1. Eligibility:
- The fund is open to filmmakers worldwide.
- Production of the film must take place in the UK.
- All participants (writer / director / producer) must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
- Production / development companies are allowed to enter.
2. Timeline
- Round 1 (December 2nd-January 27th)
- Materials required: pitch deck
- Participants progressing to Round 2 chosen by March 1st.
- Round 2 (March 1st - April 1st)
- Selected participants must submit final scripts and additional documents outlined below.
- Participants progressing to Round 3 chosen by May 1st.
- Round 3 (May 1st - May 15th)
- Selected participants will be invited to an interview.
- Winners announced by end of May latest.
3. Submission Guidelines:
- Materials necessary at this stage are pitch decks ONLY (further information below). If you send us your script, we will not read it at this stage, we will only look at the pitch decks and we will ask for scripts if you progress to Round 2 (more below).
- Similarly, we will not watch any films previously shot or completed, as this is a film fund for projects in development and not a festival or a completion fund.
- Submissions must be original, unpublished works. Submissions cannot be IP-based in any form and must not be an adaptation of any existing work or product.
- All submissions for the Primary Fund must be in the aim of a feature film. Submissions cannot be a proof-of-concept in the traditional sense of the term, but must rather be their own self-sustainable projects that can perhaps be extended into a feature or that follow a similar tonality or themes that the writer/director wishes to explore through a future feature film.
- Submissions for the Debut Filmmaker Fund don’t need to be in the aim of a feature film.
- Pitch decks must be in English and not exceed 15 pages for both competitions. Pitch decks must include: logline, a short synopsis (one pager), creative vision, information of the team, plans on how and why this project will serve the team towards a feature film (if applying for the Primary Fund), along with any additional information you believe necessary.
- No documentary or animation submissions accepted.
- Submissions must have a writer, director, and producer attached. The writer and director can be the same person, but the producer needs to be a separate person.
- Additional finance available / planned for the project is allowed and encouraged, filmmakers must let us know of any additional planned / secured finance as soon as able. Additional finance cannot be more than 35% of the entire budget for the Primary Fund and more than 50% of the budget for the Debut Filmmaker Fund (meaning we allow up to £5K additional funding for the Primary Fund and up to £3K additional funding for the Debut Filmmaker Fund).
- As an auteur-driven company, Look Aside has no intent of changing your script or adapting your story - this is your project and we will choose a winner that we feel has a completed creative vision that we connect to, both personally and professionally, and that we will not alter as much as possible. Keeping this in mind, we recommend submitting scripts and packages that are as polished and finalized as possible.
- There is no limit of submissions per team.
- Only electronic submissions (PDF) will be accepted.
- Final deadline for submission (Round 1) is Monday, January 27th, 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
4. Future Materials
- If advanced to round 2: scripts cannot exceed 20 pages for both competitions. We strongly encourage scripts submitted to the Primary Fund to be up to 15 pages. We strongly encourage scripts submitted to the Debut Filmmaker Fund to be as short as possible. The scripts can be in any language, but the script you submit for us to read must be in English (translated if English is not the original language).
- If advanced to round 2: participants will be asked to submit an industry standard proposed schedule for the project. The winning script must enter production by 15th of October, 2025 latest. More information on this to be sent to progressed participants.
- If advanced to round 2: participants will be asked to submit an industry standard proposed budget for the project. Participants should be prepared to pay all cast/crew at least UK minimum wage. Participants must budget pay for themselves as well. Participants must budget post-production as well. Participants should not budget festival fees at this stage as Look Aside will cover those separately. More information on this to be sent to progressed participants.
- If advanced to round 2: participants will be asked to submit details on any existing crew / cast attachments and will be encouraged to send any additional documents our way as well.
- If advanced to round 2: participants will be asked for further materials on how this project will serve a future feature film project (Primary Fund only).
- If advanced to round 3, participants will be invited for an interview. All participants that advance to round 3 will receive official SHORTLISTED status.
5. Feature Films (Primary Fund only):
- The winning participants will enter their feature films in development with Look Aside for 24 months. Additional information on this will be provided to progressed participants to round 3.
- Even though this film fund is entirely for the creation of a self-sustainable short film, please do keep in mind we’re interested in a long-term collaboration with filmmakers and producers who are actively pursuing and ready to make a feature film.
- Filmmakers and teams must be prepared to provide proof that they are, or actively will be, working towards a feature film.
- This agreement will be non-exclusive and filmmakers and producers may develop other projects, may they be short films or feature films, with different companies and funds. We will, however, hold the development rights for the feature film based on the IP of the short film made through this fund.
6. Project Development:
- The funding award is intended for the production of the submitted script. Any changes to the script or significant deviations from the original proposal must be approved by Look Aside in writing.
- Look Aside will take a hands-off approach to the production, however the winning participants must be prepared to provide regular updates to the company for any and all major parts of production. The winning participant must be prepared to submit all proper documentation to Look Aside. This submission timeline for all documentation is to be discussed in detail with the winning participants.
- The winning participants must provide Look Aside with an expenses report following production and post-production of the project.
- The winning participants will be in charge of selecting their own crew and cast members, however any lead actors or HoDs must also be approved by Look Aside. The winning participants must also be prepared to accept trainees in different departments appointed by Look Aside.
- Participants should expect a collaborative process where the project remains their own to control, but Look Aside is a respected and active partner.
7. Intellectual Property:
- By submitting materials, participants confirm that they are the sole author and copyright holder of the work.
- The participants understand and agree that any possible project similarities in plot, characters, tone, genre, or script structure with any current or future Look Aside projects will be purely and entirely coincidental.
- The participant retains all intellectual property rights to their script.
- Look Aside understands that any documents sent from the participants are confidential information and agrees not to disclose it to any third party except to its employees and professional advisers.
8. Stipulations:
- The funding must be exclusively for the production of the submitted script.
- The funding award is non-transferable and non-negotiable.
- The funding will be accessible in three stages: one part before pre-production, one part before production, and one part before post-production.
- The participants reserve the right to withdraw their submission at any point, but refunds will not be provided.
9. Disqualification:
- Look Aside reserves the right to disqualify any participants who violate these Terms and Conditions.
10. Amendments:
- Look Aside reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any changes will be communicated to participants.
11. Indemnification:
- Participants agree to hold Look Aside harmless from any claims, damages, or liabilities arising from the submission or production of their short film.
By submitting a project, participants agree to abide by these Terms and Conditions. By submitting a project, the participants agree to be added to Look Aside’s email list for news and updates. For any inquiries related to the fund, please contact submissions@lookasidefilms.com.
