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Funding available

Apply for up to £10,000 for support

to re-build and reach new audiences

Dates and deadlines

Round 1 closes

Friday 20 March (noon)

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

Through our Film Exhibition Fund, funding of up to £10,000 per project, per year is available for screening activity taking place between April 2026 – March 2029.

The primary focus of the Film Exhibition Fund is in-person events that bring audiences together for a communal viewing experience. 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.

Assessment rounds

In 2026 proposals will be assessed across three rounds:

Round 1
Call opens: Monday 16 February 2026
Call closes: Friday 20 March 2026 (noon)
Decisions notified w/c 30 March 2026

Round 2

Call opens: Monday 18 May 2026
Call closes: Friday 19 June 2026 (noon)
Decisions notified w/c 29 June 2026

Round 3
Call opens: Monday 21 September 2026
Call closes: Friday 23 October 2026 (noon)
Decisions notified w/c 2 November 2026

Please note:

All activities need to have been completed and reported on by 31 March 2027 (for single-year awards) and 15 March 2029 (for multi-year awards)
All activity should take place no sooner than 8 weeks after the call deadline
Activity that runs over multiple years will be considered
FEF awards vary based on scale of activity, with smaller FEF around £4,000-£5,000 and larger FEF around £7,000- £8,000.

Guidelines

Take a look at the funding guidelines for more information on the fund, its aims and eligibility criteria.

Download the guidelines

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

Accessibility

If you have access requirements that mean you need assistance when applying for funds, you can request help through the BFI Access Support Scheme.

If you have any questions about the fund, application process, or would like to discuss submitting a proposal in a different way, please get in touch at info@filmhubnorth.org.uk.