GIRLS IN FILM
10th BIRTHDAY FILM FUND
Happy Birthday to us! To celebrate Girls In Film turning double digits, GiF London has launched a new funding initiative and mentorship opportunity, awarding £25,000 in production funding to support an exciting filmmaking project, and granting runner-up projects with mentoring support. Open to women, trans+ and non-binary filmmaking teams based in the UK, we are looking for fiction-based projects across animation and live action genres (excluding music videos) with a maximum running length of 20 minutes.
Girls in Film is seeking exciting, bold and original production-ready ideas that can be delivered by the end of 2026. Shortlisted projects will be invited to pitch to a panel of Executive Producers, with runner-up projects offered additional mentoring to push their projects forward.
Girls In Film couldn’t do this without the help of our amazing sponsors: Feeld, Prettybird, Bridget Productions, Farago Projects, MOX, and Uncommon. With in-kind support from: AVENUES Studio, 750mph, FOMO Rentals, Emmyland and MCX Hire.
ELIGIBILITY & CRITERIA
• Applicants must be 18+ and a resident of the UK.
• Director, Writer and Producer must be women, trans+ and non-binary people.
• Projects may have a co-writer or co-producer who does not identify as woman, trans+ or non- binary.
• Projects must be fiction-based, and can be any animation or live action genres (excluding music videos, docufiction will be considered).
• Films must have a maximum running length of 20 minutes.
• Submitted scripts must be 20 pages or less.
• The project team must demonstrate the ability to meet the required production timeline, with the completed film to be delivered at the end of 2026.
• The total budget should be covered by the fund (£25k) or have additional finance already in place.
• The film must be in development or pre-production and not yet shot.
• The 10th Birthday Fund is designed to support projects before they go into production, not to serve as a finishing fund.
• The project team must own or control all rights to the script and any underlying material.
• If greenlit, a minimum of two (2) Heads of Department must identify as women, trans+ and non-binary, with at least one (1) of these HODs fulfilling a technical role (e.g. Director of Photography, Sound Designer, Editor).
THE APPLICATION
Projects must be submitted by the Producer of the project.
Mandatory materials required:
• Script (maximum 20 pages)
• Treatment (including synopsis, director's statement and visual approach with mood board)
• Budget
Mandatory information required:
• Team bios and samples of previous work
• Overview of schedule
TIMELINE
Mid-July: Shortlisted projects will be notified
Late-July: Shortlisted people invited to pitch to panel of EPs
Mid-August: The production fund will be awarded alongside shortlisted projects, which will receive further mentoring and support.
FAQ
What are the project deadlines?
The application deadline is 23.59pm Sunday 14th June. No submissions are accepted beyond this deadline. The shortlisted teams will be notified mid July and final winner announced Mid-August.
Who is eligible?
If you identify as a woman, trans+ or non-binary and you are based in the UK, you are eligible to apply. You don't have to be a citizen of the UK but UK citizens based abroad are not eligible this time.
Are cis men allowed to work on the project? Do all-women, trans+, non-binary teams have an advantage?
Cis men are welcome to work on your projects in positions determined by the director and producer. All-woman, trans+ and non-binary teams are not given preference over other teams.
Do I need to have made a film before?
As a director or writer, you do not need prior filmmaking experience, but must demonstrate proven creative ability in another field or a related discipline. It is highly recommended that the project’s producer has prior producing credits or substantial production experience.
Can the film have other funding?
Yes, projects can already have funding attached, however it must be below £25,000 therefore giving us and our stakeholders, the production companies supporting the fund, a majority funder decision power. If shortlisted, we’ll ask for proof what existing funding has been secured.
Will I receive feedback?
We are a small team so are unable to provide feedback on all projects submitted. We will only be able to provide feedback to shortlisted projects after pitch stage.
Do I own the rights to my film?
You will own all IP rights in your film. However, we require you to grant us permission to use, distribute, or edit the complete film for promotional purposes and distribute them on Girls in Film channels. Licenses and releases for the film. If there is music in your film, you are required to obtain the rights to use and/or reproduce the music in your film. At a minimum, this will require a license that includes all necessary digital, synchronisation, performance, festival and other necessary usage rights. You are required to receive a model release from all participants appearing in your film, and all locations releases must be secured.
Applying on FilmFreeway
All applications have to be submitted via FilmFreeway (button on the bottom of the page). You have to create an account where you upload your project. Then go to https://filmfreeway.com/GirlsInFilm10thBirthdayFund and submit. The competition is not searchable through the website. Film Freeway has some automated submission options and not all of them are necessary to fill - so don't worry if you don't have all boxes filled in. Make sure you submit your script, treatment, and budget as mandatory.
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