Labs, markets & trainingOpen for applications
Rotterdam Lab 2027 — Africa & MENA open call
International Film Festival Rotterdam · Africa & MENA
A lab for emerging producers, with an open call for Africa and the Middle East & North Africa.
- Funding / benefit
- Lab participation
- Deadline
- 26 October 2026
Eligibility & requirements
- Emerging producers, with a focus on Africa and MENA
- Applications close 26 October 2026 at 23:59 (check the time zone on the call)
Labs, markets & trainingOpen for applications
DOCanarias Market 2027 — documentary project call
DOCanarias · Global South — special consideration for Africa
A market for documentary projects seeking financing. Projects from the Global South are eligible, with special consideration for Africa.
- Funding / benefit
- Market access and pitching
- Deadline
- 26 October 2026
Eligibility & requirements
- Documentary projects looking for financing
- Global South projects eligible, with special consideration for Africa
- Call closes 26 October 2026
Funding · InternationalRolling / ongoing
Red Sea Fund
Red Sea Film Foundation · Global — focus on Africa & Middle East
Development, production and post-production funding, open globally with a strong focus on African and Middle Eastern filmmakers.
- Funding / benefit
- Amount depends on stage — see the fund page
- Deadline
- Four cycles a year.
Eligibility & requirements
- Open to filmmakers worldwide, with a strong focus on Africa and the Middle East
- Covers development, production and post-production
- Funding cycles run four times a year
Other opportunitiesRolling / ongoing
AU–EU Youth Voices Lab — Lens of Change
AU–EU Youth Voices Lab · Africa & Europe
An open call for young filmmakers across Africa and Europe, with small project grants.
- Funding / benefit
- €765 – €1,800 per project
- Deadline
- Listed as rolling — confirm before applying.
Eligibility & requirements
- Emerging filmmakers across Africa and Europe
- The Youth Voices Lab is for creatives aged 18–35
- Project funding of €765 to €1,800 per project
Other opportunitiesRolling / ongoing
VII Foundation Film Lab
VII Foundation · Africa, Asia & Latin America
Fully funded filmmaking fellowships for underserved students.
- Funding / benefit
- Fully funded
- Deadline
- Listed as rolling — confirm before applying.
Eligibility & requirements
- Underserved students across Africa, Asia and Latin America
- Fully funded fellowship
Film awards & festivalsCheck official page
Uganda Film Festival & Awards
Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) · Uganda
Uganda's annual national film festival and awards, run by UCC. It includes workshops and forums on technical skills, distribution and commercialisation of local content, and ends with a gala night. The 2026 edition has already taken place; entries for the next edition are announced by UCC.
- Funding / benefit
- Awards and recognition
- Deadline
- No call for the next edition seen yet — watch UCC's website and social media.
Eligibility & requirements
- Made for Ugandan filmmakers — the vast majority of entries come from Ugandans
- A 2018 call required films to have been classified and rated as Ugandan law requires — confirm whether this still applies
- Entries were handed in at UCC House, Bugolobi, and UCC regional offices in past years
- Rules, categories and fees are published with each call
Funding · UgandaCheck official page
Content Development Support Programme (CDSP)
Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) · Uganda
UCC's support programme for local film and television content. Categories include feature films, TV dramas, documentaries, animation and short films, with priority to content that promotes Ugandan culture and tourism. Support runs on a recoupment basis where applicable and must be raised and used within one financial year.
- Funding / benefit
- Amounts set per call (UCC granted Shs 1.2 billion to 14 projects in 2023)
- Deadline
- UCC lists a CDSP-III form for 2024–2025 but no open/closed status — contact UCC to confirm the current call.
Eligibility & requirements
- Ugandan production companies and individuals; applicants must be Ugandan citizens
- Companies must be primarily engaged in film and television
- Not eligible: corporate videos, NGOs and institutions not primarily in film/TV, and training focused mainly on performing arts
- Documents: application form and letter, synopsis or script, company registration or National ID copy, proof of project ownership, CVs, budget and marketing strategy, co-production agreements if any
- Judged on originality and relevance to Ugandan values, team, feasibility of the budget and plan, marketing strategy and likely impact on the industry
Funding · InternationalCheck official page
Docubox East African Documentary Film Fund
Docubox · East Africa
Fund and lab for East African filmmakers. The 2026 Short Fiction Development Grant and Lab selected five filmmakers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, with €2,500 for each.
- Funding / benefit
- Development €2,500 per filmmaker (2026 short fiction round); other rounds differ
- Deadline
- Calls are announced on Docubox's website and social media.
Eligibility & requirements
- Filmmakers from East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda have all been selected)
- Separate calls exist for documentaries and for short fiction — read the call for the exact stage and format
- Mentorship and a lab accompany the grants
Funding · InternationalCheck official page
IDFA Bertha Fund
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) · Africa, Asia, Latin America & more
Supports visionary documentary projects from supported countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. IBF Classic backs development and (post-)production; IBF Europe backs minority co-productions.
