CHEZ JIM
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FILM: Financing Films

Instant money? Sorry, no. A few sites suggest they might have some bucks, but you can bet there's competition - and conditions. Otherwise, here's some information, some opportunities to let people know what you've got to offer.

WARNING: - As I get more feedback on this page, I also get more complaints about companies on it. These are NOT recommendations - only collections of links found in search engines. DON'T give people money without knowing a LOT about them. And if you're going to sign anything that says anything about 'coproduction', be aware you might be signing away part ownership of your film.

 

Filmmakers, DON'T get ripped off by fake 'film financing' companies

Since I started this page, I've heard the following story several times:

  1. A filmmaker goes to a company that claims it will get them money.
  2. The company tells them how great their project is, how much they can do for them, and then.. the company asks the filmmaker for money. 10, 15 thousand dollars. For 'escrow', or 'proof of good faith', or who knows what other pretext..
  3. The filmmaker GIVES IT TO THEM.
  4. The company suddenly becomes very hard to reach.
  5. The filmmaker never gets any money. And loses what they pay up front.

Obviously, this kind of story makes me ill. For those who don't know, one of the oldest scams in the world is to offer someone a GREAT DEAL of money in return for.. less (but still a lot.) -- In a word, such "film finance" schemes are no different in intent or method than so-called "Nigerian spam" - they are ADVANCE PAYMENT scams.

So, how do you protect yourself? Well, I'm neither a lawyer nor a filmmaker, so I'd certainly like to hear from anyone with more experience in this area (e-mail: jimcheval@aol.com). But off the cuff I would at least expect the following:

  • A company that's supposed to obtain funding should be able to wait to get their fee out of money they actually get you.
  • Any serious company should be able to provide references of films they've actually financed and you should be able to contact some of the people involved with those films.
  • Any serious company should have some kind of reputation you can check (on the Web or through other filmmakers).

Certainly, one big danger sign is if they ask you NOT to send the payment by U.S. Mail. That (in case you're wondering) is to avoid being prosecuted for mail fraud, even if their dishonesty is proven otherwise.

UPDATE: A correspondant (9-30-2008) has been kind enough to send me the following note, and to authorize my sharing it with other filmmakers - another CAUTIONARY TALE:

I just had a look at your web page and - annoyingly enough, someone in Canada just tried to rip us off with just this trick. He wanted to 100% finance a project of ours, budgeted at $ 25 Mil as he claimed he had these investors from Europe and from NY (never named them of course...), who desperately needed to invest that sum within the next 2 to 3 weeks. We already thought that sounded to good to be true and the fact that there was no information about this [NAME REDACTED] available, no track records - nothing, made us rather suspicious.

But the guy was personally known to one of our Canadian lawyer friends who said why not try that route, as sometimes, those quick closings really happen. All we really needed to look at were the terms and conditions. This is what we asked from [----] and we were promised to receive a deal memo very shortly... We didn't. Instead, he raised the pressure. He needed us to come over and sign the deal immediately, we could discuss the terms there, bla, bla, bla and - oh - he needed us to match some $ 100.000 to $ 150.000 he would put into a final polish of the script (i.e. Make a US story into a Canadian story in order to classify for Canadian Tax Credits).

When we refused to jump on a plane he very reluctantly did send a deal memo - and we had such a laugh.

1. He wanted an advance payment (cash or cheque...) over $ 150.000 in order to "match development costs" he allegedly had spent in order to raise the finance.

2. We would acknowledge he already spent $ 150.000 on this "development" without any proof from his side.

3. He would provide us with "proof of funds" (i.e. His $ 25 Mil) only after having received the cheque and after we would have signed the deal which - in the unlikely event of any party being not able to come up with which had been agreed - would simply be void and no one would be blamed....

When confronted, he said he was ever so sorry but he had sent the wrong document. Yeah, right.

My advice to anyone - especially those who are new in this industry: always, always get an experienced lawyer involved. One who actually is in film finance. It might cost a little bit to let them have a look on the deal but - if they have never come across some "brilliant new" deal structure and have their doubts - forget it.


OTHER WARNINGS: Late contracts, coproduction clauses

It's scary how many ways there are to take advantage of filmmakers and their hopes.

Another danger to watch for is being given a contract LATE, so that undesirable clauses may be overlooked. If you get right up to filming and a company hasn't given you a contract in regard to financing, be VERY careful (my own response would be to write it off and move on). One filmmaker has reported being asked to sign a joint venture or coproduction agreement (ie, 50% interest in her film) in return for in-kind financing that was WAY below what the company had advertised. She didn't, but they're trying to sue her anyway.

As always be VERY careful what you sign. Or accept WITHOUT a contract - a company may claim that accepting some minimal recompense is equivalent to accepting their agreement. Even if it's not, the resultant hassle could be a big drain.

NOTE: Dangers exist on all sides here - one being hustlers of various ilks, but also the risk of inadvertantly breaking SECURITY LAWS! Be cautious overall and consult a lawyer before seriously involving investors.


DON'T 'fund' your film by charging actors

I must admit I was amused when the first filmmaker tried to 'auction' parts in his film. Even then, however, other actors were not. Good gimmick or not, it came down to charging actors for employment - a no-no in general.

Since then, I've been far less amused, as several other filmmakers, on various pretexts, have advertised casting 'opportunities' that required 'investing' in the film. In a particularly distasteful example, one filmmaker claimed he would contribute the profits (!) from his second indie to a major charity - and so headshots should be submitted with a $30 'contribution' to this charity. Made out to HIM, of course. The charity in question was quickly informed and was NOT happy with this use of their name.

