Deaf and disabled people will have almost a quarter of the 250 places on a ScreenSkills mentorship scheme for under-represented talent.
The initiative is part of the BFI’s Future Films Skills Strategy, with the deaf, disabled and neurodivergent mentees supported by three programmes: Beacon Film’s Future Vision; TripleC’s DANC programme for writers and directors; and the Media Trust & ScreenSkills Reframing Disability Mentoring Programme in partnership with BBC 50:50.
ScreenSkills has made £130,375 available for the wider mentorship programme and has partnered with five bodies to run the placements.
The Wildscreen Emerging Talent programme, which aims to improve diversity in natural history, will recruit from Bristol and Wales.
The Glasgow Film Theatre New Talent Mentoring Scheme will seek to identify early- to mid-level producers in film, high-end TV and animation and is also open writers to directors.
Creative access will offer 50 six-month mentorships for younger talent in animation, film, games, TV and VFX, alongside masterclasses, CV consultations and further training.
Finally, the Rise – Women in Broadcast mentoring programme centres on breaking women into engineering and technology roles.
The programmes will run across 2021 and 2022.
