Film Fund rules
2026-10-film-fund-v2 · coming soon
Coming soon
The DB Cinema Film Fund is operated by DB Cinema Rentals. Two judged rounds per year are planned. While a round is Coming soon, only email notification signups and private draft preparation are available; submissions and entry payments are closed. Applications and payments open only during an announced application window. Proposed dates are shown on the fund page; confirmed rules, deadlines, judging panel and available gear will be announced before each round opens.
One project, one entry
The responsible applicant must be at least 18, hold a DB Cinema account and have authority from the project’s team and rights holders. Each project may have only one entry, with no purchases of multiple tickets to improve its chances. Pro and Studio include the application entry fee while eligible at submission; Starter entries cost £15 and nonmembers pay £30 once per project. Payment or membership does not guarantee shortlisting or a prize. This is a judged creative competition, not a random draw or lottery.
Application requirements
Submit the project title, synopsis and tags; a 250-word bio / creative letter; crew names, roles, biographies and HTTPS profile links; a PDF script; moodboard; supporting production document; and an MP4 pitch video of approximately one minute (55–65 seconds). Supporting files must be yours to share, within upload limits, and free of unlawful material. A complete, accepted submission must arrive before the published deadline. For paid entries, payment completion submits the prepared application automatically; bank approval must complete before the deadline. Payment approved after the deadline is refunded and does not create an entry. A saved draft alone is not an entry. Submitted applications are locked to preserve a fair review.
Judging
Projects are assessed on artistic vision and originality, clarity of the pitch, feasibility and production planning, suitability of the requested gear and the crew’s readiness to complete the project. There is no random allocation. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed and judges with a material conflict will not assess the affected project. No preference is bought through extra payments. Applicants may request clarification of an administrative error; artistic decisions remain with the announced judging panel.
Equipment awards
The selected project receives an agreed equipment package for up to seven consecutive rental days; the runner-up receives up to two. Awards are equipment use, not cash or ownership. Exact kit, dates and availability are agreed before handover. Delivery, insurance exclusions, damage, loss, late return and any required card hold remain subject to the agreed rental terms. Nothing promises unlimited gear, unavailable stock or an insurance claim’s acceptance. Awards cannot be resold or transferred to a different production without our written agreement.
Named producer credit
An awarded production must include DB Cinema Rentals as a named producer in its film credits and agree the exact credit wording, placement, project timetable and permitted publicity in writing before equipment is supplied. The creative team keeps ownership of its script and film. Entry grants permission to review submitted materials for judging, not permission to publish an unsuccessful applicant’s materials. Awarded productions also grant the promotional licence below as a condition of accepting equipment support.
Full-film promotional licence for awarded projects
By accepting a Film Fund award, the applicant and project rights holders grant DB Cinema Rentals a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence for the duration of copyright to reproduce, host, embed, stream and publicly show the complete finished film on DB Cinema Rentals’ website, including the Film Fund pages, solely to promote the Fund, showcase its supported projects and celebrate its filmmakers. This includes necessary hosting, encoding, captioning and delivery through our website service providers; it does not permit sale of the film, unrelated advertising, sublicensing to unrelated third parties or creative re-editing. We will credit the film and its creators and preserve its credits. The applicant must secure permission from all relevant film, music, archive, artwork and performance rights holders for this use and supply a cleared final film file. Award acceptance confirms this licence in writing before gear is supplied; the delivery date, approved final version and any agreed festival or distribution embargo will be recorded in that agreement. An embargo delays publication, not the grant of the licence. No separate publication payment is due. Ownership remains with the filmmakers, and their applicable moral and statutory rights are preserved. This licence applies only to awarded productions; entering alone does not grant public screening rights.
Payments, changes and consumer rights
No charge is taken during Coming soon. Once a round opens, checkout charges a single application fee of £15 for an eligible Starter member or £30 for a nonmember. A successfully submitted application is not refunded merely because it is not selected. An unsuccessful submission caused by a closed round, missed payment deadline or invalid application is refunded; correcting an unsubmitted draft does not buy additional entries. Duplicate charges and a canceled round will be refunded where due. We will not describe an application fee as increasing your chance of winning or let you pay twice for the same project. Your statutory consumer rights are preserved. Material changes, delays or cancellation of a round will be communicated to entrants.
Your information
Project drafts and documents are private to your account and authorized DB Cinema reviewers. Do not include unnecessary identity documents, bank details or sensitive personal information in production uploads. Crew members must know their details are being submitted. Launch notification consent is separate from membership and from submitting a project, and can be withdrawn. Contact the team through your account to request correction or deletion, subject to records we must retain for payments and disputes.