Films and media art

The support is granted for private persons or work groups as a personal grant for writing the script of a media art work, documentary film, short film, short animated film or documentary series. The applicant must hold a Finnish personal identity code. The sum of the scriptwriting support is EUR 3,500. As a general rule, scriptwriting support is only granted once for each project.

The support is not granted for the following

• completed works
• presentation programmes  of companies, institutions or organisations
• commissioned productions
• feature-length animation or fiction films
• animation or fiction series
• music videos or projected backgrounds
• productions of educational institutions
• educational films or learning materials
• productions made as a hobby
• equipment purchases

If an applicant has failed to submit reports related to previous support decisions in time or at all, they are ineligible for a new support.

AVEK will not grant overlapping scriptwriting support with the Finnish Film Foundation in the case of the same applicant, subject, work phase and time period.

Application process

• The support is applied for through a digital application system.
• This year, the continuous application period will exceptionally end already on 31.10.2024.
• Two different supports cannot be applied for simultaneously for a single work.
• Applications submitted by email are not processed.

Decision process

• The applications are processed in the order they are submitted.
• The decision on granting the support is made by an AVEK commissioner.
• The average maximum processing time is two months.

Application

Fill in the basic information of the application on the application form, including the following:

Application title:
Name of the work or other identifying description

What the support will be used for in brief and non-technical language (300 characters)
One-liner/A short description of the content of the work in publishable form

Extensive content description (5,000 characters)
Content plan, work content description, a word from the author/director and their motivation

Work plan (5,000 characters)
A work plan with its schedule, including at least the artistic activities, a description of other funding, a presentation/distribution plan and a short description of key authors.

Agreement procedure

• The first instalment of the support granted can be paid when the recipient has accepted the terms of payment and use of the support in AVEK’s application system.
• The support is paid in two instalments. The recipient of the support defines the payment schedule of the first instalment in the system. The first instalment is 80% of the support granted. The second instalment is made after the final report has been prepared.
• If the support money has not been withdrawn within three months of the support decision, the decision will expire.

The agreement may be cancelled and the support recovered if

• the support is not used within the agreed timeframe and for the approved purpose,
• the recipient has provided AVEK with misleading information that has affected the granting of the support or continuation of payments or
• the final report is not submitted within the agreed time limit and in the agreed form, and the recipient has not agreed on a new procedure with AVEK.

The notice of termination will be made in writing.

Final report

• The final report is submitted through AVEK’s application system.
• In the final report, fill in a summary of the project’s content and the one-liner on the form.
• A script produced with the help of the support can be copied into the final report’s text field (max. 5,000 characters). Longer scripts should be attached as a PDF file.
• Enter the project’s follow-up plan on the final report form.
• No financial report on the use of the support is required.

Crediting AVEK

• The support must be mentioned in the closing credits of the finished work as follows: ‘Scriptwriting support/AVEK’. AVEK’s logo can be included in materials.
• If the same work is granted further support, AVEK must be credited in accordance with the instructions concerning crediting for the support in question.

Project grant is a personal grant awarded to private persons or work groups. It is intended for the production of small-scale audiovisual media art works and films.

The support is always work-specific and can only be granted once for a single work. The sum of the grant is EUR 3, 500 or 7,000. The applicant must hold a Finnish personal identity code.

The support is applied for through AVEK’s application system.

Support criteria

• The applicant of the support must act professionally.
• The support is intended for the creation of a new work.
• AVEK’s support does not cover all of the costs of creating a work and additional confirmed funding for the work must be secured.
• Copyright licences and any possible remunerations to other parties related to the work must be taken into account in the application.
• The work must have a credible and professional presentation and distribution plan.

The support is not granted for the following:

• completed works
• presentation programmes of companies, institutions or organisations
• commissioned productions
• feature-length animation or fiction films
• animation or fiction series
• music videos or projected backgrounds
• productions of educational institutions
• educational films or learning materials
• productions made as a hobby
• equipment purchases
• exhibitions or exhibition costs, performances or events

If an applicant has failed to submit reports related to previous support decisions in time or at all, they are ineligible for a new support.

Application process

• The support is applied for through a digital application system.
• This year, the continuous application period will exceptionally end already on 31.10.2024.
• In order for a work to be eligible for a new support, an approved final report of the previously granted support must have been prepared.
• A previous approved decision does not oblige AVEK to issue additional support for the production.
• Applications submitted by email are not processed.

Decision process

• The applications are processed in the order they are submitted.
• The decision on granting the support is made by an AVEK commissioner.
• The average processing time of an application is less than two months.

