Grant announcement: Marketing and distribution support for digital formats

Application period

The application period ends on October 16, 2020 at midnight.

The aim of the support

The aim of the Finnish Film Foundation is to promote the broad and comprehensive distribution of films by supporting the availability and reach of domestic films on different distribution platforms and also by supporting the availability of a wide variety of international films in Finland.

The aim of the marketing and distribution support for digital formats is to promote the marketing and availability of Finnish cinema in video on demand (VOD) services, other digital platforms and on DVD and Blu-ray.

To whom?

Support may be granted to a professional distribution company or a registered corporation that manages the film’s distribution rights in Finland.

For what purpose and how much?

Support may be granted to cover the production, marketing and distribution costs of the film’s digital format distribution.

The amount of support
Support may be granted to cover a maximum of 70% of the production, marketing and distribution costs. The first digital publication of the film may receive a maximum of €10,000 of support, provided that the film has not received marketing and distribution support for the same purpose.

The film’s re-release on a VOD or other digital platform or on DVD, BluRay or other digital format may receive a maximum of €2,500. The support will not be granted for mastering expenses of re-releases.

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

How to apply?

Applications are entered into the application system by submitting the application and appendices before the deadline to the Film Foundation.

New applicants must register in the application system. New clients are registered within a week.

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

Instructions for the application system

Appendices

On the last application day the latest, the applicant must upload the following appendices to the online application system:

Obligatory application appendices:

• The Finnish Film Foundation’s cost clarification form
• the film’s distribution agreements
• the film’s distribution strategy
• an expense report verified by an accountant
• subtitling information

NOTE! The appendices to the application are submitted according to the type of the appendix.

Forms

The applicant’s obligatory appendices:

• the latest financial statement approved by an accountant: balance sheet book and audit report
• a valid Trade Register Extract that is no older than six months
• certificate of tax debts that is no older than three months
• a certificate of paid pension insurance premiums that is no older than three months
• a current shareholder register (Limited Liability Companies Act, section 3), the shareholder register is submitted only once and updated if holdings change

NOTE! Documents pertaining to a corporation are uploaded in the applicant’s appendices.

NOTE! If you are unable to include some of the appendices, you must include a written clarification on the missing appendices.

How are the applications evaluated?

The marketing and distribution support for digital formats is discretionary support that can be granted provided that digital distribution or the release’s costs are not included in the film’s domestic marketing and distribution budget.

Granting the support is based on the overall evaluation and comparison of the applications. The following guidelines are used to evaluate the applications:

The supported release increases the film’s reach in various distribution platforms and among various audiences. The applicant has a distribution plan and agreements for digital distribution.

The support primarily applies to project supported by the Film Foundation, but other productions may be considered eligible if they meet the support conditions. In addition, the Foundation’s available funds are taken into account. Other funding and self-financing of the project are viewed as an advantage.

Special conditions

Support may also be granted to the digital distribution of a film or a release 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 creators and artists and the share of their wages and salaries of the production costs is significant.

Admissible costs in the cost statement attached to the application are the costs recorded in the grant recipient’s accounts, paid net costs and project costs not subject to VAT. If the grant recipient does not have the right to VAT deductions, the costs may be approved with VAT.

After the Foundation has granted film marketing and distribution support for digital formats, the recipient is obligated to add a mention of the support to the credits.

The costs of the project must be entered as their own cost unit in the applicant’s bookkeeping. The cost statement appended to the grant application must be verified by an accountant.

A prerequisite for handling the application is that the applicant has provided the handler a screening copy of the film. The screening copy must equivalent to the commercial format of the film.

A favourable decision requires that the copy subtitles for the hearing impaired as well as subtitles in the other official language. The subtitling requirements may be ignored only for exceptional reasons. However, if the film already has subtitles for the hearing impaired and in the other official language, they must be included in the copy. If the film has an audio description, it must also be included in the copy.

A favourable decision requires that the applicant has complied with other possible support agreements, conditions and delivered a report on the uses of previous support. If the applicant is involved in several grants with the Foundation, the recipient’s projects may be viewed as a single whole. The Foundation may request further materials from the applicant in order to reach a decision.

Support cannot be granted if the application is insufficient and the required information is not uploaded into the online application system despite requests to do so. The handler will help with questions regarding the application, if necessary. The contact information can be found below.

Decisions

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

Applicants receive a written notification.

Grant decisions are made on week 47.

The decision is based on the act of government funding for the advancement of cinema (1174/2018), the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001) and the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003).

Payment of support
The support is paid in one instalment after the decision to the recipient’s Finnish bank account.