I'm not referring of course to situations where a bunch of friends get together and help someone they know finance a film they'll also act in. And I certainly understand that filmmakers always have to scrape and struggle to get money, and often bend a few rules in the process. But being an artist yourself does NOT justify taking advantage of other artists. And there's a few of us out there who will be glad to report those who try.


Just for instance...

Here's a few examples of how people have creatively financed or distributed their work - or tried...:

  • M.O.V.I.E sold frisbees, t- shirts, etc. over the net.
  • A video about undertakers was distributed through the same catalogue used to sell mortuary supplies
  • Actor Chris Valenti tried to create interest in his musical comedy screenplay, Sensitive Johnson, by dressing in a phallic suit and singing his songs outside "the Vagina Monologues" (until the cops chased him away)
  • Producers of the Don Ellis Story put a form on their site inviting investment.

Three methods you probably DON'T want to use:

  • Drug running - Robert Hayes, a drug smuggler, helped bankroll a movie with his profits. The movie, "Winner Takes All", was shown on the Black Entertainment Television cable network.
  • Embezzling - Jean M. Thorbourn, 61, bookkeeper and financial administrator for the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles was charged with embezzling more than $1 million from the institution - part of which was used to finance the film "Jamaica Beat" and two other films, through her company Blue Mountain Film Ltd.
  • Burglary - "HYDERABAD: Two youngsters, who allegedly resorted to burglaries to invest money in film financing, were arrested by the police of Nallakunta and Saidabad on Monday. ...N. Srinivas Reddy (26), a junior artiste and V. Venkata Narayana (26), a steward in Ramoji Film City.... started breaking into houses three years ago and wanted to open an office of film finance in Ameerpet." Hindu Times - http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/01/stories/2006080120890400.htm

Professional Services

Be VERY careful here. I am posting these sites "as advertised". But if a company that claims to offer financing services starts asking YOU for money, watch out!

Those who had dealings with Film Capital Corporation when Marlene Mendoza was running it may want to know that Marlene Mendoza was at one point working as an insurance agent under the name of "N F 2 Gabrielle Foundation" and again was offering, among other services, film financing. She then boasted of having been the "CEO at FILM CONSULTANTS, INC." and of having 13 years of film development experience (!), and is working in "Business Development and Support" and has started a music/film/TV networking group. As of March 2010, she is again involved with a company ("Gilt Entertainment") offering film services, including some financing. Her resume on that company's site makes no mention of Film Capital Corporation.
The site http://www.marlenemendoza.com, which once traced the history of her earlier company, is no longer available. However her posts on the old guestbook for this site remain.

BPF Funding - Joe Gruberman's company seems to be a very small operation that finds funding for a handful of very low budget films. "I got into the cash flow business with one primary goal: To develop alternative creative financing methods for the film, broadcast and multimedia companies of Arizona. I have since broadened my scope outside of my immediate area....I remain committed to assisting independent filmmakers, production companies and ancillary businesses (such as equipment rental houses) in the discovery and development of creative financing solutions."

Film Financial Services - "Film Financial Services Limited is a Beverly Hills - based finance company providing production and distribution - related equity and debt products to studios and producers of independent feature films."

FilmVenture - "Are you an "entrepreneur of entertainment"? Have you been struggling for years to make your great work? Then maybe FilmVenture is for you. FilmVenture funds people just like you. We don't just give you the cash and wait for you to finish -- nothing is that easy. We cap each film at a $750,000.00 budget, that sounds like a lot, but it isn't. A full 15% is set aside for marketing and another 20% is set aside for fees and expenses."

Hollywood Funding - "HollywoodFunding.com is a resource for Entertainment Funding, Funding newsletters, Video Interviews, events and a home for Film Makers, TV producers, Directors, Writers, Animators, Theatre Producers -Directors - Play writers and Theatre owners, Packagers, Brokers and Web developers to current and new Entertainment investors. We are helping Entertainment needs and matching it with investors. Where investors from around the country and the world can make a presence and let Hollywood know they are interested in funding a project." The site has a lot of funding information, in addition to their own activities (which seem to be more bringing investors and projects together than direct funding: "We are a business that is bringing, producers, deals, information resources, entertainment books, programs and investors together in the entertainment world of Hollywood. The web site and business is posting projects, connecting producers, directors, stars even crew with funders for funding."). They list some films they've partially funded.

http://www.investrum.com/index2.htm - Investrum Ltd "specialises in sourcing appropriate finance for independent feature films. If you are a Film Producer, or have been appointed as an Executive Producer in respect of a film for which you require finance, you may be eligible to complete our Project Information Form ("PIF") and submit it to us for consideration. "

Myriad Films - From their ABOUT US link (which changes): "With offices in Santa Monica, Myriad Pictures is involved in the financing, production and worldwide sales of major motion pictures and television programming. Helmed by president Kirk D'Amico, the company has risen in the ranks as one of the top independents and holds an impressive library of filmed entertainment."
The company's "library" of films can be viewed here

The Source - Financing for Film and TV - "Our Funding Service connects Producers and Investors"

Surfview Entertainment - "helps independent producers raise money for their projects. Ads display the synopsis and pictures of actors attached, along with data on the producer and how to contact them. Helps with film finance."
They list some projects under That's a Wrap!

