We are now inviting Film Hub South East members to present seasons, events and screenings as part of this UK-wide season.
Too Much celebrates the visual excess and dramatic potency of a form of cinema which champions emotional intensity over propriety and ‘good taste’. With roots in the exaggerated performance and expressive staging of the silent era, the melodramatic mode evolved to incorporate a wealth of genres and stories. United by their emotion driven plots, vivid visual language and self-conscious audience manipulation, these films are designed to make you break down in tears, cause a scene, fall in love, feel something.
Defining melodrama is notoriously difficult – its trademarks (emotive music, dramatic plots and expressive performance) are the bread and butter of cinema. To be included in the season, films must meet the following criteria:
- Heightened emotions and pathos: on screen, and/or deliberately induced in the audience.
- Some combination of amplified performance, visuals, score and plot used to achieve this.
- Personal relationships at the heart of the emotional conflict portrayed.
Melodrama in film has long been associated with women – the rare storytelling mode concerned with their inner lives and everyday struggles. ‘Women’s pictures’ employed melodrama to express longing, rage and desire in characters facing motherhood, infidelity, sexual abuse and scandal. Too Much will celebrate the female stars of melodrama who have drawn audiences to the cinema in their millions, and films exploring women’s experiences are encouraged.
Backed by a UK-wide press and marketing campaign and a central listing platform, the season will have a broad audience appeal.
You can download the Creative Brief for more information about the programme’s scope and get some inspiration from the list of contextual titles that are available to book. If you’re considering a Bespoke application and exploring options for wraparound activity, Niki Harman of the Light After Dark Film Festival is interested in working with participating Hub members on a Lonelyhearts Hotline, which you can read more about on an available pitch deck and include in your proposal.
Please see further details about the funding opportunities and how to apply below, and if you’re not a member of Film Hub South East, find out more about joining.
What funding is available?
There are three ways you can engage with the season and access support.
Menu awards
Pick from the menu of key titles available from assorted distributors in the UK and access support of up to £125 per film for enhancement wraparound activity and audience development; with a very straight- forward process to access the support. The menu titles are:
- All That Heaven Allows (1955, US)
- The Housemaid (1960, Japan)
- Floating Clouds (1955, Japan)
- Brief Encounter (1945, UK)
- Letter From an Unknown Woman (1948, US)
- The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant (1972, Germany)
- Mamma Roma (1962, Italy)
- Victims of Sin (1951, Mexico)
- The Eternal Breasts (aka Forever A Woman) (1955, Japan)
- Far From Heaven (2002, US)
- Stella Dallas (1937, US)
- Volver (2006, Spain)
- The Silences of the Palace (1994, Tunisia)
- Imitation of Life (1934, US)
Bespoke awards
Apply for up to £15,000 (average awards likely to be circa £5,000 based on previous activity) to develop your own curated Melodrama programmes and events within the parameters of the Creative Brief.
Cross-FAN awards
Apply for up to £15,000 to develop programme and/or Marketing/Outreach Activity with the potential to scale or tour across the UK and/or projects involving multiple site-specific events across the UK. Read the Funding Guidelines for more information and guidance.
How do I apply?
In the first instance, please download and read the Creative Brief and Funding Guidelines for the season.
After reading the guidelines, please complete the online application. The application is only to be completed online. As the online form cannot be saved mid-progress we have provided a Word template for you to plan your Bespoke or Cross-FAN proposal before online submission, if required, as well as a budget template.
Timelines
Menu, Bespoke and Cross-FAN activity must take place between October and December 2025. Menu activity can take place until January 2026 for non-theatrical exhibitors (film societies, community cinemas).
The deadline for Bespoke and Cross-FAN proposals is 5pm, Monday 14 July 2025.
Menu proposals can be submitted until Monday 29 September 2025, however, funds are limited and we’d advise you to get applications in by 14 July if possible. To be included in the listings announcement, you will also need to confirm your screenings by the end of July.
Am I eligible?
You must be a member of Film Hub South East as part of BFI Film Audience Network to access support from this programme. Find out more about joining Film Hub South East.
Access Support
If you have particular access requirements (e.g. easy read documents) or would like to submit your application in another way, please email us and we’ll be happy to discuss options.
If you have access requirements that mean you need assistance when seeking funds, you may be able to request this through the BFI Access Support scheme.
Contact us
If you have any questions about Too Much: Melodrama on Film, please get in touch with us. We’re happy to discuss your application before receiving a submission. Email us at: filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk