OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #194 July 2019

OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #194 July 2019

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: AFAC - Arab Fund For Arts And Culture
2. Call for submissions: Submit your Jordanian feature film for consideration for the Oscar Awards
3. Call for submissions: The 2020 Sundance Film Festival
4. Call for submissions: Vienna Film Awards
5. Call for submissions: The 2020 Atlanta Film Festival
6. Call for submissions: The 2020 Slamdance Film Festival
7. Call for competition: JCS International Young Creatives Award
8. Call for funding: Hubert Bals Fund
9. Call for applications: Screenwriting Lab Grants

1. Call for Funding: Arab Fund For Arts And Culture (North Africa Cultural Program)

Is your independent cultural entity based in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya or Egypt? Is your entity involved in a collaborative project with other entities across the Arab region?
Check out the two opportunities - National Fund and Regional Fund - under the North Africa Cultural Program - NACP.

The calls are open until August 1st (for the National Fund) and November 1st (for the Regional Fund).

NACP is a one-time call and only in 2019. It provides up to three-year institutional and programmatic support to active arts and culture entities based in each of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, as well as for transboundary projects that promote joint artistic collaborations, distribution, and the professionalism of arts and culture practices among those five countries and with the rest of the Arab and African regions.

The National Fund provides a total grant between $75,000 and $200,000 per grant. The call opened May 16 and closes August 1, 2019 with the announcement of results expected end October 2019.

The Regional Fund provides a total grant between $150,000 and $300,000 per grant. The rolling call opened May 16 and has two separate deadlines and announcements, namely August 1 for the first deadline (with announcements end October 2019), and then November 1, 2019 for the second deadline (with announcements end January 2020)

Applications can be submitted in either Arabic, English or French, exclusively online via the AFAC website. Applications submitted via regular mail or e-mail will not be accepted.

IMPORTANT NOTIFICATIONS

Overlap between National Fund and Regional Fund
To give the widest number of applicants a chance, applicants who are applying to the National Fund are eligible to apply to the Regional Fund’s second deadline of November 1st, whether as a lead applicant or a co-applicant.

However, when evaluating the applications submitted for the Regional Fund, the jury will give priority to those applicants who do not have a grant under the National Fund, provided that their projects equally meet the evaluation criteria in terms of artistic quality, relevance, innovation, feasibility among others.

Overlap between NACP (National Fund and Regional Fund) and Arts and Culture Entrepreneurship program - ACE.

Another recent AFAC program that supports cultural entities is the Arts and Culture Entrepreneurship – ACE. It is a program whereby candidates are selected by a jury based on nominations, and not an open call. It fosters a collective space for reflection on sustainability and is designed to inspire, invigorate and strengthen small and medium cultural institutions, based and working in the Arab region, and whose initiatives engage with communities. Twenty-four arts and culture institutions will benefit from three cycles during the period 2018-2021, i.e. eight candidates per cycle. ACE comprises entrepreneurship training and mentoring components, as well as an incentive grant for the participating institutions to implement an innovation activity aimed at improving their institutional resilience.

ACE and NACP – specifically the National Fund component – overlap in that they both provide direct institutional support, albeit different in design and duration.

Those who applied to ACE 2019 may apply to the National Fund or Regional Fund under NACP. However, if they are selected for ACE, their NACP National Fund application will be dropped, whereas their Regional Fund application will still be considered if submitted either by the first deadline of August 1st or by the second deadline of November 1st, 2019, whether as lead applicant or co-applicant. In other words, ACE 2019 grantees are eligible to receive a grant under NACP Regional Fund but not the National Fund.

Note that the announcement of ACE 2019 will be early August, and the next application process by nomination for ACE 2020 will start in May 2020.

For applying to the National Fund please visit: https://www.arabculturefund.org/Programs/25
For applying to the Regional Fund please visit: https://www.arabculturefund.org/Programs/26
 

2. Call for submissions: Submit your feature film for consideration for the Oscar Awards

If you are a Jordanian director or producer and have made a film over 40 minutes – narrative, documentary or animation – and have released your film commercially in Jordan between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019 for at least 7 consecutive days, you can submit your film for consideration for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. An independent Selection Committee – established by the RFC – will look into the submitted films that have to fit eligibility criteria set by the Academy for the International Feature Film Award (check Rule 13: https://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/92aa_rules.pdf).

