Emergency Fund for Filmmakers

ICFR Emergency Fund

The fund supports filmmakers with small grants of EUR 500, EUR 1,000 or EUR 1,500 to be able to assist in covering temporary relocation expenses, legal and administrative fees (visas etc.), to cover initial minor but necessary expenses required during the current situation.

Please note that the Emergency Filmmaker Fund is not a film fund - it does not support projects, filmmaking activities or equipment at this time.

ICFR’s mandate includes across the board support for cases of filmmakers at risk, which applies automatically to almost every Ukrainian filmmaker in Ukraine today, as well as to the many openly and vocal anti-war filmmakers of Russia and Belarus. This is done through lobbying the international film community, urging film professionals and organizations around the world to join ICFR in its efforts and to support our colleagues in such terrible times.

Financial contributions to the emergency fund have so far been made or pledged by the EFAD association, the Centre national du cinéma et de l’Image animée (CNC), Netherlands Film Fonds, the German film funding bodies Filmförderungsanstalt FFA, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, HessenFilm und Medien, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MFG - Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, MV Filmförderung, NDR via nordmedia - Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen, Federation of Screenwriters Europe, SOCIETE CIVILE DES AUTEURS, La Scam, NAPA, VEVAM.

The fund has also been in receipt of kind support via advertising from Screen International, Business Doc Europe, The Verdict and Deadline Hollywood. This marketing boost has additionally spread the word and helped to raise funding.

Founded by the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, International Film Festival Rotterdam and the European Film Academy, the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk’s mission is to advocate for and to act in solidarity with filmmakers at risk.

The ICFR’s strategic partners are Asia Pacific Screen Academy, Documentary Organization of Canada, Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA), Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE), International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights Geneva, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, MOOOV Film Festival, Movies that Matter, One World Festival, Sundance Institute and Sydney Film Festival.

Decisions on the grants are taken by the ICFR Board. ICFR Board members represent its three founding partners, the European Film Academy, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

ICFR’s mandate includes across the board support through lobbying the international film community for cases of filmmakers at risk, which applies automatically to almost every Ukrainian filmmaker in Ukraine today, as well as to the many openly and vocal anti-war filmmakers of Russia and Belarus. We urge film professionals and organizations around the world to join us in our efforts and to support us as we try to be of use to our colleagues in such terrible times.

 

FAQs

Do you support only film directors?
No. The Emergency Fund extends its solidarity to all film professionals, including but not limited to producers, scriptwriters, actors & actresses, cinematographers, editors, set designers, costume designers, etc.

How do I prove I am eligible?
The Fund aims to be open and flexible. Its procedures start from trust that the applicant is a film professional and is in emergency need. If this is not the case, you should not apply and allow those who are eligible to take priority. Nonetheless, proving that you are eligible consists of providing a brief explanation, a verifiable filmography, an IMDB link, or names and contacts of a few known film professionals who would vouch for your eligibility.

Is this a one-off grant or can I re-apply?
Re-applications are possible up to a maximum of EUR 1,500 per person.

Is the fund only for people who have escaped their territory or can we apply while we are still at home?
You can apply either from inside or outside your territory.

How quickly can you turn applications around?
We aim for the process to take about a week, but at peak times this is as yet an unknown quantity.

How do you protect my privacy?
ICFR will only keep very brief confidential listings of grant applicants for accounting necessity. No personal information will be published. Only total amounts and numbers of participants will be part of the public reporting of ICFR.

Is the emergency fund still accepting applications?
Unfortunately, after having supported almost 700 filmmakers with modest grants over the past year-and-a-half, the fund’s resources have run out for the time being and we currently cannot accept or process any new applications. Should you require any assistance other than financial for your situation, ICFR gladly welcomes your questions at our general email address, [email protected], and we will do our utmost to be of assistance.