About Daw

In Alignment with the Film Commission's interest and keenness to enrich local content within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Daw' program comes with the aim of supporting professional filmmakers by providing financial support to film production companies and establishments for creating creative local content.

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Objectives

Strengthen the creative content ecosystem by encouraging filmmakers to produce world-class feature and short films.

Enriching feature and short local films by providing financial grants to production companies and establishments.

Increasing opportunities for film production companies and establishments to create creative local content.

Support offered in
Daw'

Selected projects will receive:

Non-refundable financial grants for feature and short film production.

The Main Requirements for
Daw' Financial Grants

Production companies or establishments that have a legal entity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Governmental and semi-government companies are not eligible to apply for Daw'.

Program Tracks

Feature Film

This track will target production companies or establishments that have legal entities in Saudi Arabia to produce feature films by providing grants to the following categories: fiction films, documentaries, and animated films, with a minimum duration of 40 minutes.

Short Film

This track will target production companies or establishments that have legal entity in Saudi Arabia to produce short films by providing grants to the following categories: fiction films, documentaries, and animated films, with a maximum duration of 40 minutes.

Stages

Registration is ongoing and available throughout the year.

01

01

Applications submitted until January 31 at 11:59, will be answered with acceptance or rejection on March 31, 2023

02

02

Applications submitted until February 28 at 11:59, will be answered with acceptance or rejection on June 30, 2023

03

03

Applications submitted until July 31 at 11:59, will be answered with acceptance or rejection on September 30, 2023

04

04

Applications submitted until October 31 at 11:59 will be answered with acceptance or rejection on December 31, 2023

Important Information

These Terms and Conditions apply at the time of submission to Daw'.

  1. Once you use https://film.sa and when you start applying to Daw', you pledge and agree to abide by all the terms and conditions of Daw’.
  2. The Film Commission reserves the right to amend or change the terms and conditions of “Daw’”from time to time. Therefore, the applicant must periodically view all terms and conditions. The Film Commission is not required to announce any changes made to the terms and conditions.
  3. General terms and conditions apply to both the feature film track and the short form film track.

I hereby acknowledge and agree that:

