What is Kehittämö?
Kehittämö is a joint project of AVEK and the Finnish Cultural Foundation, which aims to provide new promising audiovisual artists with the framework and support to develop their first larger-scale work and strengthen their own artistic voices and styles. The authors who take part in the project are supported in preparing their upcoming works for production in the ways required for securing funding and reaching an audience.
Five authors and works are selected for the Kehittämö project. A development plan is customised for each work together with the selected author, the production company and the international mentor assigned to the project by AVEK. A total grant of €55,000 is issued for the development of each work, €52,000 of which is provided to the production company. The programme pays for the mentoring costs separately.
About eight months is allocated to the development of each work. The output of the Kehittämö project will be presented in late 2025 or early 2026.
For what, to whom, how?
Kehittämö is available to graduate professionals and other persons with sufficient professional qualifications who have a new original idea for their first professionally-produced feature-length fictional or documentary film, media art work or other audiovisual piece. All different styles, genres and storytelling methods are welcomed.
A new work is limited to those who have not yet received public support through a production company. Personal grants for the new project are allowed.
It is possible to apply as an individual person or working group. The applicant or each member of the working group must append at least one previous work to the application.
The application process consists of two phases. The first phase (application round 1) involves the individual or working group applying to Kehittämö with an idea for an audiovisual work.
Ten applicants are then selected to receive a grant of €3,000 each to facilitate participation in the second application phase.
Application schedule
- Application round 1 will begin on 1 October and end on 13 December 2024 at 16:00.
- The first-phase decisions on the ten applicants to proceed will be made in early 2025.
- The schedule for the application round 2 and the date for Kehittämö networking event will be announced when the shortlist of ten is selected.
- The five projects selected for Kehittämö will be published in spring 2025.
At the start of the second application phase, a networking event with the production companies will be held for the ten selected authors/working groups .The event is intended in particular for authors who have not had contact with a production company. Where possible, other applicants will also be invited to the networking event.
The authors must find a production company for themselves. The applications in the second phase are made by the production companies that commit to the development plan prepared together with the authors.
Assessment and decisions
The applications are considered based on an overall assessment which, in addition to the uniqueness and quality of the proposed work, the work samples submitted by the applicants are also taken into consideration.
In the first phase, the Kehittämö applications are assessed with the help of experts from outside AVEK, and the decision on the ten shortlisted applicants is made by the commissioners and director of AVEK.
The five projects to receive the grant are selected by the commissioners and director of AVEK together with the group of international mentors involved in the process.
Other expertise from outside AVEK can also be used in the assessment of the applications.
AVEK’s Board of Directors ratifies decisions. Applicants are notified of the decision personally.
The reporting of the first-phase €3,000 grant is considered complete when the author/working group and the production company have submitted an application in the second application phase.
APPLICATION: Application round 1/authors and working groups
The application is to be filled in via AVEK’s application system.
Before you can apply, you must register as an applicant in the system. The registration instructions can be found on the front page and registration page of the application system.
Application
Applications are to be submitted for audiovisual works, as a personal grant for which AVEK’s application process is open on an-on-going bases.
In addition to personal details, the following information must be included in the application (Please note: bold headings are the headings of the form):
Application title
The name of the application must begin with the identifier KEHITTÄMÖ, which is to be followed by the name and format of the work. For example: KEHITTÄMÖ: The Age of the Rose, an experimental fictional feature film
A brief description of how you intend to use a grant in layman’s terms
A brief description of the work, a short synopsis, one-liner or other suitable description.
The amount being applied for and overall budget
The amount being applied for and overall budget is €3,000.
Itemisation of the project’s cost estimate – not required
A more extensive content description
An updated content description of the work. Tell us about your idea on a broader scale. You can also add attachments and visual materials, but describe the format and key ideas of your work here (up to 5,000 characters).
Working plan
Indicate your work’s current phase of development and your thoughts on the next steps or the needs related to the development of the work. Also specify your thoughts on the presentation and distribution potential of your work as well as any related hopes and wishes. Indicate what kind of an audiovisual artist you see yourself as and how your submitted sample represents your work in general.
Compulsory attachments:
- A link to a previous audiovisual work that you think represents you as an author as accurately as possible. Working group: either a previous work prepared together or samples from each member of the working group. The application form must indicate how the samples represent the work/cooperation of the applicant/working group.
- An account of an applicant’s past operations: A CV or other account of artistic activities or other aspects relevant to the work to be developed.
Other attachments:
If you want, you can also add other attachments to the application. However, make sure that the application form includes all the necessary and most important details of your work. It is also possible to add other links to present the proposed work, for example.
Enquiries
Please use the application system to submit or access your application.
You can find answers to questions about applying on the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Feedback will not be provided on the applications.
