Submissions open: a no-budget filmmaking challenge for creatives aged 16-25
Key information
Submit your no-budget film
Max 3 mins
What’s involved
Win funding for your next film
Practise your skills & showcase your work
Boldly go! Submit an Action and Adventure short film for the chance to win funding and career development support.
Our DIY Filmmaking Challenge is an opportunity for aspiring filmmakers aged 16-25 in the North of England to practise their filmmaking skills and create original short films in response to a theme.
For our latest challenge, we want filmmakers to create Action and Adventure micro-shorts. Your film can explore any aspect of the Action and Adventure genre - from a character driven journey into the unknown to a homage to martial arts classics. We want to see your take on the Action and Adventure genre.
What’s in it for you
Shortlisted films will be presented at a special showcase screening as part of Leeds INDIS Film Festival 2025 on Wednesday 5 March at Carriageworks.
Shortlisted filmmakers will also receive a round table mentoring session with our BFI NETWORK filmmaker development team. One winning filmmaker will receive £1,000 of funding and production support to make a micro-budget short in 2025.
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. Films can be any form - live action, animation, documentary, or something in between.
Practically, there’s only a few things to bear in mind:
Submitted films should be no longer than 3 minutes
Films must be created safely and legally, with all necessary copyright clearances in place. Films should be your own work.
Filmmakers should have written consent from any participant if their film portrays lived experience. Any sensitive and identifiable information should not be included and instead should be anonymised.
Get involved
The deadline for submissions is 17:00 on Sunday 9 February 2025. You can submit your film via the online form below.
DIY Filmmaking Challenge: Action and Adventure is delivered by Film Hub North as part of BFI Film Academy.
BFI Film Academy offers opportunities for ambitious 16-25 year olds, anywhere in the UK, to get to know more about film and how to forge a career in the screen industries.