Application

In addition to the basic information, the application form must include the following:

Application title:
Name of the work or other identifying description

What the support will be used for in brief and non-technical language (300 characters)
One-liner/A short description of the content of the work in publishable form

Extensive content description (5,000 characters)
Content plan, work content description, a word from the author/director and their motivation

Work plan (5,000 characters)
A production plan with its schedule, including at least the artistic activities, a description of other funding, a presentation/distribution plan and a short description of key authors.

Attachments to the application:

• total budget for the production phase and funding plan (if the cost estimate of the application form is not sufficient)
• script or extensive content plan (if necessary)
• itemisation of self-financing (required if self-financing is used)
• applicant’s CV (required)
• if the applicant is a work group, the CVs of all members of the group (required)
• link to material samples (if necessary). If logging in is required to open the links, separate credentials must be created for the application and they must be clearly stated in the application information. Application processors cannot be required to register or use their own email address to open links.

Agreement procedure

• The first instalment of the support granted can be paid when the recipient has accepted the terms of payment and use of the support in AVEK’s application system.
• The support is paid in two instalments. The recipient of the support defines the payment schedule of the first instalment in the system. The first instalment is 80% of the support granted. The second instalment is made after the final report has been prepared.
• If the support money has not been withdrawn within three months of the support decision, the decision will expire.

The agreement may be cancelled and the support recovered if

• the support is not used within the agreed timeframe and for the approved purpose,
• the recipient has provided AVEK with misleading information that has affected the granting of the support or continuation of payments or
• the final report is not submitted within the agreed time limit and in the agreed form, and the recipient has not agreed on a new procedure with AVEK.

The notice of termination will be made in writing.

Final report

A final report on the use of the support must be submitted to the digital application system. The report is filled in directly on a form available in the system.

• A work presentation of up to 300 characters for use in public communications and a list of key authors
• A written report on how the content of the work was realised.
• A cost specification that can be compared to what was presented in the application.
• A funding report, including self-financing. A report of the distribution of the work and further distribution plans.
• 1–2 photos in digital format to be used in communications. The possible image files must be in JPG or PNG format. AVEK and Kopiosto ry have the right to use the images free of charge in the presentation of their activities, such as in publications and on the internet. The maximum file size is 4 MB.
• a link to the complete work or the work in another format agreed upon
• possible additional links

If the final report is overdue, the applicant is ineligible for additional support.

Crediting AVEK

The closing credits and potential opening credits of the work and any marketing materials must include the text ‘This work was made with a project grant from AVEK’ and AVEK’s logo.

We grant support to audiovisual production companies registered in Finland for the costs of different phases of producing copyable audiovisual media art works, documentaries, short films, short animated films and documentary series. The support is available for content development, creation of the work and advocacy work.

Support criteria

The support is available for individual phases or the entire process of creating the work. The sum of the support is determined according to the overall budget of the phase the support is applied for. The applicant must have secured other funding. The sums of the support are EUR 10,000/15,000/25,000/40,000.

For specific reasons, the support can be granted more than once for the same production when applied for by the same production company.

The applicant must be obliged to keep accounting records.

In order to be applicable for the AVEK support, the work must have a credible plan of nationwide or more extensive, professional public distribution.

The support can be granted for international co-productions that have a Finnish production company as a minority producer.

• The support is granted for the Finnish production company for the production costs in Finland.
• The support’s granting criteria place particular emphasis on aspects that benefit the Finnish authors of the co-production.
• The Finnish producer must hold the work’s public performance and distribution rights in Finland. A co-production agreement at least in the form of a letter of intent must be attached to the application.

The support is not granted for the following

• completed works
• presentation programmes of companies, institutions or organisations
• commissioned productions
• feature-length fiction films, including animations
• animation or fiction series
• music videos or projected backgrounds
• productions of educational institutions
• educational films or learning materials
• self-published films or works
• productions made as a hobby
• equipment purchases
• exhibitions, exhibition costs, performances or events

If an applicant has failed to submit reports related to previous support decisions in time or at all, they are ineligible for a new support.

Application process

• The support is applied for through a digital application system.
• The person submitting the application must be authorised to sign documents on the organisation’s behalf.
• This year, the continuous application period will exceptionally end already on 31.10.2024.
• In order for a work to be eligible for a new support, an approved final report of the previously granted support must have been prepared.
• A previous approved decision does not oblige AVEK to issue additional support for the production.
• Applications submitted by email are not processed.

Decision process

• Applications are processed in the order they are submitted.
• When support is applied for a work for the first time, the decision on the support is made by AVEK’s commissioners. The average processing time is less than two months.
• The second and any subsequent applications for support for the same work may be submitted to an expert panel and AVEK’s commissioners for processing. The decision on the support is made by the commissioners. A commissioner will keep the applicant informed of the timetable.
• Also the first application for support for a work can be submitted to an expert panel for processing for special reasons.

Application

Fill in the company’s basic information on the application form.
This information includes the company’s industrial classification that can be checked from YTJ’s website.

