Film Exhibition Fund 2025: Round One Recipients Announced

We are proud to share the organisations in receipt of round one of this year’s Film Exhibition Fund.

The BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund supports Film Hub Scotland members to deliver screenings and events that allow Scotland’s population to enjoy a diverse range of films, no matter their geography or circumstance.

Members can apply for up to £10,000 for their project. Proposals are evaluated based on how they address the Priority Areas outlined in BFI’s Screen Culture 2033 Strategy:

• Engaging with children and young people
• Accessing a wider choice of film
• Tackling social, economic and geographic barriers
• Engaging with heritage collections that reflect the diversity of the UK

The Film Exhibition Fund 2025/26 is now closed; however, our Pitch Pot and Bursary awards are still open. Head to our Funding & Support page for more information.

Ayr Film Society: 2025/26 Film Programme

Celebrating their 53rd season, Ayr Film Society’s 2025/26 programme will continue to bring the best of international, independent cinema to Ayrshire. Special screenings will recognise LGBTQ+ History Month, Black Lives Matter and Earth Hour. Plus, they will continue to partner with film festivals, charities and local filmmakers, who present their short films alongside a Q&A. Their most anticipated screening of the year will also return: the Silent Movie presentation with live accompaniment, courtesy of the Town Hall’s iconic Lewis Organ. 

Borscht Film Club: 2025/26 Season

The second season of Borscht’s monthly Film Club returns to Glasgow and Edinburgh this September. Borscht presents culturally significant, contemporary Polish films, often fresh-from the festival circuit. They will continue to develop their strong partnerships, which, so far, have included Glasgow Short Film Festival, Glasgow Women’s Library and Edus Educational Society.

CentreStage: Reel Scotland: Celebrating Scottish Cinema

CentreStage is a community hub in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, where over 2,500 individuals engage weekly with their inclusive arts programmes. In 2024, a fully accessible cinema was installed at the heart of CentreStage. The inaugural Reel Scotland festival will celebrate the diversity of Scottish cinema, from classic titles to new Scottish filmmakers – and everything in between! Subtitled, BSL-signed, and relaxed performances will be available across all festival strands. Plus, there will be Q&As with actors heralding from Kilmarnock, who hit the big-time in some recognisable Scottish titles…

CinemaAttic: Season 25/26

From May through to March next year, CinemaAttic will present a season of IberoAmerican short films across venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Inverness. Cinemaattic’s programme enables audiences across Scotland to explore Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American cinema beyond the mainstream. Plus, their curation focuses on social, environmental and political films that are pertinent to our time. They will continue to widen access to their programme by offering free screenings at community venues across Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Cinetopia: DOC: 2025-26 Season

Since 2023, Cinetopia:DOC‘s monthly documentary film programme has brought the best of documentary film to The Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh. Their 2024/25 season went beyond the capital, partnering with venues across Scotland (and England) to broaden audiences for independent documentary films. Each screening has built-in post-screening discussion time, and, where possible, filmmakers are invited to discuss their films. For this new season, expect new films paired with rep titles, plus international documentaries fresh from the festival circuit.

Cumbernauld Community Cinema: 2025-26 Screening Programme

Cumbernauld Community Cinema (CCC) addresses barriers to cinema attendance in the local area by partnering with community spaces – including nursing homes, recovery groups and village halls – to bring low-cost film screenings to the local community. The films are co-programmed, alongside additional activities such as music, talks and workshops, with members of each group. Transport, food, and pre and post-film discussions are provided by CCC. The screenings are warm, welcoming environments, where audiences feel safe to watch and engage with films.

Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival 2025

Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival (ESFF) returns this October. Thanks to ESFF’s established partnerships with venues across Glasgow, Stirling, Edinburgh, Tranent and Inverness, adults and school children across Scotland can enjoy contemporary Spanish and Latin American films. ESFF’s collaborations with North Edinburgh Arts and The Welcoming Association have supported people to attend screenings who may typically have been excluded. Plus, they offer free tickets for asylum seekers and those who are unemployed.

