The BFI NETWORK Early Development Fund is now open for applications until 11am, 18 November 2025.
Are you a writer who does not yet have the first draft of a feature script? You can apply to the BFI NETWORK Early Development Fund for support to produce an initial treatment outlining the story, characters, themes and structure of your project, with awards of £3,000 to £5,000 available. The fund supports projects by writers based in the South East region. Please see here which regions we cover at Film Hub South East.
If you’re a new writer with an exciting, bold idea, with or without a producer, this is the fund for you! ‘New writers’ are people who have not yet written a feature film script that has been produced and distributed. This fund is also for producers and directors working with new writers. This fund is the first step in the BFI’s development support for live-action and animated fiction projects from new writers. It supports people at the very beginning of their development process to produce an initial treatment and related materials.
To help applicants learn more about the fund and how to apply, there is a series of free online information sessions throughout October. Before attending any of these events please read about the fund, and the funding guidelines, on the BFI NETWORK website. The fund supports work in live-action, immersive and animation.
Programme
All sessions will take place online via Zoom with more sessions to be announced soon.
BFI NETWORK Early Development Fund Information Session
Monday 20 October, 1 to 2pm
Join BFI NETWORK South East executives Thomas Wightman and writer Lee Daniel for a conversation and Q&A about how the Early Development Fund can support writers, and bring any questions you have about the application process and eligibility.
Projects must be at the pre-script stage and these sessions are specifically for talent based in the South East of England. For applicants in other hubs, please check your local film hub here.
Lee Daniel
Speaker
Lee Daniel was born in London to a Scottish family and grew up caught between chaos and resilience. That mix of heritage and lived experience fuels her storytelling: outsiders, rule-breakers, and the “ordinary extraordinary.” Her work balances rawness with lyricism, exploring crime and community, sisterhood and survival. She is currently directing the feature documentary The Super Responders. Recent projects also include The Debt Collector - a neo-noir feature in development with the BFI’s Early Development Fund - and Easy Money, a television series in development with BBC Voices. Her speculative script was also placed in the top 1% of entries to the BBC Open Call. Lee is disabled and an active campaigner for Breast Cancer Now and MetUp UK, bringing the same passion for truth and survival into both her advocacy and her filmmaking.
How to Tell Your Story Concisely with Laura Jayne Tunbridge
Monday, November 3, 6:30 to 8pm
Join BAFTA nominated screenwriter Laura Jayne Tunbridge to learn more about telling your story concisely.
