Investment & Support

QUEENSLAND-PRODUCED SERIES & FILMS

With a focus on supporting Queensland producers and/or key creatives, our Screen Finance Fund is for screen stories seeking finance so they may head into production.

Applications for films/series of $100,000 or less (as production grants) can be submitted anytime. Submissions for projects seeking more than $100,000 (as production investments) must coincide with board dates, listed HERE.


GUIDELINES
WHAT CAN THE FUND COVER?

This fund provides finance towards the production of screen stories for films and series.

The rights-holding producer must apply to this program and all projects must have a Queensland producer or line producer attached.

HOW MUCH CAN I APPLY FOR?
  • Up to $850,000 for other screen stories, in the context of
    • Size of the audience
    • Overall budget
    • Spend in Queensland (as a guide your ask should be no more than 10% of state spend for a commercial project)
    • Other financing partners and their commitment

Note: Applications of $100,000 or less are given as a non-recoupable grant.  Applications greater than $100,000 are provided as an equity investment that is 100% recoupable with Screen Queensland requiring a 1% share of copyright.

WHO CAN APPLY?

The Screen Finance fund is open to anyone who:

  • Can provide the required detail/documents for the program they are applying for – more information can be found on each of the program pages
  • Owns the rights to the story they are telling
  • Has read and complies with our Terms of Trade

Anyone applying for Screen Finance (Film/Series) must also:

  • Be an Australian resident working with someone in a key creative role (Writer, Director, Producer) who lives and works in Queensland
  • Have a Producer or Line Producer who is a Queensland resident

It is important that your team of key creatives authentically represent the story and characters in your application. If your story includes content or characters from an under-represented background, e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; culturally and linguistically diverse people; people with a disability; female; LGBTQIA+ people, then at least one of the three key creative roles (writer, director, producer) must be held by a person who is representative of that diversity.

If this project is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander story, some or all intellectual property must be owned by members of this community and at least two of the three key creative roles must be held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent. If the producer role is not held by an Indigenous person then an early career Indigenous producer attachment must be brought onto the project.

If you are unsure about what this means for your project, please contact Screen Queensland 07 3248 0500 or content@screenqld.com.au

Please note: Projects unsuccessful twice in a funding program are no longer eligible for further applications to that program

HOW DO I PREPARE MY APPLICATION?

Finance applications for film or series for under $100k can be submitted at any time. Applications for film or series for more than $100k need to be submitted in line with Screen Queensland’s board cut off dates.

Film/series application checklist

Your proposal will need to include:

  • Creative materials including logline, one-pager, scripts
  • Project plan (incl. proposed schedule/timeline, director’s vision, benefits to Queensland)
  • Audience plan (incl. competition)
  • Confirmation of all market, cast and key attachments
  • Finance plan, commercial plan and recoupment structure
  • A-Z Budget including a column for Queensland Production Expenditure (QPE). Use the template available at the Screen Australia document library. (A locked PDF will not be accepted)
  • Team – CVs and bios of the key creatives involved in your project, director showreel

Legalities – things you must have:

  • Rights to the story – clear chain of title
  • Option agreement and/or the approval of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owners of the story
  • Writers/key creative agreement
  • Supporting documents for the finance plan incl. Provisional certificate for projects applying for the Producer Offset, completion guarantee etc
WHAT IS SCREEN QUEENSLAND LOOKING FOR?

Your proposal will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • Is it a good story?
  • Is it well-told and likely to excite an audience?
  • Does the team have a clear idea of who their audience is and how to reach them?
  • Is the budget appropriate for the kind of project and the size of the audience it will reach?
  • Does the team have a good reputation for delivering what it says it will and the skills to make this happen?
  • How will this impact the careers of Queensland talent and the state screen sector more broadly?

APPLICATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Submission of an application constitutes acceptance of these Guidelines and the application terms and conditions.

Your information will be used in accordance with Screen Queensland’s Privacy Policy which you hereby agree to by submitting this application.

Applicants must notify Screen Queensland in writing if they have an actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest in applying for the Funding and, if so, the manner in which they propose to deal with the conflict.

The applicant retains all intellectual property rights in its submission. The applicant grants an irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty and fee free licence to the Screen Queensland to use, adapt and modify its intellectual property rights in its submission for the purposes of Screen Queensland analysing and evaluating the applicant’s submission.

Screen Queensland’s liability in relation to the application process is limited to $1.

Screen Queensland reserves the right to change any element of the Funding, these Guidelines or the application process at any time and in its absolute discretion.

WHO CAN I CONTACT AT SCREEN QUEENSLAND?

Screen Queensland are keen to help you submit the best application you possibly can, so please feel free to call or email us should be need assistance.

Call us on 07 3248 0500 or email content@screenqld.com.au

IMPORTANT: DOCUMENTS TO READ BEFORE YOU APPLY
THE EVERYONE PROJECT

As a member of the Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network (SDIN), Screen Queensland uses The Everyone Project to benchmark and track the diversity of the Australian screen industry. 

The Everyone Project is an easy-to-use survey and reporting tool that invites people working on current projects to self-identify on a set of characteristics to help us benchmark and track the impact of work to diversify the talent and crews working in the screen industry.

Productions supported through Screen Queensland must register with The Everyone Project and, with appropriate consent, provide their cast and crew’s names, roles and contact details so that they may be invited to participate in voluntary, de-identified demographic surveys. 

Learn more about The Everyone Project.