French Film Festival UK 2025: Early Bird Programme

Ahead of the festival’s main programme (launching later this year!) programmers can now book specially selected titles from French Film Festival UK‘s Early Bird programme. Fourteen diverse French language films (all with English subtitles) are available to book on Blu-ray, DCP or via direct download. Titles can be reserved for the period 17 October to 14 December 2025 (inclusive). The festival also will provide supporting material, including hi-res images, trailers and press packs where available. Download the programme here.

IberoDocs 2025: Scotland’s Ibero-American Documentary Film Festival

This year marks the 11th edition of IberoDocs, the film festival connecting Scotland’s audiences with Ibero-American documentary films. Iberodocs works to remove barriers for underrepresented communities through a varied programme of screenings, workshops and exhibitions, and this year is no different. This year’s festival will explore environmental themes, in particular the impact of climate change on the sea and the role of women in protecting the environment. Their growing roster of partnerships – including public libraries and fellow film festivals – will allow the IberoDocs to reach new, and diverse, communities.

Montrose LandxSea Film Festival 2025

Launched in 2023, Montrose LandxSea has quickly established itself as one of Scotland’s leading festivals for environmental films and conversations. The festival explores the deep interconnectedness of people, place, and planet, with programming spanning biodiversity, energy transition, circular economies, and climate justice. Based at the Montrose Playhouse, the 2025 edition (12–14 September) will offer climate-focused cinema, inspiring speakers, live music, creative workshops, and interactive community events — all set against the stunning Angus coastline. 

RIG Arts: Galoshans Film Festival

The 10th edition of Galoshans Festival (17th October – 2nd November) will showcase 12 specialised films rooted in Inverclyde’s unique cultural identity and Halloween traditions. Galoshans celebrates the area’s arts and culture community across two weeks of film screenings, art installations, theatre, street performances, music, and more. This year’s film programme will be curated under three strands: Horror, Heritage and Homegrown Talent, with help from a diverse panel of young programmers and industry professionals.

Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival 2025

The fourth edition of Samizdat returns to Glasgow (and beyond!) this September to showcase an eclectic mix of cinema from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Reflecting some of the most exciting and subversive films from these regions, Samizdat provides audiences in Scotland the chance to see rarely screened, or often inaccessible, films. Their 2025 programme encompasses feature-length films, animation, shorts, archive films, and more. Expect inventive collaborations to welcome the diasporic community, plus venue partnerships that span the whole of Scotland.

Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF)

SQIFF returns to Glasgow Film Theatre and the Centre for Contemporary Arts for the tenth edition of its annual festival dedicated to LGBTQIA+ cinema. A curated programme of features and shorts – including those created by members of SQIFF’s Queer Filmmakers Group and  Filmmaking Workshop Series – will create a space for a celebration of queer cinema. SQIFF’s partnerships with LGBT Youth Scotland and Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) will offer screenings for school pupils, whilst collaborations with Queer East Festival and Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival will deliver screenings dedicated to LGBTQIA+ cinema from East and Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Skye Community Cinema: 2025/26 Season

Skye Community Cinema brings exciting, often overlooked, independent films to the Isle of Skye every month. Each screening includes a welcome drink and a Q&A with a special guest, such as a filmmaker or an expert on a topic related to the film. In April, they hosted an exclusive preview of Love & Trouble by Scottish documentary filmmaker Amy Hardie, followed by a Q&A. They are currently exploring flexible ticket options, including their current offer of 50% off for those 21 and under. 

Transgressive North: Folk Film Gathering 2025

Last month, the eleventh edition of the Folk Film Gathering 2025 took place at venues across Edinburgh, including the Cameo Picturehouse, Scottish Storytelling Centre and Grassmarket Community Project. Films were centred on the theme, ‘Places and Their Stories,’ exploring folk cinema that has a deep connections to place. Rare Scottish films were contextualised within a global programme of films from Algeria, Iceland, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Ukraine and Wales. Many screenings were introduced by live musicians and art performances. Highlights included the Scottish premieres of newly restored Irish cult classic The Outcasts, and Moroccan filmmakers Nadir Bouhmouch and Soumeya Ait Ahmed’s film/performance, The Legend of the Anonymous Poet.

For current funding opportunities, head to our Funding & Support page. 

Image credit: Alchemy Film Festival, Sanne Gault