Apply for a Short or Feature Film Festival / XR Showcase Travel Grant

If these don't answer your question please mail us Films@britishcouncil.org

What kind of project does the British Council’s Travel Grant Fund Support?

We accept applications for the travel costs of filmmakers and film projects of any genre that meet the eligibility criteria above; XR and immersive storytelling projects and installations; and Labs / Co-pro Forums which have issued personal invitations.

How do you select the events on your Key Lists?

We select the events and festivals on our two Key Lists based on the strategic role each festival / event plays in promoting and developing new talent internationally. We work with the industry to ensure that the lists are as up to date as possible and therefore may add or remove festivals/events when appropriate. We also recognise the value to filmmakers of showing work in safe, supportive spaces, and actively prioritise festivals that create these environments for filmmakers with protected characteristics. The list is subject to regular changes.

If my film is selected for a major event like the Academy Awards can I apply to the fund?

The Travel Grant Fund is designed primarily to support filmmakers to travel to festivals, labs and co-production forum events, but we may consider major international film awards (such as the Academy and Emmy Award ceremonies) for Travel Grant support, where the event organisers do not offer attendance costs. Consideration for support in these cases is at the discretion of the British Council Film department.

Can more than one applicant apply for support to travel with the same film or project?

Travel Grants are made per film or project. It is ultimately up to the creative team how any grant is divided, the only stipulation being that grants must be used to cover travel and accommodation or participant fees. For a small selection of A-list festivals, we are able to consider supporting the attendance of both director and producer where not otherwise supported by the festival, please see the Guidelines to find out more.

How many times can I apply to the fund?

Short film and XR applicants may make a maximum of three applications to the fund for any one film or project and applications must be for a different festival each time. XR projects applying for a Large XR Technical Grant will only be eligible for two further standard travel grant applications.

Feature film applicants can apply for up to two festivals if they have not received prior funding from the UK Global Screen Fund Festival Launch Support and one festival if they have received UK GSF previously.

If I have applied to the fund already and been successful, do I need to make a subsequent application when the film or project is selected in another festival/lab/event?

Yes you will need to make a new application for each Event.

I am applying for a lab grant. Will a grant cover the full cost of participation fees as well as my travel and accommodation costs?

This depends on the lab you’re planning to attend, but it is rare that a grant will entirely cover these costs. If you are offered a lab grant it will likely be a contribution towards participation fees and travel costs. The cost of participation will be taken into account when making the offer.

I am applying for a lab that is explicitly for more than one team member – i.e. writer AND director / director and producer. Will this be taken into consideration when making the grant offer?

Yes. We will only make one grant per film / project, but we will make an assessment and an offer based on the lab’s requirements for attendance.

Do you make the same grant offer for every project wishing to attend a given eligible event?

In most cases we offer the same grant per project per festival. Unless the grantee has specific access requirements, which means they need additional support in order to attend the festival or event. In addition, in order to encourage sustainable travel, we offer additional green travel bursaries for travel to European events where the grantee opts for overland travel. We also consider if the individual applicant is being offered any support from the festival itself.

Does my film or project need to have been shot or created in the UK to be eligible?

No, but the core personnel (writer, director or producer) behind the film or project must include filmmakers resident in the UK or UK citizens and the project must be an official UK production or co-production. Please note that grant offers are always based on the assumption of travel to and from the UK

I have only just been notified that I have been selected for a festival/lab/event on your list that starts very soon, can I still apply?

If you have received a notification of acceptance from one of our Key List events and are concerned that your application will not be assessed in time, then please contact films@britishcouncil.org to let us know.

Can I suggest a festival/lab/event to be included on your Key List?

We are always keen to hear from filmmakers/creatives who have had positive experiences at film festivals, labs and events. If you want to suggest a festival/event for the Key Lists, then please email films@britishcouncil.org indicating why we should consider it. Please remember that professional development and potential for exposure on the international stage are key factors in our decision making.

If you have any questions please mail us Films@britishcouncil.org

1. Travel Insurance - You will be responsible for obtaining and paying for your own travel insurance for the Event.

2. Publicity - This Travel Grant programme is made possible through the British Council and National Lottery funding. We will publish the names of all successful applicants including on the British Council and BFI’s websites. When selection of applicants is announced for Events we may publish your name(s) and possibly brief biographies. By accepting an offer, you will be acknowledging that you are providing British Council and the BFI with permission to do this. Once the announcement has been made, we ask that you and all other successful applicants warmly and energetically find ways of acknowledging this support from the National Lottery. You will be required to take frequent opportunities to highlight not just the fact of the Travel Grant but also the good work that is possible through National Lottery.

3. Refunding grants - If you withdraw from attending the Event, you will on request refund to British Council any funding already advanced.

