Mar 12, 2015

• What is new is the inclusion of a new award category for a Latin-American co-production. Entries will be accepted until April 27, via the website www.bndes.gov.br

On March 12, the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) released the 2015 Cinema Call-for-Submission, which will invest R$ 14 million to produce 17 new movies.

The newest aspect this year is the inclusion of a category aimed at Brazilian film production companies in co-productions with other Latin-American countries, awarding the winner R$ 500,000. The goal is to encourage a cinematographic exchange between Brazil and the rest of the continent. The other award categories remain: Fiction, Documentary, Animation and Finalization.

The Fiction category is divided into two groups. Group 1 will award up to two projects focusing on commercial success, while maintaining artistic and technical quality. Each one of the movies selected in this group will receive R$ 1 million.

In Group 2, focusing on movies prioritizing artistic and technical recognition in the international market, at least one of the five awarded projects –to receive R$ 1 million each – will have to have a first-time director in feature films.

Both projects selected in the Animation category will receive R$ 1.5 million each. In the Documentary category, R$ 500,000 will be awarded to each of the five approved projects. Finally, the Finalization category will select two movies in post-production phase, regardless of genre (fictional, documental or animated), to be awarded R$ 500,000 each.

Each producer may submit up to three proposals. Entries will be accepted until April 27, via the BNDES’ website: www.bndes.gov.br, where the Call-for-Submission and annexes are available. Planning the 2015 event, the Bank intends to establish the schedule for annual releases in the first quarter.

Production Sector – The Cinema Call-for-Submission is the BNDES’ oldest support tool for the audio and visual sector. Since it was released in 1995, it has already provided support for the production or finalization of 415 Brazilian movies, with a total amount of R$ 189 million.

The Bank also supports the audio and visual sector with a series of reimbursable and non-reimbursable financial instruments, including both fixed and variable income. This support reaches all sections the production sector, from film production to producer business plans, building and digitalizing movie theaters, as well as sponsorship of festivals nationwide.

The BNDES’’ Program to Develop the Cultural Economy (BNDES Procult) and the Audiovisual Sectorial Fund (FSA), of which the BNDES is one of the financial agents, have together invested R$ 470 million in the sector since 2007.

The BNDES has also invested R$ 39 million in the Financing Funds for the National Cinematographic Industry, Funcines. Regulated by the Secuirty and Exchange Commission (CVM – similar to the US’ SEC), these equity funds were created to attract new investors to the production sector in order to boost company capital and improve professionalization and governance.