Future Takes awards up to £90,000 per project offering vital stepping stone to progress careers of emerging filmmakers.
The BFI and Film4 have revealed nine short films funded through Future Takes, thanks to investment from Film4 and BFI National Lottery funding.
Each filmmaking team is awarded between £55,000-£90,000 to create an ambitious and compelling short film that has the potential to create an impact and establish upcoming talent within the UK and international industry. The pilot Fund provides a vital stepping stone for emerging filmmakers who have made smaller scale or lower budget work. It is supporting this group of exciting and dynamic creative talent to further their careers with the chance to work on a bigger canvas, and to develop their skills and connections to progress to bigger and bolder long form projects.
Launched with an open call in December 2022, there was considerable demand for Future Takes, which received over 400 applications. BFI and Film4 agreed to fund more shorts than the seven they initially set out to greenlight due to their quality. Decisions were guided by the BFI Filmmaking Fund priorities and both organisation’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Backing teams from across the UK nations and regions and from a range of backgrounds and skillsets, the films will see stories set and shot across the UK and internationally from filmmakers experimenting with a range of forms and approaches.
The nine greenlit projects will shoot between September 2023 and spring 2024. In addition to production funding, BFI and Film4 creative and production executives will support each film through its entire lifecycle. Once completed, the films will aim to make an impact on the international film festival circuit, following which, there will be a focus on reaching UK audiences and inspiring the next generation of filmmaking talent, including a showcase at BFI Southbank and being available on Channel 4 streaming and BFI Player.
FUTURE TAKES 2023 – Greenlit Project include:
DELIVERANCE – Kemi’s child is newly deaf and she wants to make things right – doing what any loving parent would do. She hopes the Pastor’s ritual will cure the deafness but faces conflict from an unexpected source. Deliverance explores parental love, the tug between tradition and the modern world and the painful pressure to conform.
Director/Story by: Bim Ajadi | Screenwriter: Angeli Macfarlane | Producers: Anne Beresford & Andrew Gillman
LEAVING IKORODU IN 1999 – Ikorodu, Nigeria. London, England. 1999. In Ikorodu, 10-year-old Momo has been sent for by her mother who migrated to London ahead of her. As she embarks on a road-trip to the airport with her aunt Fade and uncle Mahmoud, uncertainty drives them all to question whether Momo’s departure from Nigeria is truly for the best.
Writer/Director: Rashida Seriki | Producer: Tobi Kyeremateng
UNDER THE WAVE OFF LITTLE DRAGON – Lola, a Chinese girl living in Wales, searches for a fish that will bring good fortune to her family’s restaurant.
Writer/Director: Luo Jian | Producers: Paida Mutonono, Susan Dolan