The NBC Film Adaptation Fund aims to promote Maltese literature by granting public financing for the translation onto screen of any novel, published in English or Maltese, which has won or has been shortlisted for Malta’s National Book Prize. The deadline for applications is 30 August 2021, and a panel of independent evaluators will choose the winning project.

The initiative was first introduced in 2019, when Maltese company Shadeena was awarded financing for the adaptation of Alex Vella Gera’s award-winning novel A Vipers' Pit / Is-Sriep Reġgħu Saru Velenużi, which is set to be released in Maltese cinemas later in 2021.

The 2021 fund is open to experienced film and television production companies registered in Malta or in Europe. At least one of either the producers, writers, or director must be a Maltese citizen or hold the permanent residence status in Malta. The company must have the rights to adapt the novel into a feature film, by means of an option agreement with the copyright holder. The agreement must be valid for 30 months.

The winning applicant will enter into an agreement with the NBC by the end of 2021 and will be expected to deliver a final cut of the film to the Council by 2023.

For more information, including the complete regulations, visit the NBC official website: https://ktieb.org.mt/the-nbc-film-adaptation-fund/.