Location: Venice, Italy (workshops in person; exhibition at the 2027 Venice International Film Festival)

Award: Up to EUR 75,000 to produce a new immersive project (up to 30 minutes), completed for exhibition at the 2027 Venice International Film Festival. No participation fee. NOTE: participants must cover their own travel to the workshops and events.

Duration: Year-long project-led programme leading to a 2027 Venice Film Festival exhibition

Deadline: 06 Jul 2026

La Biennale di Venezia's Biennale College Cinema - Immersive selects 12 immersive international concepts (of which 2 Italian), up to 30 minutes long, that can be made within a EUR 75,000 budget and completed for exhibition at the 2027 Venice International Film Festival. Projects must be realisable only using immersive technologies. The call is open 12 May to 6 July 2026 (23:59 CEST) to teams of a director and a producer from anywhere in the world, at their first, second or third immersive project. Selected teams sign an agreement with La Biennale and take part in the full project-led programme. ELIGIBILITY: applications welcomed from people in film, gaming, theatre, dance, opera, visual arts and other creative fields; applicants apply in director-and-producer teams. Film-world applicants need experience in short films, documentaries and/or features; those from outside film need a body of work demonstrating understanding of narrative and spatial concerns. No age limit and no participation fee; participants cover their own travel. Those already invited to a previous BCC Immersive workshop cannot reapply. APPLICATION (in English): project concept, full treatment with director and producer statements, a director's vision (mood board/project-book/video), up to two previous works, a total budget up to EUR 75,000, biographies/filmographies, production company profile, a 3-minute joint video presentation, an audience engagement plan, rights disclosure, and a signed director-producer agreement. Contact: college-cinema@labiennale.org.

Open call details

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Location: Remote / worldwide (need not be US-based)

Award: $10,000 to $20,000 per project (3 to 6 projects per year). Application fee: $30 (regular deadline) or $50 (final deadline).

Duration: Project-based grant

Deadline: 07 Jul 2026

SFFILM's Documentary Film Fund supports feature-length documentaries in post-production with compelling stories and an innovative approach to the craft. ELIGIBILITY: applicants 18 or older in a key creative role (director or producer); feature-length documentary (60+ minutes) within roughly three months of completing post-production; need not be US-based. Regular deadline 9 June 2026 ($30 fee); final deadline 7 July 2026 ($50 fee). Distinct from the SFFILM Rainin Grant. Apply via the SFFILM grants portal.

Open call details

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Location: Worldwide applicants; all production must take place in the UK

Award: Production budget of up to GBP 7,000, with full creative control and no producer or external interference. No application fee.

Duration: Per short film project

Deadline: 10 Aug 2026

Short film competition from Day Job Films created to give auteur directors full creative freedom, awarding a production budget of up to GBP 7,000 to make a short film with no producer interference or commercial agenda. Open to animation, live-action and documentary projects. Runs in three rounds: (1) a pitch deck outlining concept, story, key characters and visual style; (2) a full script for those who progress; and (3) an interview to discuss the vision and execution. A panel of industry professionals judges the pitch deck, script and interview, with at least one team member reading each pitch deck and script in full. The winner receives full creative control over the project. ELIGIBILITY: applicants can be from anywhere worldwide, but all production must take place in the UK; applicants must have a producer on board who is separate from the director/writer. Applicants may optionally include a plan for adapting the script into a feature-length film (this does not affect the outcome). Submissions open February 10, 2026 and close August 10, 2026. Enquiries: hello@dayjobfilms.com.

Open call details

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Location: Vermont, USA (in-person fellows) OR remote (online fellows)

Award: Complimentary Seminar registration for both online and in-person tracks. In-person fellows additionally receive lodging and meals for the duration of the Seminar. The Fellowship does NOT cover travel to and from Vermont. NO artist fee, stipend or honorarium.

Duration: Programme runs 7-10 October 2026 (in-person fellows arrive 7 October, depart 11 October); pre-Seminar onboarding in early September; written feedback report due 26 October 2026

Deadline: 09 Jun 2026

The Flaherty's 2026 Fellowship programme for the 71st Flaherty Film Seminar, welcoming 15 in-person fellows in Vermont and 15 online fellows. Of these, 8 in-person and 9 online slots are filled through this open call (the remaining slots are underwritten by academic institutions who select recipients internally). Fellows participate in the full Seminar programme, share their work in Fellows' Screenings and Presentations to Seminar programmers and artists, attend meetings and discussions with featured artists and special guests, and may be asked to facilitate breakout discussions. ELIGIBILITY: active in the field through research, filmmaking or related organisational or project-based work; at least 21 years old; has not received an In-Person Flaherty Seminar Fellowship in the last five years; available for the full duration of the programme. No academic background required. The Flaherty actively encourages applications from BIPOC participants. OBLIGATIONS: pre-Seminar onboarding (virtual) in early September; full attendance through the Seminar 7-10 October 2026; written feedback report due 26 October 2026.

