Narrative Content Short Film Production

Applicants and projects must meet Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, any general eligibility or other requirements listed on the agency’s website (see Information for Applicants and Information for Recipients), as well as the specific eligibility criteria set out in these guidelines.

Specific requirements apply to projects which involve First Nations community participation or content.

Specific requirements may apply to projects which involve participation or content with the following communities: d/Deaf, disabled, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQIA+, or those from other under-represented groups.

This program is open to companies and individuals (either alone or as part of a team of co-applicants including director, writer, producer and where applicable, animator). To be eligible:

• an applicant company must be an incorporated company carrying on business in Australia, with its central management and control in Australia.
• an individual applicant or the team of individual co-applicants must be Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents (holding a permanent visa).

Applicants must also:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN).
• control the rights necessary to carry out the project, meaning that they must have clear chain of title and must generally be party to any underlying rights agreements;
• be registered for the purposes of GST if required by law.

Screen Australia will accept applications from individuals (sole traders) applying on behalf of a team consisting of director, writer, producer, and where applicable, animator.

The following types of entities are not eligible to apply to this program:

• Commonwealth, state, territory or local government agencies or bodies
• organisations or individuals that are excluded pursuant to the Information for Applicants.

For full eligibility information, please refer to the attached guidelines.

Applicants are required to provide information on or upload the following supporting materials with their application form:

• Draft Script for a live action, animated or live action/animated hybrid project (no longer than 15 pages)
• Production budget using the Screen Australia A-Z template
• Project and Production Schedule including Shooting Schedule and Post-Production Schedules, and any other documentation detailing the project’s proposed production methodology or pathway
• Director and/or Animation Lookbook with vision statement (no longer than 10 pages)
• Finance Plan, listing all sources of financing for the project (which may include, equity, private investment, grant funding from other sources, sponsorship, post production house investments)
• Diversity, equity and inclusion plan, where there is participation or content from the following communities: including d/Deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQIA+ or other under-represented groups.

For full details on the application process, including required materials, please refer to the attached guidelines.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Story (25%)
  • ​Is the story strong, distinctive and entertaining and does it demonstrate storytelling craft?
  • Does the story contribute to a depth and diversity of Australian stories?
  • Is the story suited to short film?
  • Is the story production ready?
• Talent and Team (25%)
  • Is there evidence of the talent’s creative potential and/or previous experience and are they positioned to execute the vision at its budget level?​
  • Does the project have the potential to leverage and extend the career of the talent and team?
  • Does the talent and team have authentic connection and/or cultural authorship to the content of the story, character and world they are representing?
• Audience and Budgets (25%)
  • Does the project have the potential to resonate significantly with Australian and/or global audiences?
  • Will the story have impact for audiences and/or reflect the depth and diversity of people and experiences from around Australia?
  • Can the project be successfully realised for its budget and methodology?
• Director’s vision (25%)
  • Is the director’s vision clear and compelling?
  • Is the director’s vision realisable?

Other factors may be considered including the:

• availability of funds;
• range of projects in receipt of funding from Screen Australia inclusive of a project’s budget, intended audience, genre, themes;
• range of applicants in receipt of funding from Screen Australia inclusive of applicant, company and geographic diversity;
• extent to which a project is likely to effectively amplify equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.