Back to news Grants

Create Louisiana French Culture Film Grant Guidelines

[one_half]

[/one_half] [one_half_last]
[/one_half_last]

 

The Create Louisiana 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.

From the early explorers to the dancehalls of Acadiana, the stories of French-speaking Louisiana have reached audiences around the globe, continually evolving and inspiring new generations to embrace this unique relationship. This year Create Louisiana announces a new partnership dedicated to the enduring bond between French culture and Louisiana.

The grant recipient team will receive a $32,500 cash grant plus in kind services for a short narrative project or feature length documentary. The film is to be completed within 12 months of receiving the award, with the finished project set to screen at the 2018 New Orleans French Film Festival. The deadline for applications is March 6, 2017 has been extended to March 20, 2017 by 5:00PM CST.

RSVP here for these grant workshops:

Lafayette: Saturday, Feb. 4, 10:30AM-11:30AM: Lafayette Public Library Main Branch, Second Floor Meeting Room, 301 W. Congress Street

Baton Rouge: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2:00PM-3:00PM, The Parlor, 705 St. Joseph St.

New Orleans: Monday, Feb. 6: 12:30PM-1:30PM, Louisiana Humanities Center, 938 Lafayette Street

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

  • Must be 18 years of age or older;
  • Must be a director and producer team;
  • Must be a United States citizen or Permanent Resident;
  • 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.)
  • Must agree to grant Create Louisiana, TV5MONDE, Deep South Studios, New Orleans Film Society and The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities 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 Spring 2018 (Note: the Louisiana screening must be the film’s premiere in Louisiana; no other public screenings are allowed.).
  • Must allow TV5MONDE the first look for the right to broadcast.

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 feature documentary;
  • Must provide all services in Louisiana;
  • The film can be in English or French with English subtitles;
  • Must have a finished running time of not more than 25 minutes for a short narrative and 50 minutes for a documentary;
  • Must be completed within 12 months of the “Award Date”, in time for screening at the 2018 New Orleans French Film Festival;
  • Must be shot digitally and mastered and delivered on HD. The grant recipients will work directly with the New Orleans French Film Festival to meet all exhibition standards.
  • Must provide credits to Create Louisiana, TV5MONDE, Deep South Studios, New Orleans Film Society and The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

ADJUDICATION PROCESS

The Create Louisiana 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

A shortlist of up to 5 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 the week before the New Orleans French Film Festival in Spring 2017.

One applicant team will be selected by the jury panel and announced during the New Orleans French Film Festival in May 2017.

TIMELINE

Application Available: January 24, 2017

Application Deadline: March 20, 2017 (extended from March 6)

Short-list announced: TBD, 2017

Interview/Pitch Meeting: TBD , 2017

Award announced: TBD , 2017

GRANT WORKSHOPS

Lafayette: Saturday, Feb. 4, 10:30AM-11:30AM:Lafayette Public Library Main Branch, Second Floor Meeting Room, 301 W. Congress Street

Baton Rouge: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2:00PM-3:00PM, The Parlor, 705 St. Joseph St.

New Orleans: Monday, Feb. 6: 12:30PM-1:30PM, Louisiana Humanities Center, 938 Lafayette Street

APPLICATION DEADLINE

The deadline for applications is March 20, 2017 by 5:00PM CST. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There is no application fee.

Applications must be submitted through the LEH’s online grants system.

Click here to set up a login.

QUESTIONS

Please refer to the frequently asked questions section of the application. With any other questions please contact Create Louisiana at [email protected]

 

CHECKLIST

The following documentation is required (uploads 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 synopsis of the project (400 words)
  • a script for narrative or treatment for documentaries, in standard format, not to exceed 25 pages for narrative and 10 pages for documentary;
  • 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 applicants (director/producer/writer) Louisiana residency support documentation

Complete applications must be received by Monday, March 6, 2017 by 500PM CST

All application materials must uploaded in PDF to the application site.

LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I MAKE MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS AS A DIRECTOR?

No. One application may be submitted per Director.

CAN I APPLY WITH A CO-DIRECTOR?

No. Co-Director projects will not be accepted.

CAN A PRODUCER BE LISTED ON MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS?

Yes.

CAN I SERVE AS A DIRECTOR ON ONE APPLICATION AND A PRODUCER OR WRITER ON ANOTHER?

Yes.

AM I REQUIRED TO HAVE A PRODUCER ATTACHED TO MY PROJECT AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION?
Yes, the producer is evaluated as part of the application process.

IS THE CREATE LOUISIANA FRENCH CULTURE FILM GRANT OPEN TO STUDENT FILMMAKERS?
Yes, provided that the student applicant meets the Louisiana residency requirement. Student applicants will be evaluated alongside non-student applicants using the same criteria.

I AM THE PROPOSED DIRECTOR. CAN I ALSO BE THE PRODUCER AND/OR WRITER OF THE PROJECT?
The applicant director may also be attached as the writer but not the producer. At least two separate people must comprise the roles of director and producer.

