The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announces the IFFLA Film Fund, a new program that seeks to help emerging filmmakers realize their feature-length narrative and non-narrative film projects that reflect universal themes inherent within Indian culture. The fund parallels IFFLAs mission statement by supporting projects by filmmakers of Indian and non-Indian descent telling stories with Indian cultural themes as well as Indian filmmakers whose films relate to non-Indian themes.

The IFFLA Film Fund will support projects in all phases of the filmmaking process including development, post-production, marketing and distribution. The first phase of the Film Fund is the Development Grant of up to $10,000 aimed at helping screenwriters develop and fine-tune their scripts as well as to strengthen these writers profile in the US.

We are very excited to be launching an initiative that has been in our plans for years and elevates the profile of the organization to an institutional level, said Festival Director Christina Marouda. The IFFLA Film Fund exemplifies our commitment to nurturing emerging filmmakers and facilitating the creation and visibility of projects that highlight universal themes within the Indian culture.

Complete eligibility requirements, application, rules and conditions will be announced in late August. Below are some general guidelines:
The Development Grant is open to writers of Indian descent as well as to projects that have Indian content by non-Indian writers.
Writers should not have more than one produced feature film among their writing credits.
Development Grant applicants should have a director and/or producer attached to the project.
The Development Grant is provided for narrative features only.
The winner, to be announced in January 2010, will be awarded up to $10,000.
All finalists will receive feedback from the IFFLA Film Fund committee.
All finalists will receive a Final Draft software gift certificate.
The recipient of the grant will have the opportunity to hold a staged reading of their screenplay at IFFLA 2010.
Call for Entries: September 1, 2009 through November 2, 2009.

Other benefits of applying for the IFFLA Film Fund Development Grant include:

IFFLA may choose to compile a dossier of selected projects and submit them to a select roster of producers, distributors and sales agents who have agreed to review and consider the projects. Such selection shall be made in the sole and absolute discretion of IFFLA.
All finalists will receive feedback from the IFFLA Film Fund readers.
All finalists will receive a Final Draft software certificate.
Based on the writers country of residence and availability, the recipient of the Development Grant will have the opportunity to hold a staged reading of their screenplay during the annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles hosted at ArcLight Hollywood, in Los Angeles, California.