RFAs: Project Development Funding for Long Documentary Films

The scheme prioritizes creative-technical and production-business elaboration, collaboration with creative or technical experts and heads of department, involvement of script coaches or expert advisors, exploration of hybrid storytelling elements such as animation or fictional sequences, additional research activities, creation of teasers or test shots, production feasibility studies, development of international co-financing structures, preparation of production budgets and schedules with executive producers, and the development of a clear vision for release strategy and audience positioning.

Eligible projects may receive up to €21,000 for creative, technical, and production-business development activities. An additional amount of up to €2,500 may be granted for substantiated work on audience positioning and release strategy. Producer fees and overhead may account for up to 17.5% of eligible costs, while unforeseen expenses may account for up to 5%.

This funding is designed for creative teams consisting of a producer and a director working on majority Dutch documentary projects. Applications may only be submitted by independent production companies that are legal entities established in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the European Union, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland for at least two years, and that are continuously engaged in producing and exploiting audiovisual works.

To be eligible, the production company must be represented by a producer who has acted as majority producer on at least one feature-length documentary of more than 70 minutes that has had a theatrical release in the Netherlands. The producer representing the company must not be the same individual as the director or screenwriter of the project.

For more information, visit Netherlands Film Fund.