BIFA has today announced its pioneering Springboard Programme for filmmakers longlisted in the BIFA debut categories of Debut Director, Debut Screenwriter, Breakthrough Producer and Discovery Award between 2018 and 2020. Piloted earlier this year, the full programme is designed to support the British film industry by identifying and nurturing filmmakers who have previously made a first feature of note and are now embarking on steps to pursue a sustainable career in film. The year-round course will supply strategic guidance and hard skills training as well as building a mutually supportive community.
Over 60% of BIFA-recognised aspiring film professionals do not go on to make a second film and Springboard has been designed in response to a direct need: support for filmmakers beyond first feature success. Supported by ScreenSkills, with National Lottery funds awarded by the BFI as part of the Future Film Skills strategy, and Netflix, the programme is pioneering and distinctive in its offering, providing a unique space for filmmakers to meet with other talent at a similar, and crucial, moment in their careers, who are facing similar challenges, and at a similar level of recognition.
The BIFA team have developed and delivered multiple programmes over the past four years, including unconscious bias training and multiple nationwide screenings and research programmes with maximum industry engagement.
