Sky Documentaries Launches Documentary Shorts Fund

Sky Documentaries has launched its first documentary shorts fund in partnership with APX Content Ventures to champion directors from underrepresented backgrounds.

The Sky Documentaries shorts initiative will provide up to £500,000 ($627,000) to fund several documentary shorts with a runtime of 10 to 30 minutes. The initiative will support creative talent from underrepresented minorities who face barriers to opportunities due to physical and mental health or disability, and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic or traveller communities.

This new program will invest in and spotlight a new wave of U.K. filmmaking talent, creating a pathway for emerging directors interested in making shorts as a stepping stone to creating longer-form content. Entries can be a biography, about sporting history, a crime mystery, a reflection on major global events that resonate universally or can be inspired by something altogether different. Commissioners will be looking for filmmakers who will craft shorts that prioritize the story, are specific, engaging and driven by a clear original vision.

APX Content Ventures has invested in the initiative, which includes covering the costs associated with the production process for the successful candidates.

Poppy Dixon, director of documentaries and factual at Sky, commented: “Since the launch of Sky Documentaries, the award-winning channel has built a reputation for working with the best U.K. factual talent, to bring original and premium limited series and features to our discerning audience. As we build on this success, we are pleased to launch our first documentary shorts fund to support creative voices from underrepresented groups around the country. We want to meet talent we don’t yet know and hear creatively ambitious ideas, so please get in touch!”

Katie West, head of content at APX Content Ventures UK (Publicis Media), said: “We are very excited to see our investment help this important program come to fruition. We believe diverse voices are a critical part of the success of the TV and film industry, so we are committed to funding and facilitating opportunities for underrepresented voices to be heard. We can’t wait to see what applicants produce with this new shorts fund in partnership with Sky Documentaries.”