Open calls for
independent makers
- Verified grants, residencies, labs, and festivals
- Filter by discipline, stage, format, and eligibility
- Fresh data: automated discovery, community tips, human verification
- Deadline reminders, not FOMO
- Global reach, with a focus on programs open to Ukrainians
121 open right now · no login
Get reminders, not FOMO
We email you (1) when a new opportunity matches these filters, and (2) about a week before each deadline. Currently 121 programs match.
Watching: directors
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deadlinelab31 Jul
ScripTeast
ScripTeast (with Creative Europe MEDIA support)
- development
31 JulApply ↗ScripTeast (with Creative Europe MEDIA support) · Poland, Berlin (during Berlinale), Cannes (during Festival de Cannes) · lab · highly competitive
Verified May 2026
How we keep this listing trustworthy:
Link Application link re-checked daily — last checked 42 days ago, and it's live.
Content This entry was hand-curated from the official page and is awaiting its first automated re-verification.
- Funding
- Free for selected (workshops, travel, accommodation typically covered). ScripTeast Award for Best CEE Script: EUR 10,000 prize at Cannes.
- Fee
- FREE
- Stages
-
- development
- Format
- feature fiction
- Language
- English
- Eligibility
- Central and Eastern European screenwriters only. Includes Ukraine alongside Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.
- Pattern
- Annual deadline 31 July
10-12 feature scripts selected per edition. Particularly relevant for Ukrainian directors who write their own scripts.
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deadlinefestival open call31 Jul
Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw Film Foundation
- distribution
31 JulApply ↗Warsaw Film Foundation · Warsaw, Poland · festival open call · highly competitive
Verified May 2026
How we keep this listing trustworthy:
Link Application link re-checked daily — last checked 42 days ago, and it's live.
Content This entry was hand-curated from the official page and is awaiting its first automated re-verification.
- Funding
- Selection + visibility; section prizes per edition. FIAPF Category A festival.
- Fee
- EUR 35 FEATURES / EUR 25 SHORTS (EARLY TO 15 MAY); EUR 55/35 (16 MAY-15 JUL); EUR 75/50 (16-31 JUL)
- Stages
-
- distribution
- Format
- feature fiction · feature documentary · short fiction · short documentary
- Language
- Polish, English
- Eligibility
- Films with first public screening on or after 1 January 2026 for competitive sections, with no prior public/online release in Poland (TV/internet/festival). Open internationally.
- Pattern
- Annual; submission window 2026-04-01 to 2026-07-31
FIAPF A-category festival (same tier as Cannes/Berlin/Venice/Karlovy Vary). Warsaw Industry Days runs alongside.
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deadlinefestival open call01 Aug
Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival
Molodist
- distribution
01 AugApply ↗Molodist · Kyiv, Ukraine · festival open call · competitive
Verified May 2026
How we keep this listing trustworthy:
Link Application link re-checked daily — last checked 42 days ago, and it's live.
Content This entry was hand-curated from the official page and is awaiting its first automated re-verification.
- Funding
- —
- Fee
- FREE
- Stages
-
- distribution
- Format
- short fiction · short documentary · feature fiction · feature documentary · animation
- Language
- Ukrainian / English
- Eligibility
- International. Films screened in Ukraine prior to the festival are ineligible. Films must be produced after 2026-01-01.
- Pattern
- Annual
Specifically focused on emerging directors - student films, debut shorts, debut features. Only FIAPF-accredited festival in Ukraine.
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deadlinelab01 Aug
IDFAcademy
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
- development
- production
- post production
01 AugApply ↗International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) · Amsterdam, Netherlands · lab · competitive
Verified May 2026
How we keep this listing trustworthy:
Link Application link re-checked daily — last checked 42 days ago, and it's live.
Content This entry was hand-curated from the official page and is awaiting its first automated re-verification.
- Funding
- No cash grant; the program is the value (filmmaker talks, roundtables, case studies, networking with IDFA industry guests)
- Fee
- EUR 250 (EXCLUDING 9% VAT); UKRAINE IS ON IDFA'S OFFICIAL FEE-WAIVER COUNTRY LIST (PROMO CODE CD25)
- Stages
-
- development
- production
- post production
- Format
- feature documentary
- Language
- English
- Eligibility
- Directors and producers working on their 1st or 2nd feature documentary who have proven their talent nationally and want to expand internationally. Open globally - no geographic restriction. Film students ineligible (PhD candidates OK); previous attendees cannot reapply.
- Pattern
- Annual (applications open 1 June)
Four-day intensive (12-15 November 2026) during IDFA. Pass does not cover travel or accommodation. ~100 international filmmakers selected from a large pool by IDFA-staff committee.
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deadlinefestival open call01 Aug
Doha Film Festival - International Short Film Competition
Doha Film Institute
- distribution
01 AugApply ↗Doha Film Institute · Doha, Qatar · festival open call · highly competitive
Verified May 2026
How we keep this listing trustworthy:
Link Application link re-checked daily — last checked 42 days ago, and it's live.
Content This entry was hand-curated from the official page and is awaiting its first automated re-verification.
- Funding
- Award (International Short Film Competition; ~USD 20,000 per Spike Johnson / Threads tip - amount not confirmed on official page).
- Fee
- FREE
- Stages
-
- distribution
- Format
- short fiction · short documentary
- Language
- English
- Eligibility
- International, all genres. Original short films with a clear creative vision - narrative, documentary and experimental works. Must comply with the Festival's Rules and Regulations.
- Pattern
- 2026 submissions opened 2026-05-10; deadline 2026-08-01. Festival runs 2026-11-19 to 2026-11-27.
Surfaced via Alina's lead source (Spike Johnson on Threads). Discovered via social tip; verified against official DFI submissions page. Submission portal - https://www.dohafilm.com/en/form/dff-film-info/application. Distinct from the existing doha-film-institute-grants entry (that is the Grants Programme).
