Apply for a Short Film Festival Travel Grant

We offer grants to help short filmmakers travel to international festivals where their work is being screened.

Funding to attend international film festivals and events

Short filmmakers and filmmakers producing virtual reality / immersive storytelling experiences and installations can apply for travel grants to attend international film festivals and events where their work is being screened.

Our grants help you present your work abroad, develop new networks, reach new audiences and increase the exposure of new UK film and film talent internationally.

• Grants range from £100 to a maximum of £1,500.
• Grants offer a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs, but may not always cover the full cost of attendance.
• Applicants screening in European festivals can expect a smaller grant than those screening in festivals which require a long haul journey.
• All grants are based on a UK starting destination.

Eligibility

• Applications can be made by a project's director, producer or writer, who must be aged 18 or above.
• All applicants must have had their short film / project selected by at least one of the festivals on the British Council’s Key Festivals List, and must provide evidence of festival selection.

• The film or project must be a UK production / co-production.
• The film or project must be no more than 60 minutes long.
• Each film or project can receive a maximum of three grants.
• Each film or project can receive a maximum of one grant per festival.

Access and support

If you have specific access needs please talk to us about what additional help may be available to Short Film Festival Travel Grant recipients – for example additional funds to facilitate travel with a BSL interpreter or access worker.

How to apply

Apply for a Short Film Festival Travel Grant

It shouldn't take longer than ten minutes to complete your application. You will need:

• a copy of your festival acceptance letter or email
• an online link to your film, and password if applicable.

Short Support

Short Support is a Short Film Festival Travel Grant alumni network. Recipients of Short Film Festival Travel Grants will be members of Short Support for a year and will receive regular industry updates and invitations to networking events.

Shorts Portal

Short Film Festival Travel Grant recipients can have their work added to the UK Shorts Portal.

The UK Shorts Portal is an online screening platform designed to showcase the best new work from across the UK, exclusively for short film professionals. The portal is strictly for the use of festival programmers, buyers, agents and distributors.

The portal currently showcases more than 160 brand new shorts including:

• British Council programmer picks from Short Film Festival Travel Grant recipients
• Highlights from British Council touring packages and programmes
• Award winners from the last year

We cannot allow access for individual filmmakers or production companies due to the agreement we have with participating content providers. If you're not sure whether you qualify for access to the UK Shorts Portal, please contact us at films@britishcouncil.org.

Request access to the shorts portal.

In partnership with the BFI NETWORK

The Short Film Festival Travel Grant is a partnership between the BFI NETWORK and the British Council.