What funding is available?
There are three ways you can engage with the programme and access support:
1. MENU:
Access up to £500 (£125 per film) for programme enhancement, wraparound activity and audience development when you book one or more of the key titles.
2. BESPOKE:
Apply for up to £15,000 (average awards likely to be circa £5,000) to develop a more bespoke season of films within the parameters of the Creative Brief. There is also scope for site-specific, immersive and ‘event cinema’ project activity. If your bespoke activity includes Menu titles, please include costs associated with those screenings within your activity budget rather than applying separately for the menu.
3. CROSS-FAN:
Apply for up to £15,000 to support programme/ marketing/outreach activity with the potential to scale or tour across the UK and/or projects involving multiple site-specific events in more than one region/nation. If your Cross FAN activity includes Menu titles, please include costs associated with those screenings within your activity budget rather than applying separately for the menu. Please note that we won’t be funding many cross-FAN projects this year, so they will need to have a clear audience development and outreach plan, as well as confirmation from five or more venues about their participation to be considered. If you are interested in submitting a Cross-FAN application, you should contact BFI FAN season producer Ti Singh at ti.s@watershed.co.uk before applying.
Please note, you must be a member of the Film Audience Network to apply for this funding. Not a member yet? It’s free and easy to join.
Timeline
Key dates:
- First deadline for Bespoke and Cross FAN Proposals – Monday 13 April 2026
- Final deadline for Bespoke applications – Wed 1 July 2026
- Menu applications open until Mon 7 Sept 2026 (subject to funds remaining)
- Menu Expressions of Interest can be submitted until Mon 7 September 2026 (but note that for your activity to be included in initial listings announcement, you will need to confirm your bookings by the end of April.)
Period of activity: The bulk of the season takes place between May and October 2026 across the FAN membership.
Accessibility
If you require any access support to complete the form, please email your Film Hub directly, and they can advise on how they can accommodate your needs to complete a proposal.
You can find further support for access through the BFI’s funding support guidance.
Where do I start?
Read the Creative Brief for more information about the programme scope and to get some inspiration. Also, get ideas from the list of available contextual titles that are available to book.
Next, visit your local Film Hub’s Rip It Up page (linked below) to find out more and to begin your proposal!
Living for Kicks Programme
As part of the Rip It Up season, BFI National Archives has put together Living for Kicks, a touring programme allowing BFI FAN members to book the full programme as part of the Menu offering.
Step into the burgeoning British youth culture of the 1950s and 60s with this selection of excerpts from the BFI National Archive’s Associated-Rediffusion collection.
Launched in 1955 as part of the fledgling ITV. Associated-Rediffusion was one of the very first independent television companies that, among other achievements, shook up the world of documentary TV.
In this vibrant compilation, discover the rise of the teenager, the teddy boy and the coffee bar; the importance of pop music to the post-war generation; and the newfound freedoms that have come to define these landmark years in British cultural history.
Programmes courtesy of Archbuild Limited.
TRT approx. 65 mins for full programme (with option to screen individual shorts)
Film Hub Application Pages:
Image credits:
Pride, courtesy of Park Circus: Pathé (Header)
Human Traffic, courtesy of BFI Distribution (Image 1)
Bend It Like Beckham, courtesy of Lionsgate (Image 2)
Young Soul Rebels, courtesy of BFI Distribution (Image 3)
This is England (Image 4)
Babylon, courtesy of BFI Distribution (Image 5)
Trainspotting, courtesy of Park Circus: Film Four (Image 6)
East is East, courtesy of Park Circus: Film Four (Image 7)
Rocks, courtesy of Altitude Films (Image 8)
Quadrophenia, courtesy of Park Circus: Universal (Image 9)