BFI pledges £14.6m National Lottery funding for film education and skills development – British Cinematographer

The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced a major £14.64 million investment in film education and early skills development for young people across the UK, with funding awarded to Into Film and National Saturday Club over the next three years.

The funding will support delivery of three targeted programmes — BFI National Lottery Teaching with Film, BFI National Lottery Young Creatives, and BFI National Lottery Careers and Progression — aimed at improving access to screen education and creative opportunities for children and young people aged 5–18, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Into Film will receive £12.99 million to lead activity across all three programmes, while National Saturday Club has been awarded £1.65 million to expand its Film&Screen Saturday Clubs and Masterclasses as part of the Young Creatives programme.

The investment builds on foundations established during the 2023–26 funding period and is designed to increase access to film education, creative skills development and screen industry career pathways in underserved areas across the UK.

Arike Oke, Executive Director of Knowledge, Learning and Collections at the BFI, said film and the moving image had become “today’s primary means of communication”.

“Our Teaching With Film funding brings film into classrooms and into teacher training UK-wide to build not only the next generation of filmmaking talent, but also to help children and young people navigate the modern world with confidence,” she said. “Into Film is the leading UK charity for film in education. I’m delighted that they’ll continue their innovative work, supported by the BFI.”

Sara Whybrew, BFI Director of Skills and Workforce Development, said the programmes aimed to ensure all young people could develop skills for life and work regardless of their background or location.

“Whatever their interests or current skillset, there could be a job in the screen industry to suit them,” she said. “It’s also important that we don’t lose sight of the importance of young people engaging in filmmaking for joy, which we know helps young people build confidence, team-working and problem-solving skills, and is good for wellbeing.”

Under the Teaching with Film programme, Into Film will receive £5.19 million to continue bringing film and moving image education into classrooms and teacher training across the UK. The charity aims to achieve 270,000 engagements with teaching resources and train up to 9,000 teachers between 2026 and 2029.

The initiative will continue to prioritise underserved communities and SEND settings, while responding to curriculum changes, the growing impact of artificial intelligence in film, and wider national education priorities.

Into Film has identified 31 priority areas for targeted delivery, including Fife, Barrow-in-Furness, Sandwell, Newham, Penzance and Omagh.

Meanwhile, the Young Creatives programme will see Into Film and National Saturday Club deliver filmmaking clubs and creative learning opportunities for young people aged 7–16.

Into Film’s £1.5 million allocation will support a three-tier approach including place-based filmmaking clubs, a UK-wide filmmaking challenge developed with youth organisations, and a digital offer featuring online filmmaking opportunities for teenagers.

National Saturday Club will use its £1.65 million funding to sustain and expand up to 40 free Film&Screen Saturday Clubs annually across the UK. The programme will also broaden into Games Design and Interactive Storytelling to reflect growing demand in immersive media sectors.

The BFI has also awarded Into Film £6.3 million for its Careers and Progression programme, described as the largest sector-specific careers fund in the creative industries. The programme aims to provide careers advice and industry insight for young people aged 11–18 interested in film, television, animation, VFX and games.

The initiative is expected to deliver more than 33,500 direct engagements with young people, educators and parents, alongside social media and online campaigns reaching around five million people.

Fiona Evans, CEO of Into Film, said the continued partnership with the BFI would help ensure more young people could access opportunities in the screen industries.

“We now work with more than two-thirds of UK schools, helping young people engage with storytelling, media literacy and creative technology while opening up pathways into one of the UK’s most exciting and fast-growing industries,” she said.

Lucy Kennedy, CEO of National Saturday Club, said the funding would enable more teenagers across the UK to build creative confidence and explore careers in film and screen.

“The UK’s film and screen sector is of enormous cultural and economic significance, and it is essential that the future workforce reflects the breadth of talent, perspectives and lived experiences across the UK,” she said.

The three programmes will also create pathways into wider BFI National Lottery skills initiatives, including BFI Film Academy and the recently renewed BFI Skills Clusters network across the UK.