The Motion Picture Group - "THE MOTION PICTURE GROUP, Inc. (“TMPG”) is a production finance and services company whose common stock trades on the Pink Sheets under the symbol "MPRG". The company was created by founders Pliny Porter, Henri Kessler and Scott Franklin to meet the needs of the international entertainment industry. TMPG will finance and produce commercially driven motion pictures for the domestic and international arenas.

Collectively, the TMPG management team has produced and/or developed under their tenure over 25 titles that have earned global revenues of over $1 billion. In addition, they received the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Cannes Camera d’Or, IFP Gotham Award, and were nominated for an IFP Independent Spirit Award and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film."

Wilson Business Solutions - Film Funding - "FEATURE FILM FUNDING Available to Professional Film Producers, Movie Studios, Directors, Investors, and Entrepreneurs. The minimum Loan amount starts at $25 Million and can go into the hundreds of millions. Various types of collateral can be used. Some examples include; Land, CD's, Art, Real Estate, Cash, Viaticals, Stocks, Bonds, etc." I've never seen collateral mentioned before for film funding, so filmmakers might want to do more research on this point before contacting this company.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLPA law firm with some film financing activity - "Financing transactions in the media and entertainment industry have grown increasingly complex and varied. We enjoy one of the leading practices in this area, and have represented clients in both equity and debt offerings in public and private markets, as well as in bank financings and tax-advantaged financings. Our representation of clients in the film finance area has included single picture financings, multi-picture production agreements, and slate financings, among others."

Capital Resources - "Capital Resources Specializes in No Limit Commercial & Business Funding Nationwide. We offer very competitive rates and High Dollar Loans throughout the United States. So whether you need $1,000,000 or $5,000,000,000 or more, you'll find it all here... Serving Commercial & Residential Developers, Mortgage Bankers, LLC's, Corporations, Home Builders, CFO's, Business Owners, REIT's, Attorneys, Professional Film Producers & Directors, Entrepreneurs, Humanitarian Organizations, and Loan Brokers....."FEATURE FILM FUNDING Available to Professional Film Producers, Movie Studios, Directors, Investors, and Entrepreneurs. The minimum Loan amount starts at $25 Million and can go into the hundreds of millions. Various types of collateral can be used. Some examples include; Land, CD's, Art, Real Estate, Cash, Viaticals, Stocks, Bonds, etc."

Global Media Capital - "Global Media Capital provides foreign and domestic distribution sales agency services, assistance in the placement of private equity investment including media fund investment, and assistance in procuring mezzanine and senior debt finance for producers of film, television, and other audiovisual content. In addition, Global Media Capital has developed several structures for financing film, television, and other audiovisual content utilizing recent changes in U.S. tax law that permits producers to take full advantage of tax benefits at the federal, state, and local levels."

Red Rock Pictures Holding - "Red Rock Pictures Holdings. Inc. (http://www.redrockpics.com) is a unique entertainment production and marketing company which combines traditional financing and production of feature films with proven expertise in direct response television (DRTV) marketing."

Creative Capital - "Creative Capital funds artist projects in four disciplines: visual arts (includes installation art, painting, fiber art, mixed media works, public art, etc.), film/video arts, performing arts (includes music, dance, theater, puppetry, performance art, etc.), and emerging art fields (includes all forms of digital work, and innovative literature). Projects that transcend traditional discipline boundaries are highly encouraged." Probably better for short works than features.

US States, cities and other localities

Alaska State Council on the Arts Online Grant System - It's not clear what they fund, and, strangely, they make you register. But they do mention funds for 'film makers' (as employees of a project) in their guidelines.

City of Austin Funding - "The City of Austin has programs to help individuals and non-profits with arts and cultural projects and activities through the Cultural Arts Fund. These programs have provided millions of dollars in funding to individuals and nonprofits, including those involved in film and visual media." A bit confusing (the links circle back), and a little general.

Topaz Productions - "NEED AN ADVANCE AGAINST LOUISIANA TAX CREDITS? CONTACT TOPAZ ABOUT THE NEW LOUISIANA PELICAN FILM FUND, FOR TAX CREDIT CASH FLOW AT PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF PRODUCTIONS SHOOTING PARTIALLY OR FULLY IN LOUISIANA." The Pelican Film Fund does not seem to have its own page, but further information can be found here: William Morris Independent note on Pelican Film Fund - "William Morris Independent (WMi), a division of the William Morris Agency, will represent the Pelican Film Fund, an independent feature fund operating since 2005 in Louisiana, bringing $300 million of productions to the state capital of Baton Rouge."

http://www.mdhc.org/grants/ - The Maryland Humanities Council has funded at least one documentary (under $10,000).

The Film Arts Foundation - "Funds film and video artists living in the 10 Bay Area counties (S.F., Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz). " ... "The goal of the Film Arts Foundation Grants Program is to encourage new and diverse works by film and video artists who have little likelihood of being supported through traditional funding sources."
They list Sponsored Projects

Film New Mexico - Funding/Grant Information for Filmmaking includes several specialized resources


Information and advice

Excerpt from The Independent Producer's Manual - a rundown (not entirely objective) of financing issues for indies.

