REGULATIONS

1. General provisions

1.1 Public organization "Ukrainian Film Academy," in cooperation with Netflix, announced a “Grant Program: script development and exclusive sessions with industry experts” to help Ukrainian creators in Ukraine and around the world who have been affected or displaced by the war to continue and develop their work. The translation was facilitated by the Ukrainian Film Academy.

1.2 “Grant Program: script development and exclusive sessions with industry experts” was conducted by the Public organization "Ukrainian Film Academy" (EDRPOU code: 41176371), Ukraine, Kyiv city, Symona Petliury Street, build. 30 (hereinafter referred to as the Organizer).

2. Program Description

2.1 48 project teams of two made up of a scriptwriter and producer, received $15 000** each to develop a script for their project.  All scripts were translated into English at the end of the Program.

2.2 A series of exclusive online sessions with international industry experts was held especially for the Grant recipients.

2.3 In addition, participants of the "Grant Program: script development and exclusive sessions with industry experts” were offered additional financial support in the form of a one-time travel grant of $1 000 U.S. per team (in UAH equivalent) to present their projects at international festivals and film markets.

2.4 Throughout 2023, the script development grant recipients will continue to receive support through a group session to discuss the shape of the industry landscape plus 1:1 script doctoring and project development sessions covering financing, co-producing, marketing, distribution and festival strategies, delivered by the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs.

2.5 The following projects were accepted for participation in the Program:

• Original feature films

• Original feature series (up to 10 episodes of 30-52 minutes)

• Documentary project (films and series)

2.6 The Grant was paid in UAH at the interbank exchange rate (after the conclusion of the grant agreement) in non-cash form to the producer’s bank account of a legal entity or individual entrepreneur.

2.7 The Program was conducted in the following terms:

• From 11:00:00 on July 28, 2022, to 23:59:59 on August 18, 2022 – acceptance of applications from participants;

• By September 8, 2022 – announcement of the Grant recipients;

• September-October 2022 – a series of exclusive online sessions with international film industry experts for the Program Grant recipients;

• January 31, 2023 – deadline for completion of the script development. 

The Grant recipient did not transfer any rights to the script project to the Organizer or third parties, and the Organizer, Netflix, or any third party does not in any way prevent the participant from using their project in the future.

2.8 The Organizer did not share the project details and personal data of the Grant recipients with Netflix. Netflix received only depersonalized information about the Grant recipients' gender and country/region of residence.

2.9 The Grant recipients authorized the Organizer to use in the public space (on news resources, websites, social networks, etc.) information about the project, namely a brief description of the project (synopsis), team photos, quotes from any of the Grant recipient's team, etc. as previously agreed between the Parties.

2.10 The Grant recipients were to send the Organizer the finished script by January 31, 2023 and also gave them the right to translate the script into English.

3. Requirements for Program Participants

3.1 Program participants had to be Ukrainian citizens living in Ukraine or who were forced to leave Ukraine in 2022.

3.2 Citizens of Ukraine residing in the so-called “restricted regions of Ukraine” were not eligible to participate in this Program.

“Restricted Region of Ukraine” means the territories of Ukraine that are subject to United States sanctions.

3.3 A team of up to two people, producer and screenwriter, was considered a participant in the Program. The producer had to represent a legal entity (LLC) or an individual entrepreneur (IE) registered in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine and have the appropriate legal basis to represent the project.

3.4 The Grant funds paid to the winners of the Program were distributed as follows: an amount of at least 75% of the Grant funds had to be transferred to the screenwriter as the fee. At the end of the Program, the Participant (producer’s legal entity or individual entrepreneur) had to provide confirmation of fee payment to the screenwriter in the form of a contract with the screenwriter and bank confirmation of the fee transfer. This rule did not apply to documentaries: the team decided how best to distribute the Grant. Confirmation of the distribution of funds was attached to the final report.

3.5 To apply, Program participants had to be over 18 years old. Applications were accepted without the restriction of upper age limit, disability, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or country of residence.

3.6 Program participants had to have the necessary experience as a producer or screenwriter, respectively (be listed in the credits):

• At least one feature film, TV series, or documentary that had been selected for a film festival with a history of at least 5 years; and/or that has been released in cinemas, on national television, or in digital format in Ukraine;

• Or two short feature or documentary films, at least one of which had been selected for a film festival with a history of 5 years or more.

3.7 There were no genre or topic restrictions for projects participating in the Program. We welcomed projects that would contribute to the audience’s understanding of the lived experience of Ukrainians and Ukrainian culture broadly.

