Write Our Next Film Scripts

Get paid £150 to write a short film. We’re looking for up to four scripts from Film Academy alumni, and each one becomes the film made on one of this year’s four Introductory Courses.

• £150 for each script we choose, up to four scripts.
• Entries close on Sunday 1 November 2026.
• Open to BFI Film Academy alumni.

The Brief

We’re looking for scripts for our new Introductory Courses. On each course, participants make a four-minute film, and yours could be the one they shoot.

Your script needs to work within a few practical limits:

• a film of four minutes at most
• one location
• two characters, played by the two professional actors we’ve budgeted for
• everyday costumes and props, because our films run on modest budgets

What lands best in Film Academy films is a strong idea that comes from young people, with dialogue that feels real and where every line earns its place.

We want to share these films as widely as possible, and Hub members of every age, including under-18s, will make and watch them. A story that works for younger and older audiences alike really helps. The themes are yours to choose: if you take on a difficult subject, handle it with care and sensitivity.

If Your Script Is Chosen

• £150 for your script
• a writer credit on the finished film
• a link to the film to share, for your portfolio
• a day on set, shadowing the director

Who Judges

Our BFI Film Academy team reads every entry and works closely with our executive producers and senior management team to choose the scripts.

If we love your script but think it needs a small revision, we’ll talk it through with you directly.

How to Enter

Sign in to the Hub, then send us your script below with its title and a sentence or two about the story. Upload it as a Word document (.doc or .docx).

New to the Hub? Register with Our Hub first, and tell us you’ve done a BFI Film Academy course. Once you’re signed in, you can enter here.