Are you an artist or filmmaker from the Midlands? If so, we are looking to commission a short film.

Inspired by our newly launched curatorial values – curiosity, disruption and joy, we’re offering a £5000 commission for a short film between 60 seconds and 2 minutes made for social media.

Open to Midlands-based artists, creatives, and filmmakers, whether established or early to mid-career, this is an opportunity to collaborate and create something bold and original.

Cornerstones and Curatorial Values

Our mission, to create the conditions for dance to flourish by growing the dance economy for the health, wellbeing, development and connection of communities, cultures and individuals, is bound by the guiding philosophy that we must play an active role in the development of an ecology that allows for constant, deep and reflexive enquiry – even when this sometimes proves difficult, uncomfortable, or challenging – secure in the knowledge that this leads to an expansive future.

To do this, our work falls within one of the following four cornerstones:

Research – holding a space of curiosity driven by the desire to understand more about what dance is, what it can be, and what impact it can have physically, emotionally, socially, culturally and curatorially.

Engagement – creating an accessible and sustainable environment for organisations, artists and practitioners to connect with people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, for the joy of dance in all its forms.

Sector Development – creating, identifying and supporting conditions for growth through strategic conversations that connect artists, participants, and the work, politically, culturally, and socially.

Presentation and Showcasing – producing, co-producing and championing art and performance with dance and movement at its core, to ensure the artform is recognised for the essential role it plays in the UK’s cultural and creative offering.

Our approach is informed by care, openness, and rigour through the curatorial values of:

Curiosity – an openness to taking risks, being uncertain, and asking difficult questions.

Disruption – embracing risk-taking, action and investment, that might disrupt old or accepted ways of working.

Joy – the lens through which everything should be seen and or/approached.

Fabric is a strategic dance development organisation based in the Midlands.

• How might others interpret them?
• How might you interpret or represent them through movement, music, or something else we perhaps haven’t thought of?

From dance or sound motifs, through to a 60-second narrative – there’s no right or wrong.

Commission Overview

As part of sharing our 10-year strategy, we are looking for established artist, or early to mid-career artist/creative/filmmaker collaboration to respond to these values.

• What do the words mean to you, as an artist, as a human?
• What do they make you think about?
• How might others interpret them?
• How might you interpret or represent them through movement, music, or something else we perhaps haven’t thought of?

From dance or sound motifs, through to a 30-second narrative – there’s no right or wrong.

The film should be inspired by one or all the values, creatively interpreted.

Your piece might be dance, but it might also be music, movement, performance, or sound, or any combination, thereof.

The film short will be a collaboration. That might be instigated by a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker or creative – you tell us the detail of who you’d like to work with and why.

We want a short that is thought provoking and impactful – something that gets people talking.

One concept will be selected, and the finished film will be premiered as part of Applause Youth Dance Festival in April 2026, before going on to regularly be showcased on our website, on our socials, and at our events, and more.

The technology

Whilst quality of the final piece is important, how you shoot your film is entirely up to you. We don’t want to restrict access to this opportunity and believe that all you’ll need is a laptop, camera phone or tablet, but if you have access to more sophisticated film making kit you are welcome to use it.

Ultimately, make your film in whatever way is accessible for you, but you should consider the following technical requirements:

• 4:5 ratio for use on sites such as Instagram
• 9:16 for use on sites such as Facebook.

How to apply

Please read the full brief before applying

Film Commissions: Social Media Shorts Brief PDF

Film Commissions: Social Media Shorts Brief Word Doc

Tell us in 500 words or less, or a 3-minute video, which word (or words) you’re inspired by, and how you envisage capturing them in a film between 60-seconds and 2 minutes. We’d love to know what the end product might look, feel and sound like so we also invite you to create a story or mood board.

Plus:

• Film title – this can be a working title.
• Who is the lead creative in this project?
• How might this commission support the development of your career?
• Who else is involved in the collaboration?
• Whereabouts in the Midlands you are based.
• A bit about your career to date, and where you aspire to be.
• Links to any other films or work you’ve made.
• Confirmation that you can meet the deadlines.
• Any additional support or access needs you may have.

Email that to us at: marketing@fabric.dance with the email heading: 60-second submission

We actively encourage applications from artists of diverse backgrounds with different skills, perspectives and stories. We are particularly keen to receive proposals that reflect a broad range of experiences across age, class, disability, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Commission Timeline

if you have any questions please email: Shekinah at shekinah@fabric.dance