The Royal Film Commission Jordan | OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #212 January 2021

OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #212 January 2021

N.B. The information below is provided directly by the organizers of events, festivals, audio-visual organizations or independent film projects. The Royal Film Commission - Jordan (RFC) cannot be held accountable for it.

In this bulletin:

1. Call for funding: DFI Grants Programme
2. Call for funding: World Cinema Fund - Production Funding
3. Call for submissions: Palm Springs International ShortFest
4. Call for submissions:  Santa Barbara International Film Festival
5. Call for applications: FeatureLab projects 2021
6. Call for submissions: Micro Minute Film Festival
7. Two new films at The RFC's Film Library

The goals of the Doha Film Institute Grants (DFI) Programme are to identify new talent, seek out new cinematic voices and discover universally resonant stories.

The Institute’s approach is to champion projects that aim to explore, expand and cultivate authentic storytelling, with a keen interest in propelling forward the medium of cinema.

The programme provides creative and financial assistance for short and feature-length films, subject to eligibility criteria, by Qatari and international first- and second-time directors, as well as established MENA directors.

Financial support is also available for TV and web series helmed by MENA scriptwriters and directors, subject to eligibility criteria.

1. Funding is available through the DFI's Grants Programme (the “Programme”) to international film projects that satisfy the below listed criteria.

• Development, production and post-production funding is available for short and feature-length projects.

• Funding is subject to the director’s nationality, as detailed in the Eligibility Per Region table on the website.

• For feature films, a first- or second-time director must be attached. For the purposes of the programme, afirst- or second-time filmmaker is defined as one who is directing their first or second feature-length (65minutes and over) narrative or documentary film.

• Post-production funding is also available for feature films by established directors from Qatar and the MENA region.

2. The Institute does not apply restrictions on form or genre.

3. Short films are defined as 5 to 30 minutes in duration, while feature films are 65+ minutes.

4. A director may submit only one project per grants session.

5. Applications for production or post-production funding for feature-length projects must have a producer and production company attached.

6. Projects that have received development funding in prior grants sessions are only eligible to apply for postproduction funding consideration. Projects that have received production funding in prior sessions are not eligible to apply for post-production funding.

7. A director who has completed a film of 30+ minutes is not eligible to apply for funding for a short film.

8. A director applying for funding for a feature film must have directed at least one short film.

If a project is co-directed, both directors must be first- or second-time filmmakers and meet all eligibility criteria.

9. If a project under consideration has its world premiere prior to the jury deliberations (stage 2), it is no longer eligible.

The deadline is January 17, 2021.

For more information please visit:  https://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines

Together with the Federal Foundation for Culture and in cooperation with the Goethe Institute, the Foreign Ministry and German producers, the World Cinema Fund works to develop and support cinema in regions with a weak film infrastructure, while fostering cultural diversity in German cinemas. The World Cinema Fund supports films that could not be made without additional funding: films that stand out with an unconventional aesthetic approach, that tell powerful stories and transmit an authentic image of their cultural roots.

The World Cinema Fund supports exclusively the production and distribution of feature films and feature-length documentaries. The support is focused on the following regions and countries: The Middle East, Latin America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Caucasus as well as Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Sri Lanka.

Funding Amounts:

• Maximum funding: 60,000 Euros per project.

• The funding amount cannot exceed 50% of the total production costs.

• The total production costs of the supported projects should lie between 200,000 Euros and 1,400,000 Euros.

• The funding must be spent on the production of the film in the aforementioned regions.

Required documents:

1. A completed online-application form:

2.

a. Financing information:
Detailed budget in Euro and in local currency (if available).

b. Contracts and agreements
All financing agreements and/or letters of intent from financing partners, which are already confirmed.
Signed existing co-production / co-operation agreement(s) or deal memos.

Clearance of all rights: The rights clearance is a document or a contract, which transfers the rights from the scriptwriter to the producer and officially entitles the producer to use the script for a film project. It is not necessary to attach it if the writer and the producer are the same person.

c. A visual dossier with mood pictures, casting, locations, etc.

The deadline is February 1, 2021

For more information, please visit: https://www.berlinale.de/en/world-cinema-fund/funding-programmes/production-support/wcf-classic/wcf-classic.html

The Palm Springs International ShortFest is one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema. The seven-day competitive festival is Academy Award, BAFTA and Goya-qualifying, screening annually more than 330 shorts from approximately 60 countries. ShortFest accepts submissions up to 40 minutes in duration, in the form of both fiction and non-fiction shorts. Categories include animation, documentary, and live action. This year's festival will be organized from June 22 until 28,2021.

