Information
As part of this commissioning round we will hold an online information session with the EBU & RTÉ Executive Producers on Monday Feb 10th at 3pm. Please email eimear.omahony@rte.ie to register
No. of Episodes / Duration: 1 x 15 minutes
4 x 15 minute EBU dramas dubbed into English
Budget: Up to a maximum of €107,500
Delivery: Completed film to be delivered by October 2025
Closing Date: 12 noon, Friday 28th February 2025
Full Brief
´BELONGING’ – EUROVISION CHILDREN’S DRAMA
RTÉ’s Young People’s Programmes is seeking proposals for an original, short children’s drama as part of its participation in the Eurovision Children’s Drama Series 2025, which is operated by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union). This is an international co-production exchange whereby RTÉ commissions and delivers to the EBU one children’s film (or ‘episode’), suitable for sharing with other broadcasters, as a result of which it receives Irish broadcast rights for all episodes made/commissioned as part of the exchange by other participating broadcasters.
Films in the series must be original and this commission for the Irish episode is contingent on the production company clearing all rights on an exclusive, transferable and worldwide basis, i.e. covering all writers, performers, composers et al.
Series Theme: Belonging - an anthology kids drama series, are single 15-minute self-contained stories linked together by a common theme of Belonging. In what has become an unsafe and sometimes scary world, this theme suggests the need to believe in community and engage with those that might be seen as different. Within this theme producers can build stories that tackle issues of friendship, inclusivity, environmentalism, racism, disability, gender, displacement, migration. These stories can be told in a variety of genres such as comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, mystery, detective, so that they can contain aliens and magical elements too!
The Children’s Drama Exchange shares high quality, original dramas that can appeal to audiences aged 6-9. Each story is led by a 9-year-old child and told from their point of view. Our protagonists come from diverse social backgrounds, and within their stories play an active role in their own and others’ lives. The world that our protagonists live in can be naturalistic, absurdist, comedic, magical, futuristic - the choice is yours. As we have an exchange scheme with The Asian Broadcasting Union, this creates a really varied series of different stories from all over the world, creating an anthology series of 10-12 episodes.
Our stories are told visually with strong emotions, and minimal dialogue to allow for easy translation into other languages. The common theme of ‘Belonging’ aims to link the films together into a series with its own branding, with its visual identity expressed through a wraparound titles sequence. Each broadcaster makes one film and receives the others for free, cleared for world rights for 10 years. To see a selection of the films which have been produced to date in the exchange, please visit:
https://showcase.ebu.ch/gallery/children-s-drama-series-1
As a whole, the Irish film must reflect the values of RTÉ Kids, which aims to explore and reflect the world in which youngsters in Ireland are growing up. Accordingly, the production must be fundamentally inclusive, prepared to embrace children of all backgrounds, abilities, cultures and ethnicities.
As part of this commissioning round, we will host an online information session with the EBU and RTÉ Executive Producers in early February. More details will be provided soon.
Submission Requirements RTÉ Young People’s is seeking submissions from independent companies to produce the Irish film in this series. This commission must also include the production and delivery of four other countries’ films in English-language dubbed versions, with this cost included in the quoted budget. The quoted budget does not need to cover the Participation Fee, which will be a separate cost to RTÉ.
Submissions should demonstrate the company’s ability to deliver in the following areas:
- Original Story and Treatment: A strong, original story and a treatment that is convincingly age-appropriate - we want a film that promises to engage viewers aged between 6 and 9 years (and is suitable for screening to younger children, i.e. not too scary/dark for RTÉ Kids.) The series theme/title (‘BELONGING’) must feature clearly but it can be interpreted laterally/creatively.
- Proven Track Record: The company, particularly key personnel proposed for this series, must demonstrate a proven track record in the production of films or television programmes for children. We are looking for an experienced film or television director with a strong leaning towards working with children; and a writer with a clear affinity for, and understanding of, the target audience age group of 6 to 9 years.
- Casting Strategy: The submission should outline a convincing casting strategy along with any initial casting suggestions.
- Understanding Eurovision Rules: An understanding of the Eurovision Rules, including a willingness to engage with Eurovision’s Executive Producer who will work with the company/producer to ensure the production is of the required standard and who will have the authority to approve or reject a treatment, make editorial decisions and, in specified circumstances, exclude a participant. Please note that the deadline for delivery of the completed film will be October 2025 to the EBU. Deadline for delivery of dubbed programmes will be end of February 2026. They will be delivered by the production company to RTÉ directly.
- Dubbing Plan: The proposal must include a costed plan for dubbing into English four of the series’ other films and delivering these dubbed versions ready for broadcast to RTÉ.
We ask, in the first instance, that producers submit ideas into the eCommissioning system: Login | RTE (rtegroup.ie) RTÉ Young People’s/EBU Drama. The closing date for receipt of proposals is 12 noon, Friday 28th February 2025 (Strict Deadline).