How To Make a Film On a Low Budget w/ Ben Wheatley/

Are you aged 16-25, have an amazing idea for a film, but don’t have the budget? Join us to hear from some young BFI Film Academy funded filmmakers, as well as special guest speaker Ben Wheatley, whose films have won numerous awards, received international critical acclaim and have been theatrically released globally. Tickets cost only £5.

Ben’s latest film, BULK, was shot on Sony camcorders, iPhones, and Go Pros, and many of the action sequences were built from old model kits found on eBay. As a writer, director, editor AND producer, Ben will have insights into every aspect of the filmmaking process and will provide advice on how to get your idea from your iPhone to the big screen.

BFI Film Academy filmmakers will celebrate their achievement of making a 5-minute film with only £1,000, and you’ll be able to see exactly how a budget of that size translates to the big screen, and hear from them about how they brought their ideas to life.

This session is all about taking your vision and making it into something that looks amazing by working through initiative, collaboration and determination, all from insights from your peers who have done the same thing, and an industry expert who has seen it all. Whether you’re self-taught or in film school, just starting out, or have been trying to make films for a few years, this session is about practical advice to help you get to the next step in your journey. Bring your questions, your frustrations, and your ambition to share with Ben and a community of likeminded young filmmakers.

After the session, there will be a screening of BULK (starting at 6pm). Your ticket for this workshop will entitle you to entry – this session focuses on Ben’s approach to low-budget filmmaking and advice for young filmmakers. Ben will be doing a separate Q&A about BULK following the screening. 

Please note there will be a photographer at this event, if you’d rather not be photographed please let us know either by contacting us at [email protected] or on the day.

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed How To Make a Film On a Low Budget w/ Ben Wheatley between February 25, 2026 and February 25, 2026.

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What else is on?

Today (Friday 16th October)

15:00

Extra Geography 15
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 34m
In their final year at an early-2000s boarding school, two best friends set themselves a mission: to fall in love with their geography teacher. Molly Manners' freewheeling comedy drama is a funny, warm-hearted portrait of female friendship.

Book here

17:15

Queen at Sea 15
2h 1m
Amanda walks in on her mother Leslie and stepfather Martin in an intimate moment. It seems consensual, but Leslie has advanced dementia. Lance Hammer's follow-up to Ballast stars Juliette Binoche and Tom Courtenay. Berlin Silver Bear Jury Prize winner.

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20:00

The Craft

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Tomorrow (Saturday 17th October)

15:30

Better Go Mad in the Wild 15
1h 24m | Czech w/ English subtitles
Two ageing brothers live as hermits in a crumbling farmhouse near the Czech-German border, arguing, making up, and singing ballads to chickens. Narrated by a slaughtered bull, Miro Remo's award-winning film is a funny, tender portrait of seclusion and brotherhood.

Book here

17:45

Extra Geography 15
1h 34m
In their final year at an early-2000s boarding school, two best friends set themselves a mission: to fall in love with their geography teacher. Molly Manners' freewheeling comedy drama is a funny, warm-hearted portrait of female friendship.

Book here

20:00

Queen at Sea 15
2h 1m
Amanda walks in on her mother Leslie and stepfather Martin in an intimate moment. It seems consensual, but Leslie has advanced dementia. Lance Hammer's follow-up to Ballast stars Juliette Binoche and Tom Courtenay. Berlin Silver Bear Jury Prize winner.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!