Submissions closed: a no-budget filmmaking challenge for creatives aged 16-25
Key information
Submissions closed
Max runtime: 3 mins
What's involved
Win funding for your next film
Practise your skills & showcase your work
Explore your environment - submit a short film for the chance to win funding & career development support.
** Update, October 2023: submissions for DIY Film Challenge: Environment are now closed. We'll be showcasing the shortlisted films at Sunderland Shorts Film Festival on Saturday 21 October - book your ticket now. **
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 local filmmakers to create micro-shorts exploring the Environment. You might want to tackle big, global issues like the climate crisis or how we live sustainably. Or, closer to home, you might want to explore a particular place - real or imagined - that holds special significance for you.
What’s in it for you
We’re working with Sunderland Shorts Film Festival for this challenge and will present the shortlisted films at a special showcase screening at the festival in October 2023.
Shortlisted filmmakers will also receive a one-to-one 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 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. Films can be any genre or form.
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