Firstlight Schemes

Overview

First Light Movies funds and inspires film projects with five to 25-year-olds throughout the UK.

Since launching in 2001, they have enabled over 12,000 budding young filmmakers to write, act, shoot, light, direct and produce over 800 films. Working with filmmakers and organisations, First Light Movies films cover a diverse range of topics and genres, and make use of accessible digital film technology.

First Light Movies will fund:

• Films where young people (aged 5 –18 years) take a lead role in all aspects of the production process
• Live action, animated fiction or creative documentary productions in any genre
• Films mainly shot on digital cameras
• Films that explore and develop creative filmmaking techniques with young people
• Films that are under 5 or 10 minutes (depending on the scheme applied to)
• Films that are based solely in the UK, and that are of a direct benefit to young people living in the UK

Pilot Award
Funding for one short film of up to five minutes in duration

• Maximum grant - £5,000
• 20% in-kind match funding requirement

Studio Award
Funding for between two and four films of up to 10 minutes in duration

• Maximum grant - £30,000
• Match funding of 40% required
• Track record of filmmaking with young people necessary
• Around £236,000 will be available in the next application round.

Script Grant (currently suspended)
Funding for script development projects that team young people with script professionals

• Maximum grant - £3,000
• 10% in-kind match funding requirement

First Light allocates £700,000 of Lottery funding per year to its funding schemes. To date they have received 1290 applications, of which 438 (34%) have been funded.

Second Light
The aim is to provide production-based training for 30, 18-23 year olds from BME backgrounds, and First Light is now seeking applications from filmmaking organisations for grants of up to £70,000 so that they can offer the traineeships. Applications are invited from across the UK, and since only three grants will be made it is not likely that more than one will be made in any region. The scheme aims to

• Create new ladders of filmmaking opportunities for talented young filmmakers from BME communities
• Support the UK film industry’s efforts to develop an up to date, technically informed and diverse skilled workforce representative of the UK population.
• Broaden knowledge about work opportunities across the film value chain
• Provide developmental opportunities for participants to increase their chances of accessing new entrant film training schemes.

How to Apply

Application information is available from the contact or can be downloaded from their website.