The Jamaica Screen Development Initiative (JSDI) is a financing initiative of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ), which aims to support and strengthen the local screen-based industries by providing a pool of funds accessible for the completion of eligible screen-based projects across various stages of development. Its focus is providing opportunities for new, emerging, and established talent behind the camera to create more, high quality, Jamaican content capable of competing in the global market.
The JSDI is now accepting rolling applications for Film Festival & Market Attendance and Marketing & Distribution.
The following four objectives will be used when assessing applications:
- Film Financing: Providing an alternative source of financial support for screen-based projects made in Jamaica, spanning local content creation, co-productions and destination films.
- Talent and Industry Development: Increasing jobs while building the capacity of creative and technical practitioners by increasing the number of high-quality, commercially viable projects produced for domestic and global audiences.
- Promotion of Culture: Raising the profile of Jamaica’s screen-based industries and Brand Jamaica internationally, by supporting projects with strong cultural representation and commercial viability.
- Business Opportunities: Promote economic diversification and leverage inward investments, particularly for the film infrastructure.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicant Eligibility
For four of the six categories supported, namely – Development, Production, Completion and Film Festival/Market Attendance, applications may be made by an individual, or a business or company registered at the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ). The respective applicant will have the right to submit the project for application with chain of title.
1. Individual Applicants
- Must be a Jamaican citizen (birth, naturalization or citizenship) or ordinarily resident in Jamaica
- Must be registered on the National Registry of Entertainment and Creative Industries Practitioners (E-Registry) (owned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport)
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- Must be GOJ tax compliant (at time of contract)
- Will have the right to submit and produce the project for application with chain of title.
- Be directly responsible for preparing or implementing the production and not acting as an intermediary.
2. Company Applications
- Must be registered at the Companies Office of Jamaica
- Be GOJ tax compliant (proof required)
- Must be registered on the National Registry of Entertainment and Creative Industries Practitioners (E-Registry) (owned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport)
- Must be Jamaican owned or at minimum 51% Jamaican co-owned
- Registered to operate as a production company in audiovisual production activities
- Will have the right to submit and produce the project for application with chain of title.
There may be cases where projects submitted are co-owned by two production companies. In those instances, one company meeting the criteria above should be identified as the lead applicant (for the purposes of completing the application and for receiving any awarded funds). It should be noted that a blacklist will be maintained of all applicants that have not met, or breached, the terms and conditions outlined in any contracts signed with the JSDI, which will make them ineligible for any future support.
International Eligibility: For Marketing and Distribution as well as Production Rebates, any company registered internationally can apply, but they must meet the product eligibility as well as the other criteria outlined to be eligible for support. For Production Rebates, a local production partner is required.
Product Eligibility
A product is eligible if it is a live-action or animated work in the following formats, open to all genres:
- feature film which at least 60 minutes in length or more
- short film at least 7 minutes in length and up to 20 minutes
- animated short at least 2 minutes in length and up to 20 minutes
- web series / episodics / mini-series
- reality / unscripted content
- Films may be shot in digital, super 16- or 35-mm formats
- Must be registered with the Jamaica Film Commission before principal photography (or production) begins
Product Ineligibility
A product is not eligible to apply to the JSDI if the application relates to work in the following formats:
- music video
- advertisement and/or commercials
- news, sports or dailies
- work that is intended primarily to capture another art form, such as filmed theatre, sporting or music events
- podcasts, livestreams or influencer content
- it is a filmed production such as an artist installation work; an immersive (VR/XR) work; or a video game
What is Being Funded?
General Requirements
Application Documentation & Supporting Materials
Applications will be accepted online using the provided form. Once you select the category of support being sought the application will guide you as to the documents to be uploaded. There are some key documents and supporting materials that are a mandatory requirement, and some that are optional, which if included, will add to the strength of the application. These include:
KEY: Dvmt – Development; Prod – Production; Comp – Completion; FF/MA – Film Festival and Market Attendance; M&D – Marketing and Distribution; ProdReb – Production Rebate; O – Optional Document/Support Material; M – Mandatory Document/Support Material.
