Microwave

Microwave is Film London’s flagship feature film scheme. It serves to inspire and develop the capital’s best new filmmakers, empowering them to make bold, compelling features that will surprise and inspire global audiences. The scheme was the first low budget feature program in Europe and has been responsible for discovering and developing some of the UK’s most exciting talent.

Microwave’s First Slate

Microwave's First Slate: Lilting, Ill Manors, Shifty

Microwave's First Slate (clockwise from top left): Lilting, iLL Manors, Shifty

An initial slate of films was made in partnership with BBC Films between 2006 and 2012. These included Sundance award-winner Lilting, Bafta-nominee Shifty and iLL Manors, which collected three BIFA nominations in 2012. All of the films were released theatrically and distributed around the world.

Microwave’s Second Slate

Microwave's Second Slate: Zero, Homebound, Looted, Body of Water, Mari, Sweetheart

Microwave's Second Slate (clockwise from top left): Zero, Homebound, Looted, Body of Water, Mari, Sweetheart

Microwave’s Second Slate was developed in partnership with BBC Films and the BFI. The films from slate 2 are Zero, Homebound (formerly known as The Visitor), Looted, Body of Water, Mari, and Sweetheart.

Mari was the first film to launch from the second slate and premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2018 before a UK theatrical run with Verve Pictures, and this year’s LFF saw Sweetheart presented as a work in progress.

Looted had its worldwide premiere at Black Nights Tallinn in late 2019, it was awarded the FIPRESCI prize by a jury of international critics and released in the UK through Bulldog in November. Body of Water launched at Glasgow Film Festival and was released in the UK through Verve Pictures in October. The rest of the slate is close behind - follow Film London on Twitter for updates!

Microwave International

2017 saw the release of the first Microwave International co-production, The Hungry, which screened at TIFF, LFF and MAMI, and is now available on Amazon Prime Video. Film London has also taken the Microwave project around the world, running Microschool training and development bootcamps in Georgia, Malta, Croatia and Indonesia, and a co-production Lab with Italy’s Apulia Film Commission in 2018.

Microwave Scheme

We are working towards a relaunch and reboot of the Microwave scheme. If you are interested in applying, subscribe to Film London’s opportunities newsletter for updates. (Industry partners or people interested in supporting the scheme and its filmmakers, please contact us.)