DO I NEED FISCAL SPONSORSHIP TO APPLY FOR THIS GRANT?

No.

DO I NEED AN EIN TO APPLY?

No. If neither director nor producer have an EIN, enter 00-000000. An EIN will be required if you are selected as the award recipient.

HOW DETAILED MUST MY BUDGET BE AT THE APPLICATION STAGE?
Your budget must be complete with all applicable line items accounted for. Please make sure to include any deferrals and in-kind donations.

CAN I SOLICIT MY OWN CONTRIBUTIONS AND DEFERRALS AND INCLUDE THEM IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND FINANCING PLAN?
Yes. As with any production, the selected filmmaker and his or her producer are responsible for arranging any additional financing required above and beyond that committed by The Create Louisiana French Culture Film Grant. Additional financing may include personal contributions, crowd sourcing and cast or crew deferrals. If you have grants in place, or plan to pursue them, your budget and financing plan should reflect that.

I HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS A SEMI-FINALIST. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Five semi-finalist teams will be selected from stage one. They will each have approximately one week to prepare for stage two. Stage two is a private pitch/interview in front of a panel of entertainment professionals. Of the five semi-finalists, one recipient will be selected and announced at the closing night of the New Orleans French Film Festival.

WHO HAS CREATIVE CONTROL OF THE PROJECT?
Final editorial and creative control rests with the selected recipient team of the award. Create Louisiana, TV5MONDE, New Orleans Film Society and The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities should be kept abreast of developments prior to, during and after production. The disbursement of funds will be contingent on cost reports submitted to and approved by the partners. Create Louisiana, TV5MONDE, New Orleans Film Society, The Louisiana Endowment do reserve the right to screen the final locked film before release. Additionally, a Louisiana premiere screening of the completed film must be at the 2018 New Orleans French Film Festival.

WHAT DOES IN-KIND MEAN?

In-kind consists of those services, goods and/or facilities donated to the project. Examples of in-kind contributions include volunteer time, donated supplies, use of equipment, and donated office space. If you use a loaned camera or editorial system, the in-kind cost is what you would have to pay if you had to rent it. The director or producer’s unpaid time at work on the project can be counted as an in-kind salary. Filmmakers may choose a flat rate for the entire project, or a weekly rate or monthly rate in scale with the rest of the project budget.

The in-kind funds may seem high, but the Create Louisiana reviewers will value projects that detail the contributions and craftiness made by the project team.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

With any other questions please contact Create Louisiana at [email protected]

ABOUT THE PARTNERS

The Create Louisiana initiative is designed to champion the indigenous entertainment talent of Louisiana and support the development of the region’s integral creative industries. Through social media and grants, Create Louisiana will stimulate conversation and mobilize a communication network that shares the stories, information and resources contributing to our state’s vibrant creative economy. Create Louisiana aims to collectively inspire an understanding of the value of Louisianas creative and cultural community and the talented workforce that drives its development.

TV5MONDE is the global French language entertainment network, broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without commercial interruptions. TV5MONDE USA is a premium pay-tv channel reaching 1.5 million viewers in the U.S.. American viewers enjoy a wealth of high quality French language programming, subtitled in English, including a large selection of classic, recent and never-before-seen in the U.S. French language films, around the clock newscasts live from Paris, the latest series and TV dramas, premium documentaries, cultural programs and international sports coverage.  

Deep South Studios is a new full-service motion picture, television and digital media production facility under construction in New Orleans, Louisiana. Conveniently located a mere stone’s throw from the heart of New Orleans’ Central Business District (CBD) and the world-renowned French Quarter. It is the largest design-built independent film and television full-service facility ever constructed in the Southeastern United States. Deep South Studios is the lead sponsor and founding partner of Create Louisiana.

The mission of the New Orleans Film Society is to engage, educate and inspire through the art of film. Founded in 1989, the New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) is the producer of the annual New Orleans Film Festival, which has grown into a major showcase of local, regional, national, and international films. In addition to the annual Film Festival each fall, the NOFS hosts special events throughout the year: the French Film Festival, filmOrama, the New Orleans International Children’s Film Festival, Moonlight Movies, and other events designed to benefit local film audiences, artists, and professionals. Throughout the year, the NOFS reaches approximately 40,000 people through its programming.

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to all Louisianans. The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ mission is to provide all Louisianans with access to and an appreciation of their own rich, shared and diverse historical, literary and cultural heritage through grant-supported outreach programs, family literacy and adult reading initiatives, teacher professional development institutes, publications, film and radio documentaries, museum exhibitions, cultural tourism, public lectures, library projects, and other public humanities programming.

[one_fourth][/one_fourth] [one_fourth][/one_fourth] [one_fourth][/one_fourth] [one_fourth_last][/one_fourth_last]