Official selection:

The ShortFest Official Selection comprises the 330+ shorts curated thematically into programs of approximately 90 minutes in duration, which aim to bring together a diverse cross-section of contemporary cinema. Distinct works from filmmakers of various international backgrounds come into conversation with one another in unexpected and exciting ways.

Submission requirements:

• Completed entry on FilmFreeway.

• Digital screener – Vimeo link (preferred) or secure online screener.

• Submissions must be uploaded and submitted no later than the deadline date to qualify for the respective submission fees.

• Submission fee paid.

Eligibility requirements:

• Shorts must have been completed in 2019, 2020 or 2021.

• Shorts must be no more than exactly 40 minutes in length, credits included.

• If selected, shorts must be available for projection in DCP.

• All non-English-language shorts must have English subtitles.

The deadline is February 19, 2021

For more information, please visit: https://filmfreeway.com/PalmSpringsInternationalShortFest

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day event held in the seaside city of Santa Barbara, California. The festival will be held from March 31 until April, 2021.

SBIFF has devoted sections for documentaries that address social justice issues, nature and oceanography, food, and the performing arts. In addition to showcasing a diverse spectrum of films, tributes and galas, SBIFF also offers seminars with industry professionals including directors, writers, producers and women in the business panels, as well as Q&A sessions with a diverse selection of filmmakers.

Rules & Terms:

• Entry fee is non-refundable.

• Priorities are for US and World Premieres.

• Films that have been publicly broadcast in the United States and/or films that are publicly streaming online prior to the 2021 film festival are not eligible.

• Finished projects must be completed no earlier than November 2019 to be eligible for the 2021 film festival.

• No music videos or commercials.

• More than one entry may be submitted.

• If your feature film is selected, you will be asked to provide: digital stills from the film; digital press materials; and three 27x40 printed poster (no other poster size will be allowed).

• Films produced in languages other than English must have legible English subtitles.

The deadline is February 5, 2021

For more information on these and other SBIFF programs at www.sbiff.org

FeatureLab focuses on film projects: fiction, creative documentaries, experimental, animation and any possible kind cinema form  at an advanced stage of development.

FeatureLab projects will have the chance to compete for the Torino Film Lab (TFL) Production Awards (including a number of international co-productions, provided that they fulfill conditions of eligibility), and collateral prizes supporting the production process.

FeatureLab focuses on artistic and creative aspects as well as on production and promotion strategies in the development of 1st and 2nd feature films. It is aimed at teams of director and producers (together with a scriptwriter, if on board), working on projects that are already at an advanced stage. The programme takes place over a period of six months.

Who can apply?

FeatureLab is dedicated to creative teams of a director and a producer (together with a scriptwriter, if on board) from all over the world, developing a 1st or 2nd feature film project.

Conditions of eligibility:

• The project must be the director’s 1st or 2nd feature film.

• At least a first draft of the script (or an analogue document, according to the type of project) must be ready when applying.

• Shooting must not begin earlier than December 1, 2021.

Duration: Two workshops in June and September, plus a final session and participation in the TFL Meeting Event in November 2021.

The deadline is January 18, 2021

For more information please visit: http://www.torinofilmlab.it/www.torinofilmlab.it/training/112-featurelab-projects-2021

The Micro Minute Film Festival (MMFF) was created to offer filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their micro minute films with the audience and support of fellow filmmakers. Networking and potential for future collaboration is pivotal to the festival's goals.

The films are concluded with a Q&A, so filmmakers can take pride in their work and meet like-minded filmmakers.

Submission rules:

• MMFF competition categories are open to the United States and international entries.

• Films in the minute category and trailer category can not exceed 1 minute, or 60 seconds, including opening and closing credits.

• Films in the 2-minute category cannot exceed two minutes, or 120 seconds, including opening and closing credits.

• Screenplays should be 1 page or equivalent to 1-minute of film if they were shot.

• Foreign language entries must have English language subtitles.

• Entries must have been completed in the past two years.

• All decisions made by the festival are final and at their discretion.

The deadline is February 24, 2021.

For more information, please visit: https://filmfreeway.com/MicroMinuteFilmFestival

1- The Iranian narrative film “3 Faces” by Jafar Panahi .
Trailer of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTwB4dVxZ-M

2- The Egyptian narrative film “In The Last Days of the City” by Tamer El Said
Trailer of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=192ZK53FCk8

The Film Library opens from 9:00 Am – 6:00 PM during week days, and on Saturday sfrom 1:00 PM – 6:00PM.
For more information please send an email to: filmlibrary@film.jo  or by phone: 064613835 ex. 111

Location