Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 20h

Small towns, big laughs: filmmaker Stuart Armstrong talks to our Young Programmers about making darkly funny, heartfelt films in Cumbria, including BFI NETWORK comedy short Meat Raffle.
Read the interview here: bit.ly/3KzM3sG 🎤 🌟
#FilmmakerInterview #ShortFilm #QueerCinema

Text reads: ‘Interview: Stuart Armstrong’: ‘writer/director of Meat Raffle’. Photograph of Stuart with arms crossed, looking into the camera. He has dark hair styled as a short mullet and a trimmed mustache.

Quote from Stuart reads ‘I hope audiences from small towns feel seen, queer or not’.

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 1d

How can you create inclusive and accessible relaxed screenings? Join the next BFI FAN: EDI in Focus webinar on 21 October to hear from Charlie Little and Georgia Kumari Bradburn for an session on creating welcoming events for neurodivergent audiences.
🔗 bit.ly/RelaxedScreen...

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 2d

Got the spark of a story but no script yet? BFI NETWORK’s Early Development Fund is now open, supporting filmmakers to develop their debut feature idea into a strong initial treatment.

Learn more and apply: bit.ly/fhn-edf 💡

#FilmHubNorth #BFINetwork #Filmmakers #FundingOpportunity

Pink text on black background reads (in all caps): ‘Early Development Fund. England – up to £5k. Apply now.’ BFI NETWORK and The National Lottery logos to top.

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 2d

We’re back at @leedsfilmfest.bsky.social on Tuesday 4 November for an afternoon of industry talks, from cracking the spec script to getting your film from pitch to post!
Read the full line-up here: bit.ly/4gSxdcS 🔥
#LIFF2025 #FilmIndustry #BFINetwork #Filmmakers

Text reads: ‘Film Hub North at Leeds Film Festival. 4 Nov. Industry talks; creative mixer’. Photograph from Leeds IFF 2024 shows a group of people sitting at wooden tables, engaged in conversation. A screen in the background displays the logos of Film Hub North and Leeds IFF logos.

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 4d

Reminder for UK filmmakers! BFI and Film4’s Future Takes is open for applications, offering up to £90k per film for bold, boundary-pushing live action shorts. Apply here: rb.gy/qtyh40 ⏰
#FutureTakes #ShortFilmFunding #UKFilmmakers

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 5d

Our second Northern Directors opportunity is here – and it’s a big one. We’ve partnered with the BBC and Left Bank Pictures to offer two up-and-coming short-form directors a paid shadowing and mentoring placement. Apply by Sunday 19 October: bit.ly/fhn-nd 💥 🎬

Text reads ‘25/26 Northern Directors. A shadowing and mentoring programme for new directors in the North’. Text sits on background of colourful stripes.

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 5d

Northern filmmakers, our BFI NETWORK Filmmaker Mixer is coming to Newcastle on 6 October! A free, informal event made for meeting peers, growing your network, and sparking creative collaborations. Sign up here: bit.ly/fhn-mixer

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 6d

Meet the awardees of our BFI Film Academy Micro Short Film Fund grant! Each filmmaker will receive £1000 to develop a short film with us. Learn more about their exciting projects here: bit.ly/4nvhpPL 📹

Text reads: ‘Micro Short Film Fund Awardees 2025.’ Portraits of three smiling people, framed by a film strip. The first is a young woman with bows in her dark curly hair; then a young man with dark curly hair and a slight beard; and then a young woman with long, curly hair, smiling softly.

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 7d

Last night we celebrated the winners of Channel 4’s Writing for TV Awards including our own Chanse Campbell (Script Lab 2025)! And JD Stewart (Film Generator 2025) who gained a place on New Writing North's Screen Development Slate 🎉 Learn more: rb.gy/krjodz

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 7d

Meet our In Development: Producer Lab 2025 cohort! This talented bunch spent a residential weekend with us learning the essentials of producing, and we can’t wait to see the stories they bring to life next. More here: bit.ly/48vQP47 🎬 🖤

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 8d

Film exhibition professionals in the North, join us for our Members’ Day on Tuesday 21 October. We’ll be at Bradford’s @mediamuseum.bsky.social for a day of panels, advice and conversation with programmers, festivals and venues.
Sign up: bit.ly/4gaoy54 #FilmExhibition ✨

Text reads: ‘Bradford Members’ Day. Tuesday 21 October. National Science and Media Museum. Connecting Northern film exhibitors’. Exterior photograph of the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford: the building is modern with a curved glass façade and the museum's name is displayed in large, white lettering.

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 10d

Film Exhibition Fund – Round 3 is open! Exhibitors in the North can apply for up to £10k per project for screenings running now until March 2026. Apply by 3 November: bit.ly/fhn-fef 💰

Photograph from FACT Liverpool Cinema in the City features people seated on a rooftop watching projection screen, with fairy lights to left. Text reads: ‘Film Exhibition Fund open: Apply by 3 November’.

