Film Hub South West has financially supported film exhibitors and cultural organisations across the South West through its 2026 open calls for film exhibition activity.
The funding supports activity through the Film Exhibition Fund (FEF), Pitch Pot and the BFI FAN national season Rip It Up, helping organisations develop film programmes, reach new audiences and create opportunities for people to engage with cinema in different ways.
The support is provided through Film Hub South West, as part of the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN), awarding National Lottery Good Causes funding.
Film Exhibition Fund
The Film Exhibition Fund supports film exhibition activity that develops audiences and increases opportunities to experience a diverse range of cinema across the South West.
Dirt in the Gate Movies — £4,000
Supporting Grindfest 26 and eight standalone 35mm screenings at the Regent in Christchurch, bringing archive and cult cinema to regional audiences alongside introductions, archival trailers and discussion.
Sheba Soul Ensemble CIC — £4,000
Supporting FLY!, a season of five films directed by historical and contemporary Black and global majority women filmmakers, each accompanied by an event encouraging discussion and collective engagement.
South West Silents / Film Noir UK — £5,500
Supporting a programme of silent film and film noir screenings across the South West, including titles marking anniversaries and centenaries in 2026/27.
Chagford Film Festival CIC — £4,000
Supporting a week-long festival of independent, international, documentary, local and screen heritage films across community venues in Chagford, including Q&As, family activity, archive work and outreach events.
Lighthouse, Poole — £3,000
Supporting the Family Films Programme, offering affordable family screenings alongside free activities including craft workshops and filmmaker Q&As, with a programme spanning British, independent, classic and world cinema.
Cheltenham Film Trust — £4,000
Supporting a 10-day film festival across venues in and around Cheltenham, featuring British and international independent cinema with a particular focus on films from and about the Middle East.
Mor Media Charity — £8,000
Supporting the Screen Access & Inclusion Programme in Cornwall, expanding access to diverse film and moving image experiences for families, under-25s, working-class communities and others facing barriers to participation.
Encounters Film Festival — £6,000
Supporting the UK premiere of a live audiovisual performance by Óliver Laxe and Kangding Ray, combining Laxe’s SIRÂT with live electronic performance to bring together cinema, music and club audiences.
Queer Vision Film Festival — £6,000
Supporting the development of year-round Queer Vision activity, including improved audience accessibility, a touring programme across the South West and continued opportunities for marginalised queer voices and aspiring filmmakers.
Pitch Pot
Pitch Pot provides smaller-scale support for film exhibition ideas developed by Film Hub South West members, supporting new approaches to programming, audience development and participation.
The Poly — £2,000
Supporting Cornish Stories on Screen, a season of locally made independent films celebrating Cornish identity, heritage and filmmaking, with screenings, filmmaker Q&As, talks and a live-scored screening.
Exeter Phoenix — £2,000
Supporting Big Screen in the Park, an outdoor cinema event with targeted marketing and outreach aimed at under-25s, families, first-time attenders and under-represented communities in Exeter.
Reel Life Monsters — £800
Supporting screenings and discussions of horror films with cultural and social relevance to LGBTQIA+ communities, alongside opportunities for local creatives and partnerships with local screening organisations.
Chippenham Film Festival — £1,000
Supporting six screenings bringing cultural film to audiences in North Wiltshire and surrounding rural areas, with programming that explores contemporary social issues.
Project the Dolls — £500
Supporting a 65th anniversary screening of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, presented in collaboration with Reel Life Monsters and accompanied by a panel discussion exploring the film’s queer context, camp and queer coding.
Rip It Up
Rip It Up is a BFI FAN national season exploring youth culture, rebellion, identity and self-expression through cinema. Film Hub South West has supported both bespoke programmes developed by regional exhibitors and MENU activity featuring selected titles from the national season.
Bespoke Programmes
South West Silents — £1,000
Supporting special screenings of Some People, A Hard Day’s Night, Cops and a John Boorman BBC Bristol documentary, connecting the season’s themes of youth and culture with archive and heritage cinema.
FilmBath — £3,000
Supporting Rebel Moves: Youth, Sport and Self-Expression, a one-day event at Bath Pavilion exploring youth culture through sport, movement and identity, combining film screenings with live demonstrations, talks and participatory activity.
Create Studios — £1,500
Supporting Reel Rebels, a film and participation project exploring youth rebellion, identity, resistance and subculture through British cinema, alongside DJ sessions and zine-making workshops for young people.
99p Films C.I.C. — £4,000
Supporting a curated programme of independent shorts and feature documentaries focused on climate and social activism, delivered across youth-focused locations in South West Cornwall with guest speakers, social discussion and communal activity.
Salt Arts CIC & Saltash Studios — £1,200
Supporting a bespoke mini-season celebrating youth rebellion and counterculture in Cornwall and Devon, focusing on the region’s rave and free-party history through film, DJ sets and creative workshops.
Archaeo-Heritage Film — £3,000
Supporting Bloc Party and Ride or Die, combining cinema, live music and community activity to explore British music history, alongside a programme examining mod and biker culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
Mor Media Charity — £2,000
Supporting For the Fans, a youth-led programme exploring fandom through five screenings and two creative workshops, with audiences aged 16–25 invited to explore music, film, fashion, identity and self-expression.
Plymouth Arts Cinema — £2,000
Supporting Rip It Up – Cut and Paste!, using film, zine-making and archive material to explore youth culture and the relationship between young people and place in Plymouth.
Watershed — £3,425
Supporting a programme of screenings and events exploring British youth culture, including teenage British films, skateboarding films and shorts, Trainspotting, archive material from Living for Kicks and an event around Ish, alongside creative activity and opportunities for young audiences.
MENU Screenings
The MENU element of Rip It Up supports participating exhibitors to programme selected titles from the national season.
Lighthouse, Poole — £375
Screening Quadrophenia, Human Traffic and Ish.
Exeter Phoenix — £375
Screening Young Soul Rebels, Trainspotting and Human Traffic.
Project the Dolls — £125
Screening Young Soul Rebels.
Through these awards, Film Hub South West is supporting a range of film exhibition activity across the region, from specialist and repertory cinema to festivals, outdoor screenings, community programmes, youth-led activity and events that connect film with music, creativity and participation.
The funded activity reflects the breadth of film exhibition across the South West and the different ways that organisations are working to develop audiences and create opportunities to experience cinema.