Upgraded Seed Grants Scheme for Screen Writers
Upgraded Seed Grants Scheme for New Zealand Screen
Writers
New Zealand Writers Guild (NZWG) and New
Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) are excited to announce an
additional pathway for New Zealand writers under the highly
successful NZWG Seed programme for new creative
projects.
The NZWG Seed grants allow writers to be
innovative, brilliant, and to create something they own,
just as they see it. A producer is not required to access
the grant. Introduction of a new Seed Advanced element this
year is aimed at reducing competition in the Seed pathway
between emerging writers and more experienced
writers.
The new grants acknowledge experienced writers
by offering a higher grant level and flexibility around
development costs.
The NZWG has been operating the Seed
Grants Scheme for three years, with funding from the NZFC,
and to date has seen 30 projects from 35 writers each
awarded grants of $10,000 to develop feature film
scripts.
A number of Seed-funded scripts have gone on to
be picked up for investment or win acclaim in the
international market, including last year’s Untitled Teen
Pregnancy Road Movie (With Zombies) by Casey Whelan and
Steve Barr, which was voted among 2016’s best spec scripts
on the Hollywood-based Hit List. (http://hitlist.tracking-board.com/)
For
details of the 2017 NZWG Seed and Seed Advance scheme see
below.
SEED and SEED ADVANCED – Created by
Writers for Writers
To give the New Zealand
screen industry its best chance of success we need strong
and new ideas. We need stories that resonate. NZWG believes
that our primary storytellers need to be unleashed and
offered diverse pathways for developing these stories.
Allowing writers space to find their voices will see new and
fresh perspectives emerge to enrich the industry and the
country.
The goal of these New Zealand Film Commission
funded grants is to create an opportunity for writers to
create the feature film scripts they believe in. Seed
provides unencumbered development funding specifically for
writers only.
Seed
NZWG Seed Grants are offered over
two rounds with a total of eight grants of $10,000 (+ any
applicable GST) for the development of a first draft of a
feature film script. Included in each grant is $2,500 (+ any
applicable GST) to put toward script consultation.
For
full details, conditions and criteria, see the NZWG Seed Page
(Shortlink: http://bit.ly/NZWGSeed Full URL: www.nzwg.org.nz/seed-funding )
Seed
Advanced
NZWG Seed Advanced Grants are offered over two
rounds with a total of four grants of $12,500 (+ any
applicable GST) for the development of feature film scripts.
Seed Advanced is open to established writers who have more
than one hour of scripted broadcast credits. Included in
each grant is $2,500 (+ any applicable GST) for further
development of the feature film script. This can include
(but is not limited to) workshops, table reads, research and
multiple script consultants.
Applicants can only apply to
one fund per round – either Seed or Seed Advanced. One or
more applications may be submitted per round.
For full
details, conditions and criteria, see the NZWG Seed Advanced Page
(Shortlink:
bit.ly/SeedAdvanced Full URL: www.nzwg.org.nz/seed-advanced/ )
NZWG SEED + SEED ADVANCED GRANT DATES – 2017
Seed + Seed Advanced Round
ONE
Round 1 OPEN for entries: 7 April
2017
Round 1 Deadline: 2 June 2017 – 12 noon
Seed + Seed Advanced Round TWO
Round
2 OPEN for entries: 25 August 2017
Round 2 Deadline: 20
October 2017 – 12 noon
Further information and how to
enter here – bit.ly/SeedUpgrade
(Full URL http://www.nzwg.org.nz/bulletin-board/seed-2017-01-open/
)