Develop stronger projects. Understand the industry. Get ready for the right opportunity.
The Solaire PitchUp Creator Centre brings together practical guidance, professional resources and insights from people working across film and television.
Whether you are developing your first screenplay, looking for a producer, building a production package or preparing to approach finance and market partners, the Creator Centre helps you understand what your project needs next.
Choose the route that best reflects what you need.
Understand what materials you need, how Solaire PitchUp works and how to prepare your project professionally.
Explore practical guidance on story, screenplay, presentation, commercial positioning and production readiness.
Read articles, interviews and professional perspectives on how projects develop, finance, package and move towards production.
You do not need to be a producer to use Solaire PitchUp.
A writer seeking their first producer should not be expected to arrive with the same materials as a production company seeking finance or distribution. PitchUp identifies where a project currently stands, what the creator is seeking and what is genuinely required for the next stage.
Projects can enter the PitchUp process at different points. The objective is to help each project become ready for its next credible opportunity, rather than burden creators with materials they do not yet need.
Practical tools for strengthening the creative work and understanding what it will take to produce.
Understand what you are pitching, what you are asking for and whether the project is ready for its next credible opportunity.
If your project is accepted following the eligibility review, the next stage is preparing it for the appropriate Solaire PitchUp presentation and industry route.
Solaire PitchUp confirms what your project is seeking and what is genuinely required for its next stage.
The Solaire PitchUp Materials Preparation Guide explains what information, documents and creative assets to supply according to your project stage and route.
Accepted creators receive the guide automatically, or you can view it here.
You provide the relevant source material. Solaire PitchUp structures, edits and positions it into a professional presentation ready for the appropriate catalogue, presentation and industry opportunities.
PitchUp brings creators closer to the people who understand how projects are assessed, developed, financed, produced and brought to audiences.
This section will feature conversations with professionals from across film and television, sharing practical perspectives on what they look for, what creators frequently misunderstand and what helps a project move forward.
PitchUp services help creators prepare and present their projects professionally. Purchasing a PitchUp service does not buy preferential access to industry professionals or any advantage in future Solaire funding decisions.
Articles, interviews and practical industry insight for creators developing film and television projects.
Screenplays are written to be seen and heard. Learn how to identify prose, internal thought and description that cannot actually reach the screen.
If every character sounds like the writer, the screenplay loses its people. Learn how vocabulary, rhythm, background and attitude create genuinely distinct voices.
Sending a screenplay for feedback should not mean giving away your rights. Understand copyright, script notes, collaborators, submission terms, AI tools and chain of title before you share your work.
Your first screenplay may teach you more than it earns you. Understand when rewriting is improving the work and when it is time to take what you have learned into the next project.
Explore five different approaches professional writers use to build stronger cinematic scenes, from location and dramatic intention to sequences, conflict and story purpose.
A simple screenplay diagnostic for testing whether a scene creates enough curiosity, tension and unanswered questions to make an unprepared viewer stop and keep watching.
Start at the beginning or go directly to the funding mechanism you need. Written for creators who may have an excellent project but no idea how film finance works.
A curated selection of competitions, open calls, development schemes and funding opportunities for film and television creators. Follow the links directly to the organisations running them for current eligibility, requirements and deadlines.
For emerging screenwriters across film, TV drama, children's media and comedy.
One of the UK's leading platforms for new screenwriting talent, run in partnership with BAFTA. Competitions rotate across categories — film, TV drama, children's and family media, and TV comedy. Selected writers receive professional feedback, industry showcases and career support. Prepare a script extract and treatment in the relevant category.
For writers aged 18+ resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
BBC Writers' annual open submission window for original scripts. This is not a commission opportunity — the BBC is looking for distinctive writing voices to develop. Scripts are assessed by readers and a shortlist is invited into development groups. Check the BBC Writers opportunities page for the current submission window.
For screenwriters and TV writers across multiple genres.
ScreenCraft runs genre-specific competitions for feature and TV scripts including drama, horror, sci-fi, comedy and more. Finalists receive guaranteed industry meetings, mentorship and introductions to production companies, managers and agents. A strong route for writers seeking US and international industry exposure.
For film and audiovisual projects with a French connection or co-production dimension.
The Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) administers a wide range of selective and automatic funding for development, production, distribution and international co-production. Relevant for projects with French creative or production involvement. Explore the full catalogue of available schemes on the CNC website.
Funding opportunities open and close throughout the year. We highlight selected grants, labs and development programmes that may be useful to independent filmmakers. Always check the funder's official website for current deadlines, eligibility and application requirements before applying.
For writers with a completed draft of a fiction feature screenplay.
A two-week intensive workshop providing individualised story and career development for emerging fiction feature screenwriters. Fellows are paired with a Creative Advisor and introduced to industry professionals, with a final pitch event for feedback from industry executives. Film Independent membership is not required to apply. Non-member deadline: 31 August 2026. Member extended deadline: 14 September 2026. Selected Fellows may also be eligible for a $10,000 cash grant through specific fellowship programmes.