The criteria include amongst others: a predominantly non-English dialogue, creative control of the film to be largely in the hands of the Jordanian filmmaker.

To submit, please send an email to: info@film.jo with the title: “Submission for consideration to the Academy Awards”
 

3. Call for submissions: The 2020 Sundance Film Festival

Celebrating independence, creativity and risk taking, the Sundance Film Festival plays a vital role in discovering new films and new voices from around the world. The World Cinema competitions are specifically dedicated to identifying emerging international talent and connecting them with audiences and industry in the United States.

International Submissions:

Deadlines and submission fees vary based on category of entry:

- In order to qualify as a Short Film, the total running time must be less than 50 minutes, including credits.

- Feature Films must have a total running time of 50 minutes or more. Projects submitted to the Episodic Content category may include multiple episodes of varying lengths, as long as the file size does not exceed 10GB.

Please ensure that your project’s submission status on your FilmFreeway account is listed as “In Consideration” no later than 11:59pm on the final day of the current deadline window. All submissions that are not 100% complete at that time will be disqualified and you will need to submit again for another deadline window.

Submission Categories

Each year, 115–125 feature films, 60–80 short films, 10–15 episodic projects, and 20–30 New Frontier performance and exhibition projects are selected to play within the festival's programs.

New for 2020: If you wish to submit a VR/AR/MR/XR project or a proposal for a New Frontier media installation or cinematic piece that incorporates a live performance or other interactive elements beyond traditional filmed media, please go HERE to complete the New Frontier application. If your project is an experimental film that does not include interactive or live performance elements, it should be submitted to one of our short or feature film categories on FilmFreeway. If you believe that your experimental film qualifies for the New Frontier Films program at the Festival, you may indicate this within the cover letter of your FilmFreeway submission Deadlines and Fees.

For more information, please visit: http://www.sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/submit

4. Call for submissions: Vienna Film Awards

Vienna Film Awards (VFA) is a volunteer-run organization that seeks to enlighten, educate, and entertain the community through the exhibition.

VFA as an international festival has the objective of creating awareness through the projection of independent films. Submissions are welcomed from a range of genres including short films, documentaries, features, animations and screenplays.

VFA opens its doors to film enthusiasts, movie fans and students alike who want to get their start in the industry by meeting and connecting with industry professionals. The Festival offers you the chance to meet other filmmakers and industry professionals to exchange ideas and collaborate in a highly creative and inspiring atmosphere. VFA strives to bring filmmakers from all over the world under one setting.

Awards & Prizes

Vienna Film Awards judges will go through the submissions and every month there will be a selection of nominees. These selected nominees will be invited to attend the awards ceremony in Vienna.
VFA will give out certificates, laurels and trophies to the nominated submissions are given in these categories for cinematic excellence. One winner will be chosen by the judges to receive $500.
International selected nominees who cannot attend the awards ceremony will be contacted by the team to have their certificates/trophies sent to them.


Rules & Terms

1. All films must either be in English or have English subtitles.
2. All films must be produced after 2017.
3. They retain no responsibility for copyright claims.
4. You allow them to promote your film and create promotional materials with your movie poster.
5. Short films must not be longer than 40 min (including credits).
6. By submitting you agree to the terms and conditions and give them permission to use your email address for marketing purposes.

The deadline for submissions is on June 10, 2020.

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

5. Call for submissions: The 2020 Atlanta Film Festival Film

The Atlanta Film Festival is celebrating its 44th year from April 30 - May 10, 2020, and the Call for Entries for ATLFF '20 is now open.

ATLFF showcases the work of both emerging and established artists. In addition, the Atlanta Film Festival is one of less than twenty US film festivals that is Academy Award®-qualifying in all three categories: Narrative Short, Documentary Short, and Animated Short.

Submit your film:

The festival is looking for groundbreaking works in narrative and documentary features and short films, animations, experimental films, puppetry films, music videos, virtual reality films, episodic pilots, food films and family friendly features.

