Grant announcement: Scriptwriting grant for fiction films and series

Application period

The application period ends on April 4, 2022 at 16:00.

The aim of the support

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

The aim of the scriptwriting grant is to promote the production of high-quality, diverse and innovative films in Finland. The purpose of the scriptwriting grant is to support the preparation of a script into further development and finally production.

To whom?

The scriptwriting support may be granted to a professional scriptwriter or a team of writers for work based on a scriptwriting plan.

For what purpose and how much?

The scriptwriting grant is meant for the writing and related research of a feature, short or serial live action, animated or children’s film or a combination thereof based on an artistic plan.

The scriptwriting grant is meant for the writing and related research of a film based on an artistic plan. It can be a feature-length, short or serial fiction film, animated film, children’s film or a combination thereof.

How much?
The maximum sum of the scriptwriting grant is 22 800 euros.

The grant is based on a monthly allowances and one project can receive a maximum of 12 monthly allowances. The allowance for one month is 1900 euros.

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

How to apply?

Scriptwriting grant 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 relevant support guide.

The applicant is responsible for submitting the application within the deadline. Applications submitted after the deadline are transferred to the next application period.

Appendices to the application

Obligatory appendices to the application:

• A scriptwriting plan following the Foundation’s template
• A more detailed description of the content
• The scriptwriter’s word

The detailed description of a feature film may be

• The film’s first scriptwriting grant application to Finnish Film Foundation: a treatment of maximum of 20 pages
• The film’s follow-up scriptwriting grant application to Finnish Film Foundation: a treatment or a screenplay developed with the previous scriptwriting grant

The detail description of a short film or a series may be

• A treatment / step outline / a version of the script / other description of content

For more details on the appendices, see the support guide:

Support guide for scriptwriting grant

Template for the scriptwriting plan can be found on the Foundation’s website:

Forms

How are the applications evaluated?

The scriptwriting grant is discretionary. Support may be granted to the writing of a film that can be considerd a cultural product and that forms an artistic whole and has content that is based on cultural values originating in cultural identity.

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.

The scriptwriting grant application is evaluated as a whole in terms of content and artistic merit. In addition, the evaluation takes into account the applicant’s artistic and professional skills that contribute to the completion of the project. Other support previously granted by the Film Foundation to the applicant is also taken into account.

Special conditions

Finnish Film 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 met the conditions of possible earlier grants.

The Foundation oversees the use of the support and it has the right to audit the recipient’s finances and operations.

The grant recipient must upload the completed work made with the support to the appendices of the application in the application system.

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

Decisions

The Board of the Finnish Film Foundation decides on the scriptwriting grant based on the presentation of the Film Commissioner.

Applicants receive a written notification.

Grant decisions are made on week 25.

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

Production coordinator Susanna Haarla, susanna.haarla@ses.fi, tel. 09 6220 3033