Requirements for Film to be Certified
Dear British Film Institute,
Please can you disclose the following:
1) What guidance does a production team have to follow to ensure they will be granted funding?
2) What is the "culture test", and what does it involve?
3) How does a production team pass the "culture test"?
4) Do BFI productions have their scripts reviewed and vetted? If so, what is the BFI looking for in a production?
Yours faithfully,
Tarik Ata
Dear Tarik,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 26th February 2023.
We will respond as soon as we are able.
Regards,
Sian
BFI FOI.
Regards,
Sian
Dear Tarik,
Thank you for sending your Freedom of Information request dated 26th February 2023.
Much of the information you are seeking is also available online on our website but we have pulled out some of the relevant pieces that may be helpful to you. We should also let you know that later this month we shall be publishing updated production guidelines for production funding in line with our new National Lottery strategy which goes live in April. So changes are imminent but at this moment the information below is accurate.
1) What guidance does a production team have to follow to ensure they will be granted funding?
Please see this link to where we publish full details on how to apply for production funding, the criteria, our funding priorities and the fund guidelines - https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-suppo... and I have attached the application guidelines here.
We are only able to fund a proportion of the projects that apply to us for development and production funding so unfortunately following the guidelines in making an application does not guarantee funding will be awarded, The extremely competitive nature of our funding means that we have to make very difficult decisions and often have to turn down projects even when they meet some or all of our stated criteria. On average, we have to turn down over 7 in every 10 projects seeking Development funding, and 9 in every 10 projects seeking Production funding. Also, receiving Development funding does not guarantee that the project will also be awarded Production funding.
We also fund documentary films in partnership with the Doc Society which manages all documentary applications and awards through the Brit Doc Fund. You can find more information and details here - https://docsociety.org/bfi-doc/
In terms of further support and guidance to all applicants, we can provide assistance to applicants who have a disability, are D/deaf, have a visual or hearing impairment or are neurodiverse, where this support is needed for someone to make an application.
2) What is the "culture test", and what does it involve?
Information on the Cultural Test is here: https://www.bfi.org.uk/apply-british-cer...
In order to qualify for the UK Government’s creative sector tax reliefs, all films, animation and television programmes or video games must be certified as British through the cultural test or qualify as an official co-production.
The BFI Certification Unit provides advice on qualification under the cultural tests, the UK’s bi-lateral co-production agreements and the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production.
From link above you can find guidance on qualifying for each creative industry tax relief. For example, for film, go to this page https://www.bfi.org.uk/apply-british-cer... .
3) How does a production team pass the "culture test"?
The test for each type of production is points-based and for film for instance, the project will need to achieve 18 out of 35 points to pass. For film for instance, it comprises four sections:
• cultural content (up to 18 points)
• cultural contribution (up to 4 points)
• cultural hubs (up to 5 points)
• cultural practitioners (up to 8 points
How the points are broken down is explained in more detail here each type of production there is a summary. Here is the link to the film cultural test: https://www.bfi.org.uk/apply-british-cer...
4) Do BFI productions have their scripts reviewed and vetted? If so, what is the BFI looking for in a production?
At the BFI we champion new talent and unfamiliar stories from unfamiliar voices. We’re passionate about projects that reach new audiences, and we back the international promotion of the UK industry. Any Eligible applications for production funding will be assessed by two staff members from the BFI Filmmaking Fund team, as well as an independent external reader to provide us with an additional perspective. We may share parts of your application with other BFI teams, or additional external consultants, to help with our assessment. External consultants participating in the assessment process will be required to maintain confidentiality regarding the application contents and to agree not to retain application materials following their review.
Our application guidelines also reference the BFI Diversity Standards which are a contractual requirement for all BFI funding and are referenced in our application for funding guidelines. The Standards aim to put equity, diversity and inclusion at the centre of projects as they are being developed. They aim to encourage behavioural change and inspire project leaders to use more inclusive practices in creating content, developing activity and recruitment. In addition we seek to address under-representation in relation to regional participation, socioeconomic background and caring responsibilities. This isn’t a definitive list and we welcome applications from projects which address under-representation in ways not mentioned above.
The Diversity Standards are flexible, and can be used for development and production (including feature films, shorts, documentaries, immersive, online and broadcast content), as well as audience-facing activity such as film festivals, distribution releases, archive and heritage work, and ambitious film programmes. You can read more about the Standards here: https://www.bfi.org.uk/inclusion-film-in... .
We hope that you find these notes helpful,
Sian
BFI Freedom of Information
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