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FRENCH CULTURE FILM GRANT

Sponsored by

The #CreateLouisiana French Culture Film Grant is an industry-building program that recognizes and celebrates the creative community in Louisiana and the state’s deep connection to French and Francophone culture.

From the early explorers to the dancehalls of Acadiana, the stories of French-speaking Louisiana have reached audiences around the globe, continually evolving and inspiring new generations to embrace this unique relationship. This year Create Louisiana announces a new partnership dedicated to the enduring bond between French culture and Louisiana.

The grant recipient team will receive a $32,500 cash grant plus in kind services for a short narrative project or feature length documentary. The film is to be completed within 12 months of receiving the award, with the finished project set to screen at the 2018 New Orleans French Film Festival

 

The deadline for applications is Monday March 20, 2017 by 500PM CST. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There is no application fee.

Applications must be submitted through the LEH’s online grants system. Click HERE to set up a login and complete an application.

For any question please refer to our FAQs document available HERE 

 

With any other questions please contact #CreateLouisiana at info@createlouisiana.com

TIMELINE

Application Available: January 24, 2017

Application Deadline: March 20, 2017

Short-list announced: TBD, 2017

Interview/Pitch Meeting: TBD , 2017

Award announced: TBD , 2017

GRANT WORKSHOPS 

RSVP HERE for these grant workshops:

LAFAYETTE - Saturday, Feb. 4

10:30AM - 11:30PM

Lafayette Public Library Main Branch, 2nd Floor Meeting Room, 301 W. Congress St.

BATON ROUGE - Saturday, Feb. 4

2:00PM - 3:00PM

The Parlor, 705 St. Joseph St.

NEW ORLEANS - Monday, Feb. 6

12:30PM - 1:30PM

Louisiana Humanities Center, 938 Lafayette Street

Deadline March, 20 2017

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS 

  • Must be 18 years of age or older

  • Must be a director and producer team

  • Must be a United States citizen or Permanent Resident

  • Must currently reside in the state of Louisiana and have lived in Louisiana for a minimum of 12 months prior to submitting the application. 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.)

  • Must agree to grant #CreateLouisiana, TV5MONDE, Deep South Studios, New Orleans Film Society and The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities the right to stream, screen and distribute the completed film (non-commercial use/promotional purposes only)

  • Must agree to a Louisiana premiere of the project at the New Orleans French Film Festival in Spring 2018 (Note: the Louisiana screening must be the film’s premiere in Louisiana; no other public screenings are allowed.).

  • Must allow TV5MONDE the first look for the right to broadcast.

 

THE PROJECT 

  • Must showcase Louisiana talent in front of and behind the camera;

  • Must contain English and French language components

  • Must focus on the Louisiana’s French and Francophone culture

  • Must be a short format scripted narrative or feature documentary

  • Must provide all services in Louisiana

  • The film can be in English or French with English subtitles

  • Must have a finished running time of not more than 25 minutes for a short narrative and 50 minutes for a documentary

  • Must be completed within 12 months of the “Award Date”, in time for screening at the 2018 New Orleans French Film Festival

  • Must be shot digitally and mastered and delivered on HD. The grant recipients will work directly with the New Orleans French Film Festival to meet all exhibition standards.

  • Must provide credits to #CreateLouisiana, TV5MONDE, Deep South Studios, New Orleans Film Society and The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

ADJUDICATION PROCESS 

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

Stage One: 

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

  • originality of the script or treatment

  • the representation of Louisiana francophone culture

  • experience and quality of the applicant director/producer/writer team

  • feasibility of the director’s vision

  • realistic budget and financing plan

  • letters of recommendation provided in support of the director and producer;

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

  • use of Louisiana talent in front of and behind the camera; overall strength and viability of the project

  • distribution and social strategy for the film

 

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 a panel of entertainment professionals. The private pitch/interview session will take place the week before the New Orleans French Film Festival in Spring 2017.

One applicant team will be selected by the jury panel and announced during the New Orleans French Film Festival in May 2017.

 

CHECKLIST

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

  • a completed application form;

  • résumé of the applicant director (include film school or industry training and a full list of previous production credits – indicate any that are student films)

  • résumé of the producer(s) with a full list of previous production credits

  • résumé of the writer (if not the director/applicant or producer)

  • one letter of reference for the director/applicant from established industry professionals

  • one letter of reference for the producer from established industry professionals;

  • a synopsis of the project (400 words)

  • a script for narrative or treatment for documentaries, in standard format, not to exceed 25 pages for narrative and 10 pages for documentary

  • a detailed director’s vision. Can include notes on narrative structure, story, characters, camera style, lighting, music, lookbook, locations photos, visual references (5 pages)

  • 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 should your proposed production budget exceed the grant funds (1 page)

  • a list of key creatives. This can include cast and key crew (DP, editor, production designer) (2 pages)

  • 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/writer) Louisiana residency support documentation.

ABOUT THE PARTNERS 

The #CreateLouisiana initiative is designed to champion the indigenous entertainment talent of Louisiana and support the development of the region’s integral creative industries. Through social media and grants, #CreateLouisiana will stimulate conversation and mobilize a communication network that shares the stories, information and resources contributing to our state’s vibrant creative economy. Create Louisiana aims to collectively inspire an understanding of the value of Louisianas creative and cultural community and the talented workforce that drives its development.

TV5MONDE is the global French language entertainment network, broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without commercial interruptions. TV5MONDE USA is a premium pay-tv channel reaching 1.5 million viewers in the U.S.. American viewers enjoy a wealth of high quality French language programming, subtitled in English, including a large selection of classic, recent and never-before-seen in the U.S. French language films, around the clock newscasts live from Paris, the latest series and TV dramas, premium documentaries, cultural programs and international sports coverage.  

Deep South Studios is a new full-service motion picture, television and digital media production facility under construction in New Orleans, Louisiana. Conveniently located a mere stone’s throw from the heart of New Orleans’ Central Business District (CBD) and the world-renowned French Quarter. It is the largest design-built independent film and television full-service facility ever constructed in the Southeastern United States. Deep South Studios is the lead sponsor and founding partner of #CreateLouisiana.

The mission of the New Orleans Film Society is to engage, educate and inspire through the art of film. Founded in 1989, the New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) is the producer of the annual New Orleans Film Festival, which has grown into a major showcase of local, regional, national, and international films. In addition to the annual Film Festival each fall, the NOFS hosts special events throughout the year: the French Film Festival, filmOrama, the New Orleans International Children’s Film Festival, Moonlight Movies, and other events designed to benefit local film audiences, artists, and professionals. Throughout the year, the NOFS reaches approximately 40,000 people through its programming.

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to all Louisianans. The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ mission is to provide all Louisianans with access to and an appreciation of their own rich, shared and diverse historical, literary and cultural heritage through grant-supported outreach programs, family literacy and adult reading initiatives, teacher professional development institutes, publications, film and radio documentaries, museum exhibitions, cultural tourism, public lectures, library projects, and other public humanities programming.

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