Artist Archive Film Night | Open Call

About the Open Call

Do you have a dance film that needs to be seen? Apply to our first Artist Archive Film Night. We know that there are loads of dance films, documents and experiments hidden on hard drives, lost in ‘the cloud’ or getting dusty on DVDs. The Artist Archive programme aims to bring visibility to all the stuff that’s in danger of being dismissed and forgotten. So, we’re hosting a Film Night to revisit dance on film from the last 30 plus years. We’re inviting both finished films and raw materials; choreography made for film, research, documentation and more. Artist Archive Film Night is about sharing work that you think will make an impact, that you would fight for. We’re only accepting one submission per artist, and films must be ready for screening. We will select 10-15 films across two categories – Finished Films and Raw Materials. Finished Films include completed video/film projects, edited films of live performances, or edited documentation of process or events. Raw Materials include excerpts of rehearsal footage, filmed performances, documentation of social dances or events, unfinished projects or fragments. For films that are made to be seen from beginning to end, we will consider films of up to an hour long. Films must be digital or have been digitised. The selected films will be screened at an Artist Archive Film Night on Saturday 31 January 2026, from 5-10pm, at Siobhan Davies Studios in London. It’s a whole building take over, using all our spaces including Research and Roof Studio, Library, Parlour, Study and communal areas. Films will be screened to both seated audiences and experienced on loop in passing. You can make suggestions on how your film could be viewed in the submission form, but the final decision will be made in collaboration with us in consideration of the overall curation.

What is Offered

A fee of £200 will be offered for each selected film. Additionally, there is a budget to support artist access needs, such as travel to the event, and potential production of accessibility materials like captioning and audio description. Selected artists will also receive a free ticket to attend the screening event.

Requirements

This opportunity is open to dance artists, choreographers, collectives, and film makers. Only one submission per artist/collective is accepted. Films must be ready for screening, digital or digitised, and for films made to be seen from beginning to end, up to an hour long. We prioritise unfunded or underfunded work, work with few presentation opportunities, work that resists the mainstream, and work at risk of being dismissed or forgotten. Applicants must not be in full-time education. Applications are strongly encouraged from those whose backgrounds are underrepresented in the dance/arts sector, including people with heritage from the global majority/global south, who identify as disabled and/or neurodiverse, and/or who are from low-income backgrounds.

How to Apply

Applications should be made via the online application form. Applicants must submit one pre-existing film, either by uploading a digital file (up to 5GB max) directly into the form or by providing a URL link if the film is online. The application form also asks for details about your film and its potential impact, preferences for how your film could be installed or screened (optional), a rough description of your film for audiences (optional), and whether you can make it on January 31. Applicants are advised to download the questions in advance to plan their application as the online form cannot be saved part-way through. Consent from any collaborators for shared ownership of past work must be ensured.