Calling all filmmakers, animators, and audiovisual creatives! Arts Council Malta’s Screen Support Scheme is now open for applications, offering financial support to help bring your project to life. Whether you’re working on a short film, a feature-length production, a documentary, or an animated project, this is your chance to get the support you need.

What kind of funding is available?

There are five strands available under the scheme, each designed to support a different stage of film production:

1. Scriptwriting (Pre-Production – Strand 1) – If you need time and resources to write your script, this strand is for you. With a total of €140,000 available, you can receive up to €25,000 to fully finance the scriptwriting process. This includes funding for writing, research, and the development of shooting outlines or treatments (especially for documentaries).

Projects eligible under this strand include fiction, animation, and documentary works intended for theatrical release, festivals, TV, or VOD. TV series (including pilot episodes, subsequent episodes, full seasons, or mini-series) are also covered.

Full guidelines and online applications are available here.

2. Development (Strand 2) – If your project is beyond the initial concept and needs additional work before production, this strand is designed for you. With a total fund of €200,000, you can request up to €50,000, covering 100% of development costs.

Funding can be used for storyboarding, budgeting, location scouting, refining the script, and other crucial pre-production tasks. Eligible projects include fiction, animation, and documentary works intended for theatrical release, festivals, TV, or VOD, as well as TV series (pilot episodes, subsequent episodes, full seasons, or mini-series).

Full guidelines and online applications are available here.
 

3. Short Film (Strand 3) – This strand is designed to provide financial support for short film projects, with a total fund of €80,000 available. You can request up to €35,000 to fully fund your project. In addition to financial support, the scheme offers mentoring from a highly experienced film industry expert appointed by Arts Council Malta, ensuring that productions meet high-quality standards.

The scheme accepts various types of short film projects, including fiction, animation, and documentary.

Full guidelines and online applications are available here.

4. Production (Feature-Length – Strand 4) – This fund has a total budget of €460,000. Applicants can receive up to €300,000 for full productions or up to €50,000 for minority co-productions, providing essential support to bring feature-length projects to completion. This funding covers 100% of project expenditure, and eligible projects include fiction, animation, and documentary formats, with a focus on feature-length productions intended for theatrical release, festivals, television, and VOD platforms. Funding also extends to television series, supporting pilot episodes, new seasons, and mini-series.

Full guidelines and online applications are available here.

5. Cultural Programmes (Strand 5) – This strand is designed to support projects with strong cultural and artistic value, particularly those intended for private broadcasting stations. It aims to offer support to challenging audiovisual works that often struggle to secure private investment, ensuring they have the opportunity to be developed and broadcast to a wider audience.

With a total of €120,000 available, you can receive up to €20,000 for your project, covering up to 100% of the project costs. To be eligible, the project must fall under the category of a Cultural Programme, and the original language of the audiovisual work must be Maltese.

Full guidelines and online applications are available here..

How to apply

1. Check the guidelines – Make sure your project fits within the scheme’s requirements.
2. Prepare your application – Download the relevant forms from the above links and gather any supporting materials.
3. Submit online – Everything must be sent through the official portal before the deadline.

The deadline for all strands is 12:00 pm on 15 April 2025.

What happens after applying?

Once you submit your application, it will go through an evaluation process. If successful, you’ll receive funding and guidance on how to proceed with your project. Results will be announced on 26 June 2025.