Short Film: Fiction & Documentary

We support fictional and documentary short films and provide a platform for new cinematic styles to explore unique narrative forms.

Is this grant right for me?

First, please check whether you meet the funding criteria. The short film grant is intended for directors from North Rhine-Westphalia who wish to produce fictional or documentary short film projects. Funding is provided under the Simplified Funding Program.

Low-Budget Productions (Simplified Funding)

Funding for fictional, documentary, animated, and experimental short films under the Simplified Funding Program.

  • Directors from North Rhine-Westphalia

    Only directors from North Rhine-Westphalia are eligible to apply.

  • Film Portfolio

    A film portfolio in the form of a directorial project must be submitted with the application.

  • Low-Budget Short Film

    Funding is available for low-budget short films; eligible projects include fiction, documentary, animated, and experimental films.

  • Grant amount up to 25,000 euros

    The short film grant amounts to a maximum of 25,000 euros and is awarded as a grant under the Simplified Funding Program.

  • Funding as a Grant

    Funding is provided as a grant and may cover up to 80% of the estimated total costs of the project.

  • Contribution from the applicant and NRW impact

    At least 5% of the costs must be covered by the applicant’s own funds. The grant must be used in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to the greatest extent possible.

  • No Students

    Students are not eligible to apply. A separate funding opportunity is available for graduation film projects.

  • No comparable resubmission

    Projects rejected under the regular funding program cannot be submitted under a comparable simplified funding category.

  • No Applications Without an NRW Director

    In the short film funding category, only directors from North Rhine-Westphalia are eligible to apply.

Service Center

Download Förderleitlinien der Film und Medienstiftung NRW Gmb H (pdf, 268,91 KB ) Download Merkblatt zu Prüfgebühren der Pw C (pdf, 11,83 KB ) Download Ansprechpartner Innen der PWC (pdf, 378,71 KB )

Schedule an Appointment

A consultation is required before submitting an application.

For the consultation: Please send your appointment request via email to the responsible program officer, along with a one-page summary of the project and, for first-time contact, your resume and filmography.

Contact person for fictional projects

Contact person for animation, documentary film, and graduation films

The Selection Process

An independent jury decides on the submitted projects. The three members of the jury are appointed by Filmbüro NW e. V. and the jury is reconstituted for each funding session.

About the Jury: Simplified Funding →

News: News from the FMS

Cookie Settings

Here you can give or revoke your consent for external content at any time. For more information, see our privacy policy.

Strictly necessary

This storage is required for the website to work and cannot be disabled.

  • External media settings

    Name
    external_media_consent
    Purpose
    Stores which external services you have consented to.
    Storage duration:
    1 year
    Type:
    localStorage

External media

Content from external platforms is only loaded after you consent. Personal data may be transferred to the providers and cookies may be set.

  • YouTube

    Video embeds by YouTube. Data may be transferred to the USA (EU-US Data Privacy Framework).

    Provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland

  • Instagram

    Embedded Instagram posts. Data may be transferred to the USA (EU-US Data Privacy Framework).

    Provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland