Cinema Extreme was a major UK short film funding awards scheme, created in 2002. The scheme was funded by the
UK Film Council's
New Cinema Fund and
Film4 and managed by
The Bureau with the aim "to seek out and develop filmmakers with a distinctive directorial voice and cinematic flair". The fund was awarded on an annual basis, offering funding to a slate of around four short films.
Nineteen films were commissioned. They have been shown at festivals around the world and won numerous awards including Best Short at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for
Duane Hopkins'
Love Me or Leave Me Alone and the
Oscar for Best Short Film for
Andrea Arnold's
Wasp.
The scheme has catapulted many of the commissioned filmmakers to their first feature: