Project support for international promotion

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

1. General

The aim of the support

The aim of the support is to promote the internationalisation of Finnish films and filmmakers, boost the international status of Finnish films and to expand the skills of film professionals.

To whom?

Finnish Film Foundation is responsible for the export of films whose main production country is Finland. The purpose of its operations is to promote Finnish films and their distribution abroad.

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.

Project 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.

For what purpose and how much?

The project support for international promotion is meant for the export of Finnish film. Project support can be granted also for digitisation of previously released films if there is significant international interest which advances Finnish film culture.

Travel expenses related to the festival launch of feature fiction films at A-class festivals must be applied for from the travel support, and cannot be included in the project support. Festival travel expenses for short and documentary films can also be included in the project support.

In decisions starting from January 1, 2025, support can cover up to 90% of the costs approved by the Finnish Film Foundation.

Apply for a realistic amount that supports the execution of the project. Previous support decisions may be viewed from the Foundation’s support decisions page.

How and when to apply?

Project 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 project 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.

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.

In a good application, the overall strategy of the project clearly states the project’s aims, execution, schedule and personnel. The project’s cost estimate and financial plan support the project’s strategy and goals. Possible other funding mentioned in the financial plan has been confirmed with financial agreements included in the application’s appendices.

Be clear and relate the essentials in your application. Think especially how the support applied for corresponds to the support’s aims and the evaluation criteria mentioned below. The application must also state why the project is important. Inform the reader of your ability to execute the project.

What requirements must the applicant meet?

The project costs are approved without VAT. If the grant recipient does not have the right to VAT deductions, the costs may be approved with VAT.

A prerequisite for granting the support is that the recipient has complied with earlier support agreements and met their conditions.

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 submitted into the online application system despite requests to do so.

How are the applications evaluated?

Project support for international promotion is discretionary. Granting the support is based on the overall evaluation and comparison of the applications. The following guidelines are used to evaluating the applications:

Evaluation takes into account the project’s production and economic feasibility, international significance and the project’s ability to produce new practices of internationalisation. In addition, the applicant’s artistic, professional and financial means to complete the project and available funds are evaluated. Other funding and self-financing of the project are viewed as an advantage. 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 project 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. Project support application

Fill out an application in the application system consisting of the following:

1. Application form
2. Application’s appendices
3. Applicant’s appendices

3. Decision and support payment

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.

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.

Project support payment

Granted support is paid to the applicant’s Finnish bank account mentioned in the application in two instalments as follows:

• 80% immediately after the decision
• 20% after the final report has been approved by the Foundation

4. Oversight

Finnish Film Foundation oversees and supervises how the support is used. The Foundation has the right to use audits to oversee payments and how the support is used. The Foundation may also postpone payments during audits.

Organising project oversight

The recipient must maintain their accounts according to the Accounting Act and the Accounting Ordinance and follow sound accounting procedures. The recipient must organise the project’s audit trail – the link between the recipient’s financial statement and the project’s statement of charges – in a way that it can be reliably, completely and transparently verified by a third party.

The Foundation always reserves the right to fully audit the recipient’s accounting and management.

The recipient is obligated to provide their accountant and auditor the film’s support agreement and all appendices. If the recipient neglects these duties, the Foundation has the right to deliver the documents to the accountant and auditor named in the support agreement.

The recipient must observe and notify their accountant and their auditor of the Foundation’s instructions and guidelines (2021, pdf in Finnish) concerning the film industry’s accounting, financial statement and auditing principles.

5. Final report

The support must be used and a report submitted no more than eight (8) months after the support decision was made.

Final report appendices are uploaded in the Reporting and final report folder (“Raportointi ja loppuselvitys”) in the application system.

The final report must contain:

Approving the project support final report

Information of the appended final report submitted to the application system (in the Reporting and final report folder) is emailed to the advisor:

• Feature films and series (over 22 min/episode): Head of the International Department Jaana Puskala, jaana.puskala@ses.fi
• Documentaries (over 30 minutes): Advisor / International Promotion and Cultural Export of Documentary Films Suvi Railo, suvi.railo@ses.fi
• Short films (including documentaries under 30 minutes), series (episodes under 22 minutes): Advisor / International Promotion and Cultural Export of Short Films Otto Suuronen, otto.suuronen@ses.fi

An automatic message indicating that the final report is missing is only removed when the final report has been approved by the Film Foundation and the final instalment of the support has been paid.

The general information of the application includes a link to payment information that shows when the instalments have been paid.

In the application’s Payment information (“Maksutiedot”) window you can see when each instalment has been paid.

The Foundation may request further information if it deems it necessary for the approval of the final report. The Finnish Film Foundation has the right to perform audits on the recipient’s finances and activities based on the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers, section 16. The recipient must ascertain that the Film Foundation has the necessary prerequisites to perform the audit.

The Foundation approves the project’s final costs and funding based on the final report. If the project’s support exceeds the actualised costs, the Foundation deducts the sum from the unpaid instalment. If the sum is larger than the unpaid instalment, the recipient must immediately return the exceeding portion of the support to the Foundation.

6. Halting payment and repayment

If the recipient does not repay Finnish Film Foundation according to the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers, section 20, repayment of the support or a portion of it will proceed according to section 9 and section 10 of the act of government transfers to promote film culture.

Section 9 Halting payments

The Arts Promotion Center Finland is responsible for halting payments. Finnish Film Foundation must immediately propose to the Arts Promotion Center Finland that the government transfer be halted if the Foundation has discovered information that warrants the halting of the payments. The Arts Promotion Center decides on the halting of payments and the continuation or halting of government transfers based on the Foundation’s suggestion.

The decision of the halting of payments must be made immediately and, for special reasons, during at least two calendar years after the Finnish Film Foundation’s suggestion. Finnish Film Foundation must include sufficient and essential information to make a decision to halt payments. The Arts Promotion Center Finland also has the right to receive the necessary information from the Finnish Film Foundation to halt payments without regard to confidentiality agreements.

Section 10 Repayment

The Arts Promotion Center Finland is responsible for halting payments. Finnish Film Foundation must immediately inform the Arts Promotion Center Finland of facts that would or should warrant government transfer repayments. The Arts Promotion Center Finland makes the repayment decision.

The decision of repayments must be made immediately and, for special reasons, during at least two calendar years after the Finnish Film Foundation’s suggestion. Finnish Film Foundation must include sufficient and essential information to make a decision of repayments. The Arts Promotion Center Finland also has the right to receive the necessary information from the Finnish Film Foundation for repayments without regard to confidentiality agreements.