Hubert Bals Fund: Script and Project Development Support
Grant · 2026Prestige 76/100
Ten thousand euro to develop a feature, if you originate from one of its eligible countries.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 round closed on 2 April 2026 at 5pm Central European time and 20 projects were announced in August. IFFR states that the 2027 deadline will be announced towards the end of 2026. The fund runs a single annual round; deadline dates for rounds before 2026 are not published.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature
- Required materials
- Phase one online form: title, credits, technical and financial information, logline of up to 60 words, synopsis of up to 500 words, director statement of up to 1,500 words, and a link to one previous work · Phase two dossier from pre-selected projects, due within one week: synopsis up to 3 pages, treatment up to 12 pages (a script is not accepted), director biography and filmography, director statement, visual concept, producer biography and statement if attached, IP ownership details, development budget, financial plan, finance strategy, development schedule, and previous work streaming online with English subtitles
The gate is nationality, and it is the thing to check first. The director and main producer should live and work in, and be nationals of, one of the fund's eligible countries, and projects should be mainly set and shot in one of them. The list covers Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Eastern Europe; the UK, US, Canada, Australia and all of western Europe are absent. The diaspora clause reopens it only to filmmakers originating in an eligible country who now live elsewhere through dual nationality, refugee status or a residency permit, with priority given to films majority shot in an eligible country. So a UK-based writer qualifies only if they are themselves from an eligible country. On co-directed projects, if either director is neither a national nor in diaspora, you cannot apply. The applicant must be the director or the main producer, and a project is ineligible if the director has no previous directing experience or credits, so a screenwriter who does not direct can only reach this fund as the main producer of a project fronted by a credited director. A producer need not be attached. Narrative features only: shorts and television films are not considered, and creative documentary only in limited cases. A project is ineligible if more than 25 per cent of the budget is confirmed, if it has taken part in more than one development lab or residency, or if it already holds two or more selective public development grants. Applications in English, maximum two projects per round, resubmission by invitation only.
Prizes
Grants of up to 10,000 euro, awarded to 20 projects in 2026 and 15 in 2025. How the money is disbursed is not published. No repayment, recoupment or profit participation appears anywhere in the fund's terms, so no cash goes back. But there is a real cost in rights, and it should be read before applying. IFFR asks for a front credit with the Hubert Bals Fund logo; the world, international or Benelux premiere must take place at International Film Festival Rotterdam with no screening fees charged; the Benelux exploitation rights transfer to the fund by default if no Benelux distribution agreement is concluded within six months of the world premiere; and IFFR takes non-exclusive worldwide VOD rights so the film can be included in its curated online content.
Judging
Assessed by a small selection committee whose members are not named, over two phases: an online form, then a dossier from pre-selected projects within a week. Decisions cannot be appealed and no feedback is offered. IFFR rarely supports projects with budgets over 1.2 million euro. For 2026 the fund particularly welcomed applications from filmmakers working in Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Note that IFFR uses three different names for this scheme across its own pages. A script is not accepted at application: a treatment is required and sending a script instead is expressly disallowed.
The PreList verdict
Ten thousand euro of genuinely flexible development money, with no workshop to attend, no residency to fund and no attendance obligation anywhere. You can spend it on research, on writing time, on a script consultant, or on getting yourself and the project in front of financiers at a co-production market. For a fund of this standing that is an unusually unencumbered offer, and IFFR expanded it by a third for 2026, from fifteen projects to twenty.
The gate is the whole story, and it is worth being precise because it is widely misdescribed. The director and main producer must be nationals of, and live and work in, one of the fund's eligible countries, which cover Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Eastern Europe. The UK, the US, Canada, Australia and all of western Europe are absent from that list. The diaspora clause does not open the fund to British writers generally: it reopens it only to filmmakers who originate in an eligible country and now live elsewhere, through dual nationality, refugee status or a residency permit. If that describes you, this is well worth knowing about. If it does not, no amount of setting your film abroad will qualify it.
Two further things. A screenwriter who does not direct can only reach this fund as the main producer, because a project is ineligible if the attached director has no prior directing credits. And while no money is repayable, the rights cost is real: an IFFR premiere is obligatory with no screening fee, your Benelux exploitation rights transfer to the fund by default if you have not signed a Benelux distributor within six months of that premiere, and IFFR takes non-exclusive worldwide VOD rights. The 2027 deadline will be announced towards the end of 2026.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply if I am based in the UK?
Only if you originate from one of the fund's eligible countries. The diaspora clause covers filmmakers who are from an eligible country and now live elsewhere through dual nationality, refugee status or a residency permit. It does not open the fund to British writers generally, and the UK is not on the eligible list.
Can a screenwriter apply?
Only as the main producer. The applicant must be the director or the main producer, and a project is ineligible if the attached director has no previous directing experience or credits. A writer who does not direct cannot apply in the writer role.
Is the money repayable?
No. There is no repayment, recoupment or profit share anywhere in the terms. What IFFR takes instead is rights: a front credit, an obligatory IFFR premiere with no screening fee, default transfer of Benelux exploitation rights if you have not signed a Benelux distributor within six months, and non-exclusive worldwide VOD rights.
Do I send a script?
No, and this catches people out. A treatment of up to 12 pages is required at the second phase, and IFFR states that sending a script instead of a treatment is not allowed.
Is your script right for Hubert Bals Fund: Script and Project Development Support?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this grant: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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