WIFTA Creative Relief Funds Available

In light of the significant financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis women in the screen industries, WIFTA has launched a micro-grant stream and mentorship to support Female-identifying Edmontonian filmmakers.

The the WIFTA Creative Relief Fund is intended to support to exploration of an idea and development of original content.

Investment amounts are fixed at $2,000. Six grants will be awarded to support selected projects.

Purpose

WIFTA Creative Relief Fund supports filmmakers need to pursue a range of development activities over a period of 5-months.

Supported Activities

Funds are intended to support:

• The time an artist needs to explore an idea or research and develop content intended for the screen-industries, in any genre. Supported activities include:

  • Writing a screenplay;

  • Writing a treatment (documentary/factual);

  • Creating a series bible/pitch deck;

  • Creating a storyboard;

  • Conducting research for a creative project, including market research;

  • Creating a budget and financing plan;

  • Creating a “sizzle reel” or “proof of concept” (provided that all health and safety guidelines are adhered to); and/or,

  • Making substantive revisions to an existing script/treatment.

• Investments in creation projects will be made to benefit artists at all stages of their careers.

• Payment of peer(s) for support work on the same project.

Funds are not intended to support:

• Costs incurred prior to the application deadline.

• Activities completed prior to the application deadline

• Later stage project costs

• Projects that are primarily propaganda (false, exaggerated or distorted ideas, visual material and statements typically used for a political purpose)

• Projects that promote cruelty, sexual violence or sexual exploitation.

• Projects which contain elements that are pornographic, obscene, indecent or contain child pornography or are considered hate speech within the meaning of the Criminal Code of Canada.

• Projects that are libelous or in any way unlawful

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• WIFTA members in good standing at the time of application (contact membership@wifta.ca  for details about membership)

• female or femme-identifying

• committed to and have an existing practice in the screen industries;

• 18 years of age or older;

• Because this grant is supported by the Edmonton Arts Counsel, applicants must be a resident of the Edmonton metropolitan region for at least one year prior to the deadline, which encompasses: The Cities of Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Spruce Grove, and St. Albert, the Towns of Beaumont, Stony Plain, Devon, Morinville, the Hamlet of Sherwood Park and Leduc County, Parkland County, Sturgeon County, and Strathcona County. Artists might be asked to provide proof of residency.

• a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or have a valid work permit.

Level of Support

• $2,000 for an individual artist as well as an opt-in project-specific mentorship opportunity.

WIFTA will allocate specific funds to support artists who are Indigenous or from Equity-seeking groups.

Assessment

Applications will be assessed by peers, facilitated by WIFTA.

Peer assessors will include filmmakers selected for their skills, knowledge, abilities and diversity.

Grant recommendations will be received and reviewed by the WIFTA Board before final approvals.

WIFTA is commitment to Indigenous filmmakers and filmmakers from Equity-seeking groups. This commitment will inform the peer assessment process and the WIFTA Board approval processes.

Assessment Criteria

The assessment will be guided by all the text in this document, and in all cases, will consider the following:

• The clarity of the creation process proposed;

• The merit and achievement of the applicant’s past work;

• Artistic merit of the idea being explored, including the potential market and/or social impact of the project;

• feasibility of completing the proposed activities within the allotted 5-month time frame;

• The feasibility of the project in development going to production in the near future;

• The quality and feasibility of any proposed collaborative process with peers.

Priority will be given to compelling stories with a femme POV, feature female characters in lead roles, and/or speak to a female audience.

Application Process and Format

• The application window closes at midnight MST on August 30th, 2020.

• Applicants are encouraged to apply early.

• Results will be announced in September.

• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• Applicants may not submit multiple applications.

Please prepare the following information as separate PDF documents to be submitted to the WIFTA Creative Relief project administrator via e-mail at:

grants@wifta.ca

Information requested will include:

1. The application form found by CLICKING HERE.

2. An artistic resume, history or CV that describes the past work of the applicant. (2 pages maximum)

3. Artistic support materials in a digital format.
   – Up to 10 images and/or 10 minutes of video of your past work.
   – Up to 10 pages of text, such as a treatment or screenplay, that demonstrates your past work.
   – Ensure files are labeled and organized for ease of access
   – Support materials can be provided in links to online platforms (e.g. Vimeo or YouTube), host sites for images, or text documents.

Reporting

Artists who receive this investment will be required to submit a report on the work they undertook.

Contact

For more information on WIFTA relief funds visit https://www.wifta.ca/creativerelieffund/

If you have any questions regarding the content of the application or the process, please contact the project administrator at grants@wifta.ca