This in from the Austin Film Society: The AFS Grant cycle is officially open! Texas resident filmmakers can apply for up to $15,000 cash and other various in-kind grants including… the MPS Camera & Lighting Austin Production Services Grant! We award up to $10,000 in services, which can include cameras, lenses, lighting/grip/electric equipment, and more. Check out all the details below.

Hot off the AFS Presses:

NOW OPEN: THE 2016 AFS GRANT

Once a year, the Austin Film Society awards grants to emerging filmmakers in the state of Texas through our AFS Grant. We are now accepting applications for this year’s cycle until June 2, 2016. In order to apply, you must be a Texas resident and be working on a short or feature film of any genre. You can receive funding for production, post-production or distribution costs, and grant funding is dispersed after the grant announcement in early September. Filmmakers can apply for up to $15,000 cash through the AFS Grant, as well as various other in-kind grants offered by Dell, Kodak, Colaborator and Stuck On On.

Awards are provided to artists whose work shows promise, skill, and creativity. Past awardees have screened at Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Rotterdam and Tribeca to name a few. Some of our recent grant winners include Keith Maitland’s TOWER (Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award Winner, 2016 SXSW), T.W. Pittman’s and Kelly Daniella Norris’ NAKOM (2016 World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival and 2016 New/Directors New Films), and Andrew Bujalski’s RESULTS (2015 Sundance Film Festival, Independent Spirit Award Nominee). During this year’s grant cycle, AFS will hand out more than $100,000 in cash grants, and will surpass the $1.7 million in cash and services awarded to Texas filmmakers since 1996.

In addition to the cash grants from the AFS Grant fund, AFS has partnered with new sponsors to offer budget-relieving services and cash for every phase of production.

Applicants can apply for the following awards:

AFS Grant (Cash)
Projects may apply for up to $15,000 cash through the AFS Grant fund.

AFS Powered By Dell Grant In-Kind Prize
Applications for the Powered by Dell Grant can apply for an in-kind Dell post-production suite. The AFS Powered By Dell Grant includes:
– A Dell post-production suite, which may consist of:
– A Dell precision workstation
– 4K Ultrasharp Display
– Adobe Creative Cloud Suite with multi-year license.

Colaborator Narrative Short Film Grant, co-sponsored by TXMPA (Cash & In-Kind)
Narrative short film projects can apply for production funds and support, which will include:
– $5,000 in cash
– Full camera package courtesy of Panavision
– GoPro Hero 4 Black camera
– Digital copy of Final Draft screenwriting software
– Copy of Assimilate color, compositing and finishing software

Kodak Film Grants
Kodak has two exciting opportunities for filmmakers looking to shoot or exhibit on motion picture film.
– A 35mm exhibition film print created in-kind by Kodak for a film of any length
– $5,000 in-kind film stock, 16mm or 35mm

MPS Camera and Lighting Austin Production Services Grant (In-Kind)
The MPS Camera Austin Grant awards equipment and services for production. Applicants can request up to $10,000 worth of services, which can include cameras, lenses, lighting/grip/electric equipment, and more.

Stuck On On DCP In-Kind Grant
The Stuck On On DCP grant awards one theatrical digital cinema packages (DCP) for two different features. The project may be a theatrical documentary or narrative feature up to 100 minutes each.

AFS continues to offer resources to help filmmakers through the application process. There is an extensive FAQ on the website, as well as detailed grant instructions, a grant writing tip sheet, and live instructional workshops offered in El Paso, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and Austin. The workshop schedule can be found at www.austinfilm.org. The grant will close for submissions on June 2nd, and applications are reviewed over the summer, with the panel of national film industry representatives convening in Austin in late August to determine the recipients. The announcement of winners is made in early September.

For more information and to access the application and see a detailed list of all cash and in-kind grants offered, please visit: https://austinfilm.org/afsgrant