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Catalyst International Film Festival is delighted to announce the Short Documentary Bursary Award 2025. The award is open to emerging and early career filmmakers. The successful applicant will be awarded €10,000 to finance the making of a short documentary.
GUIDELINES:
- Proposed short documentary films must be between 10 and 15 minutes long.
- A bursary of €10,000 will be awarded to the selected project.
- Catalyst welcomes applications in both English and Irish.
- Film teams must submit their first cut by November 15, 2025.
- It is a condition of the bursary that the completed film must be premiered at Catalyst International Film Festival 2026 (date TBC, between March and April).
- Filmmaking teams should be diverse and aim for a gender balance.
- Thematically, the film must creatively explore an aspect of equality, diversity, and inclusion in Ireland.
- Projects must demonstrate diversity and gender balance in three key areas:
- On-screen representation
- Story content
- Diversity behind the camera
- At least one paid internship must be available for a member of a group traditionally underrepresented in the screen industries.
- This bursary is not open to applicants who are full-time or part-time students.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:
Midnight Friday March 21st 2025
HOW TO APPLY:
Filmmakers must submit their application via this online form.
No Application Fee!
Each application must include:
- A logline and synopsis (200-300 words)
- A proposal or treatment, max 2 pages (PDF)
- Current CVs of each applicant filmmaker (max 2 pages per CV, PDF)
- Relevant links to previous work, if applicable (Vimeo/YouTube/Website)
- Email/letters of commitment from key on-screen contributors (PDF)
- Project budget (PDF)
- A short statement indicating how the project is inclusive and aligns with Catalyst’s diversity remit.
SELECTION PROCESS:
Shortlisted applicants will be asked for additional information, as outlined in an email from Catalyst, which must be provided within 6 days.
REQUIRED: Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.
Interviews will take place during Catalyst International Film Festival 2025. The proposed date for interviews is Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the festival in Limerick City.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Interview & Selection Process
- Finalists must attend an in-person interview on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Limerick during Catalyst International Film Festival.
- Confirmation of attendance must be provided within 48 hours of receiving the interview invitation.
- Failure to attend the interview in person will result in forfeiture of selection, and the opportunity will be offered to another applicant.
2. Award & Film Delivery
- The €10,000 bursary must be used solely for the production of the selected short documentary.
- The first cut is due by November 15, 2025, and the final film must premiere at Catalyst International Film Festival 2026.
- Any major changes to the original film proposal must be approved by Catalyst International Film Festival.
3. Compliance & Publicity
- The recipient must credit Catalyst International Film Festival in the completed film.
- Catalyst reserves the right to screen and promote the final film as part of its programming.
- The recipient may be required to participate in promotional activities related to the bursary.
4. Financial & Legal Responsibility
- The recipient is responsible for all production costs beyond the awarded bursary.
- Recipients are permitted, and encouraged, to partner with a production company for the development and production of the film
- Catalyst International Film Festival holds no liability for additional expenses incurred.
- The €10,000 bursary is intended to fully fund the production of the selected short documentary. As such, additional funding from other grants, sponsors, or funding bodies cannot be sought or used for this project.
- The recipient must secure all necessary rights, permissions, and releases for third-party content.
5. Disqualification & Forfeiture
- Failure to meet deadlines or follow the agreed guidelines may result in forfeiture of the bursary.
- Catalyst International Film Festival reserves the right to withdraw the award if the recipient breaches any of the terms.