Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund Application

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Deadline: Monday, December 2, 2024, 5:00pm EST.

The application must be submitted in English. All financing & budgeting answers are to be submitted in Canadian currency. 

*Indicates a required field.
Be sure to save your progress as you complete the application.

If you have questions about this application, please contact funds@hotdocs.ca.

I certify that:


• I am the primary rights holder and producer of the project
• I have a registered production company in Africa that is primarily associated with the project
• both myself and the Director hold citizenship, or legal primary residence, and work primarily in Africa
• both myself and the Director have a least one previous professional credit to their name
• I have read through the guidelines and FAQs of the application
                                          
I certify that my project:

• will be produced and shot primarily in Africa
• will be either a feature or broadcast-length documentary
• will be of high quality and suitable for theatrical release and/or television broadcast to audiences both locally and internationally
• will be in development, production or post-production as of May 1, 2025. The fund will not consider projects that will be completed by April 2025. 

PRODUCER APPLICANT DETAILS




Please include country code & area code

Please include country code & area code
Successful recipients will be considered for a Hot Docs Fellowship that includes a year-long mentorship program. This is an opportunity for the director of the project to make a statement below on why they should be considered for the Fellowship.
 

PROJECT DETAILS


Please do not put "Working Title" in the title of the project. We assume all title are working titles.


We will not accept projects that will be finished by April 2025.

This is the country where the production takes place



THE STORY

Provide a brief, catchy summary of your story.
Give an overview of your story, introducing the main characters and potential plot points. Describe the anticipated story structure and narrative trajectory, or potential character arcs for your project. If the project is experimental or not narrative-driven, describe how it will be constructed. Please be clear about the elements of your project that will remain unknown or unclear and highlight the question that may steer the direction of your film.
Explain the cultural or social relevance and context for the topic, and why this project is timely or urgent. Detail the topics, issues, themes, challenges, stakes, or questions that your project will cover.
How are you going to tell this story? Describe your creative vision for the finished project. What are the visual and audio elements that will bring your film to life? Explain your intended use of artistic devices or any particular creative approach or structuring that informs the storytelling (eg. animations, recreations, transitions). 

APPLICANT STATEMENT

What is the creative team’s connection to the story? Why is the core creative team uniquely positioned to make this film? What is your creative team’s personal connection to the specific communities your story is about? Discuss how the access to the story and characters was established. Explain the collaboration with the protagonists and reflect on the film team’s engagement with the community. If this is a co-creation project, please describe how this collaboration came about and where the story originated from.
How are you seeking to promote the safety and well-being of your protagonists? If your story contains sensitive subject matter for your protagonists,  how are you seeking to reduce the risk that they will be retraumatized, or provide support in the event that they re-experience trauma? Have you completed a risk assessment on your project? If yes, have you identified any risks (digital, legal, journalistic or related to safety and health of the team or your subjects) and what are the mitigation measures that have been put in place?

AUDIENCE & REACH

Describe the anticipated audience for your project, including any underserved audiences. How do you plan to reach your target audience?
Note: If you have an impact plan for your film, you can also include it here.  

PRODUCTION

Explain the current status of the project. Outline the projected production timeline from the project's current state to the anticipated completion date. Your timeline should cover both the creative and production processes and should detail major project activities, production schedules, and anticipated post-production and release dates. Please also include information on rights, access to interview subjects, etc. If you have applied to this fund previously, please share how your project has progressed.

PRODUCTION COMPANY







CO-PRODUCTION STATUS 

if applicable
If yes, please add the following information for the applicable primary co-production partner. You will be asked to include a signed agreement.


PRODUCTION TEAM

Please fill out one section for each member of the production team, including yourself, in the following roles:
Include notable credits and/or major recognition or award information. For each key creative team member, include information about relevant expertise and the individual's role in the project.

Please include the roles that are applicable and/or vital to the creation of your story. Additional team members can be added at the bottom of this section.






Please make sure it starts with 'http://', 'https://', or 'www.' and is a valid domain.
Please include the following info for all previous credits: Project Name, Role on Project, Year of Production, Name of the production company.  E.g. In the Name of All Canadians, Producer, 2017, Hot Docs 

BUDGET & FINANCING

Requests from the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund for the development of a feature film may be up to $10,000 CDN per project and may be up to 100% of the development budget.
The amount must be in CAD. Do not use commas or decimals. Use only whole numbers.
Please enter a number between 1 - 100 without decimals or special characters
The amount must be in CAD. Do not use commas or decimals. Use only whole numbers.

Requests from the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund for the production of a feature film may be up to $40,000 CDN per project and may be up to 50% of the production budget. 