3.8 One screenwriter could submit a maximum of two projects with different producers, but only one project could be selected by the expert committee.

3.9 The same producer could participate in an unlimited number of projects, but only two could be selected.

3.10 All submission materials must be in Ukrainian:

• For films: treatment (5-10 pages);

• For series: pilot episode treatment and synopsis of the full season arc (1 page) and description of characters (up to 3 pages);

• For documentary projects: treatment (3-5 pages).

3.11 Individuals could apply for participation in the “Grant Program: script development and exclusive sessions with industry experts” from the Ukrainian Film Academy in cooperation with Netflix or the House of Europe stipends for filmmakers in partnership with Netflix, but if they were selected to participate in the Ukrainian Film Academy Grant Program, they were not eligible for a House of Europe stipends.

3.12 During their participation in the Program, the Grant recipients undertook to comply with the requirements of these Regulations and regulations of the current legislation of Ukraine.

3.13 By participating in the Program, the Program Grant recipients agreed and confirmed that they read and fully agreed with these Regulations.

3.14 In case the Grant recipients provided false/incorrect data for participation in the Program, including the means of communication with such Grant recipients, such Grant recipients would lose the right to continue participation in the Program.

3.15 The Organizer reserved the right to exclude the Grant recipient, who violated the obligations stipulated in these Regulations, from participation in the Program.

3.16 The Grant recipient who did not fulfill/improperly fulfill the terms of these Regulations would lose the right to participate further in the Program.

4. Project evaluation

4.1 To participate in the Program, it was necessary to complete the application form correctly and download the materials on the Organizer’s website.

4.2 The experts evaluated the projects based on the following criteria of the materials submitted by the participant for participation in the Program:

• Clarity of idea, story, characters, their motives and rules of the world;

• The viewer’s ability to identify with the story, the presence of universal themes;

• Originality, the presence of thought-provoking themes, multidimensional characters, layers to explore, twists and turns, clues that the viewer can put together, and a definite resolution;

• The driving force of heroes is strong, complex characters with clear, understandable motivations that together determine the direction of the dramatic arc/journey of the characters. The presence of urgent questions that need to be answered/exposed;

• The idea of the project is relevant for both Ukrainian and global audiences today and in the future;

• Applicants’ experience and potential in implementing similar projects (producer, screenwriter).

4.3 If an expert was associated with a project, he/she had to notify the organizers of this conflict of interest and could not vote for the specified project.

5. Confidentiality

5.1 Information about the project submitted by the Grant recipient, as well as any information about the Grant recipient, was considered confidential.

5.2 The Parties or their representatives should not disclose confidential information of the Parties without the written consent of the other Party, except as provided by the current legislation of Ukraine. Exceptions were lawyers (attorneys), accountants, bankers, or financial advisors hired by the Parties, as well as copyright (author), judicial, governmental, and other similar competent organizations involved in consideration of any issue related to these Regulations.

5.3 In case of damage caused by the disclosure of confidential information without the consent of the other Party, the guilty Party was obliged to reimburse the injured Party for all actual losses related to this, confirmed by the relevant documents.

6. Other terms of the Program

6.1 Participation in the Program automatically meant the fact of knowledge and full and unconditional consent of the Grant recipient with these Regulations. Violation of these Regulations by the Grant recipient or refusal of the Grant recipient to properly comply with these Regulations would be deemed a refusal of the Grant recipient to participate in the Program, and such person would not be entitled to receive any compensation from the Organizer.

6.2 By participating in the Program, each Grant recipient thereby confirms their consent to the transfer, collection, processing, and use of their personal data. The personal data of the Grant recipients would be used exclusively by the Organizer or their authorized persons in compliance with the necessary confidentiality measures and exclusively in connection with the Program and would not be provided to any third parties for purposes not related to this Program. In respect of all personal data provided by the Grant recipients, the Organizer or their authorized persons took measures to ensure the security of personal data in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection”.

6.3 Netflix did not assume any obligations regarding the projects that participated in the Program.

6.4 For the avoidance of doubt, Netflix did not have access to or participate in any evaluation of the materials during the application process or at the end of the Program.

6.5 The terms used in these Regulations refer exclusively to this Program. In the event of a situation that involves an ambiguous interpretation of these Regulations, any disputes and/or issues not regulated by these Regulations, the decision would be made by the Organizer.

6.6 All relations related to the Program were regulated on the basis of the current legislation of Ukraine.