Film Funding

Avant Group’s film funding department works with Australian production houses and filmmakers to gain funding and loans to help produce and distribute locally made productions to the world.

There are a number of funding programs available, with the majority funded by Screen Australia.

Below is an outline of the key funding opportunities based on production type e.g. feature film, documentary etc.

If you believe your production may be eligible, contact our team for an obligation-free eligibility assessment.

• Guarranteed Funding
• Competitive Funding
• Export Funding – EMDG
• Film Funding Programs by State

GUARANTEED FUNDING

Producer Offset: The Producer Offset is a refundable tax offset/rebate for producers of Australian feature films, television and other projects.

It is worth 40% of the QAPE* incurred in the making of a feature film or 20% of the QAPE* incurred for other eligible formats such as television series, animation series, online content or documentaries.

*QAPE = Qualifying Australian Production Expenditure. QAPE is a subset of production expenditure and provides the basis of the Producer Offset, since the amount of the refund is a fixed percentage i.e. 20% or 40% of QAPE on a certified project. It’s defined as the company’s production expenditure that is incurred.

COMPETITIVE FUNDING

FEATURE FILM FUNDING

If you are developing an Australian Feature Film there are a number of funding opportunities to you during the development, production and distribution stage.

The major grants available for filmmakers during the development stage are Generate and Premium. Generate helps to fund lower budget series or one-off long drama projects from new/emerging creators, with no cap on funding.

Premium is similar to Generate as there is no cap on funding, but will fund higher budget series from content creators with a significant track record of producing commercially successful/critically acclaimed projects.

For post-production stages, the major grant opportunity is the Production & Completion/Post-Production Funding grant, which provides up to $2 million for production funding and up to $250,000 for completion funding.

Key funding to expand your film internationally include the International Marketing Support – Festivals and Awards funding, which can provide up to $20,000 for feature films and up to $10,000 for short films. If you are marketing your film into international markets, you may be able to claim the cost back on some of those marketing activities with the Export Market Development, which offers up to $150,000 annually.

TELEVISION & ONLINE FUNDING

Australian film producers creating productions for television and online mediums are eligible to apply for a number of funding programs.

For the development stage Generate and Premium are available. Generate helps to fund lower budget series or one-off long drama projects from new/emerging creators, with no cap on funding.

Premium is similar to Generate as there is no cap on funding, but will fund higher budget series from content creators with a significant track record of producing commercially successful/critically acclaimed projects.

If your project is at the production stage, the key grants to be across are the General TV & Subscription VOD program, which provides up to $2 million to produce general drama in any broadcast form. Up to $500,000 is available for online productions.

Key funding opportunities to expand your production internationally include the International Marketing Support – Festivals and Awards funding, which can provide up to $20,000 for feature films and up to $10,000 for short films. If you are marketing your work into international markets, you may be able to claim the cost back on some of those marketing activities with the Export Market Development Grant, which offers up to $150,000 annually.

DOCUMENTARY FUNDING

There are a number of funding programs specifically for documentary producers. The key programs to be aware of are the Documentary Development program, which offers up to $30,000 for the development of one-off or series documentaries.

There are also a number of programs available for the production stage of documentary production. The main ones include the Producer Program up to $750,000, the Commission Program up to $1 million and the Producer Equity Program up to $100,000.

Key funding to expand your film internationally include the International Marketing Support – Festivals and Awards funding, which can provide up to $20,000 for feature films and up to $10,000 for short films.

If you are marketing your film into international markets, you may be able to claim the cost back on some of those marketing activities with the Export Market Development Grant , which offers up to $150,000 annually.

INDIGENOUS FILM-MAKERS

For Indigenous filmmaker there are a number of funding programs available. The Indigenous Feature Development, Indigenous TV Drama Development and Indigenous Documentary Development programs provide between $20,000 to $35,000 for a variety of projects.

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

For industry professional, the Enterprise Business & Ideas grant provides between $100,000-$200,000 per year for up to two years for new business proposals or ideas that will create changes and benefit the screen industry.

The Industry Partnerships program provides limited funding up to $30,000 for one-off domestic conferences and seminars that are new, original and inclusive.

For Australian-based events and festivals that promote the screen industry, up to $400,000 can be received.

EXPORTING YOUR FILM TO THE WORLD? You may be eligible for EMDG

If you are engaging in marketing activities in international markets, you may be eligible for the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG).

The EMDG allows you to claim 50% back on the cost of exporting your product into international markets (net the first $5000) every year, for up to eight years.

This means you could claim marketing costs such as advertising, including online advertising such as Facebook and Google AdWords, trips overseas to pitch your production etc.

Click here for more information on the EMDG.

STATE PROGRAMS

State Government’s offer a variety of funding programs for locally-produced film and television programs.

These programs vary between states and opening/closing dates change throughout the year. Contact our team for more information about film funding in your state.