After their joint program in 2023 with Women in Film: Introduction to the Creative Process, AFAC and Netflix have renewed their partnership with a new initiative aimed at supporting emerging Arab women filmmakers. This new program is open to emerging Arab women filmmakers residing in UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Jordan, and Egypt. The program will support the full production of short films (maximum length of 10 minutes) carried by women heads of department: director, writer, producer, cinematographer, and editors.

This initiative offers upcoming women talents an opportunity to showcase their unique voices.

The call welcomes film projects applications carried by a team of minimum 2 heads of department (director and producer or writer, director and producer) and a maximum of 5 heads of departments. The call also accepts applications from individual cinematographers and editors who are interested in joining the selected film projects in need of a cinematographer and/or editor.

Prospective applicants cannot be part of a project application and submit an individual one.

Each film project will receive a maximum budget of $25,000 to bring their story to life. The budget will include the prep, the shoot, and the post-production expenses to finish their films. Additionally, the program offers virtual consultations in script writing, producing, directing, cinematography and editing. The projects will have post-production support sessions in Saudi Arabia.

WHO CAN APPLY

Eligible Candidates

The call is open for:

• Women between the ages of 21 and 28
• Arab women residents of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or the UAE
• Filmmakers who have directed no more than one short film outside their studies.

Ineligible Candidates

AFAC will not consider applications submitted by:

• Members of the AFAC board of trustees, their business partners, or family members.
• AFAC staff members, their business partners, or family members.
• Members of the current year’s reader and juror committees.
• Applicants with a current open AFAC grant.

For film projects by teams

Applicants must apply with a story treatment and draft script for short fiction narrative films that are culturally sensitive, and contribute to viewers’ understanding of the lived experiences of local culture

Applicants cannot apply with an animation film project.

Each project must involve a core team of 4 to 5 members covering the following positions: writer, director (the writer and director can be the same person), producer, cinematographer and editor. The submitted application can include a minimum of 2 heads of departments (writer/director or writer and producer) and a maximum of 5 heads of departments.

Applicants who directed a full-length feature film for distribution or TV series for broadcast are not eligible to apply.

The program encourages collaborations across the different countries involved in the development of the proposed projects. A maximum of two core crew members (e.g., director of photography and editor) can be flown to the country of production (where the rest of the core crew members are already located).

All core team members must be Arab women resident in one of the countries listed above.

The proposed projects must function on a small budget with minimal production aspects. Each project can have a maximum of two locations and a maximum of three actors. There should be no VFX, animation, or graphics involved.

The project must abide by the deadlines. Otherwise, it will be disqualified.

Five (5) projects will be selected for support.

The final projects will not be published on the Netflix platform.

For submissions by individuals (for cinematographers and editors)

Cinematographers and editors interested in working on short films can apply as individual applicants by submitting previous projects they have worked on, without being part of a team.

After teams and individual applicants are selected to be part of the program, an online matchmaking meeting will take place for teams that are incomplete to pitch their projects and match with a cinematographer and/or editor.

PROGRAM DETAILS

After the matchmaking meeting and once teams are completed, the writer /director, writer, and producer of each of the five selected film projects will be invited to a working meeting with a script mentor to further develop their scripts. The meeting will take place online with the script mentor who will give feedback and propose ways to improve the projects’ treatment and script.

Once the scripts are finalized, AFAC will form a team of mentors to follow up on the projects. The mentors will work closely with the projects’ crews and assist them before and during the shooting period. The follow-up will take place online via regular calls with the heads of departments to ensure that the process is going smoothly.

Once the shoot is completed, the filmmakers (Heads of Department) will meet for a week in the KSA to work on the post-production of their projects, which will include editing and/or sound work.

The films will be screened at a closing event in the UAE, with a guest list including industry people, policymakers, and media.

Timeline

Date	Task
December 18	Grantees Announcement
January 7-8	Match-making meetings with the Heads of Departments
January 15	Script Consultancy Workshop
February 28	Final Script
February	Online follow-up of projects with mentors
March	Prep for the shoot
March	Online follow-up on projects with mentors
April 05	5-Day Shoot
April 15	5-Day Editing
April 25	6-Day Post-production

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are only accepted online through the program’s application forms.

Applications submitted via regular mail or email will not be considered.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email once their application has been successfully submitted.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Make sure your application is complete with all the requested supporting materials before submitting it.

We encourage you to read the full application form before applying.

Application form for Project Proposal (teams)
Application from for Individual Applicants (Cinematographer and Editor)

HOW ARE PROJECTS SELECTED

Evaluation and Selection Process

When the call for applications closes, our grants management team will review all received applications to make sure they are complete and adhere to the call’s guidelines. Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria or that are missing required materials will be disqualified.

The grants management team will send all eligible applications to an independent committee of readers, who will evaluate them according to our evaluation criteria to arrive at a first selection. The latter will then be sent to an independent jury committee, which will evaluate them according to the same criteria.

The jury committee will then meet to deliberate over the applications and reach a final selection. You can find more information about our selection process here.

The jury will select five projects based on quality, with no restriction on themes or genres. Later, an online matchmaking process will help incomplete groups find the technical skills they need.

Announcement

The selected projects will be announced on our website and social media platforms together with a statement from the jury committee.

Applicants will also receive an email before the announcement informing them whether or not their application was selected to be part of the program.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Grant Agreement

Upon selection, our grants management team will draft an agreement to be signed between AFAC and each grantee.

The grants management team is available to help answer any questions and guide you through this process.

Reporting

Grantee reports are a routine part of our grant-making process. They help us learn more about your project and improve our grant-making process. You will be expected to report on the project’s overall progress and expenditures through narrative and financial reports.

You will be informed of the types of reports and documents you must submit and can always contact us with questions.

Acknowledgment

AFAC does not own any material or moral rights arising from the supported projects.

While grantees are contractually required to indicate AFAC and Netflix’s support in their project communication, we consider them as natural partners in our pursuit of sustainability for the Arab cultural scene.

Grantees are required to indicate the support of the program and its partners in any press releases, interviews, or outreach materials. We will provide you with these guidelines with the grant agreement.

We may also get in touch with you about screening your films on our platforms or at our events.