BFI Unveils New £150,000 Fund for Immersive Fiction Projects
The BFI is aligning this fiction-focused fund with other support streams to ensure a comprehensive pathway for creators.
RMN Stars Funding Desk
New Delhi | April 2, 2026
LONDON — The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced the launch of its new Expanded Screen Fund, a significant initiative offering up to £150,000 per project to support ambitious, immersive works of fiction. The fund is specifically designed for experienced UK producers and creative leads with a proven track record in immersive or related screen-based practices.
As part of the BFI’s commitment to broadening the scope of screen storytelling, the fund focuses on projects that explore interactive storytelling through technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (XR), and 360° media. To qualify, projects must delve into imagined worlds, characters, or events and demonstrate a clear creative rationale for their specific technical approach.
Applications for the Expanded Screen Fund are currently open and will close on June 3, 2026.
The launch is a key component of the £150 million BFI National Lottery Funding Plan (2026-2029), which earmarks £61 million for Filmmaking & Talent Development over the next three years—representing a 12% increase in investment for this area compared to the previous three-year period.
Mia Bays, Director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund, emphasized that the new framework was shaped by industry feedback and lessons learned from past immersive projects. “The Expanded Screen Fund sets out to support creatives to experiment with their screen-based work to push the boundaries of their practice and to encourage experimentation in the form,” Bays stated. She added that the BFI believes the fund provides an essential opportunity for career progression within the immersive sector.
The BFI is aligning this fiction-focused fund with other support streams to ensure a comprehensive pathway for creators. The BFI Doc Society Fund is expected to offer similar opportunities for factual immersive projects later this month, while early-career talent can access immersive funding through BFI NETWORK. Additionally, the BFI Audience Projects Fund remains open on a rolling basis for large-scale immersive projects intended for UK-wide exhibition.
This strategic investment is part of a broader 10-year BFI National Lottery Strategy (2023-2033) aimed at ensuring anyone, from first-time creators to world-class professionals, can create screen stories and that the UK screen sector reflects the diversity of the population.