- Funding / benefit
- See the IBF Classic and IBF Europe pages
- Deadline
- Check the fund pages for current deadlines.
Eligibility & requirements
- Documentary projects from the fund\'s list of supported countries — check that your country is on the list
- IBF Classic: development and (post-)production support
- IBF Europe: minority co-production support
- Guidelines, country list and deadlines are on the IDFA professionals site
Funding · InternationalCheck official page
Hubert Bals Fund (HBF)
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) · Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East & more
IFFR's fund for filmmakers from listed countries, supporting projects from script development to post-production. HBF+Europe backs co-productions (€60,000 per project, eight projects a year).
- Funding / benefit
- Development, production and post-production grants; HBF+Europe €60,000
- Deadline
- Read the FAQ and the list of eligible countries before applying.
Eligibility & requirements
- Director, writer and main producer should live and work in one of the listed eligible countries (diaspora and dual-national filmmakers can qualify in some cases)
- Project should be mainly set and shot in an eligible country
- Designed for feature-length fiction (over 60 minutes); documentaries only with a strong artistic approach
- Application materials and subtitles in English
Funding · InternationalCheck official page
Kekere Storytellers Fund
Africa No Filter · Africa
Fund for African storytellers: short films, feature films, documentaries, digital storytelling and youth-led content.
- Funding / benefit
- Reported: shorts up to $5,000; features up to $10,000
- Deadline
- Amounts are as reported by a directory — verify with the funder.
Eligibility & requirements
- African storytellers
- Reported amounts: short films up to US$5,000 and feature films up to US$10,000
- Confirm the current format, categories and dates with the funder
Funding · InternationalCheck official page
EAccelerate Fund
East Africa Screen Collective & DW Akademie · East Africa
Fund for East African filmmakers; a Ugandan filmmaker was among four East Africans selected in 2024.
- Funding / benefit
- Set per round
- Deadline
- Follow the East Africa Screen Collective for new rounds.
Eligibility & requirements
- East African filmmakers
- The call sets out the exact eligibility and format — follow the link and check each round
Labs, markets & trainingCheck official page
Talents Durban
Durban FilmMart Institute · Africa & diaspora
The official African satellite programme of Berlinale Talents, held during the Durban FilmMart. The 2026 edition (9–12 October) received 551 applications and selected 32 participants.
- Funding / benefit
- Programme participation
- Deadline
- The call for the next edition usually opens early in the year — confirm with the organiser.
Eligibility & requirements
- Emerging film professionals and critics from the African continent and diaspora
- 2026 call: a minimum of two completed professional projects
- Earlier calls asked for African citizenship and age 18+ — each call sets its own rules, so read it first
Film awards & festivalsCheck official page
Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF)
ZIFF · Africa, diaspora & Dhow countries
East Africa's oldest film festival. It is open to African films, including the diaspora, and films from the Dhow countries region (South East Asia, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan, India and the Indian Ocean islands).
- Funding / benefit
- Screening and awards
- Deadline
- No call for the next edition seen yet.
Eligibility & requirements
- African filmmakers, the African diaspora and Dhow-region filmmakers
- 2024 call: films produced after 1 January 2022
- A press kit (technical and artistic data, English synopsis, photographs, posters) and a director biography were required
- Rules change by year — read the current call
Film awards & festivalsCheck official page
Academy Awards — International Feature Film
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences · Global
Each country has a selection committee that submits films for the International Feature Film category. The Academy publishes the rules, FAQs and committee requirements.
- Funding / benefit
- Recognition
- Deadline
- See the official page
Eligibility & requirements
- Films are submitted through a country\'s official selection committee, not directly by filmmakers
- Read the International Feature Film rules and the selection committee requirements
- Talk to your national committee early about their submission process
Funding · InternationalClosed for now
Hot Docs–Blue Ice Docs Fund
Hot Docs & Blue Ice Group · Africa
Fund for African documentary filmmakers, offering development and production grants.
- Funding / benefit
- Development up to CAD 10,000; production up to CAD 40,000
- Deadline
- Applications were closed on 21 Oct 2026; the next cycle is announced by the funder.
Eligibility & requirements
- African filmmakers with documentary projects
- Development grants up to CAD 10,000
- Production grants up to CAD 40,000
- It was listed as closed when we last checked — look for the next call
Film awards & festivalsClosed for now
Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA)
Africa Film Academy · Africa & diaspora
A pan-African film awards event. The latest cycle took submissions through FilmFreeway from 1 December 2025 to 31 May 2026.
- Funding / benefit
- Awards and recognition
- Deadline
- The 2025/26 cycle closed on 31 May 2026. Dates and rules change each year.
Eligibility & requirements
- Films produced or released by African or Black filmmakers (or in collaboration with them) in the cycle\'s window — July 2025 onwards for the latest cycle
- Submitted through FilmFreeway by an authorised representative of the film
- Features up to 120 minutes; shorts up to 40 minutes
- Non-English films fully subtitled (including pidgin); no sequels, only standalone works
- Submitter must be the copyright owner or hold a signed letter of consent
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