Applications open for Edition Two of No Password Required, supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund

Applications open for Edition Two of No Password Required, supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund

Applications are now open for the second edition of No Password Required’s access-to-market programme, delivered by Republic of Story and The British Blacklist, supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.

This year’s edition runs from September to October 2026 and introduces a new packaging strand supporting UK-based, early-career Global Majority-led production companies working towards their first lead producer credit on a feature film. Ten selected UK-based companies, each with a narrative fiction feature at script stage, will be paired with an industry champion and specialist experts to package their script into a market-ready package produced with Fiona Lamptey’s Fruit Tree Media, My Smash Media and Lee & Thompson in advance of the mini-market supported by the FDA and Film Export UK. Participating production companies and their writers will also receive participation stipends. 

Victoria Thomas, Co-Founder of No Password Required, said: “Independent Producers are central to turning ideas into films, but building a market-ready package requires specialist expertise, strategic input and dedicated time, all of which require investment. For many independent producers, particularly those running small production companies, finding the resources to make that investment while simultaneously earning a living can be challenging. This year’s programme has been designed to remove that particular barrier to access.” 

Akua Gyamfi, CEO of The British Blacklist said: “The response to our first year showed just how valuable this programme can be. This year we’re taking everything we learned and going further, with more practical support, more one-to-one mentoring and more opportunities for Black and Global Majority producers to build relationships, develop their projects and better understand how to navigate the international marketplace. We’re grateful to the BFI Creative Challenge Fund for making this next stage possible.”

Mia Bays, director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund, said: “We are delighted to award BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund funding to the second edition of No Password Required, enabling the team to expand to a 3-month development programme model centring projects and early-career producers from Global Majority-led production companies. No Password Required is an intervention, providing producers with dedicated time, specialist expertise and structured preparation to enter viable market conversations with professionally packaged projects. We are excited to see the impact this programme will have on the selected projects and participants.

Fiona Lamptey, CEO of Fruit Tree Media, said: “As a producer and a buyer, I’ve seen too many strong projects fail not on the page but in the room because no one has stress-tested them against what buyers, financiers and distributors actually demand before they walk in. That’s what this programme is built to fix: putting real industry experts and mentors against individual projects, so producers leave not just with contacts, but with projects that can withstand the market they’re about to enter.”

Christos Michaels, Head of Film, Lee & Thompson said: “No Password Required gives early-career Global Majority producers the business, legal and financing skills to get a first feature or documentary to market. It is a valuable programme and the BFI’s support is very well deserved. We are delighted to be involved and to see this cohort progress”

Fiona Gillies, Co-Founder, My Smash Media said: “Once again, we are delighted to be working with the No Password Required team.  At SMASH, we believe the future of Creative Discovery is about opening doors, not reinforcing existing networks.  SMASH is a UK Createch platform that makes it easier for decision-makers to reach beyond traditional networks to find exceptional new voices.”

The call for applications is open now and closes on 24th August. To apply, go to www.nopasswordrequired.com