The kitty amounts to 250,000 EUR in direct financial aid for narrative, factual and animated films or television series with international potential.

Focussing on production with no thematic restrictions, the special edition seeks to co-finance feature-length and serial projects up to 50% of the budget to a maximum of 120,000 EUR, short films up to 100% or 20,000 EUR. Novice filmmakers can request 2,500 EUR towards their first short.

Questioned about the absence of the habitual funding for writing and development, Film Commissioner Engelbert Grech stated that the Malta Film Commission will continue assisting in the latter aspects of filmmaking through the annual call, and through other initiatives like Storyworks, a writing programme co-financed with Valletta 2018, and the MA in Film Studies course, offered by the University of Malta and which the Commission funds to the full. Moreover, Engelbert Grech has hinted that “if the industry reacts positively to this new initiative, we will definitely consider having a bi-annual funding call.”

The Malta Film Fund was launched in 2009.  Works funded since have screened and won awards in several key festivals and include Arev Manoukian’s short film The Maltese Fighter and Rebecca Cremona’s debut feature Simshar (Kukumajsa Productions Ltd), Malta’s first submission to the Oscars.

Applications will be received from 1 September until 31 October 2016 and the results will be announced in December 2016.

Click HERE for more information.