4. Behaviours - The British Council acting reasonably and at its sole discretion will be entitled to terminate the offer of funding and require reimbursement of the costs of your participation if for any reason your behaviour falls below the standards reasonably expected of a professional in the industry or if it brings the National Lottery, the Event organisers and/or British Council or BFI or our programmes into disrepute. The British Council and BFI have Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Racism guidelines and principles in place, and are committed to providing a safe, welcoming, accessible and inclusive work environment for all National Lottery recipients, partners, organisers and staff, in-person and online. Our expectation is that every applicant to this programme, as well as every member of the BFI and British Council teams, will behave in a respectful, responsible and reasonable way towards colleagues. Any kind of discrimination, abuse, harassment, harmful behaviour or bullying, including use of offensive or discriminatory language, intimidating behaviour, or micro-aggressions has no place on our programmes and anyone not observing these principles will have their offer of funding withdrawn.

5. Evaluation - After the Event, you may be required to participate in an evaluation of this Travel Grant programme and may be contacted by British Council or the BFI one or more times in the three year period after the event

6. Personal Injury - The British Council shall not be liable to you for any personal injury, illness, disease, ailment or your death arising out of, or in the course of, your participation in the Event (including whether due to COVID-19 or otherwise), except to the extent the same was due to the negligence of the British Council or to the extent that such exemption from liability may be unlawful by statute. You accept your participation in the Event with full and complete knowledge of the currently known and potential risks involved (whether or not those risks are set out in this Offer).

7. Travel Guidance - You will keep up-to-date with all relevant legislation and government guidance and advice relating to travel within the country hosting the Event and will comply with all such guidance and advice.

8. Reputational Risk - The British CounciI will not support applications from an applicant which acts in a way or holds business connections (or receives funding from a third party which undertakes activities or holds business connections) which damage or which could reasonably be expected to damage the reputation of the British Council or the funding programme or the National Lottery .

9. Freedom of Information - The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives members of the public the right to request certain information held by the British Council. This includes information held in relation to applications to the British Council’s National Lottery funding programmes and other schemes. Therefore, if you choose to apply to the British Council, you should be aware that the information you supply, either in whole or in part, may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.

10. Data Protection - Part or all of the information you give us will be held on an internal grants management system for the administration of applications and awards. We may also use this information for the evaluation of our programmes. We may provide copies of the information in confidence to further individuals or organisations who are helping us assess applications or monitor funding or to our auditors or the National Audit Office. We may be required to disclose information by the operation of UK law. We may use a credit reference agency to validate information you have provided in your application. This is not a credit check and will not affect your ability to receive credit from other organisations. The credit reference agency we use may keep a record of the information and may disclose the fact that a search of its records was made to its other clients, in order to stop fraud. By submitting an application, you are providing your informed consent (permission) for the British Council to run such an identity verification check, including its access, use and storage. If you have knowingly provided false or inaccurate information to us at any point, we may provide details to fraud prevention agencies. Part, or all, of the information you give us will be held on an internal grants management system for the administration of applications and awards. We may also use this information for the evaluation of our funds. We may provide copies of the information in confidence to further individuals or organisations who are helping us assess applications including the BFI, directly managing British Council programmes or monitoring funding.

11. Conflict of Interest - To ensure that measures can be introduced to prevent a conflict of interest arising between those assessing an application and the applicant, the British Council is required to identify all relevant financial or personal interests that may exist between applicants and British Council Trustees, advisory panels, partners or employees. The Conflict of Interest covers the interests of themselves, their partner, a close family member or a person with whom they have a close personal relationship, whether or not living in the same household.

12. Complaints and Appeals - Inevitably applications will be turned down and applicants may be disappointed by this result. Formal appeals against the final decision will not be considered unless the applicant has good cause to believe that the procedures for processing the application were not adhered to, or applied in such a way as to prejudice the outcome of the application.

13. Monitoring and Evaluation - The British Council takes an evidence-based approach to distributing funds and we monitor delivery and impact to make sure our funding is working as hard as possible. All applicants, regardless of the outcome of your application, may be asked to participate in evaluation conducted by us or on our behalf while the programme is open and for a reasonable time after it closes. We will conduct and publish evaluations of programmes which, if you are successful in your application, may include project details and summary information from reports provided to us by you.

14. ID Checks - We may use a credit reference agency to validate information you have provided in your application including an identity check on the people named in your application. This is not a credit check and will not affect the ability of those checked to receive credit from other organisations. The credit reference agency we use may keep a record of the information, and may disclose the fact that a search of its records was made to its other clients, in order to stop fraud. By submitting this application, you are providing your informed consent (permission) for the British Council to run such an identity verification check on the people named in your application, including its access, use and storage. If you have knowingly provided false or inaccurate information to us at any point, we may provide details to fraud prevention agencies. If you are a company this will include the names of the Company Directors at the time of the fraud. You must undertake to inform all Directors, Trustees and Committee members of this notice.