Preparing an application:
- Study the grant announcement and the support guide carefully.
- Log in to our application system with your Suomi.fi e-Identification.
- Fill in an application in the application system. The application consists of
1) an application form
2) the application’s appendices
3) the applicant’s appendices
Whenever you are in contact with us regarding your application, mention the application number and the name of the project in your message!
1. General
The aim of the support
The aim of the support is to enable the international distribution of the film. The aim is also to promote the internationalisation of Finnish films and filmmakers, boost the international status of Finnish films and to expand the skill set of film professionals.
To whom?
Material and marketing support for international promotion may be granted to a production company that has the professional and financial means to market and distribute films or to a corporation registered in Finland that holds the film’s international commercial rights, or a domestic filmmaker or group of filmmakers.
Finnish Film Foundation is responsible for the export of films whose main production country is Finland.
Support for international promotion may be primarily granted for films that have received production support from the Foundation. The support covers completed and soon to be completed feature films, short or serialised drama, documentary, animation or children’s films and combinations thereof.
For what purpose and how much?
Material and marketing support for international promotion is aimed at the manufacturing costs of international screening copies of Finnish films, the films’ international press and marketing material (including trailers, press kits, posters) and operations aimed at supporting internationalisation. Support can be applied for international marketing of one or more films. Marketing can done in digital or social media.
Finnish Film Foundation may grant support for creating essential international media contacts when the film has been invited to participate in a notable international film festival or the film is involved in a significant internationalisation project.
For short and documentary films, English subtitling costs are included in the film’s production support budget and they are not financed by the material support for international promotion. For feature length films, material support for international promotion may be used to finance post-production subtitling costs not included in the production support budget.
Applications for material and marketing support should be submitted no later than six months after the international screening.
In decisions starting from January 1, 2025, support can cover up to 90% of the costs approved by the Finnish Film Foundation.
Previous support decisions may be viewed from the Foundation’s support decisions page.
How and when to apply?
Material and marketing support is applied for by submitting an application in the application system. Prior to submitting an application, you must carefully read the relevant grant announcement and support guide.
The call for the material and marketing support is ongoing. The processing time is approximately 3–10 weeks after the application and all the required appendices have been submitted.
The Board of the Finnish Film Foundation has decision meetings about once a month.
The material and marketing support applications are handled by:
Jenni Domingo
Advisor / International Promotion and Cultural Export of Feature Films
• festival distribution strategy for feature films
• travel support and material and marketing support for feature films
+ 358 9 6220 3032
Anni Asikainen
Advisor / International Promotion and Cultural Export of Documentary Films
• deputy starting Jan 8, 2024
• festival distribution strategy for documentary films
• travel, project and material and marketing support for documentary films
+358 9 6220 3049
Otto Suuronen
Advisor / International Promotion and Cultural Export of Short Films
• festival distribution strategy for short films and short documentary films
• travel, project and material and marketing support for short films and short documentary films
• monthly short film screenings at Kino K13
• curating short film programmes
+ 358 9 6220 3019
A good application and smooth communication
The Foundation’s international department processes roughly 200–250 applications per year. It is essential for evaluation and comparison of applications that the application is a clear and carefully prepared.
Support cannot be granted if the application is insufficient and the required information is not uploaded into the application system despite requests to do so.
Updating appendices and information in the application system
Please note that the Foundation’s application system does not automatically inform the Foundation’s staff staff if you upload new appendices or update your information. Send an email about the changes to the person handling the application.
Whenever you email the Foundation about your application, please state your application number and name of the project.
In addition to the obligatory appendices, you may add complementary appendices to your application .
If the drop menu in the Application’s appendices does not have a suitable appendix type, choose Other appendices (“Muut liitteet”).
What requirements must the applicant meet?
A prerequisite for granting the support is that the recipient has complied with possible earlier support agreements and met their conditions.
The material and marketing support costs are approved without VAT. If the grant recipient does not have the right to VAT deductions, the costs may be approved with VAT.
The actualised overall funding of the project must not exceed the project’s actualised costs.