  1. I am 18 years of age or older and thus have the authority to apply for registration. I agree to the terms and conditions of this application and acknowledge that my signature on this document constitutes my agreement to them on behalf of the entity (Production Company or establishment).
  2. The applicant entity is a legal entity incorporated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under its regulations and qualified and licensed to provide production services in the Kingdom.
  3. The applicant entity does not have any debts or financial burdens that hinder it from performing any of its obligations and is not bankrupt or under liquidation. There are no current or expected lawsuits of any kind against the applicant entity that may hinder it from fulfilling its obligations.
  4. “Daw'” team and the has the right to cancel this application automatically in the following cases: If it is submitted after the deadline specified for applications on the website, or if the registration form and documents required for entry are not attached with the application, or if none of the conditions for admission are met.
  5. All the information and data shown in the registration form are correct and all of the documents attached to this application are complete, correct, accurate, updated, and identical to the original copies. If the evidence proves to the contrary, the Ministry of Culture or the Film Commission has the right to cancel the application and immediately exclude the entity from “Daw’”. They may also seek compensation from myself or the applicant entity for any damages or losses incurred as a result. I acknowledge that the Ministry of Culture, the Film Commission, their contractors, and the jury committees are entitled to request any additional documents or information at any time during the registration application review process. I pledge to send these documents within 72 hours of receiving the request, and I agree to respect their right to cancel the registration application if I fail to send required information or documents within that time frame.
  6. The submission of this application and its attachments does not violate any rights of others, nor is it a violation of any system in force in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The attached materials, including the film's script, do not include any infringement of any intellectual property rights owned by others.
  7. I agree to the processing of my personal data by the Ministry of Culture, represented by the Film Commission, its contractors, staff and consultants for purposes related to the examination and review of the registration application, as well as evaluating the application by the jury committees, or for other purposes necessary for their and “Daw’” goals. I agree and acknowledge their right to save my personal data throughout the duration of “Daw’”, or for a longer period if requested by a relevant governmental regulation, resolution or circulation. If an attached material contains any other individual's personal data, I have obtained written consent from its owner to disclose, process and preserve such data prior to submitting it.
  8. I agree to disclose or share my personal data with any party or person, including all the “Daw’”team and the jury committees, for the purpose of implementing “Daw’” and achieving its objectives and the objectives of the Ministry of Culture and the Film Commission.
  9. I agree that “Daw’” team and the jury committees have the right to contact me at any time with any inquiries or requests related to this application or to any other purpose to achieve the objectives of “Daw’”.
  10. This application is subject to review, evaluation and arbitration in accordance with the terms and conditions of this site and the criteria for selecting participants, and the rules and regulations applicable in Saudi Arabia. The initial acceptance of the examination does not constitute a pledge or guarantee of nomination to participate in “Daw’”, nor does it provide any grant. I acknowledge and agree that the Ministry of Culture and jury committees – represented by the Film Commission – are entitled to reject this request at any stage and for any reason – at their own will – without any responsibility or obligation to justify such a decision.
  11. In the event that the entity submitting this application is nominated for non-refundable grants, the entity will not enter into any verbal or written agreement or enter into any negotiations with any party that may harm or affect its ability to participate in “Daw’”, or any of the rights that it must grant to the Ministry of Culture, the Film Commission or any of their contractors to implement or supervise “Daw’”.
  12. In the event that the decision of the jury or the Ministry of Culture -represented by the Film Commission- is to reject this application, I acknowledge that the decision will be final and I will have no right to appeal it to any party inside or outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  13. In the event of an initial decision by the jury committees to nominate the entity submitting this application for non-refundable grants from the Ministry of Culture (represented by the Film Commission), it will be subject to the following conditions:
    1. My agreement to sign a letter of undertaking and commitment within a maximum period of (10 business days) from the date of sending the letter of pledge and commitment according to the form approved by the Ministry of Culture, represented by the Film Commission;
    2. If the non-refundable grant amount specified in the jury decision is partial, the remaining amount required for film production another source shall be drawn according to terms and conditions approved by the Ministry of Culture, represented by the Film Commission, within a maximum period (8 months) from the date of signing a letter of commitment and pledge;
    3. I agree to conclude a non-refundable grant agreement with the Ministry of Culture - represented by the Film Commission - according to the approved form within a maximum period of (15 business days) from the date of issuing.
  14. I acknowledge that, if all the above conditions are not met within a maximum period of (30 days) from the date of the jury committees ' decision, the initial award decision will automatically clear any liabilities for the Ministry of Culture or the Film Commission. And in this case, they will be entitled to choose another entity to replace us in “Daw’”. If for any reason and at any time my ineligibility or ability to fulfill the above conditions, to attend all or any part of “Daw’”, or to complete production of a film—as stipulated by these Terms and Conditions—I acknowledge that the Ministry of Culture or Film Commission is entitled to cancel the jury committees ’s decision by means of immediate written notification sent to me.
  15. Neither I nor the company shall be entitled to assign any rights or obligations arising from the acceptance of this request to any third party without the prior written consent of the Film Commission.
  16. The Ministry of Culture or the Film Commission has the right to cancel or amend the value or conditions of the grant without prior notice and at their own terms for any reason, and that I will not have the right to object to this or claim any compensation as a result.
  17. In the event of any dispute or lawsuits in respect of any of the intellectual property rights related to the film in question, including, for example, any claim of infringement of an intellectual property rights owned by others in the film, or any other dispute or claim related to this request, such as any lawsuit between the partners in the company or between the entity and the working team or its contractors, or any claims or investigations regarding any violation of the local regulations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I disclaim the Ministry of Culture, the Film Commission from any liability whatsoever for losses or damages, including moral damages, or any legal consequences arising therefrom. I acknowledge that I will personally bear full liability arising therefrom without any limit to the value of such liability, and the Production Company or establishment (the applicant entity) shall assume without any limit on the value of such liability. The Ministry represented by the Film Commission may cancel this request or any decision issued in this case by immediate written notice without any liability or compensation.
  18. I am solely responsible for any fees and costs associated with the submission of this application, as well as any further costs that may arise leading up to the stage where the application is secured, assuming the application is approved, and the entity is nominated for financing. I acknowledge that the Ministry of Culture, the Film Commission will not be liable for any material or moral losses incurred by the applicant entity, whether as a result of the rejection of this application or in order to work towards achieving any of the registration conditions or obtaining the grants.
  19. All electronic files attached to this application are free of viruses, programs or equipment that authorize foreign objects to access them without consent or those that may damage or interrupt hardware or programs.
  20. I have not relied on any warranty or undertaking, expressed or implied, whether from the Ministry of Culture, the Film Commission or their contractors, regarding “Daw’”, or any content available on “Daw’” website, and none of them will be liable to me or the applicant entity or any other party for any damages or losses they incur as a result of using this site, or submitting a registration application through this page, or participating in “Daw’”in the event of a decision to nominate the entity to obtain the grants. I acknowledge that there is no warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of this website, nor is there to its effectiveness or accuracy or that the website or software meets the requirements of, or that the website or software has enabled access to the website (whether directly or through third-party networks) at times or locations chosen by it, or that the site has operated error-free or flawless and its use will not result in loss of any data, or that the site or any of the software are free of viruses or any harmful elements.
  21. These laws are interpreted and implemented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and any disputes, claims or disputes that arise in connection with them or because of them must be resolved through legal channels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  22. All notices and correspondence regarding these Terms and “Daw’”will be sent by e-mail to the e-mail address entered in my registration application, and I acknowledge my commitment to review them.
  23. I have electronically signed these terms, and the electronically signed copy is an original copy. I acknowledge and agree that the electronic signature shall have the same legal effect as a manual signature. I acknowledge that the Film Commission or Project Team may amend these Terms at any time by e-mail notice without objection.

