Short film and VR festival travel grant

Short film and VR festival travel grant is sponsored by British Film Institute. Offers travel grants to early career filmmakers building an international profile.

# for Travel Grant funding This guide gives you advice and recommendations on how make an application for a Travel Grant for: Short or Feature Filmmakers attending film festivals XR creatives attending festivals and showcases Producers attending co-production forums Filmmakers attending development labs 2 Delivering against the BFI’s National Lottery Strategy 3 Check if you’re eligible 4 What you can use Travel Grant funding for 5 Environmental Sustainability Travel Grant funding is supported by the British Council, BFI NETWORK and the BFI International Fund.

Alongside these Guidelines please see two separate documents: Travel Grant Fund FAQs 1 Overview The British Council offers early to mid-career filmmakers, and creatives producing XR (including virtual reality, immersive storytelling experiences and installations) the opportunity to apply for Travel Grant funding.

This can be used to attend key international film festivals and showcases, training/ development and co-production events (referred to collectively as ‘events’ throughout these guidelines). The purpose of this funding is to enable filmmakers to represent their work abroad, develop new contacts and networks, reach new audiences, and increase the exposure of new and emerging UK films and film talent internationally.

The British Council’s Film department manages the applications process for these Travel Grants. The fund is separated into five distinct grant strands: Short Film Festival Grants – attendance at an eligible festival to support a short film screening, for new/emerging writers or directors (those who have yet to have a feature film produced and distributed in the UK), and for producers of any experience level.

Feature Film Festival Grants – attendance at an eligible festival to support a feature film, for producers. Interactive/immersive/XR Grants – attendance at an eligible festival/ showcase event with an interactive/immersive/XR project (collectively referred to throughout these guidelines as “XR projects”) for XR creatives.

Lab Grants – attendance at an eligible creative development lab for producers, writers, or directors working on feature projects. Co-Production (‘co-pro’) Forum Grants – attendance at an eligible market/co-production forum for producers with feature projects. Grants are a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs, participant fees for labs, training and co-pro forums, and for selected set-up costs related to XR works.

Grants will rarely cover the full cost of attendance. Awards for Short and Feature Film Festival Grants will range from a minimum of £100 to a maximum of £1,500 but will not normally Awards for XR projects are divided into two tiers: Travel only (£100 – £1,500), and Travel/Technical Grants for larger scale showcasing, capped at £7,000. Awards for Lab Grants are capped at £6,000 but rarely exceed £3,000.

Awards for Co-Pro Forum Grants are capped at £2,000. Each list divided into categories A-B, where category A events are prioritised, and category B events are subject to availability of funding (‘the Events’). There is a very small amount of funding set aside to support travel to selected events not currently appearing on either Key List (‘Discretionary Grants’).

This includes international travel to major award ceremonies where a filmmaker has a work that has been nominated, as well as festivals, labs or forums not currently on the Key Lists. Professional development and potential for exposure on the international stage are key factors we take into account when considering whether to make someone a Discretionary Grant.

To ensure we can assess your application in advance of the Event taking place, it is important that you apply as soon as you have been notified of your Event invitation. Once you have read these guidelines in their entirety - including the Travel Grant Fund FAQ’s at the end of this document - please submit your application on the Travel Grant Fund webpage: film. britishcouncil.

org/opportunities/travel-grants-fund If you are ineligible for this funding, the UK Global Screen Fund of UK feature films in international territories.

This includes Festival Launch Support for films that have been invited to have their World, International, North American or European premiere in an official category/competition at 25 festivals that are not included in our Successful applicants attending European festivals and events can expect a smaller grant than those attending events which require a The eligible festivals and events are detailed in two Key Lists: > Key List: Festivals and Showcases > Key List: Labs and Co-production Forums # 2 Delivering against the BFI’s # National Lottery Strategy These Travel Grants are supported by the British Council and through BFI National Lottery funding.

We consider the following six priorities drawn from the BFI National Lottery Strategy 2023-26 when reviewing our Key Lists, which happens every six months, and how we support filmmakers to attend Events: Equity, diversity and inclusion: addressing under-representation in perspective and representation, talent and recruitment, agency and opportunities, widening the range of voices and audiences served.

Impact and audience: supporting activity with a strong cultural or progressive impact for audiences. Talent development and progression: supporting early career producers, writers, directors and XR creatives and projects. Risk: supporting activity and events that take creative risks.

UK-wide: ensuring extra provision is available for grantees travelling from outside London and the South East. Environmental sustainability: working to address the environmental impact of international travel, with additional funding available to enable grantees to travel overland to European-based festivals.

While we cannot influence the UK work that is selected at Events, we regularly assess data and feedback from all Events on our list, to ensure their programming and industry offerings are supportive, inclusive and representative, in line with the focus areas of the BFI Diversity Standards .

We prioritise Events that: specifically focus on filmmakers/creatives with protected characteristics including black and LGBTQIA+ voices, and filmmakers/creatives with disabilities. We recognise the value to filmmakers/creatives of showing work in safe, supportive spaces. maximise sales, career development and international opportunities for under-represented filmmakers/creatives.

offer a broad global perspective on career development and networking opportunities. On accepting a Travel Grant, filmmakers are required to complete an anonymous Equality, Diversity and Inclusion monitoring form to help us regularly assess whether our grant programmes are accessible to filmmakers from under-represented backgrounds.

To be eligible to apply for a grant, applicants must: have had a project selected by at least one of the Events: ‘Key Film Festivals and Showcases List’ or ‘Key Labs and Co-Pro Forums List’ or be seeking a Discretionary Grant.

be resident in the UK or a UK citizen be applying with a project that is a UK production or co-production be applying to attend an Event happening at least 2 weeks from the application submission date Applications for short film Travel Grants must relate to projects that are no more than 60 minutes in duration.