Submit your screenplay:

For the 2020 ATLFF Screenplay Competition, the festival is looking for innovative and compelling storytelling, characters that surprise and challenge you, words that pop off the page, and narratives that twist and turn like a country back road. This year, the festival  feature scripts, short scripts, and pilot scripts—and you’re more than welcome to submit in all categories. Please check details here: https://www.atlantafilmfestival.com/submit-your-screenplay  

Cash prizes ranging from $750-$1,500 will accompany the Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, and Georgia Film Award distinctions.

Awards & Prizes
Jury awards are given for the following categories:
Best Narrative Feature ($1,500 prize)
Best Documentary Feature ($1,500 prize)
Best Narrative Short ($750 prize)
Best Documentary Short ($750 prize)
Best Animated Short ($750 prize)

The winners of the Narrative Short, Documentary Short, and Animated Short prizes all qualify for the following year’s Academy Awards.

Films competing in juried categories are chosen solely at the discretion of the ATLFF programming team. Acceptance to the festival does not guarantee placement in competition.

ATLFF juries are comprised of filmmakers, film critics and industry figures.

All officially-selected features and short films will be eligible for the Audience Awards. In addition to the juried prizes listed above, ATLFF also awards prizes in a variety of non-juried categories.

For more information and to check the deadlines, please visit: www.atlantafilmfestival.com

6. Call for submissions: The 2020 Slamdance Film Festival

The Slamdance Film Festival is dedicated to new filmmakers. The festival films in every genre, on any topic from every country around the world. The mission is to bring attention to the most talented emerging filmmakers, showcasing their work in the media frenzy of festival week in Park City, Utah.

The 2019 Slamdance Film Festival will take place in Park City, UT from January 25-31, 2019.

CATEGORIES

- FIRST-TIME FEATURE COMPETITIONS
- BREAKOUTS COMPETITION
- SHORTS COMPETITIONS
- EPISODES


GUIDELINES

By entering Slamdance Film Festival, you agree to follow its rules and guidelines.

·         The festival considers films in any language, from anywhere in the world. If your film is not in English, make sure it has English subtitles where necessary.

·         Work in progress is considered.

·         Films are accepted regardless of their premiere status. Even if your film premiered at another festival, it’s still eligible.

·         Only features that don’t have distribution are eligible for Slamdance. Entrants must notify the festival at once if their distribution status changes.

·         There’s no distribution rule for Short Films. All Short Films, including those released online, are eligible.

·         The festival doesn't provide waivers to any filmmakers. This is how an equal playing field is ensured and stay fair to all who submit to the festival.

·         If accepted, entrants are responsible for delivering their exhibition copy and other materials, such as: trailer, screener link, press stills, and press-kit, by deadline.

·         Slamdance FF does not provide room, board or travel for filmmakers.

Deadlines and Fees:

Early Bird Deadline: July 15, 2019
$40 for Shorts $60 for Features
Regular Deadline: August 26, 2019
$55 for Shorts $80 for Features
Late Deadline: October 3, 2019
$65 for Shorts $100 for Features
Extended Deadline: October 10, 2019
$70 for Shorts $110 for Features

For more information, please visit: https://showcase.slamdance.com/Film-Submissions 

7. Call for Funding: Hubert Bals Fund

The Hubert Bals Fund is designed to help remarkable or emerging feature films by innovative and talented filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe on their road to completion. It provides grants in various categories that often turn out to play a crucial role in enabling these filmmakers to realize their projects.

HBF schemes
The Hubert Bals Fund has funding schemes in several stages of completion: early on for script and project development or after shooting for post-production.

