Grant announcement: Marketing and distribution support

Application period

The application period ends October 26, 2021 at 23:59.

The aim of the support

The aim of the Finnish Film Foundation is to promote the diverse and professional production of films in Finland. The Foundation’s values include participation, pluralism, cultural diversity and artistic freedom.

The purpose of the support is to promote the broad and extensive supply and distribution of Finnish film productions through various distribution channels and platforms as well as to advance the availability and audience share of Finnish films.

To whom?

Support is granted primarily to films that have received the Foundation’s development and production support. Support may be granted to a professional distribution company registered in Finland who owns the film’s Finnish distribution rights, or to a production company that manages the film’s rights in Finland.

The applicant should be the party responsible for marketing who has the required expertise and skills.

For what purpose and how much?

The marketing and distribution support is aimed at the marketing and distribution costs of feature films, short films, serialised works, documentary, animation or children’s films or combinations thereof.

Support may be granted for the marketing and distribution costs of Finnish and international co-productions in various Finnish distribution channels and platforms.

Audio description and subtitling for the hearing impaired have been mandatory for feature films and documentaries since the beginning of 2019.

The amount of support
The maximum amount of the marketing and distribution support is €120,000.

In addition, the Foundation supports audio description and subtitling to the hearing impaired by a maximum amount of €7,000. Support for audio description and subtitling requires a separate application.

Previous support decisions may be viewed from the Foundation’s support decisions page.

How to apply?

Applications are submitted to the Foundation’s application system by submitting the application and appendices to The Finnish Film Foundation before the deadline noted in the grant announcement. Applications submitted after the deadline are transferred to the next application period.

Applicants fill in an application in the application system that consists of an electronic application form and the necessary appendices that are uploaded into the system.

Instructions for the application system

Prior to submitting an application, the applicant must carefully read the relevant grant announcement and support guide.

Appendices

Obligatory application appendices:

• A signed marketing and distribution plan drafted according to the Foundation’s template
• A budget and financing plan drafted according to the Foundation’s template
• Signed distribution agreements
• Agreements or binding confirmations of funding following the financing plan or other funding
  Funding for the project has to be confirmed before the project is eligible for the support. The applicant must show with binding confirmations or agreements that the marketing and distribution plan is feasible.
• Cooperation agreements
• Report on covering the self-financing portion of the overall funding

The applicant’s obligatory appendices:

• A verified and audited financial statement (if the Limited-liability Companies Act, the Audit Act or the articles of association necessitate an auditor) covering the latest financial period.
• a valid extract from the Trade Register no older than six months
• a certificate of paid taxes no older than three months
• a certificate of paid pension insurance premiums no older than three months
• a current shareholders’ register (the Limited-liability Companies Act, chapter 3) The shareholders’ register is delivered only once and updated if changes in ownership occur.

The application consists of an online application form and the obligatory appendices of 1) the application and 2) the applicant uploaded to the system.

The Foundation development plan, budgeting and report forms are on the Foundation’s website:

Forms

How are the applications evaluated?

Support may also be granted to the distribution of a film or cultural product that

1. forms an artistic whole,
2. has content that is based on cultural values originating in cultural identity and
3. includes a significant contribution by significant creators and artists and where the share of wages and salaries of the overall production costs is significant.

Support is discretionary. The evaluation and comparison of the applications is based on an overall assessment that considers the purpose of the funds, the grounds mentioned in the call for applications and available funds in the budget.

During evaluation, the project is considered as a whole in terms of marketing and distribution while taking into account the target audiences of the genre and the planned measures to reach them. In addition, the applicant’s professional and financial ability to complete the project is taken into account. Other support previously granted by the Film Foundation to the applicant is also taken into account.

Special conditions

• The project’s costs are approved without VAT. If the recipient is shown not to have the right to deduct VAT, costs may be approved with VAT.
• The Film Foundation may request further information if it deems it necessary for the decision-making process.
• A prerequisite for the support is that a feature length drama or documentary includes or will include audio description and subtitling for the hearing impaired.
• A prerequisite for the support is that the recipient has abided by possible previous support agreements and conditions.
• The Film Foundation oversees the use of the support and it has the right to audit the recipient’s finances and operations.
• The recipient must provide a written report and a financial report detailing the use of the support.
• The actualised overall funding of the project must not exceed the project’s actualised costs.
• The recipient pledges to report current viewing figures for statistical purposes in cinema, DVD and VOD distribution.
• Films that receive support must include subtitling that fulfils the requirement of the Language Act.

Support cannot be granted if the application is insufficient or the required information is not uploaded into the online application system despite requests to do so.

Decisions

The Finnish Film Foundation’s Board decides on the marketing and distribution support based on the CEO’s presentation.

Applicants receive a written notification.

Grant decisions are made on week 50.

The decision is based on the act of government funding for the advancement of cinema (56/2018), the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001) and the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003).

Go to the application system

The application system