Short film and co-pro forum applicants may make a maximum of three applications to the fund for any one film or project and applications must be for a different Event each time. We will prioritise feature, lab, co-pro forum and XR grants to filmmakers/ creatives and projects who have not previously received a British Council We cannot support a filmmaker or project with more than one lab/XR grant in any single year.

You are not eligible to apply for this funding if: Your project is not a UK production or co-production You are neither resident in the UK nor a UK citizen The application is for retrospective activity i.e. an application for travel that has already taken place or when an Event has already started.

Applications made less than two weeks before the Event is due to start may not be granted, or may be rated lower than filmmaker/creatives who applied earlier You have not been selected for an eligible Event (unless you are applying for a Discretionary Grant) You are seeking travel grant funding to accompany a project that is not a short film of under 60 minutes, a feature film, or an XR work Another team member associated with your project has already received a British Council Travel Grant to attend the same event with that project.

We can only offer ONE grant per project at any given eligible event. Please get in touch with the team if you’re unsure whether you are eligible for a Travel Grant: films@britishcouncil.

org 4 What you can use # Travel Grant funding for Travel Grants can contribute towards the following costs relating to attending an Event, where these are not already fully covered Flights/trains/other means of travel based on economy price Hotel/accommodation based on price at time of travel (averaging 2 nights for a festival, or longer for a lab) Participation fees where applicable Disability access support for attendance In addition, for XR Travel/Technical Grants, support can be Preparing your instructions for the exhibition of your piece Integrating your work with a festival’s online platform Developing the accessibility of your piece and producing Versioning for exhibition This list is not exhaustive and we may inform you that other types of activity within your application cannot be supported by a Travel Grant.

We understand that people with caring responsibilities may need additional support and can discuss this on a case-by-case basis.

Costs that we cannot support Travel Grants cannot be used to cover the following: Sustenance costs (food and drink) Physical installation costs of XR works Travel from locations that are not in the UK 5 Environmental sustainability All filmmakers/creatives applying for a Travel Grant need to plan their travel with the environment and the climate crisis in mind.

We can offer additional funding to filmmakers who travel to European festivals and Julie’s Bicycle (which works with arts and cultural organisations to take action on the climate, nature and justice crisis) are working with us on this Travel Grant funding, providing resources for filmmakers to help improve their environmental impacts.

You can download a guide Green Grants to key areas to think about when it comes to travel, accommodation and attending events. There is no deadline for Travel Grant funding applications - they can be made on a rolling basis. Applicants will be required to complete an online application form and provide evidence of an invitation to the Event.

You can also use this form to apply for a Discretionary Grant.

Applications can be made by a director, producer or writer of the project depending on the requirements of each funding strand as detailed in section one and must include: Project details where travel is to attend a screening of a film or XR work (key personnel, synopsis, technical information, cast etc) Contact details plus CV/Filmography of all individuals benefitting from the grant Details of the event you have been invited to attend (eg section) Written evidence of acceptance into the Event An explanation as to why you want to attend and why you need public funding to enable your attendance A breakdown of the costs of attendance (confirming how much you wish to be covered by the Travel Grant and how much is being met by other means including the festival or event).

7 Assessment Applications for Shorts, Features, Labs, Co-Pro Forums and XR Travel-only Grants for Events appearing on the Key Lists will be assessed every two weeks by the British Council Film Department. Applications for Discretionary Grants and for Limited XR Travel/ Technical Grants will be assessed every three weeks by a wider panel of British Council and external assessors which may include BFI staff.

If the application meets the eligibility criteria, we will then use the following criteria to prioritise applications and determine grant Whether a project has been selected by an Event in either the ‘A’ or ‘B’ category (see Key Lists: Festivals and Showcases).

Once all ‘A’ list applications have been assessed, ‘B’ list applications will be considered if sufficient funds Whether a project has been selected in competition or has been nominated for an award - i.e. if we receive a substantial amount of applications for one Event in particular, we will seek to prioritise those filmmakers who have been selected in competition or who have been nominated for an award.

Whether the filmmaker/creative or project has previously received a British Council Travel Grant. Further consideration will be given in awarding Discretionary Grants and to determine the level of grant offered, against the Number of other UK filmmakers/projects selected for the identified award ceremony or similar event that are eligible for a grant.

We will then apply the following assessment criteria to applications: The project quality, (in the case of Lab grants, the filmmaker’s CV and experience), strength of potential cultural or progressive impact for audiences, and the creative risks taken; position in the event (e.g. if in Competition); nature of event (reputation, platforming under- Legacy and impact for grantee (professional development potential) and international collaborative ambition Diversity and Inclusion; Environmental Sustainability; UK-wide Please note: for applications to attend the Berlinale Talents programme, due to the competition for support for this event and our commitment to addressing industry under-representation, our funding prioritises filmmakers who are under-represented in the industry in line with some or all of the focus areas of the BFI Diversity Standards.

We will ask supplementary questions if your application is to attend You will be sent an automated confirmation email response once you have submitted an online application. Applications will be considered at the next relevant assessment meeting. You will be notified by email with the outcome of your application, using the email address used to submit your application.

# 8 Successful applicants If your application has been successful, we will send you an offer email stating the available Travel Grant amount and providing you with the necessary forms to set you up on our financial system. You must return your forms within two weeks of receiving your offer email, or the offer may be revoked.

Once you have returned all necessary forms, according to the instructions in your offer email, we will begin the payment procedure including safe banking/screening checks. If you do not complete the forms correctly, they will be rejected by the Finance Department, which will slow the process down significantly.

Payment will take a maximum of 45 days to clear into your bank account – but usually arrives within 30 days of receiving your completed forms