If you are applying for completion funding, please indicate the project’s production budget. Under the “grant impact”, explain your funding gap and what completion services you would be spending this grant on.

The amount must be in CAD. Do not use commas or decimals. Use only whole numbers.
Please enter a number without decimals or special characters
The amount must be in CAD. Do not use commas or decimals. Use only whole numbers.


DEVELOPMENT FINANCING STRUCTURE


Please list all committed funding to date, and all pending/planned financing sources. This should total your entire development budget. This includes the pending amount sought from Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund. You can add each financing sources, by clicking on "Add Source".

Do not use commas; use only whole numbers (and round up to the nearest dollar)
For example $52.321.41 should be listed as 52321.

Your total development budget should match the total financing you input below. You need to demonstrate how the project might be financed at this stage.
Financing Partner
The amount must be in CAD. Do not use commas or decimals. Use only whole numbers.
Please enter a number without decimals or special characters
This should match your total development budget.
This should add up to 100%.
This should total your entire development budget and includes the pending amount sought from Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund. 

PRODUCTION FINANCING STRUCTURE


 Please list all committed funding to date, and all pending/planned financing sources. This should total your entire production budget. This includes the pending amount sought from Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund. You can add each financing sources, by clicking on "Add Source".

Do not use commas; use only whole numbers (and round up to the nearest dollar)
For example $52.321.41 should be listed as 52321

Your total production budget should match the total financing you input below. You need to demonstrate how the project might be financed at this stage.
Financing Partner
Must be in Canadian Dollars.
Please enter a number without decimals or special characters
This should match your total production budget.
This should add up to 100%.
 This should include the pending amount sought from Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund.

SUPPORTING FOOTAGE

A maximum of 10 minutes of footage may be submitted using up to two separate links. If your current sample is outside of the suggested length requirements, please provide the time codes of the portion of the sample that best reflects your intended style and approach (eg. 3:15-13:15).

If you do not currently have footage to share, Hot Docs recommends cutting together a short audio-visual piece that conveys the tone, message, or style of your project. We also accept mood boards, character screen tests, or unearthed archives. You may also submit previously completed work, though please ensure your role on the project is indicated in the description.


Teasers, trailers, and sample footage must be hosted on an independent website such as Vimeo and submitted via a link. Trailers can be password protected, but must remain live until March 2024. Please ensure that your password does not change during this time. We will not follow up with applicants regarding broken links or expired passwords.

Footage/trailers if in a language other than English must be accompanied by subtitles in English.

Supporting Footage #1

Please ensure that your password does not change until March 2025.
Supporting Footage #2

Please ensure that your password does not change until March 2025.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

All documents must be submitted in English or with an accompanying English translation.

To complete your application, you must prepare and upload all required documents, as described in the guidelines. All supporting files must adhere to the filenaming instructions provided below as well as in the guidelines. You may be asked to re-submit otherwise. Hot Docs reserves the right to request additional information. Please note, if your project is accepted for funding, Hot Docs will require additional documents including proof of incorporation. 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: Please append all documents as separate PDF files. Please insert a consistent project file name where it reads "ProjectTitle".

PDF scans of documents must be at a resolution between 72dpi and 150dpi. If you have more than one document per section, please merge them into a single pdf file. The application form will not accept individual files larger than 25MB. Please check your file size before uploading.

The application form will not accept individual files larger than 25MB. Please check your file size before uploading.

I am including the following required supporting documents:
Please note that all line items must have a column for Canadian dollars. Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Budget.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".
Please provide copies of signed financial commitments from all sources of confirmed funding to date. If you do not have a signed agreement at time of application, please submit a signed dated letter from the source confirming the amount. Please append this document as a pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Financial Commitment.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectTitle".
Copies of signed financial commitments from all sources of confirmed funding to date. If you do not have a signed agreement at the time of application, please submit a signed and dated letter from the source confirming the amount. Please append this document as a PDF with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Financial Commitment2.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".  For additional files, please use the number formats "Financial Commitment 1", "Financial Commitment 2", etc..
Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Proof Of Ownership.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile". 
Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Proof Of Ownership.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".
Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Corporate Ownership.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".
Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Corporate Ownership.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".
Production schedules should detail a list of deliverables of the project's current state to the anticipated completion date. Your timeline should cover both the creative and production processes and should detail major project activities, production schedules, and anticipated post production and release dates. You may also include key dates and activities that have already happened.

Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Production Schedule.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".
Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Co Production Agreement.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".
Please append this document as a single pdf file with the following filename: HDBID24-ProjectTitle-Co Production Agreement.pdf. Please use a consistent project file name in all files where it reads "ProjectFile".
Please note: You will receive a copy of your application form within your confirmation e-mail.
Do not navigate away from this page until your submission has completed its processing. Thank you.