The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening of the call for the Sixth Presidential Employment Stimulus Program, also referred to as PESP 6, issued by The Presidency through the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).The NFVF has been tasked by the DSAC to administer PESP 6, a government initiative designed to continue the reactivation of the sector on the right path as outlined in the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (ERRP) after the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The package aims to assist practitioners and companies with projects in their implementation stages to reach completion through financial support. The call also aims to support the sector through continuous skills development, focusing on the skills that the sector deems scarce.
The NFVF implements the PESP across two programmes, Project 1 and Project 2. Project 1 refers to job creation through grant administration. Project 2 refers to job creation through an internship programme for the digitisation of archive materials. This open call refers to Project 1.
Project 1 is comprised of:
Stream Group Format Cap/s Open Call
1 1 Production (Incl Development & Post-Production) R10 million 06 Oct - 21 Nov 2025
1 2 Production (Incl. Post-Production) R400K R2 million 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025
2 N/A Skills Development R700K R1 million 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025
3 N/A Marketing and Distribution R500K R1.5 million 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025
The closing date for submissions is Friday, 31 October 2025 for Stream 1: Group 2, Stream 2 and Stream 3.
For the 2025/26 financial year, the DSAC has allocated R230 000 000 to ensure that the job creation target of 15 360 for the financial year is met. The breakdown of jobs is as follows:
Project 1, Stream1:Group 2, Stream 2 and Stream 3 have a target of 11 360 jobs,
Project 1, Stream 1 Group 1 has a target of 4000 jobs.
The project allocation cost of R230 000 000.00 will be distributed as follows:
Description Budget Amount
A) Budget Breakdown: Project 1
Stream 1: Production (Incl. Development & Post-Production) (Group 1 - Blockbusters) R 50 000 000.00
Stream 1: Production (Incl. Post-Production) (Group 2 - Production-ready) R 70 926 730.00
Stream 1: Production Group 1 and Group 2 R 120 926 730.00
Stream 2: Skills Development and Training R 60 963 365.00
Stream 3: Market and Film festivals R 19 998 905.00
PESP6 Project Appeals R 5 000 000.00
Administration fee R 9 611 000.00
SUB - TOTAL R 216 500 000.00
B) Digitisation: Project 2 R 13 500 000.00
TOTAL: R 230 000 000.00
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
Since PESP is a special project, not all provisions of the NFVF funding policy will be applicable.
Projects that can realistically be implemented between 01 August 2026 - 30 November 2026 for Stream 2 and 3, and 01 August 2026 - 31 July 2027, within the specified budget will be considered.
PESP-specific funding caps will be implemented in order to provide funding to as many practitioners as possible, without compromising the number of jobs that can be created within the set timeframes per stream. These caps should NOT be confused with the funding caps of the NFVF funding policy as PESP is a special project.
The ideal projects would be those capable of employing at least ten (10) or more people at the rates specified within the funding caps per stream. This will be the minimum job target for Stream 1 Short-format, Stream 2 and Stream 3. The minimum job target for long-format in Stream 1 will be twenty (20) jobs.
It is crucial for applicants to secure supplementary funding, if their project requires it, BEFORE submitting their application for the PESP 6 program, as no additional time will be allocated for this process.
Projects still in need of funding from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and its related incentive programme will not be considered.
Applicants will be required to open a separate designated bank account for PESP6.
Applicants are discouraged from submitting the same project for consideration in both PESP6 and normal NFVF funding applications to avoid double dipping.
Projects submitted for the various streams should prioritise employment opportunities for youth, women, people with disabilities and previously disadvantaged groups. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received funding for PESP 1, PESP 3, PESP 4 and PESP 5.
Each applicant is allowed to submit applications for only one stream, limited to two applications per applicant.
PESP6 will accommodate appeals.
AUDIO-VISUAL OPEN CALL STREAMS
STREAM 1: PRODUCTION OPEN CALL (GROUP 2)
Theme: Not applicable
Projects Considered: Production-ready formats for feature Films, TV Films, feature films (Fiction), TV films (fiction), short films (fiction), short films (documentary), TV format (pilot), TV feature series (documentary), feature film (animation), series (animation), short film (animation), web-series and co-productions (co-productions that have secured a co-production partner and related funds will be considered due to the limited implementation provided that the PESP portion funds the South African related component).
Projects Not Considered: Development projects due to the relatively low number of jobs they can yield compared to production-ready projects.
Number of Jobs Considered and Time-Frame: Long-format: Minimum of 20 jobs within a 12 month period; Short-format: Minimum of 10 jobs within a 12 month period.
Implementation period 01 August 2026 - 31 July 2027.
Application Process
Phase one: Online Application Apply through the open call via Praxis, after which
each project will be evaluated by the PESP6 appointed advisory panel members
Phase two: Pitch Process - Not Applicable
Cap per project: R400 000 (shorts) / R600 000 (animation shorts) / R2 million (feature-length)
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