FUND

The U.K.’s BFI has revealed details of the National Lottery Audience Projects Fund, with £15 million ($16.9 million) available over three years to support the U.K. exhibition and distribution sector to grow audiences for U.K. independent film and XR/broader screen work. Applications, which open Nov. 4, are invited from organizations that are focused on increasing access and growing the engagement of audiences that are representative of the U.K. population.

The fund will make awards of between £20,000 and £200,000 depending on the scope and reach of the project, with an upper limit of £500,000 for projects of “exceptional scale and ambition,” the BFI said in a statement. Eligible applicants will need experience of film distribution, film exhibition or audience development activities in the U.K. For research and development projects, applicants can apply for between £10,000 and £20,000.

The fund is part of the Screen Culture 2033 strategy, which will see the BFI through to its centenary in 2033.

Ben Luxford, BFI’s head of U.K. audiences, said: “At its simplest we want to connect great film and broader screen work with audiences, and to make sure audiences from all backgrounds across the U.K. can access and engage with a rich and diverse screen culture offer. We designed the fund so it is flexible and broad in scope and we encourage ambitious applications that are set to make an impact and address the priorities we identified with industry in our new strategy. We recognize our sector is facing numerous challenges and pressures, and with this fund – part of our wider support for audiences over the next three years – we want to ensure National Lottery good cause funding gives organizations the opportunity to take risks to grow new audiences, and to celebrate and champion fantastic screen culture.”

PRODUCTION

Shooting has commenced in Wales on Alice Lowe’s reincarnation themed romantic comedy “Timestalker.” Lowe (“Prevenge”), who also stars in the lead role and is joined by an ensemble cast including Jacob Anderson (“Game of Thrones”), Aneurin Barnard (“Time”), Tanya Reynolds (“Sex Education”) and Nick Frost (“Hot Fuzz”).

The film follows Agnes (Lowe) through time as she repeatedly falls for the wrong guy, dies a grim death, gets reincarnated a century later, before meeting him again and starting the cycle anew. Lowe teams again with “Prevenge” producer Vaughan Sivell and Western Edge Pictures on “Timestalker,” which is in co-production with Popcorn Group, and funded by the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Head Gear Films, Popcorn Group and Ffilm Cymru Wales with funding from the National Lottery and Welsh Government via Creative Wales.

Hanway Films have worldwide rights.

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