UK Global Screen Fund

A one-year pilot fund designed to boost international development and distribution opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector.

The £7 million UK Global Screen Fund (UKGSF) will target support across the screen sector, including film, TV, documentary, animation and interactive narrative games content.

Financed by the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and administered by the BFI, it will focus on accelerating export growth, boosting revenues to independent UK screen companies and deepening international relationships.

What the fund supports

The one-year pilot will allocate funding to three open access strands:

International Distribution: support for sales and distribution of one or more UK feature films (drama, documentary, animation) in international territories

International Business Development: financial support for business strategies that drive international growth and IP development for companies working in film, TV (animation, drama and documentary) and interactive narrative gaming

International Co-production: support for UK companies to be partners in international productions, sharing IP and revenue on film and TV animation and documentary projects with audience potential

Alongside financial support for UK screen businesses, the UKGSF will drive and fund a new international promotional campaign, launching later in 2021. This campaign will engage global audiences and reflect the extraordinary quality and diversity of screen content coming from the UK.

Further UKGSF investment will support research into a new data hub, exploring the possibility of providing international data that can allow financiers, screen content creators, sales agents and distributors to make better-informed decisions, enhancing global opportunities.

The UKGSF is open to independent screen sector companies registered and centrally managed in the UK.

The fund is intended to support independent companies across the UK, ensuring a UK-wide benefit and addressing geographic imbalance within the industry. Consideration will be given to where companies are based, where projects are made and how projects reflect the culture and talent of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions outside Greater London.

Eligible screen content varies according to the type of support being applied for. Across the UKGSF supported content includes feature-length and episodic fiction, documentary and animated content for film and television as well as interactive digital projects with narrative content.

For more information, please check https://www.bfi.org.uk/