The rolling Audience Pitch Pot for awards from £100 up to £2,000 per year.
The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) reaches out across the UK to ensure people have opportunities to watch and enjoy a diverse range of films and moving image, regardless of geography or circumstance. As part of FAN, Watershed, the Film Hub Lead Organisation for the south west has been awarded funding from the BFI National Lottery to support member organisations from across the region to deliver activity to realise this ambition against the priorities set out in in BFI’s Screen Culture 2033 strategy.
This rolling fund is for funds between £100 – £2,000 to support the costs of in-person film exhibition activity such as speaker/hosting fees, marketing and promotion and presentation. The activity proposed has to take place between now and mid-March 2027, target specific audience groups and show how the funding is necessary to reach those identified audiences. For larger scale activity above £2000, refer to the FAN Film Exhibition Fund.
Audience Pitch Pot Key Information
Key Info at a glance
Awards: £100 – £2,000
Deadline: Rolling until the fund is depleted
Activity supported: In-venue screening activity focusing on cultural engagement, meeting the BFI Diversity guidelines and principles of Screen Culture 2033
Activity window: April 2026 – March 2027
Turnaround time: 4 weeks – please ensure your activity has sufficient lead-in time.
Submit Your Proposal HereWhat is the Audience Pitch Pot?
The Pitch Pot is a rolling fund with a short turnaround that can be used to support FAN member organisations in the south west to deliver in-person events that bring audiences together for a communal viewing experience in line with priorities outlined in the Audience Pitch Pot guidelines and the BFI’s Screen Culture 2033 strategy.
Members can seek funding for up to a maximum of £2,000 for activity taking place between now and completed by mid-March 2027.
The fund will roll until depleted, therefore, if empty, not all activity can be supported until the new financial year in April 2027
Who is eligible?
The fund is open to south west-based exhibitors that are Film Audience Network member organisations including cinemas, mixed arts centres, community cinemas, film societies, film festivals, touring operators, and other film exhibition organisations.
We particularly welcome and encourage proposals from organisations who are currently underrepresented in the exhibition sector. These include organisations led by working class, black and global majority people, disabled people, and LGBTQIA+ people.
The fund is only open to South West based* exhibitors that are Film Audience Network member organisations including cinemas, mixed arts centres, community cinemas, film societies, film festivals, touring operators and other film exhibition organisations.
FAN Membership is free. To become a member of Film Hub South West, take a moment to fill in our application. We can only accept applications from legally constituted organisations operating in the south west.
* We expect funded activity to be led and delivered by organisations that screens films to public audiences (or has plans to do so within 12 months of joining) and have a demonstrable presence in the South West (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, West of England, Hampshire, The Isle of Wight and The Isles of Scilly.) This includes having key decision-makers and delivery teams based in the region. The Film Hub South West team will use its discretion to determine whether an organisation has sufficient regional presence and capacity to deliver the proposed activity effectively.
How do I access the Pitch Pot?
Read the Pitch Pot Guidelines.
A Word version of the form is available for reference only to enable you to prepare your responses offline.
You will not be able to save this form as you go along so we recommend you keep an offline copy. Once you have completed your form, you have the option to have your proposal emailed to you when you submit your form.
For projects seeking funding for more than £250, you will be asked to upload a budget and delivery timeline using the templates provided.
Getting in touch
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, concerns or specific access requirements regarding the process or guidelines. We are very happy to discuss your project with you before you seek funding and will advise and support wherever possible.
In the first instance contact: filmhub@watershed.co.uk
To find out more about Film Hub South West and what we do, visit: https://watershed.co.uk/filmhub/