There are never enough ways to financially support the documentary film industry, and the renowned Ji.hlava IDFF in the Czech Republic has just added a new one to the mix. With the support of Czech entrepreneur Jan Barta, of JB Films, a new fund offers €110,000 to applicants from Central and Eastern Europe. Marek Hovorka, the director of Ji.hlava IDFF, comments in the press release, “The aim of this new initiative is to support distinctive auteur projects with distribution potential. The profits that the films make will then be used to support other documentaries in the making.”

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There are a few specific conditions to be met before applying: a production company may only submit one application, and the cap per project is €40,000. The project needs to be an international co-production and have at least half of the total budget secured. The main production house needs to be registered in one of the 29 countries listed here. Finally, the scheme is available to projects from Belarus and Russia as long as they are not supported by the state institutions of their respective countries.

“A share of the future profit will be assigned to Ji.hlava/JB Films and will subsequently be allocated in full to film projects selected in later calls. The aim is to create a tool that will enable repeated support for new films in the region,” the press release continues.

The deadline for applications is 30 April, and if the grant is given to a film, then that movie is required to offer the Czech premiere to the Ji.hlava IDFF. The festival already offers the following initiatives to support the documentary film industry: Emerging Producers, Ji.hlava New Visions Forum and Market, First Lights Academy and Docu Talents from the East.

The 28th Ji.hlava IDFF will unspool from 25 October-3 November 2024, extending the duration of the event from six to ten days.