Central West documentary producer Jed Coppa wrote to council in July to ask for a subsidised booking fee to use Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC) to screen the film, Following the Flow.

The film is said to tell the story of the Macquarie River "through the eyes of the people that know it best", being First Nations people, farmers, fishers, ecologists, water managers and environmentalists.

It was filmed in 2020 and features interviews from several Bathurst people, including historian and ecologist David Goldney.

Following the Flow was premiered in Dubbo to a sold-out crowd in June and was screened at BMEC on August 3.

Mr Coppa said the small team behind the film financed it themselves and there was a "financial risk" to putting on the screenings.

This risk prompted the request for subsidised rental fees for the use of BMEC.

"If you could offer us some sort of subsidised booking fee that would go a long way to helping us get Following the Flow out there and help cover some of the costs associated with making a feature length film independently," Mr Coppa said.

Council will consider the request for financial assistance at its August 16 meeting.

A report from director of Corporate Services and Finance, Aaron Jones, has calculated the costs for the event to be $929.50 and recommended that the request not be approved.

Council's Revenue Policy policy allows for a donation of 20 per cent of the venue hire fees to be given to local community organisations that are not for profit.

As the production team is not from Bathurst, the community discount is not available to be applied.

However, councillors are not compelled to go with Mr Jones' recommendation.

If they want to provide financial assistance, they can put a motion forward at the meeting and identify a funding source.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: