Currently 10 active film and video grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Worldwide. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Who Let The Docs Out provides funding across five stages of documentary production: Research (USD 8,000), Development/Sizzle (USD 15,000), Production (USD 50,000), Post-Production (USD 50,000), and Impact Campaign (USD 30,000). Funding is organized into thematic funds such as the Coexistence Documentary Fund and the Automation & Humanity Documentary Fund. There are three funding cycles per year, each with its own application window and the documentary stages it supports. 2026 SPRING CYCLE (Research & Development Grants): applications open 16 February 2026, close 16 March 2026; notification mid-April 2026; required program commitment May-July (monthly virtual sessions). 2026 SUMMER CYCLE (Research, Development & Production Grants): applications open 5 June 2026, close 10 July 2026; notification 15 August 2026; required program commitment September-November (monthly virtual sessions). 2026 AUTUMN CYCLE (Research, Development & Post-Production Grants): applications open 1 October 2026, close 15 November 2026; notification 15 December 2026; required program commitment January-March (monthly virtual sessions). Awarded filmmakers must commit to monthly virtual sessions during their cycle. The deadline shown here is the currently open Summer Cycle close date (10 July 2026); see the funder's site for full eligibility and thematic-fund details, or contact hello@wholethedocsout.org.
Grants from the AXS Film Fund supporting documentary and nonfiction new media creators, particularly those who identify as living with a disability and especially from underserved communities, though applications are welcome from all creators regardless of background. Uses the Nonfiction Core Application led by the IDA and Sundance Institute. PROJECT ELIGIBILITY: feature-length documentary films (45 minutes or longer; experimental nonfiction accepted) or nonfiction new media projects with a film/video component; projects in any stage of production; non-English projects must have English subtitles and the application must be completed in English. INELIGIBLE: fiction projects (including narrative fiction based on a true story); projects where applicants are hired, employed, or commissioned by another entity; incomplete applications or those missing supporting materials; late submissions. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY: 18 or older; not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program; individual applicants (fiscal sponsors permitted); applicant must be the director or producer of the project. SELECTION CRITERIA: strength of proposal and artistic approach; feasibility; ethics and accountability; completeness; and meeting eligibility requirements. ACCESSIBILITY: alternative application methods available (email filmfund@axslab.org by 24 July 2026); an Application Assistance Stipend is offered for 2026 to allow applicants to hire an application assistant, available first-come, first-served (not guaranteed). TIMELINE: open call opens 1 June 2026 (12:00 AM EST); deadline 31 July 2026 (11:59 PM EST). Apply via SurveyMonkey Apply.
The Doha Film Festival (Doha Film Institute), running 19-27 November 2026, is accepting submissions, which are open for SHORT FILMS ONLY (feature films are selected by invitation only). Submittable competitions: the International Short Film Competition (new, daring short-form work, all genres, maximum 20 minutes, MENA premiere required) and the Ajyal Film Competition short-film category (youth-focused films, maximum 20 minutes, Middle East premiere excluding North Africa, curated with a jury of young people aged 16-25). The Made in Qatar section is open to narrative and documentary short films connected to Qatar (Qatari national or resident writer/director/producer, majority shot in Qatar, or storyline centred on Qatar), requiring Qatar premiere status. The International Feature Film Competition (documentary and narrative, 60+ minutes, MENA premiere) is by invitation only and does not accept submissions. All non-English-language works must have English subtitles and a time-coded English dialogue list; as Qatar is bilingual, films must be accessible in Arabic and English (the Festival can provide Arabic subtitles). KEY DATES: short-film submissions open 10 May 2026; deadline for International Short and Ajyal Short Competitions is 1 August 2026; Made in Qatar deadline is 1 September 2026; invited filmmakers notified by 1 October 2026. No entry fee. Submit via the entry form with a private (password-protected) link to the film. Enquiries: entries@dohafilm.com.
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.
Annual grants from the Altercine Foundation (Montreal) to support the production of a documentary project, awarding roughly CAD 10,000 and CAD 5,000 each year. ELIGIBILITY: the grant is aimed at filmmakers BORN AND LIVING IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH (Africa, Asia or Latin America) who want to direct a documentary in the language of their choice that respects the Foundation's aims. APPLICATION (in French, English or Spanish): an application form, a synopsis (max 5 pages) covering content, characters, theme, treatment and style, a Vimeo link to a previous completed documentary (subtitled/versioned in FR/EN/ES, or with a transcript) plus supporting visual material, a detailed production budget and financing plan including the grant, and ideally two support letters. Submit all documents as a single PDF (max 5MB) by email to altercine@videotron.ca. Deadline 15 August each year; decisions communicated before 31 December.