AVEK grants make it possible to hire labour and purchase services
The production companies that responded to the survey estimate that the AVEK support granted to a single production employs an average of 7.7 people and generates a total of 83 working days. This means that the employment impact of the grants amounts to an estimated 1,077 people and 57 person-years per year. We support an average of 140 works every year.
Many respondents pointed out that the workforce hired and services purchased with the support made it possible to produce professional works:
“The film industry is very labour-intensive, so the money flows very quickly back to the state. Without AVEK’s support, we would not be able to hire staff on the same scale, which would undoubtedly compromise the quality of the works and prevent them from becoming international co-productions or international successes.”
“With AVEK’s support, our company has been able to hire a number of talented freelancers on a production-by-production basis and also buy the services of other small businesses. AVEK’s support has led to a significant level of activity between small businesses and sole traders in particular.”
AVEK grants essential for the realisation of works
In their open responses to the survey, production companies highlighted the crucial importance of the grants for the production of works and, in some cases, the whole operation of the production company. Around half of the respondents specifically mentioned that our grant was a precondition for the project to happen.
A total of 94% of the production companies had received non-public funding for their productions, the estimated median amount of which was €77,500 over the period 2021–2023. Of the respondents, 89% reported that the AVEK grant helped them obtain other funding.
The open responses also repeatedly highlighted the importance of our support in terms of the distribution of the works, internationalisation or access to other funding, for example. Many respondents saw our support as the initial impetus to get their productions off the ground, thus creating the conditions for further funding:
“AVEK’s grant focused in particular on the early stages of the production of the work, the script and the demo. Without these, it would not have been possible to present the project to the future venue or further funders.”
“Multiple productions have received early support from AVEK, making it possible to prepare funding demos and obtain additional funding.”
“The promotion of funding for documentaries, both domestically and internationally, very often requires a demonstration of the material filmed. These situations highlight the importance of grants for individual works and their role in the continued existence of the production company. You need to be able to take the first steps of development so that the financing can move forward and the company can continue to operate.”
Grants also pave the way for international co-productions and funding
Of the respondents, 60% had also received our support for international promotion. In their open responses, production companies expressed the great importance of the support in terms of promoting the international financing, visibility and distribution of domestic film productions:
“AVEK’s support for international promotion has allowed our company to access international co-production funding. Without this support from AVEK, we would not have received international funding for our latest film. This small grant helped us secure almost 70 times the amount as funding for our work.”
“The support for international promotion allows us to access financing forums that are important for the funding of films. Participation in these financing forums opens up opportunities for significant collaborations, such as international co-productions, which are important for the internationalisation and financing of Finnish documentary film.”
Grants under threat of cuts
The survey on the impact of the grants was sent to the production companies that received AVEK’s work grants in 2021–2023. The survey was sent to 212 production companies, 47 of which responded.
We award grants to audiovisual production companies to cover the costs of the various stages of the production of works of media art, documentaries, short films or documentary series, such as content development, creation of the work and advocacy work. We also provide companies with support for international promotion, which aims to promote the internationalisation and international networking of works, productions, authors and companies in the industry.
Our grants are financed from the state budget through the compensation for private copying, the total amount of which is proposed to be halved in the budget proposal of the Ministry of Finance (in Finnish).
