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2017 #CREATELOUISIANA DOCUMENTARY FILM GRANT

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#CreateLouisiana is excited to announce a new grant opportunity designed to support Louisiana's community of documentary filmmakers. In collaboration with institutional partners Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the New Orleans Film Society, along with support from new film industry sponsor Kyotocolor, #CreateLouisiana has launched its first doc-specific grant.

 

#CreateLouisiana will offer a $40,000 grant package to one documentary director-producer team. The team will receive a $10,000 cash grant, with support from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the New Orleans Film Society, along with a $30,000 post-production package (to include post-production consultation, online conform, and Full Digital Intermediate color grade) from Kyotocolor.

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Applications are now open for the Documentary Film Grant. The final deadline is SEPTEMBER 8, 2017, by 5:00 PM CST.

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Applications for this opportunity are currently closed. For a full list of FAQs for this opportunity, click HERE.

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Read on to learn more about about the opportunity (eligibility, requirements, adjudication, FAQs, webinars, and more!

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ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

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  • Must be 18 years of age or older.

  • Must be a director and producer team.

  • Co-directors are allowed but a separate producer must also be attached.

  • Must be a United States citizen or Permanent Resident.

  • Both director and producer must currently reside in the state of Louisiana and have lived in Louisiana for a minimum of 12 months prior to submitting the application. You cannot apply if you are attending school full-time outside the state of Louisiana. Proof of residency required. (two of the following: Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana voter registration card or a utility bill in your name with your Louisiana address.)

  • Staff, board members, and interns of #CL, LEH, and NOFS may not apply.

  • Both director and producer must be available to participate in a pitch session before the grants committee the week of October 2 (exact date TBD).

  • Must agree to grant #CreateLouisiana, New Orleans Film Society, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and Kyotocolor the right to stream, screen and distribute the completed film (non-commercial use/promotional purposes only).

  • To be eligible, you may not have received a grant from #CreateLouisiana in the last two years.

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THE PROJECT

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  • Must be a feature-length documentary (over 40 minutes).

  • Project must be in production or post-production. Projects may not apply for development or distribution funds.

  • All projects must be stand-alone single works of documentary. TV or web series are not eligible.

  • Must have secured all appropriate release forms for documentary subjects featured in the project. If material that requires licensing is integral to the film (i.e. music, archival materials, etc.), team must demonstrate that they have secured the rights to use said material in the project (signed agreements granting permission or licensing agreements must be included with the application).

  • Cannot be a work-for-hire.

  • Must be completed by December 31, 2018.

  • Subject matter may be located outside of Louisiana but all post-production services must take place in the state.

  • Must be shot digitally and mastered and delivered on HD.

  • Must provide visibility in the final film’s credits (with logo presence) for #CreateLouisiana, New Orleans Film Society, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and Kyotocolor along with acknowledging these organizations in all publicity materials.

  • If awarded a #CreateLouisiana grant, the recipient is required to carry out a project that is consistent with the submitted proposal.

  • All grant funds are to be used solely for the purpose of supporting the project. Spending must be consistent with the budget submitted to #CL.

  • To access the in-kind element of this grant package, the recipient must participate in a post-production consultation with Kyotocolor within two months of the grant announcement.

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ADJUDICATION PROCESS

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The #CreateLouisiana Documentary Film Grant will be adjudicated in two stages:

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STAGE ONE

A jury of representatives of the grantmaking organizations will review all applications. The jury will consider the following when reviewing all submissions:

 

  • originality of the project idea

  • experience and quality of the applicant director/producer team

  • clearly articulated director’s vision

  • feasibility of project and strong access to the documentary topic / subjects

  • realistic budget and financing plan

  • strength of selected scenes sample

  • letters of recommendation provided in support of the director + the producer

  • experience of the team/key creatives assembled to support the project

  • use of Louisiana talent in the project

  • overall strength and viability of the project

  • distribution and social strategy for the film

  • demonstration of how the project aligns with team’s short-term and long-term professional and artistic objectives

  • completion of the full application with all necessary documentation provided

  • incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible

 

A shortlist of up to 5 applicants will be selected to move forward to Stage Two.

 

STAGE TWO

The short-listed applicants will be invited to pitch their projects and be interviewed before the grant committee. The private pitch/interview session will take place the week of October 2, 2017 (exact date TBD). Both director and producer must be present for the pitch session.

 

One applicant team will be selected by the jury panel and announced via press release following the selection. The submitted bios and logline will be used in the press release and in all formal announcements.

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TIMELINE

Application Available: August 1, 2017

Application Deadline: September 8, 2017 at 5 PM CST

Short-list announced: September 25, 2017

Interview/Pitch Meeting: Week of October 2, 2017 (exact date TBD)

Award announced: TBD 2017

 

GRANT WEBINARS

#CreateLouisiana will be conducting a series of webinars to review this opportunity and answer questions from potential applicants.

 

August 14:         2:00 PM          Register here

August 19:         10:30 AM        Register here

August 23:         6:00 PM          Register here

 

APPLICATION DEADLINE

The deadline for applications is September 8, 2017, by 5:00PM CST. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There is no application fee. Applications must be submitted through #CreateLouisiana’s online grants platform at createlouisiana.com.

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CHECKLIST

The following documentation is required (uploads should be in PDF format ONLY):
 

  • a completed application form

  • one résumé (not to exceed two pages) for the applicant director (include film school or industry training and a full list of previous production credits – indicate any that are student films)

  • one résumé (not to exceed two pages) for the producer(s) with a full list of previous production credits

  • one letter of reference for the director from an established industry professional

  • one letter of reference for the producer from an established industry professional

  • director's bio

  • producer's bio

  • a logline (< 25 words)

  • a synopsis of the project (< 400 words)

  • a documentary treatment (< 5 pages)

  • a detailed director’s vision. Can include notes on structure, story, subjects, camera style, lighting, music, lookbook, location photos, visual references / inspirations. (< 5 pages)

  • at least one edited selected scene from the proposed project (< 10 minutes)

  • a proposed detailed production budget. Use of EP Movie Magic or Excel is preferred, or a comparable template with detailed line items. Must include all deferrals and in-kind contributions.

  • a proposed financing plan for the project (1 page)

  • a list of key creatives. This can include key crew (DP, editor) and documentary subjects. Short bios only, no full résumés (1 page)

  • a proposed distribution, marketing and social media strategy. This should address intended audience and festival strategy, plan for marketing the film and use of social media to raise awareness. (1 page)

  • a project timeline including production, post-production, delivery and distribution. (1 page)

  • scanned copy of each applicants (director/producer) Louisiana residency support documentation

 

Complete applications must be received by Friday, September 8, 2017 by 5:00PM CST. All application materials must be uploaded as PDFs. 

 

LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

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QUESTIONS?

Please refer to the frequently asked questions section of the application. With any other questions please contact #CreateLouisiana at info@createlouisiana.com

 

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