EU-Call: Get funding for independent film productions

The MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe programme supports the European film and audiovisual industries to develop, distribute and promote European works, taking into account today’s digital environment.

 

What is the purpose of the funding?

• Provide funds to audiovisual production companies to develop work with high creative value and cultural diversity and wide cross-border exploitation potential. Companies are encouraged to develop strategies for marketing and distribution from the outset of the development phase thus improving the potential to reach audiences at a European and international level.
• Increase cooperation including co-development between operators from different countries participating in the MEDIA Strand.
• Strengthen the competitiveness of European audiovisual production companies by consolidating their capacity for investment in the development phase and expanding companies’ activities and their innovation capacity to explore new fields and markets.
• Applications should present adequate strategies to ensure a more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.

 

Who can apply?

• Companies with recent experience in producing internationally distributed works.
• Works produced by the applicant company or a personal onscreen producer credit of the Chief Executive or one of the shareholders.
• Companies which have produced at least two previous works since 2016, both of which respect the following conditions:
  • are animation, fiction or creative documentary projects (one-off or series) of a total duration of minimum 24 minutes (except for projects with a user experience in non-linear format (e.g. Virtual Reality), in which case there is no minimum duration).
  • have been actually released in cinemas, broadcast on television or made available on digital platforms in at least three countries other than that of the applicant before the day of the deadline for submission of applications and, in case of linear broadcast, by three different broadcasters.
  • the releases or broadcasts were all of a commercial nature. Screenings during festivals are not accepted as a commercial distribution.

 

Support available for

• Development of 3 to 5 works for commercial exploitation intended for cinema release, television broadcasting or commercial exploitation on digital platforms or a multi-platform environment in the following categories: animation, creative documentary or fiction.
• Only the development activities for the following works are eligible:
  • Feature films, animations and creative documentaries of a minimum length of 60 minutes intended primarily for cinematic release;
  • Fiction projects (one-off or series) of a total duration of minimum 90 minutes, animation (one-off or series) of a total duration of minimum 24 minutes and creative documentaries (one-off or series) of a total duration of minimum 50 minutes intended primarily for the purposes of television or digital platform
    exploitation;
  • Interactive, non-linear fiction, animation or creative documentary projects (e.g. narrative virtual reality projects) of any duration.;
  • Works which are designed to be a series with a joint distribution and marketing strategy have to be submitted as a series. Single episodes of a series cannot be split into separate applications and cannot be submitted as separate works within the same application.
• Applicants have the option to add a short film by emerging talent to their slate.

 

How much can you apply for?

• Project budget (maximum grant amount): between €90,000 and €510,000 per project. The grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested.
• The grant will be a lump sum grant. This means that it will reimburse a fixed amount, based on a lump sum or financing not linked to costs. The amount is prefixed by the granting authority at:
  • Animation one-off: €55,000
  • Animation series: €60,000
  • Creative documentary one-off: €30,000
  • Creative documentary series: €35,00
  • Fiction one-off with production budget below or equal to €5M: €45,000
  • Fiction one-off with a production budget above €5M: €60,000
  • Fiction series with a production budget below or equal to €5M: €55,000
  • Fiction series with a production budget above €5M but below or equal to €20M: €75,000
  • Fiction series with a production budget above €20M: €100,000
  • Short film: €10,000.

 

How can you apply?

• Read the full call document to check eligibility and requirements.
• Applications for this call will be processed through the European Commission’s Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal (F&TP).
• There is detailed information on how to access the F&T Portal.
• You can see further information on how to apply.