Welcome to Your BFI Film Academy Hub West Midlands
See Yourself in the Credits
Free, hands-on film and TV training across the West Midlands for anyone aged 16 to 25, and a network that stays with you.
BFI Film Academy Hub West Midlands is delivered by Rural Media, supported by the UK Government and National Lottery funding.
Want to Work in Film or TV, and Looking for a Way In?
Then this is where it starts!
Our Hub for the West Midlands is where young people find hands-on training, events and experiences, and connect with a working film community of people who do this for a living. It is also where you get the industry support to take your next step.
Whether you are new here or already one of our alumni, we have a route for you. There is a wide variety of roles on a film crew, and our Hub is where you build skills, work out which roles fit you, and start moving from training into the industry.
You bring the curiosity. We bring the kit, the training, and a crew around you.
Hear About New Opportunities First
One short form puts you on the list for what is happening across the region, and tells you the moment course applications open. It is free, it takes a few minutes, and it is open to anyone aged 16 to 25 across the West Midlands.
What Our Hub Offers
Our Hub runs year-round. Two new programmes bring together industry skills, experiences and connections, both aimed at getting you working in film and TV. Which one applies to you depends on whether you are coming to a BFI Film Academy for the first time or returning as alumni.
New to the Hub?
Introductory Courses
A free introductory film course. Explore real crew roles, build the skills the industry uses, and make a film, then see it screened at Flatpack Film Festival. For ages 16 to 19, or up to 25 with an EHCP.
Year-Round Activity
After the Introductory Course, we offer year-round activity. Taster sessions, screenings, skills days and socials happen across the region between course intakes.
Hub Alumni
Alumni Membership
Completed a BFI Film Academy in any year, anywhere in the country? Alumni membership opens in September, with a community of its own, and the experiences and opportunities to help you take your next step.
Workshops, Events and Industry Placements
Alumni membership opens up craft-focused industry opportunities. Workshops, industry days and mixers with people who do this for a living, and placements on real productions with someone looking after you throughout.
Support Where You Need It
Every Place Is Free
Introductory Courses, year-round activity and alumni membership are all free to access.
Travel Bursaries
Bursaries cover the cost of getting to everything we run, and getting home again.
Industry-Standard Equipment
We bring the same kit used on sets across the region, and train you on the gear you will actually work with.
Online and In-Person Support
Talk to us on a video call, meet us at a taster session near you, or join the alumni community space from September.
A Crew Around You
Whether you are new to the Hub or already alumni, you work alongside young people on the same journey.
Tell Us What You Need
If something would help you take part, tell us and we will work out what is possible.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Know What Is Coming Up
Hear about programmes, taster sessions, launch events and everything else across the region as it is announced.
Got a Question?
Send it to us and we will come back to you, or set up a call if that is easier to talk it through.
Our Hub. Delivered by Rural Media
StoryPoint in Hereford is the production home for Rural Media and Rural Studios, and a training and production centre for the wider region. Workshop and studio space, edit suites and a podcast studio, with industry professionals working in the building.
Rural Media is a West Midlands charity and production company. For three decades we have helped young people tell their own stories, and widened who gets a way into film and TV. We run the BFI Film Academy Hub West Midlands, delivering Hub activity across the region.
Rural Studios is our sister company, making original content for broadcasters, brands and the public sector. Credits include The Read for BBC Two and BBC Four, Random Acts for Channel 4 and Unlocked for Sky Arts. A number of our alumni have progressed to crew roles there.
We work with a wide range of partners to deliver the Hub, including Flatpack Film Festival and Mission Accomplished. Each course has its own regional partners too. Explore the Introductory Courses to find out more.
More from BFI Film Academy
We are one of twelve BFI Film Academy Hubs across the UK. To see everything the BFI Film Academy offers, start here.