LA Times article on hard times for funding"Financing woes are all too reel for Hollywood studios" (July 18, 2008)

from http://www.newenglandfilm.com/ - article on how to fund your film: "How to Fund Your Film: Part 1--How Directors And Producers Can Secure Industry Financing For Films".

http://www.cyberfilmschool.com/learn/article.aspx - Articles page from Cyber Film School includes some financing articles.

http://www.playbackmag.com/articles/magazine/19960520/5332.html - Article on creative financing of films from Canadian magazine Playback.

http://www.tk-productions.com/auteur/archive/f2.htm - T.K Productions - Article on financing film (taken from performink.com, but I can’t find it on that site.)

http://www.gregpak.com/filmhelp/archives/000045.html - article on writing grant proposals from filmmaker Greg Pak

http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/19991117/19991116f3.htm - "Can grants save the Taiwan film industry' - Article on problems in Taiwan funding

The Hindu Business Line - Film funding: The changing scenes - "Institutional debt and equity funds are slowly entering the funding of India's film industry."

http://filmnet.ie/money/ - Filmnet.ie – for films made in Ireland "Finance Section for film. Information on finance and tax incentives. Section 35 of the Finance Act provides for investment in qualifying films by companies and individuals. ‘ (info only?)

http://www.newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/00november/mmfellow.htm - article on "Funding for Massachusetts Filmmakers - Massachusetts Cultural Council Media Fellowships and Boston Film/Video Foundation Production Grants. " Lots of other interesting articles and links.

The IMDb

Don't forget the IMDb!: this search will list finance companies and clicking on each company's name will give you an idea of what they've actually financed. Some of these companies may be gone, many will be overloaded with applicants and - MOST IMPORTANTLY - just because they're listed here is no guarantee of integrity, etc. Still do your due diligence elsewhere. But if you're looking for a quick list of companies that have financed work that actually got made, and which films they participated in, I can't imagine a quicker way to check.


Getting the Word Out

Movie Money.us - "Movie-Money.us neither represents the filmmaker nor the investor. The service we provide is simply hooking the filmmakers and investors together; all the details of the investment must be worked out between those two parties. We do screen our films, however, to make sure that they have the appropriate package before passing them on to our investors. ... We only collect money from you if you collect money from investors we send you."


Software

Film Business - FilmProfit(tm) Tools for Successful Films- Software for film financing (NOT free).


Foreign markets/opportunities

Irrelevant? Depends on how locale-specific your film is. Two Americans set their film in India just to get local financing; this article from Filmmaker Magazine describes how Richard Linklater got funding in Vienna for Before Sunrise/

The entries for each country or region include both direct funding information and pages with information focussed on that country or region.

Sites by country or region

CANADA

IFCTV Canada -Filmmaker Resources: Funding

Fund My Film - "Here at FundMyFilm.ca, we are dedicated to bringing you the largest resource of Canadian Film Funding Resources and Canadian Tax Credits." The page is certainly extensive and probably a good place to start for Canadian filmmakers.

Women in Film and Video Vancouver Funding Resource List - Another extensive list of Canadian resources.

Studiostar FILM FINANCE & FINANCING, MOVIE FUNDS & FUNDING - Something of a hodgepodge of information (co-production agreements, etc.), advice, actual funding, etc.

Victoria Filming - Making FIlming Affordable - A short list of links, with some very good advice on proceeding (scroll towards the end).

http://www.artscouncil.mb.ca/english/vis.html - Canada – Manitoba - "The Manitoba Arts Council is an arm's-length agency of the Province of Manitoba, established "to promote the study, enjoyment, production and performance of works in the arts." The link here is to their Visual Arts page; use < href="http://www.artscouncil.mb.ca/">http://www.artscouncil.mb.ca/ to get to the main page (in English or en Francais).

Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation - A highly detailed (and highly structure) page listing various programs and requirements, etc.

BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM - "was established by the provincial government in 1987 as a privately managed, non-profit society to administer funding intended to expand and diversify the cultural industries of independent film and video production in British Columbia."

EUROPE

European Funding - This is a list of links for all of Europe and some European countries.

Eurimages - "So far, Eurimages has supported the co-production of around a thousand full-length feature films and documentaries. Two schemes have recently been set up: one for films with real circulation potential and one for films reflecting the cultural diversity of European cinema."

EDN (European Documentary Network) - Membership organisation - "EDN is a meeting point for professionals working with documentary film and television. EDN supports, stimulates and creates networks within the documentary sector in Europe. One major focus is to inform members about possibilities for financing, development, co-production and collaboration across borders."

http://www.eurocult.org/we-support-cultural-cooperation/ - European Cultural Foundation: "The ECF is uniquely placed when it comes to stimulating opportunities and offering support to cultural organisations, networks, and individual artists. We believe that in an enlarged European Union there is an imperative to encourage and support innovative projects and in particular those which involve cultural collaboration across geographical and cultural borders."

http://www.eurocult.org/we-support-cultural-cooperation/balkan-incentive-fund-for-culture/ - ECF information on Balkan Fund: "The European Cultural Foundation (ECF), Hivos (the Dutch Humanist institute for cooperation with developing countries) and the Open Society Institute (OSI) have launched a new fund for cultural cooperation projects in and with South East Europe.
The Balkan Incentive Fund for Culture is specifically aimed at cultural projects by applicants from the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo."

http://korda.obs.coe.int/web/search_aide.php - KORDA, database on public funding for the film and audiovisual sector in Europe. "National and regional support schemes for the development, production and distribution of films and audiovisual works in the European Audiovisual Observatory's 35 member states".

