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Deadlines · next 8 months ≤14d ≤30d ≤90d later
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Sundance Documentary Fund deadline Jun 15 MIDPOINT Shorts deadline Jun 15 San Sebastian International Film Festival - Official Selection deadline Jun 16 Light Work — Artist-in-Residence Program deadline Jul 1 IDFA - International Documentary Festival Amsterdam deadline Jul 9 ScripTeast deadline Jul 31 Warsaw International Film Festival deadline Jul 31 Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival deadline Aug 1 IDFAcademy deadline Aug 1 Doha Film Festival - International Short Film Competition deadline Aug 1 Lucie Foundation — Scholarships deadline Sep 1 MacDowell Fellowship deadline Sep 10 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) deadline Sep 15 Creative Europe MEDIA - European Mini-Slate Development deadline Sep 17 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - International Competition deadline Sep 24 Göteborg Film Festival deadline Oct 15 Visegrad Artist Residency Program (VARP) deadline Oct 15 Eureka Series deadline Nov 2 CPH:DOX International Documentary Film Festival deadline Nov 3 Visions du Réel - Nyon International Film Festival deadline Dec 15 Yaddo Residency deadline Dec 20 Nipkow Programm (Berlin Film Residency) deadline Jan 5
22 on the runway ·70 TBD
  1. deadline
    15 Jun
    grant

    Sundance Documentary Fund

    Sundance Institute

    • development
    • production
    • post production
    15 Jun

    Sundance Institute · Online (Sundance Institute, USA) · grant · a list

    Apply ↗
    Funding
    Development grants USD 25,000-40,000; Production/Post-production grants USD 50,000-100,000
    Fee
    FREE
    Stages
    • development
    • production
    • post production
    Format
    feature documentary
    Language
    English
    Eligibility
    Global fund open to independent documentary filmmakers worldwide. Supports feature-length documentaries (52+ minutes), with project budgets prioritized under USD 1.2M. Proposals, budgets and visual materials must be in English.
    Pattern
    Annual; opens 18 May 2026, closes 15 June 2026 at 3:30 PM PDT

    A-list opportunity that explicitly welcomes non-US filmmakers. Branded content, NGO/advocacy and educational films are ineligible; historical/biographical work needs clear contemporary relevance.

    Apply at sundance.org →
  2. deadline
    15 Jun
    lab

    MIDPOINT Shorts

    MIDPOINT Institute

    • development
    15 Jun

    MIDPOINT Institute · Brno, Czech Republic (Workshop 1) + Trieste, Italy (Workshop 2); online consultations · lab · moderate

    Apply ↗
    Funding
    No cash grant; the lab itself is the support
    Fee
    EUR 50 PER PROJECT FOR ONLINE FEEDBACK; EUR 1,000 PER PARTICIPANT FOR WORKSHOPS 1+2 (INCLUDES ACCOMMODATION IN 2 ROOMS PER TEAM, BOARD, TUITION)
    Stages
    • development
    Format
    short fiction
    Language
    English
    Eligibility
    Live-action fiction short film projects (7-25 minutes recommended) from teams of 2-3 people including writer, director, and producer roles. Open to projects from all around the world; Ukraine explicitly eligible.
    Pattern
    Annual

    Two residential workshops (October 2026 Brno, January 2027 Trieste) bracketed by online feedback in July 2026 and consultations in December. Accommodation and board included in fee - travel not covered.

    Apply at midpoint-institute.eu →
  3. deadline
    16 Jun
    festival open call

    San Sebastian International Film Festival - Official Selection

    San Sebastian International Film Festival

    • distribution
    16 Jun

    San Sebastian International Film Festival · Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain · festival open call · highly competitive

    Apply ↗
    Funding
    Selection + visibility; cash prizes via festival awards (Golden Shell EUR 50,000 retrospectively to recent winners; verify per edition).
    Fee
    FREE FOR GENERAL COMPETITION (NOT SPECIFIED ON CALL PAGE)
    Stages
    • distribution
    Format
    feature fiction · feature documentary · short fiction · short documentary
    Language
    Spanish, English
    Eligibility
    Open call for Official Selection, New Directors, Horizontes Latinos, Zabaltegi-Tabakalera, Perlak, Nest, Culinary Zinema, Klasikoak, Eusko Label, Loteras Short Films. Open internationally.
    Pattern
    Annual (call window 16 January - 16 June)

    Top Spanish-language A-list-adjacent festival, FIAPF category. Strong launch pad for European auteur work.

    Apply at sansebastianfestival.com →
  4. deadline
    01 Jul
    residency photography

    Light Work — Artist-in-Residence Program

    Light Work

    • development
    • production
    01 Jul

    Light Work · Syracuse, New York, USA · residency · highly competitive

    Apply ↗
    Funding
    USD 7,500 stipend, furnished apartment, 24-hour facility access, publication in Contact Sheet annual.
    Fee
    FREE
    Stages
    • development
    • production
    Language
    English
    Eligibility
    Open to all artists working in photography or image-based media, from any country.
    Pattern
    Annual. 2027-cycle applications open through 2026-07-01; notifications by December.

    12-15 month-long residencies per year; commissioned essay per resident. Light Work also runs the Light Work Grants in Photography (USD 3,000) and a JGS-style fellowship.

    Apply at lightwork.org →
  5. deadline
    09 Jul
    festival open call

    IDFA - International Documentary Festival Amsterdam

    Stichting IDFA

    • distribution
    09 Jul

    Stichting IDFA · Amsterdam, Netherlands · festival open call · a list

    Apply ↗
    Funding
    —
    Fee
    TIERED. EARLY (2026-04-23): EUR 25 STUDENT/SHORT, EUR 45 FEATURE. SECOND (2026-05-28): EUR 25/EUR 40/EUR 65. FINAL (2026-07-09): EUR 25/EUR 50/EUR 85.
    Stages
    • distribution
    Format
    feature documentary · short documentary · vr xr · hybrid
    Language
    English
    Eligibility
    International. Films completed after 2025-07-10 eligible for IDFA 2026.
    Pattern
    Final deadline 2026-07-09; screeners due 2026-07-16

    World's most prestigious documentary festival. IDFA DocLab (XR/new media) sidebar has its own selection process.

    Apply at idfa.nl →
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