Grant announcement: Support for audio description and subtitling for the hearing impaired

Application period

The application period ends January 7, 2021 at midnight.

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 who has commissioned the audio description or subtitling for the hearing impaired.

For what purpose and how much?

The support is intended to cover the costs of audio description and subtitling for the hearing impaired.

Since 2019, audio description and subtitling for the hearing impaired are a prerequisite for the marketing and distribution support for feature films and documentaries.

Amount of the support
The maximum amount of support is €7,000.

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.

The application must include a statement of expenses that is verified and signed by an authorised accountant, follows the Foundation’s template and contains the actualised costs of audio description and subtitling for the hearing impaired.

New applicants must register in the application system. New registrations are processed 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 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 appendices:

• A signed distribution contract
• A cost statement verified by an accountant that follows the Foundation’s template and contains the actualised costs and 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 on the system.

The Film Foundation’s cost statement forms are available on the Foundation’s website:

Forms

How are the applications evaluated?

Support may be granted to the marketing and distribution costs of a film or cultural product that

1. forms an artistic whole,
2. has content that is based on cultural values, originates 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.

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 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 actualised overall funding of the project must not exceed the project’s actualised costs.

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.

Decisions

The Finnish Film Foundation’s board decides on the support based on the CEO’s presentation.

Applicants receive a written notification.

Grant decisions are made on week 9.

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)