The Foundation may request further information if it deems it necessary for the decision-making process.
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.
How are the applications evaluated?
Material and marketing support for international promotion is discretionary. The evaluation is based on an overall assessment of the application and a comparison of the applications.
The following grounds are considered in the evaluation:
The applications are evaluated considering the needs of the film in terms of its internationalisation. The overall evaluation examines the project’s international potential, the status of possible festival invitations and the applicant’s professionalism.
Other support previously granted by the Foundation to the applicant is also taken into account.
How are the decisions made?
The Board of the Finnish Film Foundation decides on material and marketing support based on the presentation of the CEO. The application will be processed in the first board meeting after the application has been submitted. The processing time is approximately 3–10 weeks after the application and all the required appendices have been submitted.
All applicants receive a written decision that contains the conditions of the support and a claim for corrections with instructions. You will get an email when the decision is made to the email address given in the Applicant’s information.
The Foundation’s Board meets about once a month. All applicants receive a written notification.
The decision is based on the act of government funding for the advancement of cinema (1174/2018), the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001) and the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003).
2. Material and marketing support application
Fill out an application in the application system consisting of the following:
- Application form
- Application’s appendices
- Applicant’s appendices
Obligatory appendices of the material and marketing support application
The applicant must upload the following appendices in the application system:
- Overall project plan
- Summary of the material and marketing costs
- Report on the actualised costs
The applicant’s appendices
Upload the appendices pertaining to the production company to the the Applicant’s appendices.
A financial statement
A valid extract from the Trade Register
A certificate of paid taxes
A certificate of paid pension insurance premiums
A current list of shareholders (Limited Liability Companies Act, chapter 3)
Openness of documents
According to the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), a document submitted to the Finnish Film Foundation is public. Documents may also be designated confidential under the law or access to them may be discretionary. Confidential official documents include documents that contain information about private business or trade secrets.
3. Decision
After the decision made by the Finnish Film Foundation’s Board has been processed, you will receive a message to the email address you have given in the Applicant’s information.
The decision can be read in the application’s Decision (“Päätös”) window.
Support is to be paid in one instalment to the recipient’s Finnish bank account.
Appeals for changes
No appeals will be accepted. Appeals are overruled in section 34 of the Act on discretionary government transfers and section 49b of the Administrative Procedure Act.
An interested party dissatisfied with the Finnish Film Foundation’s decision may apply for rectification within 30 days of receiving notification of the decision. The appended instructions for rectification notice indicate how to proceed when seeking rectification.
Repayment of discretionary government transfers
Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001) section 20
Recipients of discretionary Government transfer must repay without delay any transfer or part thereof they have received through error, in excess or manifestly without cause. Recipients must also repay a transfer or part thereof if it cannot be used as required in the transfer decision. If the repayable sum does not exceed 100 euros, it is not necessary to repay it.
In addition to the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001), section 20, the recipient must abide by the following repayment conditions:
- The recipient is obliged to immediately repay the grant or part of the grant if the grant has not been used during the time period agreed upon by the parties and if the Foundation has not granted an extension.
- The repayable amount must include annual interest and an added three percent following the Interest Act (633/1982), section 3, subsection 2. The interest is calculated from the last payment to the support repayment date.
- The target of the support and application number must be mentioned in the message field during repayment.
The support must be repaid to the Finnish Film Foundation’s bank account:
Nordea Bank Abp
IBAN FI74 1572 3000 0305 77
BIC NDEAFIHH
Finnish Film Foundation’s grants are based on the act on the government’s support for the promotion of film culture (1174/2018). The grants apply the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001). The Foundation follows the Administrative Procedure Act, the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), the Language Act (423/2004), the Sámi Language Act (1086/2003), the Archives Act (831/1994), the Act on Electronic Services and Communication in the Public Sector (13/2003) and the Privacy Protection Act (9/2018).
According to the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), a document submitted to the Finnish Film Foundation is public. Documents may also be designated confidential under the law or access to them may be discretionary. Confidential official documents include documents that contain information about private business or trade secrets.