HBF Deadlines
1 August 2019: Script and Project Development: Bright Future (the entry form will be available at least two weeks before the deadline and until 2 August 8:00 AM CEST)
1 September 2019: Script and Project Development: Voices (the entry form will be available at least two weeks before the deadline and until 2 September 8:00 AM CEST)
9 October 2019: NFF+HBF Co-production scheme
Autumn 2019, precice date to be confirmed: Dutch Post-Production Awards
1 March 2020: Script and Project Development: Bright Future
1 April 2020: Script and Project Development: Voices
1 April 2020: HBF+Europe: Minority Co-Production Support
Spring 2020, precise date to be confirmed: NFF+HBF Co-production scheme

For more Information please visit: https://iffr.com/en/hubert-bals-fund 

8. Call for Competition: JCS INTERNATIONAL YOUNG CREATIVES AWARD

It's a 1-minute video competition for peace!

The JCS International Young Creatives Award was designed to discover, recognize and foster young talent from around the world while creating a global conversation around peace.

Entrants must submit a 1-minute video on the theme "Stand Up for Peace".

Open to non-American citizens aged 18 to 29 years old (dual citizens are eligible)

The deadline is on September 4, 2019 at 12:00 noon (EST)

For more information, please visit: https://www.iemmys.tv/international-emmy-awards/other-awards/jcs-international-young-creatives-award/?gclid=CjwKCAjwvJvpBRAtEiwAjLuRPejNdxH8g_nxeVD9o6SHODm64SpOiOtADafumAs1bx-Yzcq_ShRkTBoCTrMQAvD_BwE 

 

9. Call for applications: Film Independent's Screenwriting Lab

Film Independent's call for its Screenwriting Lab is now open!

About Film Independent:

The non-profit, member-driven organization Independent Feature Project (IFP)/West soon emerged from these meetings with the mission to cultivate the careers of independent filmmakers, build larger audiences for independent film and champion diversity in the entertainment industry. National recognition quickly followed when the organization took on production of the Spirit Awards in the late 1980s and the LA Film Festival in 2000. In time, IFP/West became Film Independent — a more accurate banner for the spectrum of services and programs the organization had expanded to include.

Today, Film Independent encompasses a broad community of individuals who appreciate and sustain artist-driven filmmaking.

The Screenwriting Lab is a week-long workshop designed to provide individualized story and career development for emerging screenwriters with a fiction feature screenplay.

Each Screenwriting Fellow will be paired with a Creative Advisor, with whom they’ll work one-on-one and in group sessions to further develop their project over the course of the program. The Screenwriting Lab also helps to further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to film industry veterans who can offer guidance on both the craft and business of screenwriting. A variety of guest speakers may screen and discuss their own films and offer career insights, and a final pitch event offers further opportunity for individualized feedback and discussion with industry executives.

Who Can Apply?
The Screenwriting Lab is open to any writer applying with a completed draft of a feature-length project they wish to workshop during the program, with an eye toward production.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit the following materials for consideration:
- A cover letter detailing what drew you to apply to the Screenwriting Lab and why this is the right time for you to participate in the program (500 words max)
- One complete, feature-length screenplay
- An artist statement explaining the genesis of the story, your creative vision and intentions for the film (750 words max)
- A look book (optional)
- A logline (35 words) and synopsis for the film
- Bios of attached key cast and crew, if any – Attachments are not required for consideration
- Project status and history, including any relevant development history, awards received or labs and/or markets attended with the project
- A narrative directing sample, if you plan on directing the film with which you are applying


Application Fee
FREE for Filmmaker Pro Members (limited to one waived fee per Membership year)
$45 for Film Independent Members
$65 for non-Members
Please note: Each applicant must be the author of the script he/she submits.

Film Independent Membership is not required when applying to Artist Development Labs. However, all participants accepted into the Labs are required to join Film Independent at the standard annual General Membership rate of $95.

Applicants will be notified three to four weeks prior to the start of the program.

Applicants who are invited to participate in the program should plan to be in Los Angeles for the duration of the Lab. Film Independent is unable to subsidize any travel, lodging and/or visa expenses for any participants attending from outside of Los Angeles.

Participants are expected to attend all sessions in person.

For more information on the application deadline please visit:
https://www.filmindependent.org/programs/applications/
https://www.filmindependent.org/programs/artist-development/screenwriting-lab/ 

The Royal Film Commission was established in 2003 to promote the audio-visual industry in Jordan. Tel: +962-6-4642266  e-mail: info@film.jo  www.film.jo