Studio Caribe
Studio Caribe focuses on the development and production of short (youth) films by film makers from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Studio Caribe focuses on the development and production of short (youth) films by film makers from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It concerns film plans in the categories: fiction, documentary, experimental film (min. 5 and max. 30 minutes) or animation (min. 1 minute).
With this Atelier scheme*, the Film Fund aims to provide makers from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius or St. Maarten the space to further develop their talents and thereby contribute to the enrichment of the range of films with original stories from and on the islands.
For Studio Caribe, 12 projects will be selected for the development phase. In addition to the development grant, the selected filmmakers will receive coaching, training and participate in workshops to develop their film plan in the categories fiction, documentary or experimental film.
Of the 12 developed projects, six projects will then be selected for a production grant into short films.
Would you like to apply to Studio Caribe? During the Curaçao International Film Festival, taking place from 10 to 14 April, 2024, we will organise sessions on how to apply to the Netherlands Film Fund and how to write a film plan. Any questions? During the Studio Caribe consultation sessions on Curaçao, Aruba and online, we will tell you even more about the scheme. More information on this will follow soon.
*Within an Atelier scheme, selected creators receive a grant plus the space to develop a short film in collaboration with coaches or other experts within a specially designed programme.
The scheme is aimed at screenwriters, directors and producers from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius who have an original film idea for the development of a short (youth) film.
Screenwriters and/or (writing) directors who have been residing and working on Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, or St. Maarten for a year or more at the time of application and have an original film idea can apply for development at Studio Caribe. You can do this with or without a producer. During the development process, creators without a producer will be supported in finding a producer.
A producer can also submit an application for development.
You can submit a maximum of two plans per person.
However, the eventual application for the production of the short film must be submitted by a producer.
The applicant should have some demonstrable experience in the audiovisual sector, the creative industry, theatre, the arts and/or the visual arts.
See the Conditions for more information.
The following grants can be requested for Studio Caribe:
Development
- A maximum of € 10,000 per project
(€ 8,500 for the creator(s), € 1,500 for the producer)
This grant must be spent on developing the film plan. You develop the film plan into a treatment or screenplay for an original and independent film production of at least 5 and no more than 30 minutes (fiction, documentary, experimental film). In case of animation the duration must be at least 1 minute.
If selected for development, you will participate in the Studio Caribe workshop programme. This programme includes coaching, training and workshops. The course will give you the tools you need to start up your new short film and - if you don't already have one - find a suitable producer for your project. If you do have a producer, but they don’t have a lot of experience, an experienced producer will offer production coaching during the Studio Caribe programme.
Production:
If, after development, your project is also selected for production:
- Up to € 65,000, including a maximum of 15% producer fee plus overhead.
If the project is selected for production, you may use 5% of the production grant for further development of your project. You then use the rest of the grant for the production of your short film.
As an applicant for Studio Caribe, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must, at the time of application, have been living and working in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius or St Maarten for more than a year.
- As a screenwriter, director, screenwriter-director or producer, you must have made previous work you can demonstrate. This means that you must have created at least:
- 1 audiovisual free work (i.e. 1 non-commissioned film production);
- or 2 commercial audiovisual works, commissioned by 2 separate clients. For example: commercials, music videos, corporate films, and other commissioned film work;
- or at least one staged theatre play/ spoken word performance/ radio play;
- or at least one published fiction story and/or book/poetry/podcast;
- or at least one realised audiovisual work of art;
An application for Studio Caribe must meet at least the following conditions:
- The submitted film idea can be produced on the islands with as many local contributors as possible.
- The film you are about to make (fiction, documentary, experimental) must have a minimum screening time of 5 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes.
- An animated film must be at least 1 minute long.
- The film must be able to be both developed and realised within the grant from the fund and in the time made available.
- Additional financing is allowed up to a maximum of 10% of the production budget;
- Once selected for production, the film must be produced and delivered within a year.
- The application is submitted in Dutch, English, Papiamentu or Papiamento.
When assessing, we look particularly at whether you have a clear and engaging film plan, with an original, urgent and authentic story rooted on one of the islands. For more information, see the FAQs below this page.
Tuesday 21 May 2024 12:00 GMT-4 (on the islands) / 17:00 CET (Dutch time).
