In the world of short film, funding is nowhere near as plentiful as it should be. So when a new short film fund becomes available, it’s certainly something worth celebrating. While The Uncertain Kingdom isn’t exactly “new” – they already released an anthology of 20 shorts in the summer of 2020 and launched a feature fund in 2021 – it’s back with a new opportunity, offering five UK filmmaking teams the chance to make a film on the topic of ‘belief’.

Eager to find out more about the initiative, we spoke to development executives Myah Jeffers and Georgia Goggin about the project’s aims, that original anthology and why they’re bringing their funding back now:

What was your motivation behind creating the original Uncertain Kingdom anthology of short films?

The Uncertain Kingdom began in 2018 in response to the mood of uncertainty and the feeling that as we neared the end of the decade choices were being made that would define us for generations. We wanted filmmakers to have a chance to respond collectively to the times. Shorts were the ideal form for this response because they have a fast turnaround and it’s easier to support filmmakers taking risks on short film budget than a feature budget.

“For audiences, the anthology is a different experience depending on which films they watch, in what order”

By commissioning twenty films, we could create a response to the times that was more than the sum of its parts because the films are in conversation with each other. For audiences, the anthology is a different experience depending on which films they watch, in what order, and that’s exciting because it makes the audience an active part of the project.

Runyararo Mapfumo’s Whats in a Name – a S/W Feature – was part of the original anthology.

That original anthology set out to provide a snapshot of a “tumultuous decade”, looking back at it now, how well do you think it represents life in the UK during that time?

This is such a tricky question because the anthology inevitably both fails and succeeds in representing life at that time. It fails because twenty films couldn’t possibly capture the time; it’s just too few filmmakers making too few films. But it succeeds because it is truthful: it’s a picture of what those particular filmmakers wanted to say about their times and what stories we as commissioners chose to support.

“The films are a complex mix of anger, humour, insight, despair, hope and compassion”

Perhaps the most poignant aspect of the anthology now is the films’ collective ignorance of the pandemic. It began less than a year after the films were commissioned and would radically alter every social issue featured in the films. Like the people that made them, the films are a complex mix of anger, humour, insight, despair, hope and compassion. And like humans they’re all blind to the future. We didn’t expect it or plan it, but the anthology’s legacy is as a reminder that we never know what’s coming. In some ways, the new anthology is a response to that outcome. With the theme of ‘belief’, we’re asking filmmakers not what makes them uncertain but how they cope with uncertainty itself.

The short film development fund is back in 2024, as you’re looking to create five new films centred around the theme of “belief”. Why did you bring The Uncertain Kingdom back now and what are you hoping to see in the projects you back?

With 2024 being a probable election year, we felt the political charge and social discourse would garner some interesting perspectives on how folks are viewing the state of the country.  ‘Belief’ as a theme felt like an accurate response to the wave of uncertainty that often reverberates throughout the nation during elections. We’re excited by the prospect of backing projects that are unflinching in their approach and fundamentally prioritise story, rather than issues.

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If you’ve got a project you think fits the brief of The Uncertain Kingdom, submissions are open until 5pm on December 31st 2023 and you can find out how to apply here

Poster Image: Motherland, Dir. Ellen Evans