We will be hosting three BFI NETWORK Emerging Producers Labs across the South East to support emerging producers in developing their skills and providing them with the knowledge needed to apply for future rounds of the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund.
Full of practical activities, with industry insight and examples, these Labs will take you through the creative role of a producer, including introductions to topics such as:
- developing concepts from early ideas to script, then to screen
- managing relationships
- budgeting and money management
- contracting and legal
- production and building your team
- post-production, distribution and networking
The Labs will be led by one of our BFI NETWORK South East Talent Executives.
Please note that eligibility for each Lab is limited to individuals residing in specific unitary authority areas (councils):
Slough – open to applicants based in Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Bracknell Forest, Hertfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor & Maidenhead, Wokingham.The deadline for this Lab has now passed.Colchester – open to applicants based in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk, Southend-on-Sea, Norfolk, Peterborough.The deadline for this Lab has now passed.- Tunbridge Wells – open to applicants based in Thurrock, West Sussex, East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Kent, Medway
Each Lab has a different application deadline. You are welcome to apply early, but we will not assess your application until after the deadline.
If, for any reason, attending a different Lab than the one in your location is preferable for you, please get in touch, and we will be happy to advise.
Each Lab will take the same format, so you should only attend one.
Modest financial support will be available to help with travel costs to and from the Labs.
Fees
Each Lab will cost £15 for the successful applicants. This will include a free lunch.
We will also be able to contribute to either ticket or travel costs to and from the Labs for those who need it.
Who can apply?
Participation in the BFI NETWORK Emerging Producers Labs is open to producers from all creative disciplines who are interested in producing short film (under 15 minutes in length).
To apply, you should be able to demonstrate that you have a track record in the skills required to produce a short film. These might include qualities such as drive and creativity, problem-solving, good communication, logistical planning such as budgeting and hiring, collaboration, organisation, scheduling, leadership skills, and the ability to navigate relationships.
Through this course we wish to help delegates build their skills in short film production so that they are in a position to apply to future rounds of the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund.
As you apply, you should start thinking about what stories you would want to tell and therefore what films you might want to make. Think about where your interest lies and what messages or themes are important to you and that you would like to portray in your films. This can help guide your enthusiasm and help your application stand out.
How to apply
Eligibility requirements
As space is limited, there is a selection process before your attendance is confirmed.
To apply you must be:
- Over 18
- Not in full time education
- Based in the South East of England, as defined by the BFI (please refer to this map of the regions)
As part of your application, please also complete an Equality Monitoring Form. We’re collecting this information to help us evaluate our work to increase diversity and inclusivity in the sector. The information you provide here will be anonymous and won’t be connected to or identifiable with your application.
If you like, you can download a copy of the application form below to prepare your application in advance, but you must apply via the form on this page.
If you have particular access requirements (e.g. easy read documents) and would like to submit your application in another way, please email us and we’ll be happy to discuss options.
Alongside the eligibility criteria, this year we are particularly encouraging applicants who would identify themselves as from a working-class background. Whilst not a requirement, we hope to designate at least five of the ten slots available at each Lab specifically to those who identify as from a working-class background. We have provided more detail on what we mean by that below.
Complete the application form at the bottom of this page by the deadlines given for each specific Lab. You may also attach video or sound recordings in place of text when submitting this form.
What happens next?
Please note: you will not receive a confirmation email on completion of the application form. After submitting the form, please scroll back down to the bottom of this page where you’ll find a message confirming your application.
We aim to let all applicants know whether they have been successful within a week and a half of the application deadline.
If you need any support in completing your application, or have any queries about the application process or your eligibility, please contact us at: bfinetwork@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk
Why are you particularly encouraging applicants from a working-class background?
The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) recently conducted research that found that only one in four screen workers are from working-class backgrounds. The lowest it has been in over a decade. We have also seen this statistic reflected in the applications we receive to BFI NETWORK South East for funding. This is most evident in the representation of producers from a working-class background. We therefore want to encourage and support a cohort of new producers from a working-class background to highlight potential roles and avenues into roles within film.
