3 million in the UK’s independent screen sector through the UK Global Screen Fund, supporting international co-productions and international business development.
• The International Co-production awards have been granted to seven new feature films collaborating with 12 territories, while the International Business Development awards support the expansion of 23 UK screen content businesses.
• The funding aims to enhance the international success of UK screen content, forge new international collaborations, and increase revenue generation through export and international expansion.
• The UK Global Screen Fund is accepting applications throughout the year for various initiatives, including International Distribution Festival Launch Support, International Distribution Film Sales Support, and International Distribution P&A Support.