South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers

Overview

South Arts is a regional arts organization serving nine southern US states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Its primary film program is the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, established in 1975 and the South's only touring filmmaker program. Southern Circuit pays documentary filmmakers to tour their completed films across the region, participating in post-screening Q&As and community engagement events at nonprofit, educational, and governmental venues.

Southern Circuit is not a production grant. It is a touring and exhibition program that pays filmmakers to screen completed work and engage with audiences. Filmmakers receive a screening honorarium for each in-person screening, paid travel expenses (coach airfare, baggage, car rental or mileage, rideshare), and a per diem for meals and lodging. The tour runs from September to November and February to April, with filmmakers typically visiting approximately six venues over two separate one-week touring periods.

For the 2026-2027 season, filmmaker applications open February 10, 2026 and close April 10, 2026. Filmmakers are notified by June 26, 2026. The tour runs September-November 2026 and February-April 2027. Screening Partners (the venues hosting screenings) pay a participation fee of $5,500, invoiced June 1, 2026, with payment due by July 31, 2026.

In the 2024-2025 season, 21 Screening Partner venues and 13 films and filmmaking teams were selected for the tour. The 2023-2024 season featured 20 venues and 20 filmmaking teams.

What It Covers

Selected filmmakers receive:

• Screening honorarium: A paid honorarium for each in-person screening on the tour
• Paid travel expenses: Coach airfare (booked by South Arts no less than 4 weeks before the tour), baggage fees, basic car rental or mileage for personal vehicles, and rideshare costs
• Per diem: A per diem for each evening away from home, covering meals and lodging
• Marketing support: South Arts and Screening Partners provide marketing for each screening
• Community engagement: Post-screening Q&A sessions, educational events, and press engagements with Southern audiences

Screening Partners (hosting venues) receive:

• Six films and filmmakers per season (one per month during the touring period)
• Curated shortlist of submitted and invited films to select from
• Support from South Arts in coordinating filmmaker travel and logistics

Eligibility

For filmmakers:

• Must live in the United States and have valid government identification
• Film must be a feature-length documentary (40-120 minutes)
• Film must have been completed within the last four years
• Film must be in English or have English subtitles (both trailer and full-length)
• Filmmaker must be willing to drive between venues that are 300 miles or less apart
• Filmmaker must legally control festival and educational distribution rights to participate
• Film must be completed (rough cuts are not accepted)
• No premiere requirements, but previous screenings and broadcasts are considered during selection

For Screening Partners (hosting venues):

• Must be a nonprofit, educational, or governmental organization within South Arts' nine-state region
• Must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or be an official unit of local, county, or state government
• Must have an EIN
• Fiscal agents are not accepted
• Screenings must take place within the nine-state region
• Screenings must be public and include a post-film Q&A with the filmmaker

How to Apply

Filmmaker Application

1. Complete the online application on the South Arts website between February 10, 2026 and April 10, 2026
2. Pay the $25 non-refundable entry fee (students enrolled in an accredited film program may request a fee waiver)
3. Submit screener link: Must be unlisted (not private). Test the link before submitting. Inaccessible links are disqualified
4. Filmmakers are notified by June 26, 2026

Screening Partner Application

1. Complete the online application between February 10, 2026 and April 10, 2026
2. Return signed MOU to South Arts by April 30, 2026
3. Pay $5,500 participation fee: Invoiced June 1, 2026, due by July 31, 2026
4. Screening Partners are notified by May 4, 2026

Selection Process

Films are evaluated based on subject matter and themes, potential programming or partnerships, and the film's relationship to the South. Screening Partners select films and filmmakers from a curated shortlist of submitted and invited films. All decisions are final.

What Southern Circuit Actually Pays

Southern Circuit is a touring exhibition program, not a production grant. The financial value to a filmmaker is in honoraria, travel coverage, and per diem across approximately six screenings:

The program is designed for filmmakers with completed documentary features who want to build audience awareness, engage with Southern communities, and earn income through screening fees rather than filmmakers seeking production funding. The tour provides meaningful exhibition opportunities for documentaries that may not have theatrical distribution, particularly films about Southern subjects or by Southern filmmakers.

For production funding in the South, filmmakers should look at the Austin Film Society Grant (up to $20,000 for Texas filmmakers) or the Southern Documentary Fund ($15,000 production grants for documentary makers in 12 Southern states).

Who Should Apply

• Documentary filmmakers with completed feature-length films (40-120 minutes) who want to tour their work across the American South
• Filmmakers whose documentaries relate to Southern subjects, communities, or issues, as the selection process considers the film's relationship to the South
• Filmmakers willing to travel for approximately two weeks total (split across two touring periods: September-November and February-April), driving between venues up to 300 miles apart
• Filmmakers who control their festival and educational distribution rights, as participation requires legal control of these rights

The program is not for filmmakers seeking production or post-production funding, narrative filmmakers (only documentaries are accepted), filmmakers with short films (must be 40-120 minutes), or filmmakers with rough cuts (only completed films are accepted).

Related South Arts Grant Programs

South Arts also offers several grant programs for organizations presenting film and other arts in the Southern region. These are not filmmaker grants but may be relevant for filmmakers partnering with presenting organizations:

All three programs require the presenting organization (not the individual artist) to apply. Filmmakers interested in these grants should partner with an eligible nonprofit venue in the South Arts region.

Program History

Southern Circuit was established in 1975, making it one of the longest-running touring filmmaker programs in the United States. The program has impacted over 100 communities across the South since its inception. It is managed by South Arts, a Regional Arts Organization (RAO) supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

South Arts itself was founded in 1975 and serves nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The organization operates from Atlanta, Georgia, and offers grant programs across multiple disciplines including film, visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, and traditional arts.

The Southern Circuit program has evolved to focus exclusively on feature-length documentary films, reflecting the growth of documentary filmmaking and the demand for nonfiction content in community screening settings. The program connects filmmakers with diverse audiences across the South, from universities and museums to community arts centers and libraries.

Common Confusions

Southern Circuit is not a production grant. The program does not fund the making of a film. It pays filmmakers to tour completed films. If you need production funding, look at other opportunities in the Film Scholarships Directory.

Only feature-length documentaries are accepted. The program explicitly states that Southern Circuit accepts feature-length documentary films of 40-120 minutes. Narrative films, short films, and experimental films are not eligible.

The $25 entry fee is non-refundable. Students can request a fee waiver by contacting South Arts. The fee is due at the time of application.

Screener links must be unlisted, not private. Private links that require passwords or approval will be disqualified. Test your link before submitting.

Screening Partners pay $5,500 to participate. This is the venue fee, not a filmmaker cost. Filmmakers do not pay to participate in the tour beyond the $25 application fee. The $5,500 fee is what funds the filmmaker honoraria and travel support.

The tour requires driving between venues. Filmmakers must be willing to drive between venues that are 300 miles or less apart. If you cannot or do not want to drive in the South for approximately one week at a time, this program is not suitable.

See Also

For regional filmmaking strategies, see [Regional Filmmaking Guide]. To plan your production budget, use the Production Budget Calculator. For exploring other funding opportunities, browse the full Film Scholarships Directory.