European Film Promotion (EFP) - This group supports promotion rather than production, but might interest European filmmakers with a finished film looking to promote it outside Europe. "FSS offers grants to European sales agents or producers who actively market their films at selected international film festivals. The scheme feeds into EFP’s existing promotional activities to increase the visibility of European film and talent around the world and to advance cultural diversity. FSS grants cover up to 50% of the costs incurred by the sales agent or producer for promotional and marketing activities of their participating films. The expenses relate to the production of a subtitled or dubbed print, the production of posters, brochures and flyers, the hiring of a publicist, and to other activities, as well as travel and hotel costs for the sales representative and talent."

Media Programme - "MEDIA is the EU support programme for the European audiovisual industry. .... MEDIA co-finances training initiatives for audiovisual industry professionals, the development of production projects (feature films, television drama, documentaries, animation and new media), as well as the and promotion of European audiovisual works.."

AUSTRIA

Austrian Film Institute - info on funding for Austrian films. They have an English language page: "The Austrian Film Institute has been established in order to provide comprehensive funding to the Austrian film industry in its cultural and economic aspects as well as to develop the traditions of Austrian film."

GERMANY

German Federal Film Board - "The FFA's mandate includes enforcing measures to promote German cinema and to improve the structure of the German film industry, to support the national economic affairs of the film industry in Germany, to improve the foundations for the distribution and market-driven exploitation of the German cinema at home and its economic and cultural distribution abroad as well to work towards an alignment and coordination of the film support measures by the Federal Government and regional states." The page lists a number of specific funding schemes. This organization also handles the German-French Funding Agreement.

FOCUS Germany - "All about film production in Germany. Co-Production, funding and financing, locations and facilities. A joint initiative of the German Film Funding Institutions."

MBP - "Low budget family entertainment features are the focus of a new film fund being launched by Munich-based financier MBP whose past credits include Istvan Szabo’s Taking Sides, Fred Schepisi’s Last Orders and Jimmy Murakami’s animation feature Christmas Carol.MBP NY 121 (NY 121 refers to MBP’s address in Munich’s Nymphenburger Strasse) aims to raise a maximum of Euro 10m from private individuals each putting up at least Euro 250,000 to back projects with budgets not exceeding Euro 1.5m. "

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg - "Since 1994 more than 1400 film projects have obtained € 171 million in grants. Last year Medienboard's MEDIA Antenne Berlin-Brandenburg raised an additional € 7 million from EU aid sources for filmmaking in Berlin-Brandenburg and adjacent states. The economic benefit of film promotion for the region is huge - and it can be expressed in figures. Each production that is shot in Berlin and/or Brandenburg entails investments, creates jobs and sustains employment. For every euro spent on aid to moviemakers, an average of just under three euros is injected into the local economy." They have backed at least one Russian feature as well.

Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations - List of links (for German filmmakers?): "On this page you will find out who organises the pre-selection procedures for international film festivals, who supports film events abroad with German participation, and where films are available for showing abroad."

vip - This German group is involved with a number of projects. It is not clear if it is limited to German filmmakers or not.

entry on Shalimah GFM - This is an entry on the fund, not a site for the company itself. In German. 2007: "Shalimah German Film Management has four projects lined up including a $3.5m screen adaptation of Terrence McNally's Maria Callas story."

GREECE

Greek Film Centre - " For the support of Greek production, which constitutes its basic goal, the Greek Film Centre created seven funding programs that cover every type of film."

ITALY

Italian Film Commission - This offshoot of the Italian Trade Commission includes links to regional film funding initiatives for those shooting in the areas mentioned (Apulia, Campania, Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia, ROma Lazio, Sicily).

SPAIN

Barcelona/Catalunya Film Commission - Nothing on the site about financing, but news items mention grants from this commission (also, from 2006, "Catalunya establishes new $7.6m co-production fund - Three partners in fund say they will co-produce features with commercial potential and budgets upwards of $3.2m.")

SWITZERLAND

SWISS FILMS: Overview Film Links - This list of film links for Switzerland includes two that are supposedly for film funding, though I admit I can'd decipher the German enough to tell. (For what it's worth: "Swiss study finds more funding but lack of box-office success - Government research finds film funding nearly triples from 1995-2004 but domestic hits are rare and output isn't continuous." (2006))

SCANDINAVIA

Nordic Film & TV Fund - "The purpose of the Nordic Film & TV Fund is to promote the production of audio visual projects in the Nordic countries by participating in the top-up financing of feature films, TV-fiction, TV-series, short films and creative documentaries." [NOTE: This site was UNAVAILABLE as of 4/24/2006, but is referenced by numerous sites].

- DENMARK

Danish Film Institute - "The Danish Film Institute is the national agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture and for conserving these in the national interest. The Institute's operations extend from participation in the development and production of feature films, short and documentary films, over distribution and marketing, to managing the national film archive and the cinematheque."

-- While it is not visible on the site itself, a news item says: "Danish Film Institute offers production funding for mobile films In a new industry innovation, the Danish Film Institute has allocated about $125,000 (600,000 Danish Kroner) for mobile phone content." Danish game designers might like to know that the site also mentions funding for developing children's games.

- FINLAND

Finnish Film Foundation - "The Finnish Film Foundation grants support for professional Finnish film production. The goal of the Foundation is to promote high-quality, versatile and unique Finnish film. Support can be granted for feature-length, short and episodic fiction, documentary, animation and children’s films."

