BFI invests $7 million in Doc Society

The BFI has today announced it will invest $7m (£6m) in National Lottery “charitable funds” into the Doc Society over three years.

The cash prize is part of BFI’s implementation of the National Lottery’s new strategy and will support the documentary-focused not-for-profit organization in allocating funds to feature films, short films and talent development.

The BFI Doc Society Fund is also open for applications from April to June 2023. A new executive officer will soon be recruited to manage the fund, working closely with Sandra Whipham and Shanida Scotland, Directors of the Doc Society.

The BFI has announced that from April 2023 the Doc Society will also “develop and evolve” the funding and support it offers to filmmakers to meet the new strategic priorities of the BFI’s new national lottery. These structural changes include a greater focus on regional and national events through the BFI Doc Society Fund to support feature and short films.

Founded in 2005 and originally supported by British broadcaster Channel 4, Doc Society was selected for the BFI Cash Prize following an open application process. The non-profit organization has been a partner of the BFI since 2017. Projects supported by the BFI and Doc Society include Kathryn Ferguson’s article Sinéad O’Connor. No comparison, uprising (Directors Elena Sánchez Bellot, Maia Kenworthy) and the BAFTA-winning short film The black policeman.

“The independence of British documentaries is vital to our cultural landscape,” said Mia Bays, director of the BFI Film Fund.

“To maximize the impact of our funding, we are working with a partner to bring genre-specific knowledge, expertise and an international network to support, grow and promote this sector. Our new strategy includes realigned priorities for this workspace, and in Doc Society we have a fantastic partner who is not only working to make this happen, but whose passion, genuine interest and relentless belief in the power of documentary filmmaking and our talented film producers take advantage of it. remarkable and persistent sector across the UK.

Sandra Whipham, Associate Director of the Doc Society added: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to build on our work of the past five years with an additional three years of funding. In a time of rapid change and challenge, we are ready to lean on and work with the documentary industry to ensure that the best independent creative non-fiction is produced and seen by audiences in the UK and internationally.