IBF Europe

• The project should be a creative documentary with a minimum length of 60 minutes.
• The project should have a director (or directors) with a nationality from a country in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania, that is mentioned on the IBF Europe list of Eligible Countries (page 2) and who preferably lives and works in a listed country.
• The IBF Europe category is also open to filmmakers originating and born in one of the eligible countries and now living in diaspora. In this case, the director cannot be a partner or owner of the applicant co-production company in Europe.
• The project should be (primarily) shot in one of the eligible countries.
• The project should be finalized (final version including soundmix, online mix and final credits) at the latest in December 2027. The production timeline and financing strategy should indicate that the audit will be finalized before the 1st of March 2028. For more information on Contracts and Assessment download this PDF.

• The applicant should be a minority producer in the project and should be an audiovisual entity established in one of the European countries participating in the Creative Europe MEDIA programme (see List of eligible countries page 3) and owned—either directly or by majority participation—by nationals from such countries.
• The applicant should have demonstrable experience in film production and/or co-production.

• The project should be produced with a minimum of two co-production countries: (at least) one co-production company from a country participating in the Creative Europe MEDIA programme (the applicant) and (at least) one co-production company from a country as defined on page 2 of the IBF Europe list of Eligible Countries. 
• The share of the applicant co-producer from a country participating in the Creative Europe MEDIA programme must amount to a minimum of 20% and must be a minority share in the co-production structure. A division of 50%-50% is allowed.
• If more co-producers coming from countries participating in the Creative Europe MEDIA programme are attached to the project, their share together cannot exceed 70%. Please note that the division of shares is not necessarily defined in monetary terms.
• The co-production structure should be reflected in a co-production agreement. For the application process and until selection, a memo-deal may be accepted. Within 3 months after selection, a long-form co-production agreement should be in place. 
• The co-production agreement or memo-deal needs to contain detailed provisions on the following aspects:

  • Clear indication of the participation of each co-producer in the financing of the project;
  • Joint ownership of all the rights;
  • Sharing of the revenues between all co-producers (exclusive and/or shared territories); taking into account that the share division should show that the applicant co-producer is a minority co-producer in the project;
  • Definition of the total budget, spending requirements and the event of over-budget;
  • Reference to the treaties applicable.

• The total budget (development, production, and post-production) of the project should not exceed €600,000 and should reflect the applicant’s expenditure on a creative element in a country participating in the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. 
• From the IBF Europe grant, a minimum of 15% should be spent in a country participating in the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. The expenditure should demonstrate the applicant co-producer's artistic involvement in the project and can be spent on eligible costs (see below) in the production or post-production process. The producer’s fee is not part of this expenditure.
• Eligible costs for production and post-production include key crew, travel and accommodation, equipment, archive, editor/editing system, color correction, sound mixing, screening copies, mastering, subtitling, deliverables, distribution consultancy, and external auditor. Only costs made after the date of application are eligible.
• The producer’s fee of the applicant is limited to a maximum of 7.5% of the total awarded grant. The total overhead costs of the applicant cannot exceed 10% of the awarded grant, including the producer’s fee.
• Costs for an external auditor should be included in the budget. The financial report for the IDFA Bertha Fund should include the official approval of an external auditor on the expenses made.
• The IBF Europe grant cannot be combined with funding from the following similar international co-production schemes funded by Creative Europe:

  • Berlinale:  WCF Europe Programme
  • Torino Film Lab:  Co-production Fund
  • IFFR:  HBF+Europe
• When a project is selected, 50% of the financing should be in place within three months after selection. 

• Check if you meet all the above-mentioned eligibility requirements. 
• Complete an entry form here. The entry form includes: 

  • Basic details of the project
  • List of crew members 
  • Logline (max. 50 words) 
  • Synopsis (max. 400 words) 
  • Project description (max. 2000 words) which should include: the story structure, character description, and artistic approach
  • Topic summary or motivation (max. 1000 words)
  • Biography and filmography of the director(s)
  • Biography and filmography of all producers and production companies attached to the project, including an overview of the applicant producer's co-producing experience
  • Link to audiovisual material
  • Paragraph from the applicant producer explaining their involvement in the project
  • Paragraph explaining the co-production structure, which should be reflected in the co-production agreement or memo-deal
  • Distribution strategy
  • Production schedule
• Upload the following documents in your entry form:

  • A complete production budget and finance plan, indicating the status of other funding sources; this template Excel sheet is also available in the entry form.
  • A signed co-production agreement.
  • An extract of registration (no older than six months), clearly indicating the applicant's company's name, the address of its head office, its year of establishment, and ownership.
• Enter audiovisual material of the project with a 10-20-minute excerpt of an edit or rough cut. If there's a rough cut in place, it is recommended to send an edited sequence with a length of 20 minutes. 

  • The audiovisual material should be posted on Vimeo or YouTube. The link can be included in the entry form.
  • The video must be in English or have English subtitles.
  • All videos must remain online for at least three months following the deadline.

All steps must be completed by the day of the deadline (23:59 in the time zone of the applicant).

All entries will be evaluated by a selection committee within 3 months after the deadline. A maximum of 5-6 projects can be supported each year/round.

For more information on the selection procedure, assessments and contracts, see this PDF.