Note: This information is provided only as general guide to answers to common questions. In all situations, final decisions on the interpretation of SFO criteria and policies remains with the Board of Trustees of Short Film Otago, and may change from time to time without notice.

What is Short Film Otago?

Short Film Otago is a registered charity that supports emerging and early career filmmakers in the Otago region.  We do this by running a script development program and providing a small amount of production funding.

What does Short Film Otago fund?

Short Film Otago funds short screen drama.  We support writers to develop their scripts through the script development grant.  We also provide a small amount of production funding (around $10,000.00) to two or three projects a year.

How do I apply?

You can apply through our application portal.

I have a great script, can I submit it now?

If we are running a script round you can submit it through our application portal.  We are unable to take applications outside of these rounds.

When is your next funding round open?

We operate one or two script rounds annually, keep an eye on our homepage for more information/upcoming script rounds.

When will I hear if I’ve been successful?

Short Film Otago is a volunteer run organisation so please be patient as we work through the script submissions.

What happens if my script is selected?

Writers who are selected are provide a small development grant (normally around $500) and paired with a mentor who will act as a script editor.

What happens to projects selected to go into production?

Projects offered production funding are supported into production by Short Film Otago and paired with experienced mentors.

If my script is not selected can I receive feedback?

Yes, but please be patient as it can take our volunteers some time to work through all the submissions and organise individual feedback.