The IDFA Bertha Fund supports documentary filmmakers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe by offering them financial contributions, assistance and coaching to complete their projects. The Fund is looking for creative documentaries that use strong visual treatments to tell compelling stories and have the potential to reach a global audience.
The IDFA Bertha Fund is supported by Bertha Foundation, Creative Europe Media, ASN Bank, and The Netherlands Film Fund.
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Submission requirements
- Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration. Completed applications must be in our office on the day of the deadline.
- Entry forms must be filled out in English. Only for applications coming from French-speaking African countries and Haiti, the Fund offers the possibility to submit the entry form in French. See: IBF Classic information and regulations in French.
- Project Development applications will only be accepted when accompanied by visual material of the project. If available, a teaser or selected research material from the project is recommended IF representative of the style. If no audiovisual material is available, photos or a visual presentation can also be presented through a Vimeo or YouTube link.
- Project Development applications should also be accompanied by one previous work, preferably representative for the style of the filmmaker. This previous/additional film, although required for the jury’s selection process, is viewed only if necessary in making decisions regarding the selection process.
- Production applications will only be accepted when accompanied by a trailer, demo, edited sequence or other audio-visual material of the project with a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 20 minutes.
- Projects that have finished the shooting phase will be considered as Post-Production applications. In this case applications have to be accompanied by an edited sequence or a selection of the rough cut of around 20 minutes.
- In case your material is longer than 20 minutes, please indicate which part we need to watch or make a selection of 20 minutes which you think is most representative and/or complementary to the end result.
- All applications have the possibility to submit a short video by the director introducing him/herself and explaining his/her motivation to the project instead of writing this down. If you prefer to make use of this possibility, the link can be pasted in the entry form.
- Vimeo or YouTube links must be in our office on the day of the deadline. The material must be in English or have English subtitles. Links should remain online for at least two months following the deadline. If possible, please allow for free viewing of the material (no password required) or make sure you send us the password.
Only projects that have been submitted according to the IDFA Bertha Fund regulations will be considered.
Benefits
Projects can be submitted in two categories:
- Project development: The maximum contribution for project development is €5,000, which must be spent in a country on the IBF Classic Country List.
- Production & post-production: The maximum contribution for production & post-production is €17,500, which must be spent in a country on the IBF Classic Country List.
Eligibilities
- All directors attached to the project should have the nationality of a country as defined on the IBF Classic Country List and should live and work in this country.
- In addition, the main producer attached to the project must be based in a country on the IBF Classic Country List.
- Before continuing, please confirm whether your country is on the IBF Classic Country list.
- Projects from Bahrein, Bulgaria, Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates are only accepted when they address social issues within their countries.
- In case a co-producer from Europe, North America or Australia is attached to the project, this cannot be the main producer of the project. The application to the Fund must be filed by the main producer from the IBF Classic Country List. In case the project is pre-selected, the applicant should provide a deal memo or co-production agreement which needs to contain detailed provisions on the following aspects: the participation of each co-producer in the financing of the project; joint ownership of all the rights; sharing of the revenues between the co-producers.
- If a project is selected, the contribution must be spent in a country on the IBF Classic Country List.
- A project can be submitted only once for each category. A project can be submitted for Project Development and at a later deadline for Production or Post-Production, whether or not the Project Development submission was successful.
Application Process
In assessing projects the fund will consider:
- the strength and originality of the treatment,
- the originality and urgency of the story,
- the vision and ability of the director and
- the financial feasibility of the project.
All applications that are complete will be considered for selection. Within 4 to 6 weeks filmmakers will be informed if their project is pre-selected. The applicants of the pre-selected projects will receive a more extensive application form, which must be completed and returned within a week. The pre-selection form includes, among other items, an extensive budget, finance plan, and production schedule. These applications will then be sent to the final selection committee, whose findings will be announced within three months after the deadline.
Looking for fully-funded opportunities, install the Youth Opportunities Android or iOS App here.
Application Deadline: June 10, 2020
Application ClosedOfficial link
