Development Fund

We empower your cinematic idea from the treatment stage to a production-ready script. This track provides financial support for script development, visual treatment building, and preparing project files to be fully ready for execution. The support targets narrative, documentary, and animation films, both feature-length (over 60 minutes) and short films (less than 60 minutes).

Program Timeline

1

Registration Opens

26 June 2026

2

Application Deadline

12 September 2026

Eligibility Criteria and Submission Requirements

Project Status

Technical and production operations for the requested stage must not have been completed before the application.

Application Completion and Committee Decisions

Incomplete applications are automatically excluded from the platform, and the decisions of the Evaluation and Jury Committee are final and binding.

Identity and Saudi Context

Projects must carry an authentic Saudi character and story, proven by meeting at least two of the following criteria:

Plot and Context: Culture, identity, or Saudi environment and history are an essential and core part of the film's plot and idea.

National Creative Participation: At least one member of the main crew (director, writer, or executive producer) must be a Saudi national (the program does not require the director or writer specifically to be Saudi or a resident, provided that two criteria from the list of evidence are met).

Production Location: At least 50% of the film's live scenes and locations must be filmed within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or primary animation work must be executed locally.

Application Entity and Co-Production

The project must be submitted by a licensed and registered Saudi production company, or by an international production company provided there is an official co-production agreement with a Saudi production company or a co-producer (Saudi national or legal resident of the Kingdom) within the core crew.

Film Screening Policy

The applicant is required to submit the film for participation in the "Saudi Film Festival" as a basic condition for receiving support; the world or local premiere of the film does not necessarily have to be limited to the festival.

Cultural Appropriateness

The film's content must reflect social and cultural values consistent with the regulations and public policies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Submission Language

The application must be completed and all accompanying documents must be uploaded in Arabic or English.

Rights, Obligations, and Technical Credit

Timeline and Deliverables

 The filmmaker must deliver all requirements for the final track within the timeframe specified by the Center from the date of signing the contract, according to the following payment schedule:

○      1st Installment (60%): Upon signing the development funding agreement (within 45 days).

○      2nd Installment (40%): Upon submission of the developed script draft and its approval by the committee (within 6 months of the 1st installment).

Intellectual Property and Screening License

The filmmaker retains exclusive intellectual property rights to the work and guarantees that it is free from any judicial disputes or third-party rights. By accepting this support, the applicant grants the Center (Ithra) a non-exclusive, royalty-free, global, and sustainable license to screen the film or parts thereof as part of its cultural programs, facilities, and affiliated platforms for non-commercial purposes, up to a maximum of 5 screenings (the date and scope of these screenings will be determined after coordination regarding the theatrical and festival distribution window).

Promotional Rights and Logo Inclusion

The filmmaker is committed to including the logo of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the official approved credit line in the opening and closing credits (in proportion to the size and status of major partners), in addition to all promotional materials and posters, provided that final designs are pre-approved by the Center's administration.

Financial Disclosure

Obligation to provide financial and written disclosure of any external funding or co-production the film receives, and to clarify the rights resulting from this funding to ensure they do not conflict with the rights of the Center (Ithra).

Notification and Achievement Sharing

The filmmaker undertakes to notify the Center (Ithra) immediately and in writing upon the film's official selection in any international festivals, or its nomination or winning of any awards, to ensure joint media coordination and the drafting of press releases.

The Center (Ithra) reserves the right to update or modify any of these terms or dates according to the Fund's requirements and public policies, and applicants will be notified of any significant updates via registered email

Mandatory Documents Upon Film Completion

It is required for the applicant in all funding tracks, upon completion of the film, to provide the Center with the following materials and documents as a basic condition for closing the contractual file (no project is exempt, even if its track is not "Post-Production"):

○      Final Master Copy: The final film copy with full audio mix, subtitled in Arabic and English if the dialogue is in another language.

○      Promotional Trailer: A high-quality copy of the official trailer authorized for media use.

○      Still Photographs: Six high-quality, color, digital stills from the film authorized for media use.

○      Promotional Poster: The official film poster in a high-resolution digital copy, authorized for media use.

○      Timed Subtitle File: The English subtitle text file including codes and precise timing for scenes.

○      Digital Press Kit: The comprehensive media file containing the film summary, director and crew biography, for publication and press purposes.

Information Required 

Requirements:

●      Film Title (English)

●      Film Title (Arabic)
●      Language of Dialogue

●      Film Genre

●      Expected Film Duration

●      Expected Completion Date

●      Film Logline / Tagline
●      Film Synopsis
●      Director's Details
●      Producer's Details
●      Writer's Details
●      Additional Crew (Optional)
●      Budget Requested from Ithra
●      Ithra Grant Utilization Plan
●      Currently Secured Funding
●      Detailed Budget
●      Story Treatment
●      Director’s Vision / Director’s Statement
●      Producer's Motivation (Optional)
●      Director's Motivation Video
●      Timeline
●      Commercial Registration (CR)
●      Company Portfolio
●      Social Media Accounts
●      Distribution Plan
●      Legal Documents Proving Rights
 

Additional Attachments (Optional)
 

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