Home

About the Funding
Criteria
Who Can Apply
Making an Application

---

Funding to enable the production of documentary films, with increasing emphasis on feature-length creative documentaries capable of reaching an international audience through theatrical and festival exposure.

About the Funding
Funding is provided in the form of limited-recourse loans recoverable from a share of revenues from exploitation of the film and entitling BSÉ/IFB to a share of net profits.

Applicants should be thoroughly aware of the regulations and limits that govern the amount of funding BSÉ/IFB can provide to a project. These can be found on the Regulations & Limits page of the Overview section of this website.

BSÉ/IFB production funding is generally provided during production in accordance with an agreed cashflow. Before starting to fund, BSÉ/IFB will need to be satisfied that all other providers of finance to the production are committed and contracted, and that the amount of finance available is sufficient to cover the entire budget.

BSÉ/IFB provides two types of funding for Documentary Production as follows:

• First Stage Production Funding to enable research, scripting, initial shooting, promo manufacture etc. as appropriate of a documentary film (up to a maximum of €15,000)
• Production Funding to enable to production and delivery of a documentary film

Note: A project does not need to have received first stage funding in order to apply for production funding.

Criteria
BSÉ/IFB is keen to encourage documentary filmmaking that expresses a view of the world – past, present and future – that is both strongly personal and uniquely Irish. Further, BSÉ/IFB is determined to find and foster Irish talents capable of presenting non-fiction material in a way that transcends cultures and languages, and utilises the aesthetic and emotional techniques of cinema in order to communicate its meaning.

Documentaries that are primarily designed to appeal to an Irish television audience, or that offer no creative or original approach to the treatment of their subject-matter, however topical or controversial, are unlikely to be singled out for BSÉ/IFB funding.

Although the Principles & Criteria guidelines on this website is of closest relevance to fiction filmmaking, documentary filmmakers considering applying to BSÉ/IFB are encouraged to refer to the paragraphs on:

• Additionality

• Cultural Priorities, Industrial Priorities

• Making Cinema

• Originality

In making funding of any kind available, BSÉ/IFB pays close attention to any previous work by individuals making the application, taking into account their creative abilities in audiovisual media as well as their professional competence and reliability.

Who Can Apply
BSÉ/IFB funding for Documentary Production is available to producers who are seeking to produce a documentary film, ideally feature length and aimed at a theatrical audience, that is originated and will be creatively led by Irish talents, the practical management of which will be primarily in Irish hands.

Funding under this Documentary Production programme is provided by BSÉ/IFB to enable the making of films that are intelligible to English or Irish speakers.

Making an Application
Before making an application it is essential that you have read How To Apply guidelines on this website, paying particular attention to procedures to be followed and BSÉ/IFB executives responsible for each type of funding.

Before applying for this type of production funding, personal contact with one of BSÉ/IFB’s Production team – either the Chief Executive (James Hickey) or one of the Production Executives (Emma Scott, Alan Maher) – is essential in order to discuss the state of the project and its readiness to be considered. An application will not be accepted (i.e. logged in and processed) without this prior discussion having taken place.

If, having studied the How To Apply section, you have any further queries about this type of funding you should contact BSÉ/IFB’s Production & Development Co-ordinator, Sarah Dillon.

In order to apply you must download the appropriate application form from this page, complete it in full, and send it – together with all the additional materials requested – to BSÉ/IFB’s head office in Galway (you cannot apply for BSÉ/IFB funding by fax or online). Incomplete applications will not be processed.

Additional Materials that must be included are:

• Full treatment or detailed description of the film’s content
• Logline (ca. 25 words)
• Director’s note on creative intention and visual approach
• CVs of all principals
• Note of any creative/technical personnel in place
• Production budget, including topsheet
• Draft/indicative finance plan
• DVD of any visual material available (if applicable)  
• Evidence of ownership of rights in all relevant material

Applications should be delivered by post, by courier or in person to:

Schemes & Applications Co-ordinator
Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board
Queensgate
23 Dock Road
Galway

Following receipt of a submission, applicants will be sent an acknowledgement letter including a reference number which should be retained for use on all future correspondence.

Under current practice, applications for Documentary Production funding received in Galway by the last business day of a calendar month will be considered at a decision-making round that falls no more than four weeks later. Decisions are communicated to applicants by letter immediately thereafter.

For a detailed account of the procedure by which production funding applications are considered, you should read the production Procedures: Aims & Practice Guidelines with particular reference to paragraphs 1-11 in the funding section.

Quick links