Together TV launches £100k film fund to champion working-class filmmakers in the West Midlands
The BAFTA-winning broadcaster is offering five £20,000 documentary commissions, industry mentoring and a national platform for emerging filmmakers.
November 2026 – Together TV, the UK’s broadcaster inspiring positive change, is launching a new West Midlands edition of its BAFTA-winning Diverse Film Fund, giving five aspiring working-class filmmakers the opportunity to to create short documentaries telling the stories of the people, places, localities and legends of the West Midlands. Supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), Create Central and Creative UK and teaming up with RTS Midlands and Rural Media, which leads the BFI Film Academy Hub West Midlands, to reach emerging talent across the region, Together TV will invest £100,000 in five original 20-minute documentaries celebrating the people, places and untold stories of the West Midlands.
Each filmmaker will receive £20,000, professional mentoring, training and editorial support, with their film premiering at a cinema screening in summer 2027 before broadcasting nationally on Together TV.
Opening doors to new talent
While 52% of people in Britain identify as working class, just 8% of the TV workforce comes from working-class backgrounds.
Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund aims to challenge this imbalance, giving first-time directors the funding, connections and platform to launch their filmmaking careers.
Janet Olaofe, Head of Content at Together TV, said “Great stories are everywhere, but opportunities to tell them aren’t. Through Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund, we want to change that. We’re giving talented new filmmakers the funding, support and national platform they deserve, while bringing fresh, authentic stories to audiences across the UK.
The fund is seeking celebratory, inspirational and forward-looking films rooted in community – the lives, passions and hopes of the 10 million people who make the West Midlands what it is. They can be standalone films or have the potential to be a longer series or expanded into a feature-length documentary.
Hayley Pepler, Head of Culture, Creative Industries and Major Events, West Midlands Combined Authority, said“The West Midlands is bursting with creative talent. We’re delighted to support Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund in opening doors for emerging filmmakers, helping more local people build careers in our growing screen industry and share the stories that make our region special. We are delighted to support these local stories told by local storytellers.”
Debbie Isitt, Executive board member at Create Central said “As a filmmaker with deep roots in the West Midlands, I know just how much extraordinary creative talent there is in our region, but talent alone isn’t always enough to open doors. Your background or financial circumstances should never determine whether you get the chance to tell your story. That’s why I’m so excited about Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund. Not only will it give emerging filmmakers the funding and support they deserve, but by making these films here in the West Midlands, it will create valuable opportunities for local crew and other creative talent too. I can’t wait to see the wonderful stories that come out of it.”
The Diverse Film Fund 2026 is funded by Together TV and West Midlands Combined Authority as an element of the WM IP Content Fund Programme. A special thank you goes to RTS Midlands and Rural Media (BFI Film Academy Hub West Midlands) for teaming up with Together TV to connect the region’s filmmaking communities, raising awareness of the fund and encouraging applications from new and underrepresented talent.
Applications now open
Together TV welcomes applications from aspiring filmmakers aged 18 and over who live in the West Midlands, identify as working class and have no previous broadcast credit as a director or producer.
No formal filmmaking qualifications are required. Applicants will also be able to access guidance through a webinar and/or live event.
Deadline: 12 noon, Tuesday 15 December 2026.