Short Film Fund (Unsolicited Scripts) is sponsored by Unsolicited Scripts. This initiative supports the production of a short film screenplay (20 pages max) or the completion of a short film (under 20 minutes) with a cash grant and in-kind post-production services.

Short Film Fund - Unsolicited Scripts Our Short Film Fund initiative supports the production of a short film screenplay (20 pages max) or the completion of a short film (under 20 minutes) with a grant of up to £7,000 (approx $9,500), in-kind post-production services, festival strategy, production insurance, tax credit support, and career advice.

Filmmakers can apply without a producer – we can help you find one if your project is selected. Our goal is to create a funding opportunity where story is king. There are no boxes to tick apart from writing a great story that is viable for production.

We are not afraid of being the first entity to provide funding for your project and become the first stepping stone for you to be able to raise further financing, if required. Unsolicited Scripts will review all the submissions and select 6 finalists based exclusively on their creative merit. A jury composed of all the organisations involved in the initiative will assign the awards.

They may decide to assign all the awards to a single project or split them among multiple projects. At the finalist stage, apart from creative merit, we will also evaluate the project’s viability in terms of budget and timeline (a budget and a rough timeline will be requested for the finalists only; if no producer is attached, we will help the writer compile a suitable budget / timeline).

We may also ask the director to complete a written assessment (if a director is attached to the project). Join us for an online session to learn how to make a strong application and ask questions specific to your project or circumstances. We accept submissions worldwide.

We accept narrative short films of any genre, in live-action and animation. We do not accept music videos, documentaries, video art, interactive or virtual reality projects. We also accept projects that have already completed principal photography, as long as post-production hasn’t been completed yet.

Scripts should be no longer than 20 pages. Rough cuts should be no longer than 20 minutes. The completed film should be in English or include English subtitles.

All materials submitted to the fund must be in English. Screenplays should be professionally formatted.

Submissions open: 15th February 2026 Early deadline: 15th March 2026 Regular deadline : 15th April 2026 Final deadline: 15th May 2026 – (midnight GMT) Longlist announced: 15th June 2026 Finalists announced: 15th July 2026 Winner(s) announced: 30th July 2026 We reserve the right to exclude submissions not meeting the eligibility requirements outlined above and in the full rules linked below.

Please read the full rules here before submitting. A cash grant of up to £7,000 (approx. $9,500*) offered by Unsolicited Scripts.

Insurance: a production insurance package by Tysers Live . Colour grading by colourist Giulia Cavina from Goldcrest. Sound post by Daniel Bodsworth from Lipsync.

A Festival Strategy package by world-leading festival strategist Film Festival Doctor . DCP creation: offered by Unsolicited Scripts. One-to-one Career Advice Meeting for the writer and director of the screenplay with Libby Gervais, Agent Assistant at Casarotto & Ramsay Associates .

UK Film Tax Credit Support : the finalist will be briefed on how to make the most out of the Uk Film Tax Credit scheme, which allows you to get up to 42% of your production budget back. If the winning project is submitted by a writer based in the UK, Unsolicited Scripts can help find a producer, director, and crew. *figures in USD($) are estimated based on the exchange rate on 20th January 2026.

The exact amount may vary depending on the exchange rate applied by your card provider. You can check the latest mid-market rates for GBP/USD here . Everyone submitting a project receives: A £15 discount on all of our services valid until the end of 2026.

The discount also applies to the Demystifying the UK Film Tax Credits webinar about how you can get up to 42% of your production budget back as tax credit if you film in the UK. The discount does not apply to future short film fund submissions.

Three-month free membership to Spotlight to cast your first project, otherwise priced at £70/month (offer valid for users joining Spotlight for the first time or returning after at least 6 months) 20% off casting rooms at Spotlight Studios in Covent Garden (London, UK). *** for users joining for the first time or returning after at least 6 months.

Unsolicited Scripts is a script consultancy company running initiatives to help new writers connect with independent producers and providing educational content for the wider filmmaking community. Our goal is creating opportunities where the story is king and previous track record doesn’t necessarily matter.

In order to do so, we mainly engage with up-and-coming independent producers who are more likely to engage with unrepresented writers, but we also occasionally collaborate with bigger companies looking for a specific kind of content.

In terms of script development, we focus on delivering high-quality feedback notes provided by experienced freelance script readers who are actively working for reputable production companies, studios and film funding institutions.

Our promise is for your script to receive the same quality of evaluation it would get if an agent had sent it to a company, but with the added benefit of receiving back honest and actionable notes to help you improve the next draft.

Libby Gervais (Casarotto & Ramsay Associates) Libby works in the Film & TV department at the literary agency Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, representing writers, directors, producers and literary properties, and scouting new talent.

Her experience includes agenting and development, previously interning with the development team at Red Planet Pictures ( Our House, Sanditon ) and working as a script consultant on shorts, including the BFI Flare–premiering Please Carry On . She has spent the past two years as Industry Workshop Coordinator at The Developing Room, where she leads workshops and events supporting emerging screen creatives.

Libby is also the co-founder of AXIS: The POC Scripted Network, a collective championing people of colour working in scripted development. AXIS has collaborated with and received sponsorship from ITV, Fifth Season and Channel 4.

Giulia Cavina (Colourist) Giulia is a freelance Colourist and in-house Assistant Colourist at Goldcrest London with three years of experience across large-budget features, premium dramas, as well as a range of short-form content. She works alongside top creatives, developing a visual approach that blends technical precision with a rich, photographic sensibility.

Her caring and adaptable nature helps her build lasting relationships with collaborators, while continuing to develop her voice as an emerging Colourist in the UK scene. Instagram @giuliacavinacolour Daniel Bodsworth (Post Sound) Born and bred in the midlands, Daniel is a sound designer, editor, and re-recording mixer currently based in London.

