Market and Festival Attendance Fund

Funding to help screenwriters, producers and directors attend key festivals and film markets.

What is the purpose of the Market and Festival Attendance Fund?

This fund supports the progression of film and TV projects through attendance at key UK (outside of Scotland) and international markets and festivals. Applications will be considered when the applicant, who must be a Scotland-based producer, writer, director or head of development, can demonstrate that attendance will support the financial or late-stage creative progression of a project. 

Overall, the fund supports film and show-makers to capitalise on tangible opportunities for international progression or commercial development. It is not designed to support business as usual activity e.g. attendance at a conference or industry event where a producer/ company may wish to attend for general business and networking, but where it can be demonstrated that an individual project will make significant and specific progress.   

Who can apply?

  • For film market attendance, you must be the lead Scotland-based producer on the project(s) in active development. Where it can be demonstrated that their attendance will progress the project, we will also consider applications from Scotland-based scriptwriters. 

  • For festival attendance, you must be a Scotland-based writer, director or producer of the completed film screening in competition. Applications from other Scotland-based key talent will only be considered if they have been nominated for an award at an international festival. Please refer to the assessment criteria section for further guidance on premiere/competition aspect of f ilm festival screenings. 

  • For TV market attendance, you must hold a senior executive role within a Scotland-based production company (e.g. Managing Director, Creative Director, Head of Development), with a relevant project(s) in active development. Support for attending a market will be prioritised for those key to winning new business or empowered to further new creative and financial partnerships.  

Please note, this fund does not support attendance of on-screen talent to attend.

What can I apply for?

You can apply for contribution towards costs associated with attending a film festival, where your completed film is screening or market, with viable projects at an appropriate stage of development.   Full details can be found in the application guidance document. 

When can I apply?

The fund is open all year round. You can apply up to four weeks before the activity is scheduled to begin.  

It will take up to four weeks from the date we receive a complete, eligible application to assess, approve a decision, issue a funding notification and, if successful, trigger legal and finance steps. Therefore, you should apply no later than four weeks before the festival or market. If you apply later than four weeks before the festival or market, your application will be ineligible.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for this fund, please ensure you have read the guidance below and Funding Privacy Notice fully before you complete your application.

Please ensure you download the guidance each time you consider making an application, to ensure you have the latest version of the file.

Once you're ready, you can apply online using our online application portal.

To make your application, you will first need to create your own account in our online application portal. 

From your account you will be able to work on a draft of your application online, save it as you go along and come back to it before submitting.

  • To create an account go to https://my.creativescotland.com/signup
  • Fill out the simple registration form
  • You will be asked to verify the account by email
  • Once verified, you can log in and begin your application

Downloads

Watch Market and Festival Attendance Fund Guidance for Applicants in BSL