Upcoming deadlines
A maximum of 12 film plans will be eligible for a development grant. Of these, up to 6 film plans will be eligible for a production grant.
The application will be assessed by a composite committee with representation from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Applications will be integrally weighed to arrive at a final selection aiming at a spread across the islands and a diverse composition of makers. *
The director/administrator of the Film Fund will decide regarding the application.**
If you receive a development grant for Studio Caribe, but your project is not selected for a production grant, then you can always check whether you can submit the film plan for one of the Film Fund's other schemes.
*You can find the points included in the assessment in Article 5 of the General Regulations (link).
**The director/administrator makes the final decision. Those points can be found in Article 3 of the General Regulations (link)
Attach the following attachments to your application:
- A film plan (max. one page of A4 size), including title, logline and synopsis. Check out the FAQs below for more information on a film plan.
- A short description (max. one page of A4 size): what have you made before and what do you want to make (in the future)?
- Want to talk more about who you are as a creator and your film plan in a video? Then you can submit a video* of up to 3 minutes. This is not mandatory.
- CV of the applicant (max. 1 page of A4 format).
- Enclose samples of your previous work. See Terms and Conditions for examples. We do not accept trailers, compilations or showreels.
- Are there any client(s) or producer(s) with whom you have worked before who would like to say something about your work (max. 1 A4-sized page per person)?
*Note that the video must remain available for at least 6 months via the link provided.
You can apply for Studio Caribe from 15 April 2024.
Applying is done by submitting the digital version of the application form, with attachments, via Frame. Your application is valid when you agree to our terms and conditions on the form. It is no longer necessary to download the form and send it to us signed. Only complete applications will be considered. Use this checklist before submitting your application to ensure it will be considered.
Start the application
To submit the digital application, log in to Frame. If you don't already have login details, first request a new account. Apply for a new account here. Please note that this can take two working days. Have you received the application details? Then start your application via the button below and follow these steps:
- Select the account you want to submit with.
- Click on Filmactiviteiten - Studio Caribe.
FAQ
Watch or listen to the webinar 'How to make a film plan' for more tips and explanations on what needs to be clear in the film plan. A film plan starts very small in the development phase, for example with just an idea for your film, a logline, some photos for a cinematic impression of the atmosphere (approx. 400 words or 3 minutes of video), and grows through development into a large plan containing your directorial vision, the treatment or screenplay, your mood board and an animatic. Your film plan grows so that you can eventually move to the realisation phase and everyone from the crew on set to the editor in post-production knows what kind of film you are making and what plan underpins it. It is the plan through which your film idea can become a reality.
A fiction film, animated film, cinematic experiment or documentary of up to 30 minutes in length. Commercials, music videos, TikToks or InstaStories may also be short, but they are not considered 'short films'. First of all, we do not see them as stand-alone films, as they are often commissioned and serve a specific purpose (commercials, music videos). You can submit them if they are relevant to show what you can make and have made in the past. It is also worth bearing in mind that the Film Fund does not support commercials, music videos, TikToks or InstaStories, but only (short) films that can potentially be screened in cinemas, on television/streaming services, festivals, etc.
By 'clear and engaging', we mean that you should make sure your film plan is easy to read for someone who doesn't know you, so that that readers or viewers don't have to guess or search for what your film is about. Imagine writing for a friendly stranger, whom you will be introducing to the world you envision in your film. So make sure you also use a readable font and clear pictures, for example.
By 'original, authentic and urgent' we mean that the film plan must be your idea (original), that the story is credible, that it is credible that you are the one telling it, that your voice comes through in it (authentic), and that there is a reason that this story needs to be told now (urgent). There can be various reasons why your film plan is original, authentic and urgent, reasons that are about you, but also reasons that are about the world around you - these are the assessment criteria used by the Film Fund, but they are not meant to be oil on the fire of your 'inner critic'. Watch or listen to the webinar 'How to make a film plan' for more tips and explanations.
In the application form, you are asked to combine several documents into one pdf file and submit this as a single attachment to the application. Click here for instructions on how to work with pdf files (scroll down for the English instructions).
Need Help?
Contact:
Esther Aboagye Afriyie
Project Officer
