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Screenplay Development (Established Talent)

Screenplay Development Loans

Screenplay Development Loans support experienced writers/directors to write a live action or animated feature film from initial idea stage in the form of treatments or early script draft to a viable first draft screenplay.

Important note: Please remember the extremely competitive nature of our funding rounds due to high application volumes and set budgets. This means we have to turn down many more projects than we are able to support.  As such, it is very important to make a strong impact with your application. 

About the Funding

Screenplay Development Loans support experienced writers/directors to write a live action or animated feature film from initial idea stage in the form of treatments or early script draft to a viable first draft screenplay. Awards of up to €15,000 for an individual or up to €20,000 for teams of two or more individuals are available in order to work with an experienced script editor to be approved by Screen Ireland.

Please note producers should not be attached at this stage. If a project is submitted including a production company and/or producer it will automatically be deemed ineligible for consideration. However, we also encourage writers and/or directors to start thinking ahead in relation to their audience, market and appropriate Irish companies they may wish to approach on completion of their development phase with Screen Ireland.

Development funding is provided by Screen Ireland for the making of films predominantly in English or Irish, or a combination of the two. It is not a guarantee of Production funding at a later stage.

In line with Feature Film Development funding, Screen Ireland are changing aspects of the application process for Screenplay Development funding. The aim of these changes is to encourage writers/directors to communicate as full a sense of their project’s potential as possible at application stage. We are asking writers/directors to really interrogate the story idea, structure, character journeys and ultimately audience and market for their film from the earliest stages through detailed treatments.

Who Can Apply?

Screenplay Development Loans are available to experienced Irish talent including individual writers, teams of writers, and writer and director teams where applicants have at least one produced fiction feature film credit as a writer (to include theatrical distribution, festival screenings and/or distribution on a major streaming platform) or TV drama credit(s), including animated TV shows, as a writer. Credits on short films, adverts, documentary, or non-fiction credits are not eligible under this category. Please note teams with one experienced writer and one less experienced writer (without a produced fiction feature film or TV Drama credit) are eligible to apply as a co-writing team. Where an application is submitted with more than one writer attached, all writers must be Irish citizens or resident in the Republic of Ireland to be eligible.

Application Requirements
  • Logline
  • A short (approx. 1 page) Synopsis with a Detailed Treatment (Minimum of 10 pages excluding images)

OR

  • A longer (2-3 page) Synopsis outlining the full story with a Script Sample (20-30 pages only)
  • Short character descriptions including character arcs
  • Writer/Director Notes
  • Evidence of Ownership of Rights
Application Guidance Notes

The application requirements above allow applicants to present their project in a way that best showcases the potential for further development. We would urge you to think about the following when approaching each aspect:

  • Logline – It is essential to be able to describe your story in one or two sentences. Think along the lines of an elevator pitch and what could ultimately be used in marketing materials.

  • Long Synopsis - (2 pager) Given that this will be submitted with a partial script we need it to tell the full story of the film to the end – we want spoilers! Please make sure to pay extra care to the drafting of this synopsis as it is an essential element in Screen Ireland’s assessment of the project.

  • Treatment – This should be detailed and give a sense of the whole story. Treatments should try to communicate a strong sense of theme, characterization (i.e. arcs and relationships), and tone as well as plot. We would strongly encourage writers/directors or teams to submit a treatment if the script has not already been written. It can be much easier to interrogate the story in terms of the character journeys and structure at treatment stage and therefor allow for easier changes of gear prior to writing the script. Please note, we will assess shorter treatments than the 10 page minimum we are recommending here – however we have found it more difficult to gauge potential and get a full sense of the stories on these shorter page counts.

  • Character descriptions and arcs: the descriptions do not need to be lengthy, a paragraph or two will do, and it maybe that you submit the arc for just the central character and relationship– not all characters.

  • Writer Notes – These do not need to be long but should convey why you want to tell this story. Writers should explain what are the main areas you think you will need to focus on as you approach first draft stage? Are there any key challenges (e.g. it could be an adaptation, there might be issues specific to genre or characterization)?

  • Director Notes – Directors should tell us what attracted you to this project? What is the development time frame and what do you see as the main challenges approaching the first draft? Have you got any thoughts on potential, Screen Ireland approved script editors? Directors, where attached, should feed into the writer notes specific to development work needed on the script.

From these notes, we should be able to see a cohesive tone and vision for the film from the writer/director/team.

  • Adaptations and True stories: Proposals based on existing source material, such as plays or novels, are required to go beyond plot summaries and will need to provide a clear indication of the strategy for adaptation and include either a filmic treatment or a detailed synopsis with script sample. Where this essential element of an application is absent applications will be automatically withdrawn. Likewise, proposals based on real life people or events must go beyond a synopsis of research and clearly outline the filmic narrative.

Making an Application

Applications can be made online using the 'Make an Application' button on this page. Applicants must consult the Development Funding guidelines prior to making an application. Applications which do not meet the criteria set out in these guidelines will automatically be deemed ineligible for consideration.

If you wish to make an application for funding by post, contact 091 561 398 for the relevant application form.

Development Application Deadlines for 2024

  • Thursday 29th February 2024 at 1pm
  • Tuesday 30th April at 1pm
  • Friday 28th June at 1pm
  • Thursday 31st October at 1pm

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This page was last updated on 16.01.24.