What is “Daw’”?

The Film Commission lunched “Daw’” as a part of the incentive program to support local film industry by non-refundable grants, and to create an integrated library of high-quality Saudi films.

Can new entities apply for “Daw'”?

New entities can apply for the Short Film track only if the director or producer has directed or produced at least one short film.

Can a non-Saudi participate in “Daw'” as a producer, director, or writer?

Those born in Saudi Arabia and holding a birth certificate or were born to Saudi mothers are eligible to participate as producers, directors, or writers.

Is it possible for a company or establishment to submit multiple projects in the same period, in the same track, or in a different track?

Yes, it is possible to submit more than one application on each track, only if the film's producer and director are not the same in any other submission.

Is it required to attach the optional requirements in the registration form?

It is not required to attach it, but doing so increases the likelihood of selecting the project.

If I am rejected after the corrective period, can I register again?

If the project is rejected, you will receive an email clarifying the reasons for the rejection. The participant entity can then amend their files and participate again, since the registration period is open throughout the year.

If I am rejected, can I register again?

If the project is rejected, you will receive an email clarifying the reasons for the rejection. The participant can then amend their files and participate again, since the registration period is open throughout the year.

Can a different registration form be used to participate in “Daw'”?

Applicants must use the forms provided to ensure that all required fields are filled out.

Do I, as the project owner, producer, or director of the participating entity’s film, have a wage like the rest of the employees?

When you apply for Daw', you must submit a detailed budget. Therefore, the decision to distribute the crew's wages is entirely attributable to the applicant entity.

If the contractual entities that we have contracted with made a mistake, such as if the director is absent from the day of filming, and that adds another day of filming, who bears the costs of this day?

The production company or establishment assumes all responsibility for any mistakes or errors in a film caused by the working team. Commitment and seriousness are needed to make a quality film.

What is the percentage of the financial grants provided to projects in the feature and short film tracks?

The decision is up to the jury committee to determine the percentage of the financial grants.

If the project is accepted for partial financial grant, will the amount be received directly?

The amount will not be given until the company or the establishment secures the remaining amount of the budget. The remaining amount should be secured within 8 months from the date of signing on acceptance letter. Once it is secured, “Daw'” shall proceed.

Is it required to produce the entire film in all its stages in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

Yes, the film must be produced in all stages within the Kingdom. Unless the jury committees accept otherwise due to artistic reasons.

Can I know the names of the jury that will evaluate my project?

The names of the jury committee will not be disclosed, in order to ensure the confidentiality and quality of the evaluation and to ensure that it is carried out without any bias.

What is the methodology for evaluating projects after fulfilling all the general conditions?

The project will be evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Committee, the Financial Evaluation Committee, and the Incentives Committee, which are as follows:
- Technical Evaluation Committee: This is the committee in charge of evaluating the project's quality by reviewing project files such as the script and treatment.
- Financial Evaluation Committee: This committee is responsible for evaluating the project's financial quality by reviewing financial files such as the project budget and cash flow.
- Incentives Committee: This is the committee in charge of reviewing the results and recommendations of the Technical and Financial Evaluation Committee. Selecting projects that earn the non-refundable grants according to specific criteria.

When will the participating entities hear back from the “Daw'”?

The applicants are contacted periodically to inform them of the status of the application after ensuring that the basic requirements for obtaining the non-refundable grant are met.

In the event that the request of the participating entity for obtaining support is accepted, should the entire amount of the financial grant be spent in the production stage only?

The full amount must not be spent at the production stage. The decision will be up to the jury committees according to cash flow projections.

Will the evaluation of film scripts be conducted in Arabic and English?

Yes, evaluation will be for both the Arabic and the English version of the script.

What is the right method to write a script, to be accepted?

The script that written in the Hollywood model of cinematography will be accepted