Fill in the basic information of the project on the application form, including the following:

Application title:
Name of the work or other identifying description

What the support will be used for in brief and non-technical language (max. 300 characters)
One-liner/A short description of the content of the work in publishable form

Extensive description of content (max. 5,000 characters)
Content plan, work content description, a word from the author/director and their motivation

Work plan (max. 5,000 characters)
A production plan with its schedule, including at least the artistic activities, a description of other funding, a presentation/distribution plan and a short description of key authors.
In international co-productions: a motivation letter from the Finnish producer and key Finnish authors (can also be included as an attachment).

Attachments to the application

• overall budget and funding plan of the production phase (required)
• script or extensive content plan (if necessary)
• if the support is intended for advocacy work: an extensive content and work plan and a related schedule (if necessary)
• itemisation of self-financing (required if self-financing is used)
• description of applicant’s previous activities (required)
• in international co-productions: co-production agreement (required)
• in international co-productions: a motivation letter from the Finnish producer and key Finnish authors (mandatory if not included on the application form)
• link to material samples (if necessary). If logging in is required to open the links, separate credentials must be created for the application and they must be clearly stated in the application information. Application processors cannot be required to register or use their own email address to open links.

Self-financing

A written description of self-financing must be provided as an attachment to the application. Approved forms of self-financing are

• work performed by the owners of the production company in the production
• use of own equipment (max. 60% of the rental price of similar equipment)
• salary transfers from key members of the work group with a written agreement
• bank guarantees or other corresponding guarantees from financial institutions
• free equity

Agreement procedure

• A written support agreement or commitment about a granted support is made with the recipient of the support in the application system.
• The decision to grant the support is binding when the recipient has approved the support agreement/commitment and the instalments in the application system with their signature.
• If the support agreement/commitment has not been signed within three months of the support decision, the decision will expire.

The agreement may be cancelled and the support recovered if

• the support is not used within the agreed timeframe and for the approved purpose,
• the recipient has provided AVEK with misleading information that has affected the granting of the support or continuation of payments or
• the final report is not submitted within the agreed time limit and in the agreed form, and the recipient has not agreed on a new procedure with AVEK.

If the costs are under the budget on which the support agreement was based, the amount of AVEK support may also be reduced proportionately and the extra money recovered if the second instalment is not sufficient to cover it.

The notice of termination will be made in writing.

Final report

The final report and the attachments are submitted through AVEK’s application system. The final report must include the following information, either filled in on the form of the application system or as separate attachments (see below for a detailed list).

• Short description. A work presentation of up to 300 characters for use in public communications and a list of key authors. Filled in directly in the application system.
• Written content report. The producer’s report of the process of the production phase/entire production regarding its content. On what the support has been used and how the set goals have been accomplished. Filled in directly in the application system.
• Script/content plan. Must be submitted if support has been provided for the development of the script. As part of the previous section in the application system or as a separate attachment.
• Financial report. The producer’s report on the costs and funding as well as any deviations from the budget verified in the support agreement. Filled in directly in the application system.
• Numeric financial final report. A required attachment. Signed by the producer and an accountant and inspected by the latter. The final report must be based on accounting and include a comparison of the budget and funding plan verified in the agreement and the actual costs and funding in the same way as the cost estimate was itemised in the application. Significant deviations must be clarified in the producer’s written report. The accountant/accounting firm confirms that the reported costs and funding are based on the company’s accounts and related to the production in question.
  An excerpt of the accounts is not a valid form of final report but one can be attached to the report.
• Audit report. A required attachment if the support granted by AVEK for the project is EUR 20,000 or more. An auditing report may also be required for the support if the total support granted for different phases of the project is more than EUR 30,000 even if the individual sums were less than EUR 20,000. In such cases, the overall project is reported and audited according to the phase presented to AVEK.
• Itemisation of self-financing in the same way as self-financing is defined above, either in the financial report section of the application system or as a separate attachment.
• Images. The image files must be in JPG or PNG format. AVEK and Kopiosto ry have the right to use the images free of charge in the presentation of their activities, such as in publications and on the internet. The maximum size of a file is 4 MB.
• A link to the complete work or the work in another format agreed upon.

Crediting AVEK

The support recipient is obligated to include AVEK’s name and/or logo in the opening and closing credits of all copies and language versions of the supported work and any communication and marketing materials in the same way as other financiers are credited. The closing credits must be submitted to AVEK for approval before the editing of the work is completed.

Copyright

The recipient of the grant is responsible for the obligations related to the copyright of the work, such as acquiring the rights and reporting.

More information about copyright is available from parties involved in the sector, such as Kopiosto ry, Teosto ry, Kuvasto ry, Gramex ry and Sanasto ry.