- ICELAND

Icelandic Film Centre - "The Icelandic Film Centre is required by law to support production, distribution and promotion of Icelandic films, gather information about Icelandic films and publish it, advance film culture in Iceland and encourage stronger links between Icelandic filmmakers and the international film community."

- NORWAY

Norwegian Film Fund - "the Norwegian Film Fund is charged with administering all national support for film production in Norway."

- SWEDEN

Swedish Film Institute - "Founded in 1963, the Swedish Film Institute plays a leading role in Swedish cinema. Its aims include the promotion, support and development of film in its cultural and broader contexts, the allocation of grants for the production, distribution and public showing of Swedish films at home, and the promotion for Swedish cinema at international level. The Institute is also extensively involved in the preservation and promotion of Sweden’s cinematic heritage."

http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/3009/a/18693 - Sweidsh government film support: "The main task of film policy is to promote the production and distribution of quality Swedish films. All forms of film policy subsidy have now been brought together in a single Film Agreement, which distributes funds among three main subsidy groups: production subsidy, distribution and exhibition subsidy, and subsidy for film-related cultural activities. Special priority is given to action to promote the screening of a wide range of films throughout the country and to action targeted on children and young people. An important ambition of cultural policy is to make film more accessible to people with disabilities and to improve the conditions of women film-makers."

UNITED KINGDOM

The Film Centre's Money and Funding FAQ lists numerous sources for all parts of the United Kingdom. A good place to start for anyone filming anywhere in the United Kingdom.

South West Scotland Screen Commission Film Funding page - This is a list of resources for the whole UK.

Artists Forum - UK Film funding - a post on a board that's poorly formatted, but provides an extensive list of UK resources.

Artist's Moving Image Network Funding page - "There are many ways in which artists' work is supported, directly or indirectly, from cash grants for production cost, to funding to develop and research a project, to many forms of indirect support that can offset costs you may incur. Indirect support ranges from private sponsorship, equipment loans or subsidised access, people donating their time for free and partnerships with organisations that can support your practice.
This section outlines the key organisations and types of funding you may be able to source for your project or the development of your practice. "

NESTA - "NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. We are the largest single endowment devoted exclusively to supporting talent, innovation and creativity in the UK. Our mission is to transform the UK's capacity for innovation. We invest in early stage companies, inform innovation policy and encourage a culture that helps innovation to flourish." This includes some film, as well as investors, etc.. NESTA is also a partner in Digital Innovation in Film - "Digital Innovation in Film is a new initiative from NESTA and the UK Film Council, which will help drive growth in British independent film companies by encouraging them to take better advantage of new technologies.".

Harris Tulchin: Lottery Funding for British Films "LOTTERY FUNDING FOR BRITISH FILMS An Outline Of Guidelines And Key Considerations in Applying For Franchises And Funding For Individual Film Projects "

British Council for the Arts - "Our film funding activities include:

* providing grants to enable British film-makers to attend overseas festivals, markets and showcase screenings
* co-financing showcase screenings (eg the First Film Foundation's 'New Directions' in New York and Los Angeles)

We do not fund the development or production of films."

They do however offer a list of funding resources on their britfilms.com site, as well as this UK Finance Guide

UK Film Council - "As a Lottery funding distributor, the Film Council will channel all public money for film production with the exception of the support provided to the National Film and Television School". Their links shift, so look for FUNDING.

Ingenious Media - Ingenious Media runs Ingenious Film partners. Here's one news blurb about the latter: "Ingenious Film Partners, the new fund launched by British financier Ingenious Media, has unveiled its debut slate of productions, including four pics from 20th Century Fox and three from veteran producer Dino De Laurentiis. IFP is investing an estimated $200 million of production equity into 11 movies, typically providing more than 30% of the negative costs." Unfortunately, the site itself is Flash-heavy, so you'll have to prowl around it on your own if you're interested (this is probably not a good prospect for smaller productions, however.)

FilmFour Productions - "FilmFour and Channel 4 run and sponsor a number of new talent schemes for filmmakers and writers." Details on the page.

Northern Film & Media - "Northern Film & Media is the Regional Screen Agency covering the North-East of England. We work in Durham, Northumberland, Tees Valley and Tyne & Wear. Our job is to encourage more people to make. watch and work in film, television and interactive media. We also have a free Locations Service that helps filmmakers pin-point and use some of our world-class locations." However, there is a "Temporary hold on NFM Funding Applications - Northern Film & Media is currently undergoing an extensive restructure, which includes a review of our funding schemes." Stay tuned...

http://www.swscreen.co.uk/ - "South West Screen is the film, television and digital media agency for the South West of England. We are committed to developing a vibrant, dynamic and constantly evolving screen culture throughout the region. Our main areas of work are business development, locations, screenwriting, exhibitions, training, education and funding."

Screen Yorkshire SHORT FILM & FEATURE FILM FUNDING - "Located in Leeds, Screen Yorkshire is the strategic agency for film, broadcast and interactive media for the Yorkshire and Humber region." Their feature film funding was on hold as of 3-28-06.

UK - Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission - A very complex site which includes this note in its FAQ: "Ideally any project applying to the NIFTC Lottery funds will be of cultural relevance to Northern Ireland, have a member of the creative team who is a Northern Ireland resident, intend to maximise the use of Northern Ireland resident cast, crew and facilities while exposing Northern Ireland locations to the fullest potential. However, that is the ideal. Every project is different and you should discuss your project with the NIFTC prior to making an application."

