OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: CLAY FILMS – BRITISH CERAMICS BIENNAL 2025
Global Majority artists of African and Caribbean heritage working with film and moving image are invited to apply for the 2025 British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) Clay Films programme, taking place in Stoke-on-Trent, UK from 6 September to 19 October 2025.
The Clay Films project aims to celebrate and increase the profile of Global Majority artists that are working with film and clay as a primary material. We aim to reflect the richness of clay as a medium of artistic expression in film. We are interested in how artists are using film for storytelling, activism, provocation and exploration of identity. This can be in any film style or genre. We are seeking films which are intended to be artistic work, rather than filmed documentation or interpretation of other clay and ceramic artwork.
Clay Films is open to Global Majority artists of African and Caribbean heritage based throughout the world, including the UK. These artists are invited to submit an existing artist film for consideration. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel including Global Majority sector experts who will select ten films to be shown throughout the six -weeks of the 2025 British Ceramics Biennial, taking place in Stoke-on-Trent, UK.
Ten selected films will be shown in a film reel for BCB 2025, within a designated exhibition space created for screening the Clay Films programme.
This is the first iteration of Clay Films, but we hope to make it a regular part of our programme – focusing on a different under-represented group of artists for each biennial.
BCB is an arts organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent with a vision of making change through clay.
BCB develops, sustains and expands innovative ceramics practice and improves lives together with artists and creative communities.
Initiated in 2009, BCB has grown to be the single largest contemporary ceramics event in the UK. We present artworks from the UK’s leading ceramicists alongside work by international artists in exhibitions and special events held across the city every two years.
The 2025 Biennial will take place from 6 September to 19 October 2025 at the Spode Works – the post-industrial site of the original Spode factory in Stoke Town – and will be animated by exhibitions, screenings, talks and events, shining a light on Stoke-on-Trent’s industrial heritage and creative spirit.
The ten selected artists will have their artist films presented at the 2025 British Ceramics Biennial, which will take place in Stoke-on-Trent, the UK’s ceramic capital.
Each of the ten exhibitors selected for Clay Films will receive a £350 presentation fee payment. Clay Films exhibitors will benefit from a national PR and marketing campaign.
The 2025 Biennial will be open every day for six weeks from 6 September to 19 October 2025. We are expecting over 45,000 visits to the 2025 Biennial, providing a significant scale and high-profile audience for the Clay Films programme and supporting the profile of the participating artist filmmakers.
How to Apply
To apply for Clay Films you must be a Global Majority artist of African and Caribbean heritage, working with the mediums of clay and film.
Artists are invited to apply for Clay Films by submitting their finished film, shot in high-quality format.
The film work submitted for exhibition must already exist and have been made or re-edited within the last 5 years, so your film should have been released in 2020 or later.
Key dates for Clay Films 2025
* 15 May – Application window opens
* 24 June – Deadline for submissions
* By 25 July – Selection panel meet and artists informed
* 31 July – Artist deadline for sending the final high-resolution film for screening and all exhibition-related copy
* 6 September – Biennial opens to the public
* 19 October – Biennial closes to the public
Submission criteria
Your short film may be of any genre, but must meet the following criteria:
– Maximum of 15 minutes in length
– Completed or re-edited in the last 5 years.
– Original work of the submitting artist. The artist must have a copyright to the film and permission to use any soundtrack/music featured.
– By submitting the film, the artist warrants that the film is original and does not infringe on any copyrights or rights of any person.
– The film must be suitable for general viewing in a public space.
– Resolution of 1080p or higher.
– Any spoken language must be accompanied by English subtitles.
Selection criteria
All submissions will be reviewed and selected by an expert panel. The panel will select ten short films that will be shown at BCB 2025, within a designated exhibition space created for screening the Clay Films programme.
The selection panel considers the following criteria:
– High quality and ambition of the submitted work
– Visual impact and cinematography
– Storytelling
Expectations for selected artists
Selected artists are responsible for sending the final high-resolution version of their film for screening and all exhibition-related copy for BCB 2025 by 31 July.
BCB will process a payment of £350 (GBP) value for all selected artists.
BCB is not responsible for international banking transaction fees and therefore artists based outside of the UK might receive less than £350 (GBP) value once banking fees are applied.
Access support
Access support is available to individuals who feel they face barriers in making an application. A BCB team member is available to help with your application or to offer advice in advance of your application.
Any advice we give on applying is for the artists and film eligibility. It will have no bearing on its assessment during the selection panel. The office hours of BCB staff are 9am to 5pm British Summer Time. Due to the high volume of applications closer to the deadline there will be limited capacity for assistance after 18 June 2025.
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