With over a decade of experience in audio post-production, his passion for crafting immersive soundscapes makes him a valuable asset to any production.

Daniel has previously worked at some of the leading post houses in Soho, including Molinare, Lipsync and WB De Lane Lea where he honed his skills and collaborated a diverse range of films and television programmes in various capacities, from dialogue editing to ADR supervision, sound effect editing to re-recording mixing.

His extensive background in the industry and dedication to his craft have established him as a trusted professional in the field. The Film Festival Doctor (Festival Strategist) Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith, The Film Festival Doctor, is a change agent. Her focus on film festivals and mental health is the first of its kind within the film industry.

She creates new ways to approach festival strategies and redefine how to look after one’s mental health within the intense & rewarding world of the film festival circuit. Rebekah and her hard-working team are committed to nurturing filmmakers in order to help them secure film festival screenings, win awards, and cultivate a positive recognition within the film industry.

Currently, her company has won over 2,500 awards for their clients and four Oscar success stories. She has secured hundreds of festival screenings around the world for her clients and has supported over 850 international filmmakers, enlightening and inspiring their journey towards achieving their goals and following their filmmaking dreams.

Tysers Live (Production Insurance) Tysers Live is a global division of Tysers Insurance Brokers dedicated to servicing the needs of the global entertainment industry with offerings in Music, Theatre, Live Events, Media & Film and Advertising & Commercials combining under one brand. Our credits include: The Brutalist, Baby Reindeer, Sex Education, How to Have Sex http://www. tysers.

com/tyserslive MONKEY , written and directed by Charlotte Alexander The night after a historic vote, a young Portuguese man awakens to find a stranger in his bedroom, plunging him into a harrowing nightmare where he must fight to prove his innocence and defend his freedom. The project was awarded a cash grant of £5,000, a camera & lighting kit rental package by Hi-Ten , and post-production sound services by Daniel Bodsworth .

SCARS THAT DEFINE US , written and directed by Edward Worthy With their water supply depleting, a southern black woman must overcome her own desires as she struggles to care for her elderly father’s open wound during the 2022 Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis. The project was awarded colour grading services by colourist Giulia Cavina from Goldcrest. Everyone receives free perks to offset the cost of the submission fees.

Early Bird Deadline: 15th March 2026 – £30 / $40* Regular Deadline: 15th April 2024 – £35 / $47* Final Deadline: 15th May 2024 – £40 / $54* ‘ Q&A session’ perk : free ‘Evaluation Summary’ on your submission, offered when you participate in one of our Q&A sessions . *figures in USD($) are estimated based on the exchange rate on 20th January 2026. The exact amount may vary depending on the exchange rate applied by your card provider.

You can check the latest mid-market rates for GBP/USD here . • About our script readers • We work exclusively with experienced freelance script readers who are also contracted by established production companies, film studios, and funding institutions to ensure each script is evaluated by the same readers who select projects and source new talent for the industry.

Independently from their previous experience, we do a trial with each new reader we take on to ensure their notes meet our standards. You can optionally purchase two types of feedback on your submission: Evaluation Summary (£10 / $13. 50*) : A one-paragraph comment highlighting our thoughts on your submission and what to focus on to improve the next draft, available for both screenplays and rough cuts.

This summary is delivered when the finalists are announced. Feedback Report (£50 / $67*) : A report with at least one page of actionable notes highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the project to improve your script. You can read a sample report here .

* figures in USD($) are estimated based on the exchange rate on 20th January 2026. The exact amount may vary depending on the exchange rate applied by your card provider. You can check the latest mid-market rates for GBP/USD here .

Join us for an online session to learn how to make a strong application and ask questions specific to your project or circumstances. If I submit, will I retain all the rights to my project? Yes.

When you submit, you retain all the rights to your project. Do I need a producer attached to my project to participate? No, and you can self-produce if you wish.

If your project is awarded the grant and you are based in the UK, we may be able to help you find a producer, a director and a crew for your short film. How many winners will be chosen and how will the prizes be split? We try to assign as many resources as possible to a single winning project to help it get into production, but we often pick runner-up projects that can get some of the awards the winning project may not strictly need.

As an example, we could offer the cash grant to the winning project and the festival strategy to a runner-up. Another example could be the winning project only needs post-production and festival support, so a runner-up gets the cash grant. How are the projects evaluated?

When selecting the longlist and / or the finalists, all submissions are evaluated exclusively on their creative merit. This means we assess how effectively each project is delivering on its premise. For example, if you submit a comedy, we want to laugh out loud and be entertained; if you are submitting a drama that addresses a social issue, we want to see a unique perspective on the issue presented.

When selecting the winner(s), we may also consider the project’s viability. All finalists with a producer attached will be requested to submit a budget (including the in-kind support you may receive) and a draft plan detailing how you intend to secure the missing funds within one year.

We do not expect budgets and financing intentions to be 100% accurate; we consider them a starting point for discussing whether it’s realistic for the project to start principal photography within one year with our support.

We are very open-minded and willing to support you in finding any missing resources as long as you have realistic expectations about the project’s scope and feasibility (for example, it’s unrealistic for us to support a £100,000 sci-fi set in a custom-built spaceship if no other funding/resources are in place). When selecting the winner(s) we may also ask your director (if one attached) to complete a written assessment.

Can I send you an updated script / rough cut later? While submitting your screenplay, you may purchase the “Feedback report + free resubmission” add-on before 15th April 2026, and you will be able to submit an updated script incorporating the suggested changes free of charge.

In any other circumstances, if you’d like to submit an update for your application, you will have to pay the submission fee again, but a £15 discount will be applied to the updated submission (the discount code is included in the submission confirmation email you receive the first time you submit). Any other questions? Any other questions?

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