Short Film Fund (Kōpere Hou- Fresh Shorts)

The Short Film Fund (Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts) identifies and nurtures the next generation of New Zealand filmmakers.

NZFC are working in partnership with Script to Screen to deliver the Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts programme.  Please see Fresh Shorts 2023/2024 – Short Film Funding for more information.

Kōpere Hou -Fresh Shorts is now a two-stage application process.

Criteria and requirements for assessing both Whiringa Tuatahi- Stage One and Whiringa Tuarua - Stage Two are laid out in the guidelines.

The deadline for  Whiringa Tuatahi- Stage One is 1pm, 6 November 2023.

What is Kōpere Hou -Fresh Shorts?

• Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts offers grants of $30,000 to new or emerging filmmakers to make a short film 
• Filmmakers may have some experience, or they may be new to the screen industry
• More experienced filmmakers should apply for He Kauahi Catalyst funding

What we fund

The development and production of short films made by up-and-coming filmmakers.

• $180,000 of grants are available for the production of up to six short films.

Who can apply

To be eligible for Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts, the writer, director and producer must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and your film must have significant New Zealand content. 

You must:

• Have a director attached (see guidelines for more detail)
• Applicants need a producer who is separate to the director
• First-time directors can apply for Kōpere Hou –  Fresh Shorts
• Availability to attend the Kōpere Hou –  Fresh Shorts Workshop (writers, producers, and directors). Development Workshop dates:8-9 June 2024

How to apply

Read the Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts Guidelines and enter your Whiringa Tuatahi- Stage One proposals via the Script to Screen Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts Portal.

To stay informed when the next round opens, please subscribe to the Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts updates mailing list.

A shortlist of 18 teams will be invited to submit a Stage Two application. This detailed application is the same as previous years to ensure all bases are covered, from pre-production to delivery, that health and safety is addressed, and the team have all the support they require to make the film.

The grant has been increased to reflect shooting in a COVID-19 environment, and shortlisted teams must indicate planning and mitigation within the Stage two producer statement and budget.

From the shortlist, six projects will receive $30,000 grants. The teams behind each of these projects will attend a two-day development workshop 8-9 June 2024 and be matched with an experienced industry practitioner to receive six weeks mentoring to get their project ‘shoot ready’.  It has been our experience over several years that projects have greatly benefited from support to further develop the work before moving toward production.

Apply now

What you need for Whiringa Tuatahi- Stage One

• Team Video Vimeo Link (4 minutes max duration). 

• Genre (2 genres max from list supplied)

• Logline (35 words max)

• Script

• Director’s summary (300 words max)

• Director’s visual inspiration images (5 images in a single PDF upload)

• Producer’s summary (300 words max)

• Authentic representation of Tangata whenua and diversity summary (if applicable) (300 words max)

• Short bio & filmography for each team member (bio 250 words max each)