Film Exhibition Fund

Supporting independent film exhibition in the North

The Film Exhibition Fund is here to support the independent film exhibition sector in the North.

** Update, November 2023: we have now awarded all Film Exhibition Fund support for the financial year 2023/2024. The fund will reopen for activity taking place in the 2024/2025 financial year in early-2024.

Visit our Exhibitor Funding page to find what other support is available to you. **

Through the Film Exhibition Fund, funding of up to £10,000 per project, per year is available for screening activity taking place between April 2023 - March 2026.  

The primary objective of the Film Exhibition Fund is to support exhibitors to engage audiences with independent film programmes in a communal setting. All activity supported through the fund should aim to increase in-person audiences for British, independent and international film in the North. This fund has been made available thanks to BFI National Lottery as part of the BFI’s Screen Culture 2033 strategy.

We can support a range of project specific costs including programming, marketing, staffing and accessibility.

The entire range of organisations in our exhibitor network are eligible to apply - including full-time cinemas, mixed arts centres, community cinemas and film societies, film festivals and touring programmes.

Applications will be assessed on a monthly basis with the last deadline on 01 December 2025.

Take a look at the funding guidelines for more information on the fund, its aims and eligibility criteria. If you have access requirements that mean you need assistance when applying for funds, you can request help through the BFI Access Support Scheme.

Download the guidelines

A plain text version of these guidelines is also available to download [.docx].

If your project requires less financial support (up to £3,000), you might consider applying to our Film Exhibition Fund - Pitch Pot scheme. 

Image credit: FACT Cinema in the City 2021