Northern Visions Media Centre Funding Page - "Northern Visions is an access media arts centre in Belfast offering training and resources in digital video, television and new media. The provision of skilled support services offers opportunities for artists, filmmakers, community and cultural organizations to realize high quality production. Northern Visions is committed to offering opportunities to people marginalized by mainstream media or denied self and/or collective expression." They don't seem to offer funding but their list of funding resources is very wide-ranging.

UK-Scotland

SCOTTISH SCREEN and MEDIA - "Scottish Screen invests around £6m in the development and promotion of Scotland's screen industries each year. This includes distributing £2.7m of National Lottery funds. We invest in a range of initiatives, projects and activities designed to develop talent, audiences and businesses across the country."
Edinburgh Film Focus actually describes this organization better on their own site than Scottish Screen does: "Scottish Screen is a Scottish Executive funded organisation, which allocates National Lottery funds to develop feature scripts, and offers investment to help move them into production. They invest in shorts, low budget and medium budget features. Through partnering film schemes such as the long-running Tartan Shorts, Tartan Smalls, New Found Land and Cineworks, Scottish Screen provides wide opportunities for filmmakers." You may need to dig around on the Scottish Screen site to find all this, though.

Glasgow Film Office - "Glasgow Film Office is the strategic agency for film, high value television and commercials in Scotland's largest city. Our main aim is to foster a successful production environment in Glasgow which will allow indigenous production companies to develop and thrive as well as promoting Glasgow as an internationally recognised centre for film, television and commercials production. Established in 1997, Glasgow Film Office has developed over the years to meet the ongoing needs of the ever expanding local film and television industry. Learn more about the history, funders and current structure of Glasgow Film Office."

UK - Wales

Film Agency or Wales - "Established in July 2006, the Film Agency for Wales is the sole Agency for film in Wales, with a remit to ensure that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented in Wales, the UK and the world. As a strategic agency, the Film Agency aims to facilitate the emergence of a viable and sustainable Welsh film industry and to promote a vibrant and dynamic film culture."

http://www.artswales.org/ -The Arts Council of Wales "supports individual artists in all artforms and assists them to produce work of excellence and innovation and to build a strong community of artists in Wales" - includes film.


IRELAND

Irish Film Board funding guidelines - This organization has a number of funding schemes, described here. They also offer a number of related publications at http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/publications.php.


EASTERN EUROPE

CROATIA

Croation Film Directors Guild - Provides (minimal) information on the new Croatian Centre For Audiovisual Services.

Lithuanian Film Studios, a production company, has moved into financing with at co-finance deal with Little Film Company for the thriller "War of the Dead".

LATVIA

Latfilma - The National Film Centre of Latvia was established on December 23, 1991, as a state institution under the Ministry of Culture. One of the organisation's main objectives is "to administer the Government's financial support to Latvian films".

ROMANIA

The Romanian Film Center (CNC) (site is in Romanian). Readers of Romanian will have to check the details for themselves, but the CNC recently "approved just over Euros 3.1m($4.5m) in support for 11 new feature films, including projects from Radu Mihaileanu, Titus Munteanu and Razvan Radulescu."

RUSSIA

Bridgehead Portal - Funding and support organisations - "The Bridgehead portal is at the service of the professionals working with content and creation. Our goal is to provide an entrance to the vast resources of Russian cultural production for those who look for partnerships in production and content development." Lists three funds.

MIDEAST

Israel Film Fund - "The Israel Film Fund puts special emphasis on strengthening the ties between Israeli Cinema, local audiences and audiences throughout the world. The Fund encourages co productions and has been instrumental in strengthening the working ties between Israeli Filmmakers and Filmmakers around the world."

ASIA

CHINA

Hong Kong Film Services Office Film Development Fund - "The Government set up the Film Development Fund in 1999 to support projects conducive to the healthy and long-term development of the film industry in Hong Kong."

INDIA

National Film Development Corporation Ltd. (NFDC) - Interested in making your film in INDIA? "central agency promoting quality cinema in India which produces/co-produces and finances/co-finances more feature films and short films and documentaries."

JAPAN

Entertainment Farm - "Entertainment FARM prepares and culitvates the 'field' of entertainment, just like a productive farmer, to realize optimal business opportunities in the Japanese film industry.". One activity listed later on the page is "Set up film funds to invest in film production."

KOREA

KOFIC (Korean Film Council) - This organization offers a number of different programs. Click on "KOFIC Support Programs" for more information.

LJ Film - Mainly a Korean film production company, but they have co-financed at least one project.

SINGAPORE

http://www.sfc.org.sg/ - Singapore Film Commission - Various grants to encourage Singaporian filmmakers (not clear if others can apply). Their links shift, so look for FILM FUNDING, etc.

http://www.mica.gov.sg/pressroom/press_061129.html - press release discussing Singapore - Indonesia Digital Film Fund. This fund is mentioned on several sites, but does not appear to yet have its own Web page: "This Fund is the first of its kind between Singapore and Indonesia . The objective is to create a forum for the exchange of ideas between the creative talents of both countries. "

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Film Commission - This page, for funding short films, also lists other funding links. But according to this article from Scoop magazine the government had "pulled the plug" on the Film Fund, which however still has its own site (slow to load as it is).

