Girls in Film is looking to fund a female-made short film

Girls in Film, an organisation whose mission is to change the gender bias of the film industry, has launched the Girls in Film Fund – a £5,000 grant to make a female-led short film happen. Supported by footwear brand Dr Martens, the fund is looking for a project by an independent female filmmaker or small team (minimum director and producer have to identify as a woman, trans or non binary) to financially back, to ensure “important female stories and their creators are both told and heard”.

The film can be any genre, up to seven minutes in length, and at any stage of production, but have to be delivered by the deadline of July 2020. It must be a standalone film, not episodic, or a proof of concept, and doesn’t have to centre on a woman, but should tell a female story. “We seek projects that answer the question of what female strength means to you,” says the team. “We’re looking for projects with fleshed out characters, defined storylines and encouraging messaging.” The fund chimes with the organisation’s USP, to celebrate the spirit of female independence and resilience, and support a group “typically under-funded and marginalised within the wider film industry”.

Founder Nikola Vasakova, a London-based producer and film curator, created the platform in 2016 to attempt to restore balance. “I founded Girls In Film to try and redress the inequality in an industry that all-too-often sees female creatives patronised and prevented from realising their potential,” she explains. “I’ve always wanted to be able to provide as many opportunities as we can through GiF, so this new fund is our chance to put our money where our mouth is and provide some much needed financial support to wmxn directors and producers in the UK.”

Girls in Film exists as a production connector, with a contact base across the film industry that it is using to forge collaborations and help create original films, as well as host events to bring the community together under its purpose. It also showcases existing content on its online video platform, championing female creatives making everything from music videos to documentaries, animations and all types of moving image work.

Applications are open until 4 March; find out more and apply here. Projects will be green-lighted in March 2020.