Short Film Fund with Theta Labs
The short film fund allows emerging talent worldwide to test their ideas before embarking on a feature film.
Grants of up to £7,000 / $10,000 are available towards the production costs of all scripted genres and documentary short film content.
For this round of the fund, we partnered with Theta Labs for a special edition where filmmakers can opt-in for a special category to win $1000 towards marketing and distributing their film.
The final short film can act as a development platform to support short films as proof of concept for feature films.
Previous Grant Recipients
Ross White & Tom Berkeley – ‘An Irish Goodbye’ Oscar® and BAFTA Win 2023
Upon finding their late mother’s bucket list, a young man with Down syndrome attempts to stall his relocation by convincing his older brother to carry out all 100 wishes.
Victoria Thomas – ‘A Birthday Party’
A woman traumatised by a brutal cultural tradition risks everything to save her niece from suffering the same fate.
Celine Cotran & Alannah Lewis – ‘Legs’
Joy and Harry are trying to have a baby. One night, Joy swallows a spider in her sleep. When Joy subsequently develops an insatiable appetite for flies, it dawns on her that there may be more than one way of becoming a mother.
Anna Pálinkás – ‘The Fishing Net’
Andras, the loving, family man, confronted with some hard truth by the secret police has to make a decision of life and death.
Nick Finegan – ‘Bingo Queens’
Amid the spit and the slurs of transphobic attack, Aleks and Luna are flung into each other’s orbit. 24hrs later, they are both changed in ways that neither could have anticipated. This a story about platonic love and queer romance.
Karen Bryson – ‘Monochromatic’
The inevitable moment a six year old girl realises the world operates with bias when it comes to the colour of her skin. We're all born equal....then life happens.
Grants
Winning pitches get up to a £7,000 / $10,000 grant
The First Flights Short Film Fund is intended for live action and documentary short films of any genre. Awards will be given to projects which intend to be in production no more than six months after the deadline closes. Awards provided are non-recoupable grants.
Filmmakers can submit for a special category to win $1000 towards marketing and distributing their film. Winners will also get access to Theta Labs Enterprise DRM technology for the distribution of their films - giving the same security as a theatre premiere screening, but online.
Filmmakers will have full creative control of the project but will receive support in submitting the film to festivals and distribution opportunities with Network Ireland & Televison, and ShortsTV.
How It Works
The window for applications runs twice a year. 2024 opening dates are Feb 5th and August 5th.
Project submissions will need to include:
- Project details: title / genre / location / budget / funding amount sought / intended production date
- A logline (up to 30 words)
- A synopsis (250 words)
- A directors vision – creative ideas and information on why the story is important and who it is for (250 words)
- A completed script (no more than 30 pages)
- A biography of the director. Links to the director/writer/producer IMDB pages if available
- A budget (template provided)
- A lookbook
- Optional: Sizzle reel
Selection process
All applications and scripts are reviewed and graded on a point-based system, across seven categories covering originality, creativity, plot, pacing & structure, characters, entertainment, and message effectiveness. The long list is created and reviewed by a team of independent judges from across the film industry, from which all candidates are interviewed. The ratings from independent judges and the interviews are then used to make the final selection.
Submission dates
Current submission period - early bird fees are £20 per project until Febraury 29th / regular fees are £30 until March 31st / late fees are £40 until April 30th.
Submit Now