The St. Louis Film Project offers a unique opportunity for emerging and established visual storytellers from St. Louis to share their stories and media arts with the community. The grant application opens on October 7th, 2024, and grants will be awarded by January 24th, 2025. The final showcase event will take place in March 2026 in the City of St. Louis.

The St. Louis Film Project is part of the ARPA for the Arts Tourism grant allocations and modeled after the successful St. Louis Mural Project. It aims to foster a vibrant local film and media arts scene by investing $500,000 in local creators and bringing together film/TV and content enthusiasts, industry professionals, and the general public for screenings, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.

With the assistance of a panel of industry professionals, RACSTL and Continuity will select up to (7) seven creators to receive unrestricted grants of up to $100,000 for their projects. The St. Louis Film Project will highlight a diverse selection of films/content (Narrative/Documentary/Animated), and TV episodes (Scripted/Nonfiction/Reality/Animated), all produced by creators in St. Louis.

In addition to grants and film screenings, The St. Louis Film Project will host a variety of events intended to promote awardees, create industry access, and elevate St. Louis as a hub for creatives, including:

Curated Events: Engage with filmmakers, creators, media artists, industry experts, and critics in insightful conversations about the art and craft of filmmaking and overall content creation.
Q&A Sessions: Interact with finance and legal experts to identify other funding sources, such as Missouri Film Tax Credits.
Networking Opportunities: Meet fellow filmmakers, creators, motion visual, media artists, and industry professionals.

Filmmakers/creators interested in submitting their projects for grant funding can find submission guidelines and details on the RACSTL website. Submissions are open until 11:59 PM CST on Friday, November 15th, 2024, and grant awards will be announced on January 24th, 2025.

St. Louis Film Project Grant Guidelines for filmmakers/creators

The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RACSTL) and Continuity are excited to welcome filmmakers, creators, motion visual, and media artists to submit their projects for consideration to receive an unrestricted grant of up to $100,000. This is a fantastic opportunity to receive unrestricted funds to complete your projects and present your work to a diverse audience of film enthusiasts, industry professionals, and community members.

Please review the following guidelines carefully before submitting your application.

Eligibility Criteria

Location: Applications are open to creators who currently reside in St. Louis City.
Production Cycle: 75% of the grant funds must be spent in St. Louis City.
Originality: All projects must be original works by the submitting creator(s) and creator’s partners. Works must not infringe on any third-party rights.
Project Categories: We will fund film projects (Narrative/Documentary/Animated) and TV episodes (Scripted/Nonfiction/Reality/Animated) across all genres, excluding projects deemed to be against the standards of the RAC and partner organizations.
Completion Date: Films must be completed by January 31, 2026, and submitted for public screening in March 2026.
Language: Films in languages other than English must include English subtitles.
Production: Filmmakers/creators will work with Continuity CREW to ensure opportunities for participants throughout the production process, which is an essential part of Continuity’s continued mission.
Showcase: Projects must be presented at a St. Louis Film Project event.

Final Submission Requirements

Length: 30 + minutes
File Format: Films must be submitted on an external drive in MP4 or MOV format. Files should be high resolution (1080p or higher)
Screening Rights: filmmakers/creators must have all necessary rights and permissions for all content in the film, including music, images, and footage.

How to Apply

Click the APPLY HERE button below.
Application Deadline:11:59 PM CST on Friday, November 15th, 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Required Materials: Pitch Deck including, at minimum, the below and uploaded as a PDF.

A brief synopsis of the film/content
2.5 to 5 min pitch video explaining (who, what, why, and how)
Creative Team (Director, Writer, Producer) bios
High-resolution stills from the film or film, content, media concept or mood
Line-item budget detail
A link to the film/content trailer or teaser (if applicable)

Selection Process

Review: All submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of RACSTL staff, RAC commissioners, the Continuity committee, and a panel of industry professionals.
Application Review will take place from November 18th, 2024 to January 10th, 2025.
Notification: filmmakers, creators, motion visual, and media artists will be notified of their grant application status by January 24th, 2025.
Screening: Funded projects must be screened during the showcase event in March 2026.

Terms & Conditions

Exclusivity: By accepting the grant payment, you agree to allow the RACSTL and Continuity to screen your film without any screening fee.

Publicity: Selected filmmakers, creators, motion visual, and media artists will be required to participate in RACSTL & Continuity promotional activities, including interviews, program logo inclusion
(RAC & Continuity logos), Q&A sessions and media engagements as required by ARPA for the Arts subrecipient agreement.

Agreement & Reporting: Selected filmmakers, creators, motion visual, and media artists must sign a grant agreement and submit receipts and other financial and narrative reports to comply with federal and municipal ARPA guidelines.

Rights: The filmmaker/creator retains all rights to their work. RACSTL and Continuity will not acquire any rights to the film beyond the agreed screening.

Contact Information