AFAC: Documentary Program

Arab Fund for Arts and Culture

Next deadline: Apr 4, 2023 7:00am PDT

Later deadlines: Apr 4, 2024 7:00am PDT

Grant amount: Up to US $10,000

Funding uses: Project / Program

Location of project: Anywhere in the world

Location of residency: Anywhere in the world

Location of citizenship: Algeria; Bahrain; Comoros; Djibouti; Egypt; Iraq; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Mauritania; Morocco; Oman; Palestine, State of; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Somalia; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; Yemen Show all

Overview:

About Us

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture - AFAC was founded in 2007 through the initiative of Arab cultural activists as an independent foundation to support individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, as well as organizations from the Arab region working in the field of arts and culture. Since its launch, AFAC’s programs have steadily expanded to cover cinema, photography, visual and performing arts, creative and critical writings, music, documentary film, in addition to funding research, trainings and cultural events. Based in Beirut, AFAC works with artists and organizations all over the Arab region and the rest of the world.

Documentary Program

The AFAC Documentary Program supports creative documentary films in the Arab region. The program welcomes submissions of short and medium-length documentary in production and post-production, and feature documentary film projects that are in development, production or post-production phases.

The program provides annual grants ranging from a few thousand U.S. dollars up to a maximum of ten thousand U.S. dollars for Development grants, up to fifty thousand U.S. dollars for Production and a maximum of twenty-five thousand U.S. dollars for Post-production grants.

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Eligibility:

• AFAC is open to receive project applications from Arab directors and producers living in the Arab region or in the diaspora.
  • Applicants are eligible if they are nationals (not necessarily citizens) of an Arab country living in the Arab region (for example, citizenless Palestinians, Kurds, or other individuals/groups denied citizenship for political reasons).
  • An Arab country is defined by its membership in the League of Arab States (Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen).
• A non-Arab producer can apply for a grant provided that the film director is Arab.
  • It is highly recommended that film projects applying to the production and post-production grants have producers attached to them.
• Project applications are accepted irrespective of age, years of experience, country of residence, ethnicity, gender or religion.
• Projects may be implemented anywhere as long as they are created by Arab filmmakers.
• A film producer is eligible to apply with a maximum of two projects per category per cycle provided the two projects are not attached to the same director.
  • However, if a film producer has one open grant, s/he can apply with one project.
  • If s/he has two open grants, s/he is not eligible to apply before closing one grant at least.
• Projects must be completed within 2 years of signing the contract, during which grantees are expected so submit the necessary financial and narrative reports.
• For projects that have already started, AFAC will cover the expenses that will occur only after the signature of the contract if the project is selected.
• No grantee will be awarded more than two deadline extensions during the grant period; such extensions should be justified by the grantee and approved by AFAC.
• Each director is entitled to only one application in the same category.
• Applicants must choose only one program to apply to, if projects fit two different grant programs.
• AFAC only covers project-related expenses (including Artist fees). 

Ineligibility:

• AFAC will not consider applications submitted by:
  • Members of the Board of Trustees, their business partners or family members.
  • AFAC staff members, their business partners or family members.
  • Members of the current year’s readers and jurors’ committees.
  • Recipients of two consecutive grants unless two years had passed since the last grant.
  • A director who already has an open grant from AFAC (whether the contract is in her/his name or in the producer’s name).
  • If a director has an application that is in process, s/he cannot submit another application in any category until the result of the current application in process is announced.
  • If a grantee had received two grants one for development and one for production to the same film project, she/he cannot apply for post-production.
• Neither running operating costs nor purchase of equipment can be covered by the grant.
• FAC does not offer scholarships.
• AFAC does not offer mobility grants.
  • Travel costs can be covered by the AFAC grant only when they are part of the implementation of a project.
• AFAC will not provide support retroactively, i.e. to projects already completed.
• In the event that the grantee does not sign the grant contract within 60 days upon receipt thereof, the grant will be canceled.