NEW DAWN FUNDING SCHEME 2025 – 2026

The international film production fund New Dawn is striving for a vibrant, open and inclusive film industry with true diversity of perspectives, filmic expressions and relevance for everyone.   

New Dawn is an initiative of public film funds aiming to open up the film industry to the many voices and perspectives in our continuously changing society. As public funds, we have a responsibility to support talented film makers without prejudice or exclusion and to give ample opportunity for multifaceted, original and authentic film to flourish.   

Intended specifically to amplify underrepresented voices, New Dawn operates as a production fund, by making additional funding available for film productions and by supporting film makers in setting up networks.  

Who can apply? 

Applications for New Dawn can only be submitted by an independent production company (a legal entity) that produces and exploits films on a continuous basis and is based in one of the participating countries of New Dawn.   

Primary conditions   

New Dawn is open for applications that are in accordance with its mission. An integral part of the application is a joint motivation by the producer, writer and director reflecting on how they and the production connect to this mission.    

Eligible are film productions that meet all of the following criteria:  

• The production is a feature-length live action, documentary, or animated fiction film with a runtime of at least 60 minutes, with the objective to reach an audience in cinemas, at home and/or abroad;   

• The producer and director and/or writer of the production originate from one of the countries of the participating funds by nationality or residency (see ‘who can apply’ or the representatives);  

• The budget is max € 3.5 million (fiction films) or € 800k (documentaries). Animated projects are not subject to a budget cap;  

• The project is the first or second feature length film from the director.  

• The project has been granted selective production support, based on artistic quality, in one of the participating countries. A written confirmation to this effect is required from the relevant fund participating in New Dawn* (see Frequently Asked Questions);  

• For feature films (fiction or animated): the production is in development or preproduction, with a planned first day of shooting after the submission date.  

• At least 50% of the financing is in place upon application;  

• The applicant holds the rights to the film production and shares pro rata in the worldwide proceeds of the film production;  

• The production has not been submitted to New Dawn before.  

*Production support based solely on tax or cash-related incentives does not qualify.  

In case of equal valuation by the committee, preference will be given to projects where the producer, writer and director are from equity seeking communities.  

Contribution   

In addition to selective production support already granted by one or more of the participating film funds:    

• Up to €200,000 for a feature film (fiction or animated film)  

• Up to €100,000 for a feature-length documentary  

• New Dawn films selected for an A-list festival can apply for a promotional contribution  

Only a limited number of projects can be supported by New Dawn each year.    

For the first round of 2025 the budget is € 500.000,-  

The applicant will be obliged to spend the New Dawn grant on the production costs of the film. The grant is non-recoupable and there are no territorial spending obligations.  

Deadlines  

The next submission deadline is Tuesday June 9th, 17:00 CEST  

What do we look for when assessing your application for New Dawn?   

During the evaluation, the emphasis is primarily on the creator’s voice and perspective and secondarily on the subject matter. How do the film makers contribute to new and /or underrepresented perspective(s) in their artistic vision or in their mission statement and team? In addition, the committee reviews the quality of the script, the joint motivation, artistic innovation and contextuality.  

Procedure  

A joint advisory committee of international advisers is responsible for assessing applications and making the final selection. The advisors are independent and are selected for their expertise and professional excellence. Meetings are chaired by an independent official and proceedings are supported by the staff of the Netherlands Film Fund.   

You can find information about the members of the committee here.   

Under Article 3 of the General Regulations, the Netherlands Film Fund has been authorised to take a formal decision on the applications based on the advice of the joint advisory committee and the legal and financial framework of New Dawn.   

New Dawn will be administered by the Netherlands Film Fund.