For directors with a feature-length documentary in late production or early post-production.
A one-week lab held in spring helping documentary directors hone their story as they enter the editing phase. Directors attend workshops with guest speakers, established documentary filmmakers, funders, legal professionals and distributors, and are paired with an experienced Editing Advisor. The lab culminates in a pitch event with industry executives. Applications opened 5 October 2026. Non-member deadline: 14 December 2026. Member extended deadline: 4 January 2027. Applications are currently closed. Check the official page for the next cycle.
Open to filmmakers from any country. Projects must be budgeted under $500,000.
Since 1992, the Roy W. Dean Grant has supported independent films that are unique and make a contribution to society. Open to documentaries, narrative features, shorts, web series and multimedia projects at any stage from development through post-production. The Fall Grant awards a $3,500 cash prize plus over $20,000 in donated production services and discounts. Fall deadline: 31 October annually. Check the official website for the current cycle status.
For student filmmakers enrolled in university, college, community college, extension courses or high school. Projects must be budgeted at $50,000 or less.
From the Heart Productions' grant for student filmmakers developing short or feature-length narratives or documentaries that are unique and make a contribution to society. Open to students from any country. Awards $3,000 cash plus donated services and industry discounts. Annual deadline: 30 November. Check the official website for the current cycle.
For independent feature-length documentary films (52 minutes or longer). Global opportunity.
A global granting programme supporting independent documentary filmmakers from development through release. Offers non-recoupable funding for projects that advance cultural dialogue, expand documentary form and have potential for social impact. Prioritises budgets under $1.2 million USD. No prior funding or fiscal sponsor required. Creative and editorial control must remain with the key creative team. The 2027 Documentary Fund grant cycle closed in June 2026. The next open call will be announced in early 2027.
For US and international feature-length nonfiction projects exploring the intersection of science and culture.
Administered by the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund in collaboration with Sandbox Films, the Sandbox Fund supports independent nonfiction artists working at the intersection of science and storytelling. Grants are available at all stages from development through post-production. The fund runs two grant cycles per year. The 2026 Fall cycle closed 10 August 2026. Dates and deadlines for the 2027 Spring cycle have not yet been announced. Check the official page for updates.
Prepare before the deadline. Funding applications frequently require considerably more than a logline. Depending on the programme, applicants may need a screenplay or treatment, project proposal, budget, financing information, work sample, creative statement, rights information and evidence of project ownership or control.
Opportunities and deadlines change regularly. Always confirm current eligibility, fees, requirements and closing dates with the organiser before applying.
NEW TO FILM FINANCE? START HERE. Film finance can look impenetrable because grants, investors, tax credits, pre-sales, distributors and loans are often discussed as though everybody already understands how they fit together. This series starts from zero and builds the picture one piece at a time. Read it in order or jump directly to the subject you need.
Development Funding: I Have a Film Idea. Who Will Pay Me to Develop It?
A practical beginner's guide to finding development funding, understanding eligibility, preparing an application and working out what funders actually want.
Grants vs. Equity vs. Loans: What Kind of Film Money Are You Actually Taking?
Understand the fundamental differences between grants, equity investment and loans, what each form of finance costs and what the financier receives in return.
Financing Your Film: I Have a Screenplay. Is it actually ready for money?
How a screenplay becomes a financeable package through rights, producer, budget, schedule, director, cast, sales potential and a credible finance plan.
Sales Agents & Pre-Sales: How Do You Sell a Film Before You've Made It?
How sales agents, sales estimates, territorial pre-sales, minimum guarantees and distribution commitments can become part of an independent film finance plan.
FILM FUNDS: WHICH ONES ARE ACTUALLY WORTH APPLYING TO?
A practical guide to identifying the right film funds for your project, understanding their criteria and avoiding wasted time on funding that does not fit.
REGIONAL & NATIONAL FILM FUNDING: WHY WHERE YOU LIVE, SHOOT AND SPEND MONEY MATTERS
A practical guide to how where you live, shoot and spend your production budget can open access to regional and national film funding.
CROWDFUNDING: CAN IT ACTUALLY FINANCE MY FILM?
A practical guide to what crowdfunding can and cannot do for a film project, which platforms work for filmmakers and how to run a campaign that raises real money.
TAX CREDITS & REBATES: HOW CAN YOUR FILM GET MONEY BACK FROM WHERE IT SHOOTS?
A practical guide to how production tax incentives work, which territories offer them and how they fit into an independent film finance plan.
COMING UP IN THIS SERIES
International Co-production · Broadcasters & Commissioners · Equity & Private Investment · Producer & Production Company Investment · Minimum Guarantees (MGs) · Distribution Advances · Sponsorship & Brand Partnerships · Product Placement & Commercial Integration · Charities & Foundations · Subject-Specific Grants · Awards, Prizes & Cash-Funded Labs · Debt, Gap & Bridge Finance · Green Film Finance & Sustainability Incentives · Post-Production & VFX Incentives · Deferrals & In-Kind Contributions
SOLAIRE PITCHUP CREATOR CENTRE