The new home of the London Film School has secured its first tranche of funding from Creative Skillset.

The London Film School has secured a significant award from Creative Skillset towards its capital campaign for the relocation to the Barbican Centre.

Creative Skillset is looking to invest $3m (£1.82m) in LFS and has awarded the school up to $768,000 (£468,596) towards the development of its plans to transfer the school and its operations to the new site. A stage two application for construction works will be made in 2014.  

The funding is part of Creative Skillset’s four-year film skills strategy which supports the BFI’s strategic priorities. 

In a deal with the City of London Corporation, in space currently occupied by Barbican Exhibition Hall 1, the new location in Golden Lane will provide state of the art filmmaking facilities, extended accommodation, public outreach and space for industry screenings and events.

MIke Leigh, LFS chairman and 1964 graduate, said: “Creative Skillset and the BFI are now recognizing the urgent need for LFS to have up-to-date facilities and space, for more UK students, for freelancers using our workshops, and to realise an international film hub at the Barbican. It’s the beginning of a new journey.”

Also LFS’s Annual Show today (Dec 9), Leigh will present Honorary Associateships to Christine Langan, head of BBC Films, actor Phil Davis, former LFS Senior Lecturer Margaret Glover and a posthumous award to production designer Hayden Griffin.

Associateships will then be awarded to 96 graduating students from the MA Filmmaking, MA Screenwriting and Fast Forward Producing programmes. A total of 58 films will be screened in full or as extracts during the day.

LFS director Ben Gibson said: “The school’s moving from strength to strength and over the next two years our recent planning work and new partnerships will take us forward again.”

Throughout the past year, LFS films had 232 festival entries across 179 events, winning 43 prizes, nominations or special mentions.

LFS Associates have moved on to the Low Budget Film Forum, Sundance Lab, the Cannes Residence Programme, AdaptLab, the Mauritz Binger Institute and received commissions from Microwave and iFeatures.

Films include Jules Bishop’s first feature Borrowed Time, Jamie Chambers’ Blackbird, which won Best of the Fest at Edinburgh, and Flora Lau’s first feature Bends, selected for Cannes Un Certain Regard.

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