| Document Type | Notes | Dvmt | Prod | Comp | FF/MA | M&D | ProdReb |
| Proof of Jamaican citizenship or residency (for individuals or main shareholder) | 1 | M | M | M | M | O | O |
| Proof of registration on the National Registry of Entertainment and Creative Industries Practitioners | M | M | M | M | O | O | |
| Proof of Tax Compliance (TCC, TCL) | 2 | O | O | O | O | O | O |
| Development Timeline | M | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Previous Work Samples | 3 | O | M | M | — | — | — |
| Script, including Draft | 4 | O | M | — | — | — | — |
| Budget | 5 | M | M | M | M | M | M |
| Finance Plan (source of funds); including cash flow | 5 | O | M | M | M | M | M |
| Shoot/Production Schedule | O | M | M | — | — | M | |
| Treatment/Pitch Deck/Project Proposal/Production Plan/Storyboard/Animatic | 6 | M | M | — | — | M | — |
| Letter of Intent (commitments or attachments) for distributors, sales/marketing agents, etc. | O | O | O | — | M | — | |
| Writer’s Statement | M | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Producer’s Statement | O | M | M | — | — | M | |
| Director’s Statement | O | M | M | — | — | O | |
| CVs (creative team; to include primary applicant/contact) | M | M | M | — | — | M | |
| Proof of IP Rights or Ownership | 7 | M | M | M | M | M | M |
| Proof of participation in an international Film Festival or Market event. | 8 | — | — | O | M | — | — |
| Financial Statements &/or Bank Reference | O | M | — | — | — | M | |
| Proof of Relevant Industry Association Membership (JAFTA, WIFTJA, JANN, etc) | O | O | O | O | O | O | |
| Companies Office of Jamaica Letter of Good Standing | O | O | O | O | O | O |
Notes:
- This includes birth certificate or Jamaican passport (or stamp in passport, if applicable)
- If not submitted at the point of application, the proof must be submitted at point of contracting, if awarded.
- Work samples should be from the applicant, but can include the creative team as well
- The screenplay with a detailed description of the scenes and synopsis.
- Finance and Budget:
- Breakout of the total cost of the project and the details of the financing plan, particularly for the production stage.
- The finance plan must contain names of partners (companies or individuals) and the type of financing (debt, equity, in-kind, etc.).
- It should also outline amounts already secured, or applied for and when decisions are expected.
- State the total cost of the category of funding you are seeking and provide a breakdown of the funding that you are seeking from the JSDI.
- The Production Plan must include the distribution strategy
- This could include chain of title: option or purchase agreement/clearance agreement/copyright registration certificate or filing receipt/life story right agreement/financing agreement/settlement agreements, releases and waivers.
- This could include a letter of invitation to screen – sales agent, meeting with prospective distributors and financiers.
Multiple Applications
Applicants may submit multiple applications for funding in the following cases:
- A single project qualifies for a funding category and also qualifies for subsequent funding categories within a year of the first application. For example, a project qualifies for development funding and subsequently qualifies for production and completion funding – resulting in one (1) project, but three (3) applications.
- A single project wishes to apply both for the grant and the loan available under a specific category, such as for Development, resulting in one applications.
- A single writer or producer has a slate of projects. Each project will require a separate application submission and will be assessed on its own merit.
- A project has been selected to be exhibited at multiple film festivals where grant funding would be required. Each film festival acceptance will require a separate application submission and will be assessed on its own merits.
Evaluation and Selection
Application Verification Process
All applications submitted will be subject to a validation check to ensure mandatory eligibility criteria is met and that all sections of the application have been completed. In addition, checks will be made as to whether all mandatory documents have been uploaded with the relevant information for the evaluation included.
Should an application be ineligible, correspondence will be sent to the primary applicant advising that the application has not been accepted for consideration. Where such an application requires amendments, an opportunity to amend and resubmit an application may be extended to the applicant.
Evaluation of Applications
The process of evaluating applications will vary based on the type of application that is being considered.
I. For applications that are under the Development, Production and Completion Support categories, there will be a call of applications no more than two to three times per year after which an Evaluation Committee external to JAMPRO will be convened to review the applications with no less than five evaluators being assigned to every application. Each evaluator will provide independent evaluated scores for each application, which will be used during the selection process. Evaluators will be assigned based on their experience in a particular area to ensure that the skills and experience match with the application being evaluated.
II. For all other category types, that is, Film Festival and Market Attendance, Marketing and Distribution, and Production Rebates, there will be a rolling acceptance of applications by JAMPRO, which are evaluated individually and funded where the decision is favourable.
