The British Film Institute, BFI, unveiled an increase in its support of U.K. documentary filmmaking on Monday.
The BFI said it would “continue to prioritize dedicated support of the U.K. documentary filmmaking sector, thanks to National Lottery funding.” As part of the BFI National Lottery Funding plan 2026-2-29, Doc Society will receive £7.2 million ($9.8 million) over three years as BFI’s U.K.-wide partner to distribute documentary funding across features, immersive, shorts and support talent development. That marks an increase of 20 percent from the previous three-year period.
“The increased investment allows for an expansion of feature production and development finance, enabling Doc Society to increase the spectrum of support available for documentary filmmakers. In addition to a new immersive fund, a dedicated development fund for feature-length documentaries will be introduced,” the BFI said. “An expansion of production support via two dedicated funding strands – one for emerging directors and one for mid-career to established filmmakers – will also address the issue of talent progression and career sustainability in the documentary sector.”
Said Mia Bays, director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund: “Independent U.K. documentary is one of the most vital, truth-telling forces in our cultural life. At a time when the world is noisy, fractured and fast-moving, our filmmakers are creating work that cuts through, connects us and helps us understand who we are. To maximize the impact of BFI National Lottery funding for the sector, we are increasing funding for non-fiction by 20 percent and continuing our partnership with an organization that brings deep, genre-specific expertise, global reach and a longstanding commitment to documentary excellence.”
Added Luke W. Moody, head of BFI Doc Society Fund: “Documentary cinema and immersive forms invite us into worlds to reflect, refract, and reconcile with the reality we share.”
And Shanida Scotland, co-executive director and head of film at Doc Society, said: “We are proud supporters of work that continually pushes at the boundaries of form, artistic expression and creative risk-taking, and we are thrilled to continue to support independent filmmakers and immersive storytellers to achieve their best work across the U.K.”