Call for submissions: Short Film Grants Program

Short Film Grants

The Short Film Grants Program awards grants to directors and writer/directors to help with production expenses for short films. Grants are awarded at 3 levels: $500, $1000 and $2000. Selection is made based on the overall quality of the proposal and Octavia Films will never exclude a film from consideration based solely on genre or content, with the exception that the films cannot be documentaries.

These grants are intended for emerging filmmakers, with a limited track record, who can demonstrate a sound knowledge of the craft and show strong potential for future artistic achievement. The grant can be used for any stage of the filmmaking process. For this program, a short film is defined as a film of less than 10 minutes with a budget of no more than $5000.

Eligibility for the Short Film Grants Program is subject to the following rules:

• Applicants must be women between the ages of 18-30
• Applicants must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants residing in Ontario
• Students currently enrolled are eligible, but funds cannot be used for school-related projects
• The film must have a budget of no more than $5,000 and a maximum length of 10 minutes
• The applicant must have a completed script for the film
• The applicant must be the director of the film

The initial grants application process runs from December 1, 2011 to February 1, 2012.  Winners will be notified and funds awarded by March 9, 2012.

To apply, download the grant application form, fill it out, and attach it to an email addressed to grants@octaviafilms.com.


Octavia Films: A Nonprofit for Women, is a new organization based in Toronto, Ontario.  Our mission is to give young women the resources they need to make their cinematic vision a reality.

Since the 1960s women have made tremendous strides towards greater equality in almost every career field, yet the film industry remains stubbornly resistant to change. According to a recent study, of the 250 top grossing films in 2009 only 7% were directed by women, and only 16% had a woman in any major production role. The situation for women screenwriters is even worse. 86% of the top 250 films did not have a single credited woman screenwriter.

What is most disturbing is that these statistics have remained virtually unchanged for the last 20 years. This lack of gender equity in the world’s most popular art form is the problem that Octavia Films is going to help change.

As an organization Octavia Films has two main goals:

To provide opportunities for women filmmakers.

We will accomplish this goal in the simplest and most direct way possible, by helping women get their films made. Octavia Films will award direct monetary grants to the artist.

To encourage women to choose filmmaking as a career.

We want young women to think of film as both an art form and a vocation, something they could do themselves with the proper education, training and financial resources. We will offer free workshops where high school-age girls can learn the entire process of filmmaking from industry professionals and begin to see film as a fascinating and viable career option.