DIY Filmmaking Challenge: Unbound

Submissions closed: a no-budget filmmaking challenge for creatives aged 16-25

Unleash your creativity - submit an Unbound short film for the chance to win a career development opportunity.

** Update, July 2023: submissions for DIY Film Challenge: Unbound are now closed. You can more about the shortlisted filmmakers in our recent article. **

DIY Filmmaking Challenge is a new project from Film Hub North as part of BFI Film Academy. It’s an opportunity for aspiring filmmakers aged 16-25 in the North of England to practice their filmmaking skills and create original short films in response to a theme.

For this DIY Filmmaking Challenge, we want to see shorts that are Unbound. You might want to explore stories of freedom, escape or limitless possibilities. Or you might want to push the boundaries of your own creativity by experimenting with bold colours, new visual styles or unusual storytelling techniques.

Whatever Unbound means to you, we want to see it.

What's in it for you

Submissions to the DIY Filmmaking Challenge will be reviewed by a panel of industry experts.

Shortlisted filmmakers will receive a one-to-one mentoring session with our BFI NETWORK filmmaker development team, and will have their work showcased at screening events.

One winning filmmaker will receive £1,000 of funding and production support to make a micro-budget short in late-2023 or early-2024.

What we’re looking for

Creatively, there are no rules to the DIY Filmmaking Challenge. We want to see bold, original responses to the theme that showcase who you are as a filmmaker.

Production value doesn’t matter. Ideas do. You can use whatever equipment you have access to.

Practically, there’s only a few things to bear in mind:

• Submitted films should be no longer than 3 minutes
• Films should be your own work, and should have any necessary copyright clearances in place
• Filmmakers should be aged 16-25
• Filmmakers should be based in the North of England (see the areas we cover)

Get involved

You can submit your film via the online form below.

The deadline for submissions is 23:59 on Friday 28 July 2023.

**Submissions closed**

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