The BFI’s flagship skills programme for young people aged 16-25, BFI Film Academy today announces 12 BFI Film Academy Hubs – covering every nation and region across the UK – to support underrepresented young people to access local training and careers support and build skills where the industry most needs them.
With increased UK Government funding from DCMS, ongoing BFI National Lottery Good Cause funding, and support in the Nations from Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Scotland and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales, the new Hubs are part of BFI Film Academy’s refreshed UK-wide offer for 2026-2029. Free to access, BFI Film Academy Hubs will provide a unique and flexible ladder of progression for 16-25-year-olds, creating pathways into careers across the screen industries whilst equipping all participants with key transferable life skills to pursue future employment.
With a strategic focus on local provision and devolving funding across the UK, the 12 BFI Film Academy Hubs will be developed and delivered to meet the needs of the young people in their local area, led by the following organisations:
- BFI Film Academy East of England – delivered by 104 Projects CIC
- BFI Film Academy East Midlands – delivered by Broadway Nottingham
- BFI Film Academy London – delivered by CTVC
- BFI Film Academy North East – delivered by Tyneside Cinema
- BFI Film Academy North West – delivered by HOME Manchester
- BFI Film Academy South East – delivered by Screen South
- BFI Film Academy South West – delivered by Watershed Bristol
- BFI Film Academy West Midlands – delivered by Rural Media Charity
- BFI Film Academy Yorkshire and The Humber – delivered by Showroom Cinema (Sheffield Media and Exhibition Centre)
- BFI Film Academy Northern Ireland – delivered by Nerve Centre
- BFI Film Academy Scotland – delivered by Screen Education Edinburgh
- BFI Film Academy Wales – delivered by Screen Alliance Wales
Each BFI Film Academy Hub will engage with schools, youth clubs, colleges and wider community groups to deliver year-round activity to enable local young people aged 16-25 to gain technical and transferable skills, access careers advice and networking opportunities to support them to pursue a career in the screen and wider creative industries. Each Hub will curate and deliver Introductory Courses for 16-19-year-olds designed to provide an overview of the film industry with a focus on below the line production roles, screen heritage, exhibition and distribution. Ongoing year-round activity – including networking events and masterclasses – will be open to 16-25-year-olds to offer consistent wraparound pastoral support and guidance. A dedicated Alumni Manager within each Hub will create strong local peer to peer networks and coordinate activity including shadowing schemes, CV workshops, and financial best practice guidance to support new entrants starting out in the industry and encourage retention.
The investment from DCMS is part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan to support screen sector skills and strengthen the pipeline of talent for the future industry workforce. The training offered by BFI Film Academy also fulfils the ‘Good Work’ ambitions set out in the UK Government’s National Youth Strategy to give young people viable opportunities and routes into employment.
Ian Murray, Minister of State for DCMS, said: “British film is at its best when it tells relatable stories about real lives, and that means the people making those stories need to reflect the country we live in. These nation-spanning BFI Film Academy Hubs will give underrepresented young people the training and connections they need to build a career in film – wherever they live, whatever their background.”
“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, and we need to put that right. These hubs will help close that gap and build the diverse, skilled workforce our film industry needs for the future driven through regional delivery partners who know how to best support their local communities.”
Zakiya Bale, Head of BFI Film Academy Programmes, comments: “BFI Film Academy is excited to work with thousands more talented young people across the UK and build meaningful collaborations with industry leaders over the next three years, helping to shape the future of the UK’s screen sector. This new iteration of the BFI’s flagship programme has been developed to reflect the needs of an ever-changing and fast-paced screen industry. BFI Film Academy Hubs will enable young people from across the UK to explore career pathways and develop the skills most in demand across the sector, whatever their background and wherever they’re from.”
Building on the success of the past 13 years since its launch in 2012 – with over 70%[1] of alumni advancing to employment in the screen sector or adjacent industries – and benefiting from extensive consultation with industry and young people, the new BFI Film Academy offer focuses on engaging those who are currently underrepresented in the screen industries. Beyond opening doors and inspiring young people to explore the huge number of career opportunities available within the sector, residential training courses and a new professional development programme supported by leading industry partners will be announced in the coming months, both offering hand-on technical training in specific areas of the industry and continuing the progression pipeline from the BFI Film Academy Hubs.
The BFI Film Academy programme sits within the wider Skills and Workforce Development department at the BFI and is part of a broader careers development pipeline that includes Young Creatives and Careers & Progression Funds (supporting National Saturday Club and Into Film), and BFI Skills Clusters.
Read more about BFI Film Academy here: https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-academy
