Are you an emerging director working on your first feature-length documentary?

Applications for 2025 are now open for The Whickers Film & TV Funding Award, awarded annually to an emerging filmmaker from anywhere in the world with the most promising pitch for a director-led documentary.  

With a main award worth £100,000 and a development award for the runner-up of £20,000, The Whickers Film & TV Funding Award is one of the most significant documentary awards in the world.

Applications close on 7 February 2025. 

Criteria for the award include:

• Must be the filmmaker or filmmakers’ first 50+ minute documentary film where they own the director or co-director credit
• Open to filmmakers from anywhere in the world. We encourage international filmmakers to apply
• Projects must be at the late development to early production stage at the time of applying – this is not a finishing fund
• Award money cannot be paid to an individual. Therefore applicants must either: provide proof of company viability; have a fiscal sponsor on board; have a nominated production company on board to create a dedicated project account for their film; or confirm that they are willing to set up a limited company and dedicated project account if shortlisted.
• Up to six minutes of original taster footage is required at the time of applying

• Must be accessible for an English-speaking audience – whether in the English language, or subtitled in English
• Applicants must have an executive producer on board at the time of applying.
• Should they be shortlisted, applicants must be available to travel to the UK in June to pitch their project at Sheffield DocFest (reasonable travel and accommodation covered by The Whickers)
• We ask that the budget for your 50+ minute documentary film does not exceed £400,000 at the time of application
• Applicants who at the time of application have other funding sources over the value of £300,000 are not eligible.

FIND OUT MORE OR APPLY NOW

About The Whickers:

The Whickers were established in 2015 to fund and recognise original and innovative documentary. They seek to use the generous legacy of their namesake, pioneering broadcaster Alan Whicker, to support emerging film and audio documentary-makers in the funding and production of director led programmes. The Whickers are comprised of two annual awards: the Film & TV Funding Award and The Podcast Pitch Award.  They also run a Bursary Scheme in four regions of the world where funding for documentary is limited for socio-political or economic reasons, including working with the huge and influential pan-African finance and co-production market, Durban Filmmart, to provide a bursary award to  a first-time, feature documentary maker from the African continent.