Grant announcement: Operational support for film festivals

Application period

The application period ends on January 24, 2021, at 16:00.

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 purpose of the support is to promote the domestic and international professional screening and distribution of films, and to secure the continuous funding and operations of nationally important film festivals.

To whom?

Nationally important festivals submit their applications to the Foundation, other festivals submit them to the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike).

The applicant must be a registered corporation.

For what purpose and how much?

The Finnish Film Foundation grants operational support for film festivals for the organisation of nationally significant film festivals.

The Ministry of Education enables the support by granting an annual government subsidy to the Film Foundation.

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

How to apply?

Festival support is applied for by submitting an application in the application system before the deadline given in the grant announcement.

The application consist of:

1. an application form
2. the application’s appendices
3. the applicant’s information

Prior to submitting an application, you must carefully read the support guide. You should begin preparing the application well ahead of the deadline.

The applicant is responsible for submitting the application within the deadline. 

Appendices

Obligatory application appendices:

• the festival’s strategy
• an itemised budget and financing plan
• the visitor numbers and proceeds from ticket sales of the previous event, paid and unpaid tickets itemised

The applicant’s obligatory appendices:

• the latest completed financial statement verified by an authorised accountant (annual report, profit and loss statement, balance sheet with appendices and an audit report)
• extract from the trade register or register of associations no older than six months
• a certificate of paid taxes no older than six months
• a certificate of paid pension insurance premiums no older than six months

How are the applications evaluated?

Evaluation considers the breadth and diversity of the programme, its national and international significance for audiences and the media, the applicant’s established position as a festival organiser and the funding base of the festival.

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 grant announcement and available funds in the budget. In addition, the applicant’s professional and financial abilities to complete the project are 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 does not have the right to VAT deductions, the costs may be approved with VAT.

Festivals who receive the support are obliged to provide the Finnish Film Foundation statistics on all screenings as part of their final report.

The Foundation may request further information if it deems it necessary for the decision-making process.

A prerequisite for granting the support is that the recipient has complied with possible earlier support agreements and met their conditions.

The 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 support and any other additional public support must not exceed the admissible costs.

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 festival support based on the CEO’s presentation.

Applicants receive a written notification.

Grant decisions are made on week 10.

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).

Further information

CEO Lasse Saarinen, lasse.saarinen@ses.fi, tel. 09 6220 300