The Independent Film Trust

Name

The Independent Film Trust

Legal name

The Independent Film Trust

Website

https://independentfilmtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Film & Visual Arts Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI), Archival Research, Rights & Provenance Services (Clearance, Chain-of-Custody) (MPADAMAI)

Keywords

• Independent film charity
• Filmmaker mentoring programmes
• 360-degree oral history
• Immersive VR documentary
• Creative diversity advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: The organisation accepts donations from individuals and corporate sponsors to support film projects, workshops, and mentoring programmes.
2. Grant Funding: IFT receives funding from Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Culture Recovery Fund, and government bodies to support charitable activities including community outreach, production, and training.
3. Project Sponsorship: Specific projects like Coldharbour, Vertical Lab, and Locked in the Pen can be sponsored through campaign pages on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Independent Film Trust is a UK charity that runs professional development workshops and long-form mentoring for underrepresented filmmakers (Talent Led, Vertical Lab), delivers free community film training for marginalised groups, and produces 360-degree oral history and immersive VR documentary projects that preserve heritage and amplify diverse voices. Its activities are funded by donations, corporate sponsorship, and grants from arts and heritage bodies, with no fees charged to participants.

Product overview

The Independent Film Trust operates as a platform of interconnected programmes supporting independent film and visual arts. The core offerings include: Talent Led (professional development workshops for diverse talent), Vertical Lab (six-month mentoring for underrepresented filmmakers), Elevate Writers Room (scriptwriters course), and Coldharbour (360-degree oral history project). Participatory productions such as A Place To Be (VR experience) and Rebel Dykes are developed through these programmes. The #Brixton81 app and Locked in the Pen community project extend the Trust's reach. Community outreach and training workshops feed talent into professional mentoring programmes, while industry research and advocacy work drives systemic change in the film sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vertical Lab: A mentoring programme that fosters original cinema by supporting underrepresented film professionals working in development, production and distribution.
• Talent Led
• Coldharbour
• A Place To Be
• Locked in the Pen
• Elevate Writers Room

Products and services

• Talent Led Professional development workshops series for diverse film and visual arts talent, pairing underrepresented artists with industry leaders through group workshops and one-to-one mentoring to advance filmmaker careers.
• Vertical Lab Six-month mentoring programme supporting underrepresented film professionals working in development, production, and distribution; selects 15 filmmakers per cohort for intensive mentoring from top directors and producers.
• Elevate Writers Room 7-week scriptwriters course, delivered in collaboration with Ascend Collective, providing ethnically diverse female and non-binary scriptwriters with tools, expertise, and inspiration to elevate their careers.
• Coldharbour 360-degree oral history project exploring the history of Coldharbour Lane in Brixton from 1948 to 2018, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and produced in collaboration with Booted & Rooted.
• A Place To Be Immersive 360-degree docu-drama VR experience set in a shebeen in South London the weekend before the 1981 Brixton Riots, using volumetric capture at Dimension Studios to create hyperreal 3D characters.
• #Brixton81 App Mobile app that combines art, design, and oral history to bring to life images from the book 'Voices of our People' to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Brixton Uprising, distributed via Apple App Store and Google Play.
• Locked in the Pen Creative writing and filmmaking project that unites probation service users, criminal justice service providers, and local community members to discuss crime, justice, and the cycle of reoffending through workshops and community events.
• Rebel Dykes Multi-discipline film project telling the story of how a lesbian fetish club became a beacon of freedom and community for outsider dykes in 1980s London, developed by producer and Vertical Lab alumnus Siobhan Fahey.
• Community Outreach & Training Free entry-level and intermediate training workshops in film, VR, video, photography, writing, and music for people who have experienced the criminal justice system, homelessness, and/or food poverty.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 filmmaker careers supported in 2018
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Digital CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020A Place To Be was selected for the Creative XR acceleration programme for immersive media, receiving development support, mentorship, and industry connections.
• University of the Arts LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Coldharbour Project involving ten VR and Documentary students working on 360-degree oral history documentation. Collaboration on community-led visual arts production.
• Raindance Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partnership involving film screenings and industry connections for Vertical Lab artists who attend the festival.
• SkyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partner collaborating on advocacy for diversity in the creative industries.
• DeSmog UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partnership for environmental journalism and documentary collaboration.
• Lambeth ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Coldharbour Project preserving the history of Coldharbour Lane in Brixton through oral history and 360-degree documentation.
• Brixton LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Coldharbour Project exhibition and community events, culminating in multi-media exhibition at Brixton Library.
• Booted & RootedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Coldharbour oral history project production.
• Dimension StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction studio for A Place To Be volumetric capture, one of only a handful of studios in the world capable of the required technology.
• Ascend CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Elevate Writers Course providing emerging diverse scriptwriters with tools, expertise, and inspiration to advance their careers.
• London School of EconomicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partnership involving film screenings and academic collaboration.
• The Advocacy AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partnership for advocacy and social justice education.
• GuardianminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilms from outreach programmes have appeared on the Guardian film platform.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Encounters Short Film & Animation Festival: UK festival for short film and animation supporting emerging filmmakers through exhibition and talent development. Comparable as an organisation combining exhibition with emerging-talent support in independent film.
• Doc Society: Charitable organisation supporting independent documentary filmmakers globally through funding, mentorship, and impact strategy. Direct peer in the documentary-for-social-change space and overlapping mission of empowering underrepresented documentary voices.
• Raindance Film Festival: UK independent film festival and training organisation running courses, events, and a festival serving independent and emerging filmmakers. Direct peer as both an IFT programme partner and an alignment of independent-film training and exhibition missions.
• Independent Cinema Office: UK charity supporting independent film exhibition, programming, and audience development. Comparable as a nonprofit championing independent cinema, with overlapping focus on screening, curation, and widening access to non-mainstream film.

Broad incumbents

• ScreenSkills: UK industry-led skills body for the screen industries, funding training and workforce development. Comparable as a training-and-talent-development organisation for the UK creative sector, though operating at much larger scale and breadth.
• London Film School: UK-based international film school offering MA programmes in filmmaking. Comparable as a film-education institution developing diverse talent in London, though operating as a fee-based degree-granting school rather than a free community charity.
• National Film and Television School (NFTS): UK's leading film school offering postgraduate training across filmmaking disciplines. Comparable as a film-education institution developing diverse talent, though operating as a formal degree-granting school rather than a free mentoring nonprofit.
• British Film Institute (BFI): The UK's lead organisation for film, archiving, and audience development. Comparable as a film-focused nonprofit supporting diverse filmmaking and providing funding, training, and exhibition—though at vastly greater scale and as a broader public body.

Regional players

• Brixton Reel Film Festival: Local South London film festival rooted in Brixton's community. Comparable as a geographically adjacent peer with overlapping community-and-diversity-driven independent film mission, though operating primarily as an exhibition event.
• Film London: London's screen agency supporting filmmakers and production. Comparable as a regional film charity/agency funding training, talent development, and audience programmes with a strong diversity and inclusion remit—similar mission though broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-independent-film-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Independent Film Trust