Creative Mentoring

Our Creative Mentoring programme offers young creatives aged 18 – 25 based in the South West from under-represented backgrounds access to creative mentoring with a professional mentor currently working in the Film & TV Industry. This mentoring scheme will be run in partnership with ScreenSkills.

We will be partnering with South West based production companies who have a proven track record in working with young creatives from under-represented backgrounds. If you are interested in mentoring young people in your local area then please contact us at film.academy@watershed.co.uk

Our priority will be young creatives who are looking to make films and aspire to be a writer, director or producer. This opportunity is open to those from under-represented backgrounds who may have faced barriers in accessing the creative industries and who would benefit from this area of personal exploration and confidence-building in a confidential and safe space.

Available to those based in the South West region, check if you are based in the South West via the BFI Film Hub regional map here.

Attend 1:1 Mentoring Sessions

All mentees will receive five 1:1 meetings with their mentor over the course of the programme, timings can be flexible on the basis of availability of the mentee/mentor, but no longer than a month between meetings.

Mentoring gives you a chance to:

  • receive mentoring support
  • develop your career
  • build industry contacts
  • talk through new ideas

Timeline

  • Applications open: Monday 2nd August 2021
  • Applications close: Friday 1st October 2021
  • Successful applicants notified & matched with Mentor: Friday 29th October 2021
  • Training for Mentee & Mentor: Early November 2021
  • Mentoring via 1:1 Sessions: November 2021 – March 2022

What do we mean by under-represented?

We will ask any applicants to self-declare as under-represented. We are particularly interested in those who identify with one of the demographics below and welcome intersectionality across these areas:

  • Female, non-binary or transgender
  • Those from Asian, Black, Mixed, Gypsy, Irish Traveller, Mixed or Other ethnic background
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Pansexual, Intersex, Asexual or other non-heteronormative identities
  • D/deaf or Hard of Hearing
  • Disabled and/or neuro-diverse
  • From a lower socioeconomic background

Applications are now closed.

Thank you to everyone who applied. We will be in contact soon.

BFI Film Academy South West Creative Mentoring programme is part of the ScreenSkills Mentoring Network which is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery funds as part of its Future Film Skills strategy.