7 Ways To Get Your Documentary Film Project Funded

Finance is the most critical part of any film production because the entire production team needs funding to pay for everything from equipment to actors. Getting funding for a film project can be a daunting task for filmmakers. However, there is financial assistance available to pursue. If you are new to filmmaking, you must know about these sources. But before that, let's understand film finance.

What is Film Finance?

Film finance is a process of getting funding from different sources. It'sIt's the responsibility of the producer to make proposals and manage funds. Every film is different, and thus it has a different film finance structure.

How Are Films Financed?

Film financing is an arduous process. Most films are financed by investors, film grants, tax credits, personal sources or a combination. The funding depends on the type of film for which the fund is required, and the filmmaker has to submit the distribution and sale rights to the main fund. To get funds for your film, you must submit the film's summary, script, budget plan, distribution plan, details about the director and previous work, if any.

For making documentary movies, there are various sources of funding available that you can take advantage of. Here we have curated a list of funding options available-

1. Government grants:

Government separately provides funding to arts and cultural projects. There are various filmmaking grants and fellowships available for filmmakers. There are government grants to non-governmental grants offered by NGOs, film festivals, and film institutes.

The best part of these grants is that you don't have to pay them back. However, there is a lot of competition for government grants, and it's a long-complicated process. The grantee has to go through the funding body's requirements, curate the film plan according to their objective and fulfil the eligibility criteria to receive money. Every grant has different criteria; for example, there are grants for women, new-media storytellers, first-time filmmakers and documentary filmmakers. Also, there are grants available for every phase of film production, that includes pre-production grants, production grants, post-production grants, development grants and distribution grants.