Distribution of European Films

Call for Proposals

On 12 December 2014, the call for proposals EACEA/27/2014 “Support for the Distribution of non-national European Films – the Cinema Automatic Scheme” has been published by the European Commission in the framework of the Creative Europe Programme, Media Sub-Programme.

The main specific objectives of the current EACEA/27/2014 “Support for the Distribution of non-national European Films – the Cinema Automatic Scheme” call for proposals, published by the European Commission in the framework of the Creative Europe Programme, Media Sub-Programme, are:

- to foster the development of emerging talent and stimulate the transnational mobility of cultural and creative players and circulation of works, with the potential to exert a broad influence on the cultural and creative sectors and to provide for lasting effects.

- to help increase recognition and visibility of cultural and creative artists and creators with a strong commitment in terms of European programming through communications activities and branding strategy, including, where appropriate, the creation of a European quality label.

The priorities of the current EACEA/27/2014 “Support for the Distribution of non-national European Films – the Cinema Automatic Scheme” call for proposals, published by the European Commission in the framework of the Creative Europe Programme, Media Sub-Programme, are:

- supporting theatrical distribution through transnational marketing, branding, distribution and exhibition of audiovisual works.

- establishing systems of support for the distribution of non-national European films through theatrical distribution and on all other platforms as well as for international sales activities, in particular the subtitling, dubbing and audio-description of audiovisual works.

 

Eligible applicants in the framework of the current EACEA/27/2014 “Support for the Distribution of non-national European Films – the Cinema Automatic Scheme” call for proposals must be European cinema / theatrical distributors involved in commercial activity designed to bring to the attention of a wide audience a film for the purpose of exploitation in cinema theatres; and whose activities contribute to the attainment of the above objectives. Applicants must be established in one of the countries participating in the MEDIA Sub-programme and owned directly or by majority participation, by nationals from such countries. The following countries are eligible:

− EU Member States;

− acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates benefiting from a pre-accession strategy, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union programmes established in the respective Framework Agreements, Association Council Decisions or similar agreements;

− EFTA countries which are members of the EEA, in accordance with the provisions of the EEA Agreement;

− the Swiss Confederation, on the basis of a bilateral agreement to be concluded with that country;

− countries covered by the European neighborhood Policy in accordance with the procedures established with those countries following the framework agreements providing for their participation in Union programmes.

 

The current EACEA/27/2014 “Support for the Distribution of non-national European Films – the Cinema Automatic Scheme” call for proposals, published by the European Commission in the framework of the Creative Europe Programme, Media Sub-Programme, works in two phases:

- the generation of a potential fund, proportional to the number of paying admission tickets sold during the reference period (2014) for non-national European films in countries participating in the MEDIA Sub-programme, up to a fixed ceiling per film and adjusted for each country.

- reinvestment: the potential fund thus generated by each company must be reinvested in:

Module 1. the co-production of eligible non-national European films;

Module 2. the acquisition of distribution rights, for example by means of minimum guarantees, of eligible non-national European films;

Module 3. editing costs (prints, dubbing and subtitling), promotion costs and publicity costs for eligible non-national European films.

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of the action is estimated at EUR 22.450.000. The financial contribution of the Union cannot exceed 60% of the total eligible costs, depending on the nationality of the film and the territory of distribution.

The deadline for submitting proposals in the framework of the current “Support for the Distribution of non-national European Films – the Cinema Automatic Scheme” call for proposals is 30 April 2015.

Further information on the current call for proposals is available on the European Commission’s web site at: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/funding/distribution-automatic-support-2015_en