Lack of funding is a problem many filmmakers come up against, leaving them with unable to share their vision and creativity. Everyone knows someone whose film might have an excellent script and a great team onboard, only to fall at the last hurdle when the necessary money can’t be raised to begin production.
Although there are numerous methods filmmakers turn to in the hope of raising money, these can often fall through if targets aren’t reached – targets that need to be reached in a short amount of time, and in a lot of cases, any money that has been made, then has to be refunded. It’s this frustrating cycle that means that a huge amount of potentially great films are lost, and never get to see the light of day.
For emerging filmmakers who don’t necessarily have industry contacts or big star names attached, this is a constant struggle and incredibly demoralising for anyone passionate about paving their way in cinema.
Film and television production company ‘Pia Pressure’ began their Pia Pressure Awards to offer filmmakers the chance to receive investor funding and support. Award winners will receive up to £25,000 to fund their project. The New Voices Award they also offer, for new and up and coming filmmakers, has an emphasis on female and under represented filmmakers. However, the Pia Pressure awards are fully inclusive and open to absolutely anyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality or anything else.
Submissions for next year’s Pia Pressure Awards are currently open. Applicants can visit www.piapressure.com for more information.
Photo: Pia Getty and Debs Paterson (2016 winner), photo by Phil Lewis
