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Financing

DFI Film Financing supports Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)* filmmakers to tell Arab stories across all stages of the filmmaking process through grants and co-productions.

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  • *For the purpose of the grant, the MENA region includes the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

    Launched in May 2010, the Doha Film Institute’s film financing initiatives aim to support filmmakers in their storytelling, foster the exchange of knowledge, and enable filmmakers from the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries to fund and produce their own stories.

    Objectives

    • Create a credible and sustainable film financing model
    • Develop training opportunities to strengthen the film industry work force
    • Foster networking opportunities between talent from the MENA countries and the international film community

    Annually, DFI holds two grant submission cycles (Spring and Fall Grants) to support Arab projects across all genres for film and television. In addition, DFI will accept co-production proposals on a rolling basis for larger scale MENA and international projects.

    About DFI

    DFI is an independent cultural organisation established to bring Qatar’s film initiatives under one banner. With film funding, education, production, and the annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival, DFI aims to build a robust and sustainable film industry in Qatar.

  • Funding Opportunities

    DFI Film Financing is open to projects during any stage of production: development and scriptwriting, production, post-production and P&A (prints and advertising). Funding covers narrative and documentary feature films, experimental and essay projects, TV series and short films across all story genres, length, and budget levels.

    Film Financing is divided into two categories:

    • Film Grants (Development, Production, Post-Production, P&A) to projects issued from MENA countries.
    • Co-Productions with MENA or international projects. These are based on equity investments aimed to foster industry networking, transfer of knowledge, expertise and bilateral collaborations. International productions do not have to be Arab themed but should be open to locating part of the production in Qatar and/or other MENA countries as well as enabling educational opportunities for young Arabs during all stages of development and production.

    Film Grants

    Grants are available across all stages of development and production for projects submitted by directors, producers, and screenwriters from the MENA countries.

    Co-Productions

    The Doha Film Institute welcomes co-production proposals on a rolling basis throughout the year. These projects can originate from within or outside the MENA region but must be at late stage development, packaging and/or financing stage and actively seeking production finance.

  • Application Timeline – Key Dates

    Two grant submission cycles per year:

    Spring Grants

    Submissions accepted from December 20 to February 20. 
Announcement in May during the Cannes International Film Festival

    Fall Grants

    Submissions accepted from June 1 to July 15. 
Announcement in October during DFI’s Doha Tribeca Film Festival

  • Grant Budgets

    1. SHORTS

    Fiction and Documentary Films (5-40 MINS):

    • Production: $5,000–10,000 (USD)
    • Post-production: $1,000–5,000 (USD)

    Experimental and Essay Films (5-30 MINS):

    • Production/Post-production:  $5,000 - $10 000

    2. FEATURES

    Fiction films (40+ MINS):

    • Development: Up to $20,000 (USD)
    • Production: Up to $100,000 (USD)
    • Post-Production: Up to $60,000 (USD)
    • Prints & Advertising: Up to $20,000 (USD)

    Documentary films (40+ MINS):

    • Development: $5,000–10,000 (USD)
    • Production: $20,000–$40,000 (USD)
    • Post-Production: $15,000–$25,000 (USD)
    • Prints & Advertising: Up to $10,000 (USD)

    Experimental and Essay Films (30+ MINS):

    • Development: Up to $5,000 (USD)
    • Production/Post-production: $10,000 - $20,000

  • Eligibility

    In order to be eligible for a grant, projects must meet the following criteria:

    • Applicant must be a director, screenwriter, and/or producer who is a national or descendant of the MENA region*
    • Project with a non-MENA director attached is only eligible IF the subject matter is related to and/or shot in the MENA region and IF a MENA producer and/or screenwriter is/are attached to the project
    • Qualifying director and/or screenwriter can only submit ONE project during each cycle
    • Qualifying producer can submit up to TWO projects during each cycle

    Resubmission:

    Submitted projects not selected for a grant are eligible to re-apply as long as they include a detailed report of substantial changes made to the project.

    *For the purpose of the grant, the MENA region includes the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

  • Evaluation and Selection Process

    Applicants will receive a confirmation email within 10 days of submitting their project online. All applications will be reviewed by the DFI Selection Committee. Final deliberations will take place within 3 months from the close of submissions. Projects submitted for the June 1st - July 15th application period will be announced by Mid-November during DTFF 2012 (Check website for exact dates).

    Please note that we may contact you at any moment during this process to inquire about your submission, its current status or any other update we may need to better assess your project.

    All applicants will be notified regarding the status of their submission no later than one week prior to grant announcements via email.

    Please DO NOT email or call any DFI staff member to inquire about the status of a proposal.

  • Submissions Form Requirements

    All the materials listed in this section must be labeled as such: Project title_Document Content (e.g. The Godfather_Financial Plan).

    Only files 10Mb and smaller can be uploaded.

    We accept all standard file types: .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, pdf and jpg, gif, bmp for pictures.

    All submitted documents have to be in English. French and/or Arabic submissions are accepted along their English version.