What do you mean by ‘from a working-class background’?
Defining the term working-class is not a simple exercise. The term means different things to different people. Across all creative industries people struggle with finding the “right” way to define the term working-class. Some, may refer to your eligibility for free school meals growing up, your current accommodation type or whether you were the first person in your family to attend university. You may have also heard other phrases used interchangeably such as ‘lower socio-economic background’ or ‘living paycheque to paycheque’. The BFI ask the following two questions to try to determine somebodies social economic background:
When you were 14, what did the main income earner in your household do for a living?”
What type of school did you mainly attend between the ages of 11 and 16?
However, we appreciate this may not be the only way of identifying as from a working-class background. Therefore, we are seeking applications from people who self-identify as from ‘a working-class background’. There is one question about this in the application form, but no eligibility criteria associated.
All EDI data submitted, both at application and awarded stage, are done so anonymously and are in no way associated or reviewed directly alongside any application.
Information Session
This is the recording of the online information session, held 22 July 2025, where the BFI NETWORK South East team discussed applicant eligibility criteria, how to apply, what’s covered in the Labs, and what you’ll get out of them.
Course Speakers
Tuli Litvak
All labs
Tuli Litvak is a producer of Middle Eastern and Finnish heritage, passionate about championing underrepresented stories and diverse voices. With a background in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, she has produced ten short films, including three BFI NETWORK-funded projects that have screened at over 60 festivals, including BAFTA and Oscar qualifiers. Her recent short Fairview Park was nominated for Best Short at Iris Prize 2024 and is currently streaming on Channel 4, while Bingo Queens was nominated for Best Drama at the British Short Film Awards. Her next short, currently in pre-production, involves a BAFTA-winning cast and crew. Over the past two years, Tuli has received Development Funding and Early Development Funding for three feature projects from Screen Ireland and BFI NETWORK. Alongside her narrative and documentary work, she has produced commercial content for Google, Nivea, and The Big Issue x Specsavers, as well as music videos for artists including WARPAINT and Au/ra. Her freelance credits include Production Coordinator on the Sky TV series Janet Jackson, and Assistant to the Lead Producer on features such as Tin Soldier (starring Robert De Niro and Jamie Foxx) and Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan, produced by an Emmy-nominated team. She also works part-time as a Development Producer.
Amanda Dorsett
Slough Lab
As Head of Production at Resource Productions, Amanda has worked on over 10 award-winning shorts and 30 funded short films including over 10 Channel 4 Random Acts and 6 BBC New Creatives projects. Having produced ‘Whose Voice is It anyway?’ by Kate Caryer, a Channel 4 commission (a darkly funny mockumentary that addresses the need for better access to communication aids for non-verbal communicators), Amanda is now working with Kate again on another short, currently in post as part of 'Screen Berkshire' 'Create and Credit' and oversees open submissions through RP Project Review. Amanda also line produced Resource Productions' debut feature ‘Little English’ by Pravesh Kumar. The feature is available to view in the UK and USA via ITVX, Amazon Prime, Apple, BFI, Sky and more.
Dominique Unsworth
Slough Lab
A Creative Media Producer for 25+ years, Dom has made 100+ shorts, one feature, and has supported 100s of under-represented Artists and Filmmakers to secure work in the through the social enterprise she founded - ‘Resource Productions CIC’. Having developed and delivered screen sector skills strategies and programmes for new entrants and experienced crew, with partners including Amazon, Shinfield, Sky and Bafta, Dom is also an active producer with past productions eligible for BAFTA nomination. Dom’s debut feature ‘Little English’ by Pravesh Kumar is a British South Asian romcom set in Slough, which takes a light-hearted look at everyday challenges for modern multicultural Brits. The feature was shot during the pandemic, released in UK cinemas in 2023 and streamed on ITVX in 2024.