Two People Exchanging Saliva by Alexandre Singh, Natalie Musteata
Oscar winner, Telluride Film Festival, Brussels Independent Film Festival, ...
The Tarkovski Grant supports hundreds of filmmakers each year in their challenging journeys as independent filmmakers. From 'new filmmakers' to Oscar winning talent.
The good news, you’ve completed a film. A narrative, documentary, experimental, animated, underground or any other type of film. It took you an immensely amount of energy, money and time.
The bad news, right when you thought you were ready to share everything with the world, you realized that a new hurdle rised all over again, simply to get your project seen by anyone else. To get your message out into the world, to get recognition. Although this frustrating approach may be standard in some creative fields, there aren't many industries that are as competitive as the film industry. This means that when independent filmmakers want to get their work properly recognized, they usually need the help of a professional organization to get even the basic attention their work deserves.
-4.png)
Founded in 2015, more than 6,000 filmmakers received The Tarkovski Grant resulting the successful release of so many amazing gems that might otherwise stay under the radar. Some of the selected films went on receiving selections and awards at the top tier film festivals such as Cannes Film Festival, Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, … even going as far as receiving an Oscar.
The Tarkovski Grant is supported by major film festivals from all over the world.
If selected you'll get a FilmFreeway submission fee waiver package that's worth at least $500 USD and grants you free submission access to 20+ film festivals. The current festival partners include iconic festivals such as the Brussels Independent Film Festival, the Venice Film Week, Super Shorts, Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival, Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festivals… among many others.
This not only saves you a lot of money, but it also recognizes your work as something to watch for during the selection procedure, making a selection with another partner film festival more likely - but of course, never guaranteed.
Get ready to shine.
On top of this, you'll have the opportunity to get exposure through Final Cut Magazine with a customised one-on-one interview on your work.
Find your stage and make yourself heard.
Submit your work to one or more of the following international film festivals to be considered for The Tarkovski Grant:
​​US:
Super Shorts New York Film Festival
Super Shorts Los Angeles Film Festival
Doc.Boston Documentary Film Festival
New Jersey Independent Film Festival
Somerville International Film Festival
Lee Strasberg Film Festival
CANADA:
Toronto Arthouse Film Festival
​
AUSTRALIA:
Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival
​
BELGIUM:
Brussels Independent Film Festival
Bruges International Film Festival
Ghent Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival
Ghent International Short Film Festival
​
UK:
Super Shorts London Film Festival
Doc.London Documentary Film Festival
​
​THE NETHERLANDS:
Amsterdam Independent Film Festival
Amsterdam International Short Film Festival
ITALY:
Verona International Film Festival
HONG KONG:
Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival
GERMANY:
Doc.Berlin Documentary Film Festival
FRANCE:
Doc.Paris Documentary Film Festival
Cannes International Film Week
Portugal:
Lisbon International Film Festival
Free access for filmmakers from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Palestine, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen and Zimbabwe:
... and more coming soon
The Tarkovski Grant, a history of supporting one another.
The program started in 2015 by supporting 169 filmmakers. Then the support was extended to 430 filmmakers in 2016, 444 filmmakers in 2017, 351 filmmakers in 2018, 422 filmmakers in 2019, 474 filmmakers in 2020, 611 filmmakers in 2021, 654 filmmakers in 2022, 950 filmmakers in 2023, 772 filmmakers in 2024 and in 2025 the support was granted to 951 filmmakers.
​
The average value of The Tarkovski Grant is about $500 per filmmaker, bringing the total value of support until 2025 to a whopping $3,114,000 or approximately an annual support of $283,091.
-4.png)
Measuring this financial impact is certainly an important aspect to shining a light in the dimly lit corners of independent film production, and it should not be understated how much this opportunity should not be passed up by any up-and-coming independent filmmaker.
What cannot be measured though is the size and scope of the waves that these opportunities create. Similar to a stone skipping across a pond, these waves coexist in harmonious and even sometimes beautiful ways.
Making every intersection a new place to explore- creating infinite swells of endless creativity.
contact.
The Tarkovski Grant and The Bigger Screen are projects by Velvet Room BV
Boulevard du Régent 54
1000 Brussels, Belgium, EU
E: info@velvetroom.org​​​​
The Tarkovski Grant