Process and Timeline
| Call for Content (March 18 – April 28). Applications are open to the public. Application forms and document checklist may be downloaded from this website (link to “How to Apply’ section) |
| Application Validation (April 29 – May 10). Applications will be reviewed for eligibility. They will either be accepted or declined based on the criteria outlined. |
| Review of Applications (May 10 – August 7). Validated applications will be assessed by the evaluation committee. An applicant or project team may be invited to make a presentation to the evaluation team where further clarification is required. |
| Due to the overwhelming number of applications, new timelines will be set for the next phase of application evaluation. We’re committed to the JSDI programme’s success and are exploring support sessions to improve future compliance and outcomes. We’ll keep you updated. |
Evaluation Criteria
| Track Record of the Applicant | Demonstrated track record and ability of the creative/ team to progress development, execute – production or market completed projects. Track record of production company / individual Track record of creative team (including director, writer and key cast) . Business viability of applicant company. |
| Feasibility of the Project | Feasibility of the project with respect to budget, financing, schedule and scope. Creative & Commercial merit of the project and potential for critical and commercial success (originality, quality and production-readiness of the script, and the director’s vision for the film or the quality of the footage. |
| Commercial Attractiveness and Viability | Demonstration of market interests and global marketing strategy. Includes: marketing and business plan with intended audience, marketability and international sales and distribution potential, with any letters proving market interest. |
| Potential Benefits to Jamaica and the Jamaican Film Industry | Benefits to the Jamaican economy, including: Projected Jamaican expenditures Number of Jamaicans employed in the production process Total projected number of days of employment for Jamaicans Ownership by Jamaicans Cultural value to Jamaica. |
Evaluation Considerations
Applications to the JSDI must:
- meet the product eligibility criteria
- have writer attached at the development phase (having a producer attached will strengthen an application)
- have, at a minimum, a writer and producer attached for any stage post-development
- come from a creative team where the writer, producer and (if applicable) director are all over the age of 18
- have secured, or can secure, the rights (including any underlying rights) in the project. The rights do not have to be in place at application stage provided you are demonstrably confident that you will be able to irrevocably option the rights during development and as a pre-condition to signing a contract to access funding.
For each category of support, the following is important to note for your application:
| Development Support | – Must have a clear concept and vision – Must demonstrate clear understanding of development needs and timelines – Must demonstrate estimated project feasibility, viability and market potential – Be ideally thematically Jamaican; wholly or partially – Be ideally set in Jamaica; wholly or partially – Projects awarded funding must be wholly or partially produced in Jamaica. |
| Production Support | – Have a writer, producer and director attached – Be ideally thematically Jamaican; wholly or partially – Be ideally set in Jamaica; wholly or partially – Projects awarded production support funding must spend a minimum of 40% of the production budget on Jamaican goods and service providers Engage a local film production company to facilitate in-island logistics and execution of the production For Film Production: – Minimum of 50% below-the-line Jamaican crew hired – Minimum of 20% hired Above-the-Line, Head of Department, Key Creative, or Lead Talent. For Animation Projects: – Minimum of 20% below-the-line Jamaican crew hired – Minimum of 50% hired Above-the-Line, Head of Department, Key Creative, or Lead Talent. |
| Completion (Post-Production) Support | – Must have completed principal photography and demonstrate proof of same For Film Production: – Projects awarded funding must spend a minimum of 40% of the budget, in the production phase, on Jamaican goods and service providers. For Animation Projects: – Projects awarded funding must spend a minimum of 40% of the production budget with Jamaican goods and service providers. |
| Film Festival & Market Attendance | – Must demonstrate acceptance to film festival or relevant exhibition activity |
| Marketing and Distribution | – Must demonstrate plans for distribution and marketing – Must have letter of commitment/agreement from a sales agent, marketing agency, etc. |
| Production Rebates | – Must not have benefitted from any other disbursements under the JSDI, or any disbursed funds have been fully repaid/returned. – Must have letter of commitment/agreement from a distributor at contract signing Minimum spend of US$500k in Jamaica or on Jamaican goods and services – Engage a local film production company to facilitate in-island logistics and execution of the production (for overseas companies) For Film Production: – Minimum of 50% below-the-line Jamaican crew hired – Minimum of 20% hired Above-the-Line, Head of Department, Key Creative, or Lead Talent. For Animation Projects: – Minimum of 20% below-the-line Jamaican crew hired – Minimum of 50% hired Above-the-Line, Head of Department, Key Creative, or Lead Talent. – Be ideally thematically Jamaican; wholly or partially – Be ideally set in Jamaica; wholly or partially – Must facilitate job shadowing and training of local crews; to include interns from relevant tertiary institutions – Must include plan to host workshops for Jamaican film-makers |
If your application is successful:
- You will be notified of your selection and subsequently receive contract documents for your review.
If your application is unsuccessful:
- You will be encouraged to refine your application for the next call for Projects.