This guide contains information about international film funds and industry events to which you can submit your film project. Funds and markets in Europe or the USA, which require most producers to be from their respective countries, are not listed, nor are Arab national funds or industry platforms open for nationals only.

In addition to public and private film funds, some festivals have established markets and industry platforms that network and award different grants. The same is true for labs. These platforms and labs with a regional focus relevant to Arab countries are listed in this guide. 

Only funds, markets, and labs accessible through an open call are in this guide. Film investors who do not have a call or provide specified information on their websites are not registered here, nor are labs asking for participation fees. 

Submissions to funds are highly competitive. Most funds cannot support more than 3-4% of the applications received. In rare cases, 10% of submissions have a chance. An increase in projects does not necessarily mean increasing money to realize them. Applications that are incomplete or don’t meet the requirements are usually declined.

Your application might also be declined if you are friends with the fund’s staff. Often, applications are made too early. You might have a great idea, but it may be better to wait for the next application round if your project is not ripe enough to be understood by others, especially since resubmission is possible only in very rare and exceptional cases. On its website, the Sundance Documentary Fund states it can support 40 to 60 documentaries annually – out of about 2.000 submissions. Put yourself in the shoes of those who have to read at least part of those applications: be clear, be ready, be to the point, and show that you know what you are doing and can make the film you are currently working on.


Limitations of this guide

This guide contains only funds and markets with open calls. It is becoming increasingly unlikely to finance the production of a film through funds alone, though. The platforms and labs listed here and the in-kind awards they grant (e.g., subtitling at a specific studio, sound mix at another specific studio) already indicate that film production resembles a jigsaw. More and more political and social foundations or institutions co-finance films that support their respective mandates, which is mainly the case with regard to documentaries and short films. Impact films is the most common term for such films.
When it comes to feature fiction films; private investors have offered support more openly and more often in the past ten years. Some of them visit film festivals to look for projects. To get an idea about these additional ways of raising money, it is advisable that you read film credits carefully and google the names of those appearing as co-producers or associate producers. Reading interviews with producers and investors in industry magazines would also be useful.