    If you cannot upload a Word or PDF file, inform us at filmfinancing@dohafilminstitute.com

  • Checklist for DEVELOPMENT projects:

    • Synopsis (200 words max)
    • Treatment (15 pages max) and/or Script Draft
    • Screenwriter’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography)
    • Director’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography), if any
    • Screenwriter’s Letter of Intention and/or Creative Statement
    • Producer’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography, if any
    • Estimated budget of development stage (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • 4 DVD copies or video links of any previous work if any
    • 4 DVD copies or video links of Teaser or Trailer of submitted project, if any
    • MENA passport of applicant (or link to the MENA region)

  • Checklist for PRODUCTION projects:

    • Synopsis (200 words max)
    • Treatment (15 pages max)
    • Script (Upload treatment if documentary )
    • Director’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography)
    • Director’s Letter of Intention and/or Creative Statement
    • Producer’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography)
    • Budget of Film (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Detailed Financial Plan (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Production Company’s Profile (including filmography)
    • Production Stills (300 DPI), if any
    • 4 DVD copies or video links of previous work(s)
    • 4 DVD copies or video links of Teaser,Trailer or work-in-progress, if any
    • MENA passport of applicant (or link to the MENA region)

  • Checklist for POSTPRODUCTION projects:

    • Synopsis (200 words max)
    • Treatment of the film (15 pages max)
    • Script (Upload treatment if documentary)
    • Director’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography)
    • Director’s Letter of Intention and/or Creative Statement
    • Producer’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography)
    • Budget of Film (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Detailed Financial Plan (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Production Company’s Profile (including Filmography)
    • Production Stills (300 DPI)
    • 4 DVD copies or video links of previous work(s)
    • 4 DVD Teaser or Trailer of current project
    • 4 DVD copies of rough cuts and/or work-in-progress (no less than 25 min minimum for feature projects), along with an explanatory note detailing the content of provided scenes
    • MENA passport of applicant (or link to the MENA region)

  • Checklist for PRINT & ADVERTISING projects:

    • Synopsis : short (200 words max) AND long (1-2 page(s))
    • Script (fiction) and Treatment (for documentary)
    • Director’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography)
    • Director’s Creative Statement
    • Producer’s Biography (100 words max) and CV (including filmography)
    • Budget (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Marketing Budget (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Detailed Financial Plan (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Detailed Distribution Plan (in USD in addition to any other currency)
    • Production Company’s Profile (including filmography)
    • Distribution Company’s Profile (including filmography)
    • Sales Agent Profile (including filmography)
    • Production Stills (300 DPI)
    • 4 DVD copies of the Film
    • MENA passport of applicant (or describe the link to the MENA region)

  • DVD material should be mailed following these guidelines:

    • Each DVD should be sent in 4 copies in a multi-zone or region-free version.
    • Please make sure to label the DVD(s) with the following details:
      • Title of the film in the DVD with the director’s full name, title of the submitted project and submission ID
      • Short description of content (e.g. previous work, short films, sample scenes, teaser, trailer, feature, work-in-progress, rough cut…)
      • Original language(s) of the film and subtitles
      • Total running time and year
      DVD

      DVDs copies should be sent to the following address postmarked before the corresponding deadline:

      Doha Film Institute,
      Attn: Film Financing Department/ Grant Unit
      Cultural Village, Building 25, West Bay
      Doha, Qatar, P.O. Box 23473
      Phone: +974.4420.0505

      Please mention “Without commercial value, for cultural purposes only” and mark “No value”, or not more than “10 US$”

      Notify us via email with the details of the supporting material you are sending, including a full list of contents, the Courier’s name and Tracking Number, at filmfinancing@dohafilminstitute.com.

      Submitted materials will not be returned

  • Checklist for Co-Production:

    • Letter of Inquiry

    If the project is selected for consideration, the co-production applicant must submit:

    • Treatment (10 pages max)
    • Script
    • Budget
    • Financing plan
    • Any other relevant materials

    INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS AND LACK OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

  • How to Apply

    Submit a film

    Applications not submitted through the website WILL NOT be considered for evaluation.
    Please note that user friendly browsers to fill out the application are: Firefox and Chrome.

  • Agreement and Release

    Doha Film Institute will draft a Film Financing Grant Agreement to be signed by the chosen grantee. If the grantee is the film’s producer, the film’s director will be required to co-sign the Grant Agreement. The Grant Agreement will include contract duration, grant amount, financial requirements, payment schedule, delivery of picture lock, regulations for premiering the picture, Doha Film Institute’s credit requirements, country of production credit requirements, delivery of broadcast copy, terms relating to first negotiation on next feature, the educational and non-commercial use of picture, general provisions, implementation and amendments, required reports, and additional deliverables.

    In connection with your submission of a completed Application Form for an original film project (such film project, together with any other ideas or material submitted by me, collectively, the “Application Material”) for entry in the DFI Film Financing fund (the “Program”), you hereby agree that:

    1. You have read, understood and complied with this release, the Entry Form and the Program. You understand that your participation in the Program is subject to all the terms and conditions stated in this release, in the Rules and Regulations of the Program, and in the Film Financing Grant Agreement, which you will execute if you are selected to participate in the Program.
    2. You understand that DFI is not obligated to either examine or use your Application Material or to invite you to participate in the Program.
    3. You understand that the Application Material will be kept confidential. Nonetheless, you also understand that DFI and persons and entities affiliated with, related to, or connected with DFI and/or the Program (each, a “DFI Entity” and collectively the “DFI Entities”) operate other programs and events and may be developing material that may be similar to the Application Material in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. You acknowledge that the DFI Entities will not be liable for any claim, loss, damage or expense, (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees and disbursements) arising out of or relating to the Application Material, this release, and/or my participation in the Program (if you are selected) and you release the DFI Entities from any such claims.
    4. You are the sole author and owner of all Application Material and have the full right and authority to submit the Application Material to DFI. The Application Material is original with you, and the submission of the Application Material will not violate any law or any right of any individual or entity.
    5. This release will be governed by the laws of the State of Qatar and any disputes relating to this release will be resolved in the courts located in Qatar.

    Note: DFI reserves the right to have its logo included or not in the credits of a film and its publicity material, according to its internal policies.

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