Deadline: 25 Jun 2024
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The Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund supports feature-length documentary films that reflect the spirit and nature of Pare Lorentz’s work, exhibiting objective research, artful storytelling, strong visual style, artistic writing, and outstanding music composition, as well as skillful direction, camerawork, and editing.
The Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund began in 2011, making it the International Documentary Association’s oldest fund, and has granted $1,285,000 to 69 projects. Starting in 2023, the Fund began accepting Immersive Nonfiction projects as part of the Pare Lorentz slate. Now, the Fund accepts applications from all over the world.
The fund provides production and post-production grants to be used in the creation of original, independent documentary films that illuminate urgent issues. Noteworthy Pare Lorentz grantees include Black Mothers, Not Going Quietly, Hummingbirds, After Sherman, and Crip Camp. A complete list of Pare Lorentz grantees can be found in the Grantee Database.
Projects must focus on one or more of Pare Lorentz’s central concerns—environmental issues, justice for all, or the illumination of pressing social problems. The 2024 theme is Gender Justice and will be part of the IDA open call in May.
Funding Information
- They will select three projects, and each will be awarded a grant of $25,000 USD.
- The official grant period of concentrated support is one year from the date of the grant award. Filmmakers are strongly encouraged to use their grant funds within that first year. The project will continue to receive bespoke IDA support after the first granting year until the film is complete. The team is expected to send an annual report and updated budget until the project is complete.
Supported Activities
- Eligible projects will be in the production stage, having completed the bulk of research and development but still having substantial production or post-production-related work and expenses remaining. Grant funds may be used for production and post-production related expenses incurred during the period of support.
- Expenses may include line items such as principal photography, travel, equipment purchase or rental, insurance, rights and clearances, editing, and crew salaries. The fund does not support expenses related to fundraising, distribution, publicity, marketing, or outreach.
- Both 2-D and Immersive Nonfiction visual projects are eligible to apply for the Pare Lorentz grant.
Project Eligibility
- The project must address the theme of Gender Justice.
- The film budget must not exceed $700,000 USD.
- The project must focus on one of Pare Lorentz’s central concerns—environmental issues, justice for all, or the illumination of pressing social problems.
- The project must be in production or post-production, having completed the bulk of research and development but still having substantial production and post-production-related work and expenses remaining.
- Access to major film participants must be secured.
- The film must be intended to reach a large and broad audience. A broadcast or distribution commitment is not required.
- Stories must be original, relevant to contemporary audiences, and of an urgent or critically important nature. Purely historical films will only be considered if they have a significant contemporary component or narrative.
- Not eligible to apply: Biographies, branded content, student films, completed films, films that are purely historical, and short documentaries (under 40 minutes finished run time).
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicant must be the director and/or a producer who shares creative and editorial oversight of the project.
- The applicant must be 18 years of age or older.
- The applicant must be an independent filmmaker working on an original project. For the purposes of this grant, IDA defines an independent filmmaker as a content creator who both owns the copyright of his or her work and has full artistic, budgetary, and editorial control of the documentary project. Documentaries being produced for or under the direction of a third party, such as a broadcast entity, university, foundation or nonprofit organization are ineligible.
- Applicants can apply from anywhere in the world. The applicant is not required to have nonprofit status or fiscal sponsorship at the time of application.
- If you do not have a U.S.-based crew member who can accept funds on behalf of the project, then if awarded the project will need to have a Fiscal Sponsor.
- At least one director and/or producer on the project must have directed and/or produced a minimum of one feature-length film (40 minutes or longer).
- If applying with an immersive project, please provide samples of your past projects. You will be able to upload a deck, as well, in case your work can’t be shared on a link.
- The applicant is not required to be a member of IDA.
- The proposal must include an online work sample of 10-15 minutes in length. Rough cuts will not be reviewed. If you submit a sample longer than 15 minutes, only the first 15 minutes will be reviewed, unless you note which 15 minutes the reviewers should watch. Add that note to your work sample description.
- Work samples shorter than 10 minutes will not be considered. This 10-minute minimum does not apply to immersive projects.
