Talent Development
BFI Doc Society Fund
1-2-1 Advice Sessions
1-2-1 ONLINE ADVICE SESSIONS - OPEN ACCESS
Please note that for the remainder of June we will have no new 1-2-1 slots available to accommodate the team's capacity in the run-up to and during Sheffield DocFest and Docs Ireland. We will release slots for July later this month, and will be running 1-2-1s in person at DocFest. Please keep an eye on the Events section below.
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Book your 15-minute 1-2-1 online advice session with a member of the BFI Doc Society team! Open to filmmakers and producers across the UK, this is an opportunity to discuss projects or ask advice about our funds.
BFI DOC SOCIETY FUND
EVENTS
BFI Doc Society at Sheffield DocFest
BFI Doc Society Drop-in Day at Sheffield DocFest 2025
Saturday 21 June, 12:00 - 15:00 // Sidney & Matilda, Sheffield
Are you attending DocFest this year, or are based near Sheffield? BFI Doc Society will once again hold its open access drop-in event at the UK's biggest documentary festival, aimed at emerging doc talent!
We will start the afternoon at Sidney & Matilda with an introduction and Ask Me Anything session about our funds, which will be informal and open to all. Additionally several of our team members, as well as a number of UK producers (& BFI Doc Society grantees), will be available for 20-minute 1-2-1 meetings where you can pick their brain on any specific questions and challenges you might have.
Confirmed speakers, with more TBA: Rebecca Mark Lawson, Margareta Szabo, Tolu Stedford
Arrive at 12:00 to register for a 1-2-1 slot (first come first served!), and join us for the AMA session at 12:20. Plus, make sure to hang around for our happy hour reception from 15:00 - 16:00!
No pass needed.
BFI Doc Society at Docs Ireland 2025
BFI Doc Society at Docs Ireland 2025
26 - 28 June // Belfast
Can’t catch us at Sheffield DocFest? Then find us in Belfast at Docs Ireland a week later! On Thursday 26 June from 13:00 - 17:00, join us for our Creative Documentary Making in Focus events at Queen’s Film Theatre. After a case study talk about the BFI Doc Society Fund with director Leo Regan (My Friend Lanre, plus an upcoming project to be announced!), there will be an extended State of the Field roundtable discussion, with representatives from across the industry - funders, broadcasters, distributors, exhibitors and producers - and an opportunity to share your thoughts and questions.
We will also be there to participate in the festival’s Marketplace and pitch activities. Get in touch with sanne@docsociety.org if you want to meet us there, and keep an eye on https://docsireland.ie/programme/whats-on/ for more info.
RAD & Features Funds Webinar
BFI Doc Society RAD & Features Funds - Webinar May 2025
Creative Non-Fiction Weekend 2025
Creative Non-Fiction Weekend 2025: The Taste of Mango
Sunday 6 July, 15:45 // The Rio Cinema, London
The Creative Non-Fiction Weekend is back for a second year and BFI Doc Society is pleased support the screening of Chloe Abraham's feature The Taste of Mango (supported through our Features Fund), accompanied by a Q&A with Chloe, moderated by Saeed Taji Farouky.
Creative Non-Fiction Playlist
Interested in short creative non-fiction work? Looking for inspiration or insight into the wider short film landscape? Maybe you've applied to our Made of Truth Fund or are intending to do so in the future?
We've put together a selection of freely available, great short films that have been successful at international festivals, across forms and approaches. Worth a watch, and there are a few Made of Truth funded titles in there too!
Independent Tax Credit Webinar
Independent Film Tax Credit Webinar - November 2024
In November 2024 BFI Doc Society and Documentary Film Council hosted a webinar with Chantel Burrell and Anna Mansi from the BFI Certification Unit, to shed light on the new Independent Film Tax Credit for UK film productions. The session was tailored to documentary productions and fully recorded. You can now watch it back here, and read more in this document.
BFI DOC SOCIETY FUND
OPPORTUNITIES
Meet our RISE 2025 cohort!
Meet our RISE Producer Programme 2025 cohort!
The BFI Doc Society RISE Producer Programme 2025 offers individually tailored guidance and training for 6 UK-based producers, aimed at breaking down socio-economic barriers of access and sustainability for emerging first time feature documentary producers.
For the second iteration of the programme, we selected participants from a UK-wide open call for applications. These producers will benefit from flexible modes of support and development sessions centred around bespoke 1-2-1 consultancies, group presentations, and market introduction.
