Over the weekend at the Cannes Festival, nine European public funding bodies officially launch the fund “New Dawn”, aiming to support more diversity in the international film industry.
The fund’s mission states that filmmakers shape the narrative of our time through their work, but this has mostly been possible for too narrow a scope of filmmakers. With the introduction of New Dawn, the participating funds want to explore more ways to establish variety and representation. A vibrant, open and inclusive film industry with true diversity of perspectives and filmic expressions has relevance for everyone.
“As a film industry, it is our joint responsibility to reflect a kaleidoscopic picture of the societies we live in, instead of reducing humanity to a singular story. The New Dawn initiative aims to create room for diversity in artistic expression, thereby enriching the complete ecosystem of the film industry,” says Dutch film maker Shamira Raphaëla, also chair of the advisory committee of New Dawn.
The film industry of today is still unequal in many ways. Worldwide filmmakers from various backgrounds have been struggling to get funding for their projects and get access to the marketplace. New Dawn aims to expand the international possibilities for the many voices and perspectives in its continuously changing societies, as a joint step forward towards a more diverse film landscape.
New Dawn is inviting filmmakers, and other public funds, to contribute to the mission, which will operate as a production fund, by making additional funding available for film productions and by supporting filmmakers in setting up networks.
The fund supports up to €200.000 for a feature film (fiction or animated film) and up to €100.000 for a feature-length documentary. For 2022, the budget is € 900.000. A joint advisory committee of independent international advisers will be responsible for the assessment of applications. The first submission deadline is June 27th, 2022.
New Dawn is supported by the following film institutes: Communauté française de Belgique- Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel; Flanders Audiovisual Fund; Film Fund Luxembourg; Finnish Film Foundation; Norwegian Film Institute; Swedish Film Institute; Screen Ireland; Instituto Português do Cinema e do Audiovisual and Netherlands Film Fund.