AUSTRALIA

Screen Australia - "Screen Australia is the Commonwealth Government's new screen agency replacing the Australian Film Commission, Film Australia and the Film Finance Corporation.... Screen Australia provides support to Australian film, television, documentary and digital media makers and aims to put the industry on a new growth path. We are also focussed on ensuring a strong Australian voice across film, television, documentary and children’s programs."

http://www.fto.nsw.gov.au/fund.asp?id=45&content=2 - Australia – New South Wales - "This site offers a number of resources under 'Development Assistance', including a Regional Filming Fund, a Young Filmmakers Fund, etc. The links are a bit unstable, so you might have to use Search to find 'fund'.

Film Victoria - "The Digital Media Fund is funded by Multimedia Victoria as part of the Victorian Government's Connecting Victoria policy, which aims to bring the benefits of technology to all Victorians"."

Filming In Australia - A list of resources

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

These initiatives are generally based in developed countries, but focus on trying on efforts in developing countries (which is obviously a flexible term).

The Göteborg Fund - Though based in Sweden, this fund focuses on developing countries: "the Göteborg International Film Festival has decided to take the obvious step, working in co-operation with the Swedish International Developing Agency, (SIDA) to actively help with film production in the developing countries. It is also our responsibility to ensure that these stories continue to be told, just as it is up to us to make sure they are screened here in our part of the world. The Göteborg Film Festival Fund will be cooperating with the Hubert Baals fund of the Rotterdam Film Festival. This ten-year-old fund has so far supported more than a hundred films. The experience, contacts and knowledge amassed by the Hubert Bals fund will be of enormous benefit to the Göteborg International Film Festival Fund and together the two funds will go on strengthening the opportunities that are available to the film-makers of the world."

World Cinema Fund - "In co-operation with the German Federal Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes) the Berlin International Film Festival has set up the World Cinema Fund to support filmmakers from transition countries. Until 2007, the geographical focus will be on Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia."

Locarno Film Festival - "The OPEN DOORS program, organized with the support of the Swiss Foreign Ministry’s Agency for Development and Cooperation, continues its ongoing commitment to raising the visibility of film projects from developing nations (developing in film terms, at least), by creating networking opportunities with possible co-producers and other industry partners who may be able to assist in getting projects off the ground"


General info on film terminology

Internet Filmmaker's FAQ Version 5.1 [2/5]- Information


Offline info

Phone numbers from the Web:

For Canada, some funding agencies:
MEDIA CONTACTS: Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, (709) 729-0598; Nova Scotia Film, (902) 424-7177; Enterprise PEI, (902) 368-6329; Film NB, (506) 869-6868; SODEC Quebec, (514) 873-7768; Ontario Film Development, (416) 314-6858; Manitoba Film and Sound, (204) 947-2040; SaskFILM, (306) 347-3456; BC Film, (604) 736- 7997.



Other multi-link or bibliography pages

NOTE: Multi-link sites for specific countries are listed under that country.

The Fund for Woman Artists (listed above) also provides their own list of Funding Resources.

Screenplayers Producers and Screenwriters Links and Resources page - Look for the 'Financing' group of links.

Filmmaking.com - database of "companies interested in financing your project" - Sounds almost too good to be true. Proceed cautiously.

Filmmaker Magazine - list of funding resources

Program for Media Artists - "This guide provides resources and links to help media makers find information about funding and services. These organizations serve a wide geographic range in the United States. The International Resources section provides information about opportunities for non-U.S. makers."

MULTI

netribution:Links to one thousand film funds in 46 countries - "Since publishing our 480 page book on the subject of film finance we've been able to research and detail as many film funds around the world as we could find. And in line with our aim to help democratise the film industry, regardless of who you are or where you're from, here are some links and basic info (name of the fund award and size, where known) to the 1,000 or so awards from 400 organisations we found for the book."

SagIndie - "These Resource links include companies, individuals, and organizations that SAGIndie believes have worked with lndie budget productions. This list of resources is included for information and as a starting point for your research. " No funding info but lots of useful info by state

COS Funding Opportunities Funding News - General funding sources: "Funding News is updated weekly and includes recent highlights from COS Funding Opportunities, the most comprehensive resource of funding information available on the Web, with more than 15,000 sources of funding from around the world."

Cinemarquee - Spotlights a few links and lists lots of others; also mentions their own financing - but main info on site is CALL for financing.

Hollywood Funding: list of film commissions - One of many pages with funding information. This has both US and other countries listed.

The Art Mag - USA Filmmakers Incentive Programs

Lampmusic Film Funding Page - These links are mainly for the UK and France, but include some informational sites and other general funding resources.

AFCI (Association of Film Commissioners International) - Production Incentives - Europe - A mix of film funding, incentives, etc. for Europe.

Michigan State University - GRANTS AND RELATED RESOURCES - Various listings and links relative to grants of all sorts. Specifically references their collections, but presumably many of the titles are available elsewhere as well.

Morrie Warshawski's Bibliography - "a special page devoted to an extensive bibliography on fundraising for independent film and video projects." Plus links and info on general funding

Redbird Studio's Film Commissions page - list of addresses and phone numbers for flim commissions (mostly US; a few URL's as well.)

University of Newcastle Upon Tyme - Funding and Finance - This page is meant to help grads of this university find funding. By selecting a country in a list in the form, you can find more information about funding for nationals of that country (not always for film, however). Worth a look if you're really checking EVERY possibility, or are from a country with few resources available.

Zeroland - film funding - A short but organized list.



March 23, 2010