What's New in 2024 for Finnish AV Production Incentive: Even More Efficient and Equal for All

Finnish national AV incentive sees some changes in application and reporting in 2024. Improvements include changes in conditional decision deadlines, combined cost and content report, and new follow-up questions. The process is now even more streamlined, user-friendly, and fast, with funding decisions made in 40 days and payments in 21 days.

The budget for the Audiovisual Production Incentive in 2024 is expected to be approximately €10 million, and the Finnish Parliament will decide on a possible budget increase of €10 million by the end of 2023. Applications for the 2024 production incentive will be accepted when the funding service opens on January 2, 2024, at 8:15 a.m. EET.

Incentive 25 % with efficient service 

The Finnish film production incentive offers a maximum cash rebate of 25 % for production costs. About half of the funded projects are international productions, while the other half are Finnish productions. Eligible projects include feature and documentary films, scripted TV dramas, and animation productions. Read more about the minimum requirements and details at Funding page. Furthermore, some cities and film commissions operate regional incentives that can increase the rebate percentage up to 40 %. 

The Finnish AV incentive process is world-class, with an ongoing application period on a first-come, first-served basis. Decision making is fast, efficient, and reliable, with a funding decision delivered within 40 days. Payment is made in no later than 21 days. On average, payment is received within 10 days from the report's arrival. Payments during the production in Finland are available and very much in favor by the applicants. You can read experiences of Finnish incentive and filming in Finland on our recommendations page.

What changes in 2024?

While there will be no changes to the minimum funding requirements, there are some changes being made to the application and reporting process in 2024, including:

1. The project must start within 12 months of the funding decision related to the costs incurred in Finland. 
2. The deadline for fulfilling the criteria of a conditional decision is reduced to a maximum of two months from the previous deadline of four months. Applications submitted too early, incomplete applications, and delayed projects frequently generate additional work and complicate the funding process for better-prepared projects. This amendment places all applications on a more comparable footing regarding the deadline for fulfilling the criteria.
3. A single cost and content report can cover a period of at least six months.

However, an extension of both the 1 and 2 can be available in some cases, depending on the number of pending applications and the budget.

Business Finland is currently renewing the reporting system and it will be available as soon as possible. This new reporting system will simplify the process by providing more instructions and combining the cost and content report.

We will also now ask added follow-up questions including the number of employees and the export revenue generated during the project. With these changes, the process is even more efficient, user-friendly, and equal for all. We look forward to supporting and enabling your film production projects in the years to come.

The detailed information on Business Finland audiovisual production incentive is here.

Please don’t hesitate to ask more from our funding professionals. You can find their details at our contact page.