Open call details

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Location: Remote (no in-person attendance required); final showcase at Video Pool's Poolside Gallery in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Equipment/facilities access only for artists based in Winnipeg.

Award: $1,500 artist fee per selected artist (currency not explicitly stated; likely CAD as Video Pool is Winnipeg-based). Artists based in Winnipeg additionally receive access to VP's facilities and equipment (valued at $1,500). Final works added to Video Pool's distribution catalogue and archive.

Duration: Residency period 6 July - 11 September 2026; exhibition September 2026

Deadline: 14 Jun 2026

Video Pool Media Arts Centre's 4th Video Commission Residency, VCR Vol.4 'Attrition', commissioning new experimental single-channel video works (5-20 minutes) responding to the theme of attrition: conditions shaped by sustained contact and duration, in images, materials and environments, where form and meaning change through accumulating processes. Artists are encouraged to consider how images and environments are worn down through use, working with analog or digital processes (or both) to explore feedback systems, compression, copying, translation, repeated handling and similar processes that produce difference with each iteration. ELIGIBILITY: open to artists (no nationality restriction stated). No in-person attendance required during the creation process - effectively remote-friendly.

Open call details

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Location: Worldwide (online platform; submit via app.decentralized.pictures)

Award: $20,000 production grant, plus direct mentorship from Sofia Coppola and guaranteed distribution on DCP+ (Decentralized Pictures' streaming platform for independent creators).

Duration: Per project (one short film)

Deadline: 30 Jun 2026

Inaugural Sofia Coppola Short Film Award run by Decentralized Pictures, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit co-founded by Roman Coppola and members of the American Zoetrope family that uses a community-voting model for film financing. One winner receives a $20,000 production grant, mentorship from Sofia Coppola, and a guaranteed DCP+ distribution slot. Submission window 30 April to 30 June 2026, with possible extension if a minimum submission count is not reached; community review ends 14 days after submissions close, and the recipient is announced ~14 days after that. Application requires a short video sample representing the filmmaker's voice (scene, visual excerpt, or proof of concept) and a one-page project description (synopsis, visual references); pitch video optional but encouraged. $25 submission fee covers moderation and peer review. Open worldwide via account on app.decentralized.pictures.

Open call details

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Location: Worldwide (open to international filmmakers)

Award: Non-recoupable grants. Specific amounts not published for 2026 but historically up to ~$25,000-$50,000 per stage; ~20-25 films funded per year out of ~1,300 proposals.

Duration: Per project (development, production, or post-production stage)

Deadline: 15 Jun 2026

Long-running fund supporting feature documentaries (52+ minutes) on contemporary topics with budgets under $1.2m USD (excluding distribution). Worldwide eligibility but proposals must be in English with budgets in USD; films may be in any language but visual materials must be subtitled in English. Excludes: NGO/advocacy/educational films, branded content, and historical/biographical films unless they show clear contemporary relevance or innovation in form. Submissions accepted year-round but reviewed in four cycles per year; the next concentrated open call window is 18 May to 15 June 2026 with no extensions. Decisions take up to eight months. Worth tracking for any documentary project on AI-enabled surveillance, algorithmic systems, or critical-tech themes that has a cinematic feature treatment (form-driven, not advocacy-driven).

Open call details

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Location: Worldwide (Palestinian filmmakers regardless of country of residence or passport)

Award: €3,000 to €15,000 per project

Duration: Per project

Deadline: Closed 24 May 2026

Fund providing financial and professional support for Palestinian filmmakers worldwide, established by the Palestine Film Institute in May 2025 to ensure Palestinians have the right to tell their own stories. Two submission rounds per year (Autumn opens early September; Spring opens April). Spring 2026 round: applications open 1 April 2026, close 24 May 2026 at 23:59 Palestine time. Decisions within 10 to 12 weeks of the deadline. What is funded: Short films up to 30 minutes at any stage (development, production, post-production) and Feature-length films (longer than 30 minutes) at Development or Post-production stage only (production stage NOT eligible). Eligible forms: fiction, documentary, animation, hybrid, experimental, essay. Projects must be original, artistically serious, and intended for television, cinematic and/or public presentation. The Fund prioritises filmmakers in the most challenging circumstances: based in Palestine, in lower-income countries, and in regions facing barriers to traditional funding. Streamlined application accepted in English and Arabic; selections by a revolving international selection committee.

Open call details

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