Nov 6, 2020

BFI Grants $1.2 Million for Development and Production of 15 Animated Short Films

The British Film Institute (BFI) will award £922,406 (US$1.2 million) to 15 grantees for the development and production of animated short films. The grants come from the BFI's new Short Animation Fund, which we introduced last year.

The nine projects selected for production funding will receive between £30,000 and £120,000 ($36,000-$146,000), while the six projects selected for development funding will receive up to £10,000 each.

Funding for the fund comes from the National Lottery, an important source of arts funding in the UK. Approximately £30 million is raised weekly by Lottery players, and those funds are distributed to thousands of community-oriented projects throughout the UK.

Each of the 15 projects is narrative-driven and 15 minutes or less in length; a BFI Film Fund executive will oversee each project and an animation consultant will also be assigned to each film. [BFI Animation Curator Jez Stewart said in a statement, "It was a great honor to be involved in the selection process for this important new funding scheme. We are also excited that the BFI will not only be supporting award-winning animators, but also providing an important next step for new talent."

If you missed out on the last round of funding, the Short Animation Fund will reopen for applications in early 2021; the BFI is offering up to £15,000 per project to filmmakers in the early stages of their careers through the BFI Network The BFI is providing additional support for animation, which will be awarded to filmmakers in the early stages of their careers. The Young Audiences Content Fund is also a £57 million, three-year pilot fund that supports the production of content for audiences up to the age of 18 that will be shown on free-to-air television and online platforms.

Below is a list of projects that have received production funding and a list of projects that have received development funding:

"Beware the Train. Pearly Oyster Productions, London Written and directed by Emma Calder Producers Diraj Mahey, Harriet Titlow (Assistant Producers)

Beware the Train explores today's voyeuristic culture of fear and anxiety. A woman with extreme anxiety is consumed by four major fears: a man she meets by chance on a train, her dying father, the safety of her daughter, and a murder she dreams she has committed.

Debutante. Animate Project, Derby Written and directed by Elizabeth Hobbs Producer Abigail Addison

A tribute to the courage and spirit of the extraordinary British-born artist Leonora Carrington. [Diseased & Disorderly Tyke Films, Sheffield. Screenwriters Andrew Ketting, Hattie Naylor Directed by Andrew Ketting In association with Andrew Ketting and Eden Ketting (co-creators and artists) Producer Rebecca Mark-Lawson Animators Glenn Whiting, Isabelle Skinner

The astonishing drawings, paintings and collages of Eden Ketting, an artist of diverse neurology, come to life. A morbid and disordered world may one day reign supreme.

Inner Polar Bear Gritty Realism Productions, Cardiff. Screenwriter: Janet Winterson (adaptation) Director Gerald Conn Gerald Conn Producer Naomi Jones

Inner Polar Bear explores alternative human and animal perspectives on the effects of climate change using innovative sand animation to convey the poetic writing of acclaimed novelist Janet Winterson.

No Ordinary Joe Ruth Moose Productions, Praxall Written and Directed by Barry J.C. Purves Producer/Screenplay Glen Holberton

Love is Big and Small. A painfully surreal and funny conversation between Marion Barbara 'Joe' Carstairs and Lord Todd Wadley about their special lives and their love for him, the doll.

The Red Shoes GiF Productions, London Written and directed by Diara Muir Producer: Hayley Warren

A pair of shoes is mysteriously gifted, bringing chaos to a remote social circle. One of the young tribesmen, Xindi, covets the shoe and is lured into stealing it, haunted by a sinister presence. Once she puts them on, she cannot take them off.

Shackles. Amphibian Husbandry Ltd (Northumberland) Written and directed by Ainsley Henderson Producer Will Anderson

Three archetypal spirits explore the conflicting human impulses of creativity, possessiveness, and the desire for status.

Wild Sammon. Salky Bunny, Bristol. Written and directed by Karni Ariely, Saul Freed Producers Saul Fried, John Woolley

This natural history fantasy film follows the dramatic life cycle of a salmon from river to sea and back again, depicting the fish in human form.

Your Mountain Awaits. Strange Beasts, London Screenplay: Harriet Gillian Director: Hannah Jacobs Hannah Jacobs Produced by Zoe Muslim

When we deny ourselves the instinctive and seemingly irrational decisions in life, our world closes in and becomes smaller and smaller. What would happen if we literally stepped inside our own intuition? Hipster Films, London Screenwriter: Louisa Wood Director: Sarah Beebe Sarah Beebe Producer Joe Lewis

After a sexual assault, a woman retreats into the garden of her mind. Searching for answers and struggling to "do the right thing," she finds that she must reclaim her voice and find a new path to healing before she and her garden are completely destroyed.

Evil Giant Beard Snafu Pictures (London) Screenwriters: Omari McCarthy, Stephen Collins Director: Simone Giampaolo Simone Giampaolo Producers Paul Schleicher, Laura McAllister, Dan Dixon

On the tidy island of "here," everything is neatly contained, standardized, and, importantly, unshaven. At least until one famous day when Dave, a bald man with only a single hair, was attacked by a terrifying and unstoppable bearded monster.

("Pemon") The Land of Many Waters. Applause Productions, London. Director Brandon La Pestano Animation Director Elmaz Ekrem Producer Paul Dubois

A blend of documentary film and animation exploring the mystical lore of the indigenous Pemon people (South America) and their views on the current environmental crisis.

Rumor Mill. Bridge Way Films, Hull. Written and directed by Bexie Bush Producer A group of sewing factory workers in England attempt to solve one of humanity's most pressing problems: the catastrophe caused by man-made climate change.

Wall Dog High Tide Studios, Edinburgh. Written and directed by Josephine Lohoa Self Producer Alex Porter-Smith

Wall Dog is the story of Dog 9, an unfriendly but loyal German Shepherd dog who guards the dead line of the Berlin Wall. When a young enthusiastic dog handler, Otto, joins his regiment, Dog 9 begins to question his beliefs. One fateful night, things spiral out of control and Dog 9 must decide whether to abandon his loyalties.

Wind and Shadow Out of Orbit, in association with Enter Jesus, Belfast. Written and directed by Chris Kelly Producers Brian J. Falconer and Vicki Locke

Created by BAFTA-nominated writer/director Chris Kelly, Wind and Shadow is an animated short film exploring the emotional and physical impact of childhood cancer and its treatment on a six-year-old girl and her mother

The film is based on a short animation by director Chris Kelly.

Above: Four projects awarded by the Short Animation Fund. From left to right: "The Wall Dog," "Shackle," "Your Mountain Is Waiting," and "The Rumour Mill.