Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

A screenwriter, a screenwriter-director team or any other type of team can apply. All applicants must be debutants in the form of work with which they are applying for Kehittämö. If a screenwriter is applying alone, the second application stage must include a director.

No.

No.

No.

The sample must be an audiovisual work or part of one. It must represent the author’s own voice and be an example of their audiovisual thinking.

The form the description takes is at the discretion of each author. The most important thing is that the reader understands the focus of the author’s idea. The applicant can elaborate their idea as much as they feel necessary. We do not require a specific stage of scriptwriting or conceptualisation, for example. The attachments may include texts, pictures or any other means of clarification necessary to explain the idea.

You can apply for personal grants for the idea you are applying with from outside AVEK. Applicants may have received previous grants for the same project. However, other support received through a production company make you ineligible to apply.

Yes. However, it is worth considering why you would want to apply with more than one idea. We recommend you consider what is most important for developing your authorship and focus on that application.

You can apply for Kehittämö without a production company. You can also apply if you have a production company interested in or committed to the work. We will organise a networking event for production companies and authors. It will give the ten shortlisted applicants the opportunity to find a production company for their ideas if they do not already have one.

The work can be in any language, but if it is in a language other than Finnish, Swedish or Sami, you should explain why.

You can apply in Finnish, Swedish or English. Applications for the second stage must be made in English.

We are looking for unique, bold works that develop their audiovisual genre and showcase and reinforce their author’s individual voice. An important criterion is the working plan, especially the answers to the questions “what kind of an audiovisual artist do you see yourself as and how does your sample of work represent your artistic offering.” A sample of your previous work is important, as its purpose is to demonstrate your professional skills, together with your CV, but above all to showcase your authorial qualities.

The applications are submitted through AVEK’s application system. The system allows applications to be submitted as a private person, a work group or a representative of an organisation. Before you can apply, you must register in the system.

In 2025, we will announce all open calls separately. Follow AVEK’s information and subscribe to AVEK’s newsletter (in Finnish).

Private individuals can apply for scriptwriting support or a project grant for the creation of an audiovisual work and training support, as well as concept support via the CreaDemo, CreMa and DigiDemo grants.

The DigiDemo grant can provide support for the concept planning of a serial production and the production of a pilot episode.

You can apply for support for multiple works at the same time. You cannot apply for more than one type of support for a single work/production at the same time. It is important that the applicant decides which project to promote and does not delegate this choice to the commissioner.

You can reapply for support for a rejected application if the work/production has developed substantially since the previous application. The assessment is carried out by the film or media art commissioner.

Yes, if the reporting time for the support has not expired. If the reporting time has expired, you must submit the report before you can apply for new support for any project, regardless of the type of support.

In other words, if you have applied for support for international promotion and the deadline for its report has expired, your new application for any type of support will not be processed until the overdue report has been approved.

You may apply for new support for the same production, but all previous support applying to the same production must be reported before the new support is granted.

You may apply for extra time for an overdue report. The extra time is requested in the application details in the application system.

Applications for audiovisual work support are processed in the order they are submitted. The aim is to reach a decision in less than eight weeks. Applications are processed on working days. No decisions are issued at weekends and during holidays. The processing time depends on the number of applications at any given time. The amount of time that it takes to issue the support decision may also depend on the content of the application and whether it has to be returned to the applicant for completion. In 2025, the processing time may also be affected by the possible application period.

Decisions on support for international promotion are made approximately every six weeks. The processing times of course support and education grant applications are dependent on the meetings of the Education Section, which makes the decisions on the support and grants. The Education Section usually meets four times a year.

The timetables of support for audiovisual culture, DigiDemo, CreaDemo, Mediarata and Kehittämö decisions are tied to the application periods.

You can start creating the work/production at your own risk before the support decision is made.

For DigiDemo, CreaDemo, CreMa and Mediarata grants, costs incurred after the submission of the application can be included as project costs.

If the work does not yet have a producer and production company and the workshop has educational elements, you can apply for a personal grant as training support. If the work to be developed already has a producer, support is applied for through the production company as support for international promotion.

The support application must be submitted before the start of the event. Decisions on training support are made at AVEK’s Education Section meetings, the decision dates and the deadlines for applications will be announced separately.

The support for international promotion is decided on by the CEO of Kopiosto, and the decision meetings are held about once a month.

No, you can’t. AVEK only grants support for costs related to the creation of the work of art.

On the front page of the application system, you can see your applications in the system. Click on the application link to access your application. On the application page, select the report tab, through which you can complete your report.

The attachments to the final report depend on the support for which the final report is being prepared. The attachments required can be found in the final report instructions for each type of support. Please read the instructions carefully.

Approved forms of self-financing are

• work carried out by production company owners as part of a production
• use of a company’s 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 such guarantees from a financial institution
• free equity.

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

No.

However, it can also be useful for the author to present their self-financing in both expenses and income. This way, the correct costs are visible, and the author has the opportunity to recognise their share of the profits as revenue.

In the case of training support and support for international promotion, self-financing has a strengthening effect on the application.

Self-published productions are made entirely without public funding or funding from outside the production company /authors.

Does the applicant have to report the total production budget in addition to the budget for the production stage or is it sufficient to simply present the total production budget and indicate the part that is the subject of the application?

Either way will do. When an applicant receives a grant, they must report the budget based on what was presented at the time of application. If the total budget was included at the time, the entire budget must be reported, not just AVEK’s part.