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 12d

York creatives! Join us for a free mixer at City Screen next Tuesday 30 September with York Filmmakers. Meet the team behind The Severed Sun — a haunting new folk horror and the feature debut of Dean Puckett, developed through the iFeatures programme. Sign up: bit.ly/fhn-mixer

Black text on yellow background reads: ‘BFI NETWORK Filmmaker Mixers with The Severed Sun filmmakers. YORK – 30 September, City Screen; NEWCASTLE – 6 October, Tyneside Cinema’. Still from The Severed Sun features young woman holding an axe behind her head, surrounded by vines.

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 13d

Northern cinema exhibitors, this is your last chance to get involved in BFI FAN’s Too Much: Melodrama on Film! Celebrate the visual excess and dramatic power of melodrama with a menu of key titles from UK distributors. Apply by Monday 29 September: bit.ly/4e1AO6J 🎥

Too Much: Melodrama on Film

Take part in a UK-wide season celebrating the visual excess and dramatic potency of melodrama in film

bit.ly

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 13d

Stand out to financial partners with Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy, the new short course for all BFI FAN members! Led by industry experts, register now to learn the key principles of fundraising and build your own sponsorship pitch deck: rb.gy/iru07y 💡

Text reads: ‘Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy: New financial partnerships for film festivals and venues.’ ‘Online: 04, 06 November & London: 03 December’. Text in black circle reads: ‘BFI FAN Short Course’. Black geometric shapes on pastel green background.

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 14d

And there’s still time to for film exhibitors to get involved in the Melodrama season -choose from a menu of key titles from UK distributors and access up to £125 per film. Apply by Monday 29 September.

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 14d

We’re excited to unveil the bespoke projects we’re supporting as part of BFI FAN’s UK-wide melodrama season. From camp cinema takeovers in Blackpool to craft-along screenings in Newcastle, there’s so much for audiences to swoon at! Learn more: bit.ly/48tHLwH

Black and white image of a woman’s face, submerged in a cocktail glass with bright pink tears streaming down her face. Text reads: ‘Too Much: Melodrama on Film. Aunty Social – Chester, Blackpool, Preston; Daydream Cinema – Newcastle; Hyde Park Picture House – Leeds; HOME – Manchester; Showroom Cinema – Sheffield’. Film Hub North and BFI FAN logos to bottom right.

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 15d

Final call, Northern filmmakers! Submit your short film (for free!) to Northern Exposure, our touring night celebrating the region’s best talent. Deadline: 24 September: bit.ly/north-exp 🌟

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 15d

New exhibitor resource! Demystify key terms around capital-based sustainability funding with our quick guide for cultural orgs and the screen sector. Read it here: bit.ly/4nJFkKQ 📖

An empty movie theatre with rows of plush dark green seats facing away from viewer.

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 16d

We loved celebrating 100 years of community cinema at @cinemaforall.bsky.social’s gala! Huge congratulations to our award-winning members — Chorley Empire Community Cinema (Legacy Community Building) and Leigh Film Factory’s Elizabeth Costello (Outstanding Contribution by an Individual). 👏✨

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 19d

Women X Film Festival is back in Darlington this weekend with its biggest programme yet — over 140 short films by women and gender non-conforming filmmakers from the UK and beyond!
Online tickets are still available with some tickets available on the door. rb.gy/aaav5z 🌸

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 22d

TONIGHT! ⏳🎉

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · Sep 5

Liverpool filmmakers — we’re back! Join us at FACT Cinema on 17 Sept for a FREE industry mixer with Let's Make Films. Connect with fellow creatives and meet orgs like Liverpool Film Office, L16 Studios, LMA and more. bit.ly/fhn-mixer 🎬

Photograph 1 features two women talking animatedly; photograph two is external image of FACT Gallery and Cinema in Liverpool. Text reads: ‘BFI NETWORK Filmmaker Mixer with LMF: Liverpool, 17 September’

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 22d

Our friends @juliesbicycle.bsky.social are holding free online learning sessions this autumn as part of the BFI's Sustainable Screen programme 💡 covering audience travel, indoor events, sponsorships, and more. Sign up here: rb.gy/qw1mkf #CreativeClimateAction

A cinema auditorium during a film screening: a large screen displays a close-up shot of green ferns, while the audience is seated in rows of red plush chairs with their backs to the camera.

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Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 23d

We’re hosting two free mixers to mark special Q&A screenings of The Severed Sun in York and Newcastle! Come along to meet the filmmaking team and connect with fellow creatives.
Sign up: bit.ly/fhn-mixer 🪓

Film Hub North @filmhubnorth.bsky.social · 24d

We’re celebrating the brilliant BFI NETWORK alumni selected for Venice Biennale and Toronto International Film Festival! Read more about their features here: rb.gy/m51r3f 👏 #BFINetwork #VeniceBiennale #TIFF2025

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