2024 FRENCH CULTURE FILM GRANT GUIDELINES AND APPLICATIONS

This grant is made possible with support from
TV5MONDE USA, COX, Deep South Studios, CODOFIL, and the LED Entertainment Development Fund 

The #CreateLouisiana French Culture Film Grant is an industry-building program that recognizes and celebrates the creative community in Louisiana and the state’s deep connection to French and Francophone culture.

DEADLINE EXTENSION
The deadline for applications is May 8, 2024. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There is no application fee.

If you have any questions please contact Julie Bordelon, Executive Director at #CreateLouisiana.

TIMELINE

Application Available: February 1, 2024

Application Deadline: May 8, 2024 (CLOSED)

Short-list announced: TBA

Interview/Pitch Meetings: TBA

Award announced: TBA

Film completed: January 2025 (exact delivery date TBD)

PLEASE NOTE: ALL DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

GRANT AWARD

  • $25,000 cash

  • Production mentoring

  • Screening at the New Orleans French Film Festival

  • Potential opportunity to broadcast on TV5MONDE USA

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS 

  • Must be a director and producer team.

  • Co-directors are allowed but a separate producer must also be attached.

  • Must be a United States citizen or Permanent Resident.

  • Director, producer, and writer (for narrative projects) must currently reside in the state of Louisiana and have lived in Louisiana for a minimum of 12 months prior to submitting the application. Proof of residency required. (two of the following: Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana voter registration card or a utility bill in your name with your Louisiana address).

  • Staff, board members, and interns of #CL, TV5MONDE, Cox Communications, Deep South Studios, Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and CODOFIL may not apply.

  • Must agree to grant #CreateLouisiana, TV5MONDE, Cox Communications, Deep South Studios, and Louisiana Entertainment the right to stream, screen and distribute the completed film (non-commercial use/promotional purposes only).

  • Must agree to a Louisiana premiere of the project at the New Orleans French Film Festival in early 2025 (Note: the Louisiana screening must be the film’s premiere in Louisiana; no other public screenings are allowed in the state prior to this).

  • Must allow TV5MONDE the first look for the right to broadcast.

  • The director and producer must all be available to participate in a pitch session before the grants committee on the dates listed above (exact date TBD).

  • To be eligible, you may not have received a grant from #CreateLouisiana in the last two years. However, you may apply again with the same project from a past #CreateLouisiana grant cycle.

THE PROJECT  

  • Must showcase Louisiana talent in front of and behind the camera.

  • Must contain English and French language components.

  • Must focus on the Louisiana’s French and Francophone culture.

  • Must be a short format scripted narrative or a short or feature length documentary.

  • Must provide all services in Louisiana.

  • The film can be in English or French with English subtitles.

  • Must have French subtitles if accepted to broadcast with TV5MONDE.

  • Must have a finished running time of no less than 15 minutes minimum and no more than 25 minutes max for a short narrative.

  • Must have a finished running time of no less than 15 minutes minimum and no more than 50 minutes max for a documentary.

  • Must be completed in time for screening at the 2025 New Orleans French Film Festival (exact festival dates February or March TBA).

  • Must be shot digitally and mastered and delivered on HD. The grant recipients will work directly with the New Orleans French Film Festival and TV5MONDE to meet all exhibition standards.

  • Must provide credits to #CreateLouisiana, TV5MONDE USA, Cox Communications, Deep South Studios, Louisiana Entertainment, and CODOFIL.

  • All projects must be stand-alone single works of fiction or documentary. TV or web series are not eligible. Pilots are NOT eligible.

  • For narrative, if not based on an original idea and sourced from existing intellectual property, the team must have secured the rights to produce a motion picture. If story rights are required, team must have secured said rights. If applicable, documentation must be provided (in the form of a fully executed agreement) that the material has been optioned and/or full story rights secured.

  • For documentary, must have secured all appropriate release forms for documentary subjects featured in the project. If material that requires licensing is integral to the film (i.e. music, archival materials, etc.), team must demonstrate that they have secured the rights to use said material in the project (signed agreements granting permission or licensing agreements must be included with the application).

  • For documentary feature, project must be in production or post-production. Projects may not apply for development or distribution funds. You must submit selected scenes showing access to your subjects.

  • For documentary short, project may be in development, in production or post-production. Projects may not apply for distribution funds.

  • A realistic budget must be provided. Note: If your project's budget is well beyond the amount of the grant, you must demonstrate additional support committed to ensure the project will be completed by the deadline (i.e. it is not viable for this grant to be "first money in" on a $200,000 budget for a film that must be completed in 6-8 months).

  • Cannot be a work-for-hire.

  • Upon delivery, team must provide proof of all music clearances (for a worldwide broadcast).

  • If awarded a #CreateLouisiana grant, the recipient is required to carry out a project that is consistent with the submitted proposal.

  • All grant funds are to be used solely for the purpose of supporting the project. Spending must be consistent with the budget submitted to #CL.

 

ADJUDICATION PROCESS 

The #CreateLouisiana French Culture Film Grant will be adjudicated in two stages:

Stage One: 

A jury of entertainment professionals and representatives of the grantmaking organizations will review all applications. The jury will consider the following when reviewing all submissions:

  • originality of the script or treatment

  • the representation of Louisiana francophone culture

  • experience and quality of the applicant director/producer/writer team

  • feasibility of the director’s vision

  • realistic budget and financing plan

  • letters of recommendation provided in support of the director and producer

  • experience of the team/key creatives assembled to support the project.

  • use of Louisiana talent in front of and behind the camera

  • overall strength and viability of the project

  • distribution and social strategy for the film

  • demonstration of how the project aligns with team’s short-term and long-term professional and artistic objectives

  • completion of the full application with all necessary documentation provided

  • incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible

A shortlist of up to 3 applicants will be selected to move forward to Stage Two.

Stage Two: 

The short-listed applicants will be invited to pitch their projects and be interviewed before a panel of entertainment professionals. The private pitch/interview session will take place on the dates listed above (exact date TBD). You must be available to pitch your project on Zoom or in New Orleans.

One applicant team will be selected by the jury panel and announced the following week.

CHECKLIST

The following documentation is required (when uploads are required, all documents should be in PDF format ONLY):

  • a completed application form

  • résumé of the applicant director (include film school or industry training and a full list of previous production credits – indicate any that are student films)

  • résumé of the producer(s) with a full list of previous production credits

  • résumé of the writer (if not the director/applicant or producer)

  • one letter of reference for the director/applicant from established industry professionals

  • one letter of reference for the producer from established industry professionals

  • a logline for the project (200 characters)

  • a synopsis of the project (2500 characters)

  • a script for narrative or treatment for documentaries, in standard format, not to exceed 25 pages for narrative and 10 pages for documentary

  • all teams must submit a link to a prior work sample

  • for documentary projects, a link to selected scenes

  • a detailed director’s vision. Can include notes on narrative structure, story, characters, camera style, lighting, music, lookbook, locations photos, visual references (5 pages)

  • a proposed detailed production budget. Use of EP Movie Magic or Excel is preferred, or a comparable template with detailed line items. Must include all deferrals and in-kind contributions

  • a proposed financing plan for the project should your proposed production budget exceed the grant funds (1 page)

  • a list of key creatives. This can include cast and key crew (DP, editor, production designer) (2 pages)

  • a proposed distribution, marketing and social media strategy. This should address intended audience and festival strategy, plan for marketing the film and use of social media to raise awareness. (1 page)

  • a project timeline including production, post-production, delivery and distribution. (1 page)

  • scanned copy of each applicant's (director/producer/writer) Louisiana residency support documentation.