FSS financially supports up to 45 per cent of the marketing campaigns of European sales agents or production companies (in cases where films are not handled by a sales agent) at selected international non-European film festivals and renowned international markets.

The scheme complements EFP's existing promotional activities which endeavour to increase the visibility of European film and talent and advance cultural diversity around the world. Costs covered by FSS relate to the production of a subtitled print, betacam or DCP, the production of publicity material for marketing purposes, hiring of market booths, booking of market screenings, online PR, hospitality for local buyers and travel and hotel costs for the sales representative.

The support is capped at €5,000 for one film and €2,500 for a second, third or fourth film per company per festival and market. For the campaigns at festivals, companies may only receive funding for a maximum of four European films per company per festival and funding for a maximum of three European films of their catalogues per market. As the annual FSS funds are limited it is likely that not all applications can be supported and that some grants might be reduced.

The following festivals and markets are part of FSS in 2013

• Sundance Film Festival (17-27 January 2013)
• Mercado de Cine Iberoamericano en Guadalajara (02-08 March 2013)
• Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) (18-21 March 2013)
  

• Toronto International Film Festival (05-15 September 2013)
• Asian Film Market (07-10 October 2013)
• American Film Market (06-13 November 2013)

Eligibility

1) Films

Eligible for support are recent completed European fiction films, animated films or documentaries with a minimum duration of 60 minutes participating in one of the main sections of the selected festivals or marketed at any of the chosen markets.

Recent films, refers to the original copyright of a film being established in 2010 or after.

Excluded are films consisting of advertising or containing pornographic or racist material as well as those advocating violence.

Films have to be majority produced by a producer or producers established in the countries participating in the MEDIA Programme and have to have been made with a significant participation by professionals who are citizens/residents of the countries participating in the MEDIA Programme (ANNEX, point 2).

Significant participation is defined as 10 or more points under the following scheme. In case of documentaries or animated films that do not have all of the components (for example actors etc.) and where the total is therefore less than 19, films need to achieve more than half of the points of the maximum total.

FSS supports the promotion of European films (a maximum of four films per sales company per festival) in one of the main sections of the following festivals in 2013. The festivals are based in countries outside the EU, the EEA and in countries which are not associated members of the MEDIA Programme:

•    Sundance Film Festival, USA (January 2013)

•    Toronto International Film Festival, Canada (September 2013)

3) Markets

FSS supports the marketing of European films (a maximum of three films per sales company per market) at one of the following markets in 2013. The markets are based in countries outside the EU, the EEA and in countries which are not associated members of the MEDIA Programme:

•    Mercado de Cine Iberoamericano, Film Market, Mexico (March 2013)

•    Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), Hong Kong (March 2013)

•    Asian Film Market, Busan, South Korea (October 2013)

•    American Film Market (AFM), USA (November 2013)

4) Beneficiaries

European sales agent or production company who enters into an agreement with EFP at application stage. The agreement is made in the framework of Film Sales Support with EFP being the coordinator and the sales agent/production company being the co-beneficiary.

FSS Festival support:

European sales agent or European production company (only if no sales agent is involved in handling the film(s) in the respective territory) promoting European films participating in the listed festivals.

FSS Market support:

European sales agent marketing European films at one of the listed markets.

Qualification

The sales agent or production company has to be based in one of the EU countries, the EEA or countries associated with the MEDIA Programme (ANNEX, point 2). The European company has to be owned, whether directly or by majority participation, by nationals of member states of the European Union and of the European Economic Agreement (or nationals of the other European countries participating in the MEDIA Programme) and registered in one of these countries.

5) Costs

The budget to be submitted by the sales agent/production company to EFP for support must include costs for a substantial amount of promotional activities at the festival or market. The following costs for promotional and sales measures are eligible for support at the festival or market where applicable:

1.    Production of promotional and advertising material, (posters, brochures, flyers, press kits, screeners), translators for Asia

2.    Publication costs (costs for advertisements in local newspapers, radio and TV advertisements, activities for the general public, billboards, etc)

3.    Public relations activities (any promotional activity for the respective European film participating in the respective festival or market, hiring of a publicist, online PR by third parties (not employed by applicant), hospitality, reception, etc.)

4.    Production of a subtitled or dubbed print or digital betacam or DCP (for market screenings)

5.    Subtitling and dubbing (translation and subtitling and/or dubbing of the print or digibeta or DCP of the films participating in the respective festival/market)

6.    Transport of print and related expenses (for example, transport costs, insurance for film print, custom clearance costs)

7.    Travel and hotel costs for a sales representative (sales agent or producer, if no sales agent is involved at festivals), for the talent and the director (ANNEX, point 4,  for maximum eligible travel and accommodation/subsistence costs per country).

8.    Stand or booth at the markets

9.    Market screenings

10.  Market registration

NB: Flight costs for the sales representative to the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the American Film Market are not part of the grant and therefore not reimbursable.

Award Criteria

The sales agent or production company (only if no sales agent is involved in handling the film in the respective territory) applying for FSS festival support must send a sales representative to the respective festival to promote the film. A maximum of four films per company and festival are eligible for support.

The sales agent applying for FSS market support must send a sales representative to the respective market. A maximum of three films per company per market are eligible for support.

•    Priority will be given to films which have not been sold to the territory in which the respective festival/market takes place

•    Priority will be given to films coming from countries with a low audiovisual production capacity (ANNEX, point 3)

•    Priority will be given to films for which the sales agent/production company undertakes additional promotional activities exceeding the usual promotional measures for the film at the respective festival/market.

Beneficiaries are approved by EFP’s member organisations (ANNEX, point 5). 

Financial Support

The support may not exceed 45 per cent of the costs incurred by the beneficiary for the promotion or marketing of the respective film(s) participating in the respective festival or market. It may also not exceed the maximum amounts available (see below).

- Festival support -

Maximum support per film per company and festival:

€5,000 for one film

€2,500 per additional film

(The support for the individual films may be split in a different way but may not exceed €7,500 for two films, €10,000 for three films, €12,500 for four films)

Minimum support:

€1,000 per film

- Market support -

Maximum support per film per company and market

(limited to three films):

€5,000 for one film

€2,500 for a second and third film

(The support for the individual films may be split in a different way but may not exceed €10,000 for three films)

Minimum support:

€1,000 per film

NB: The annual FSS funds are limited. This means, that it is possible that not all applications for the selected festivals or markets can be supported. It is also possible that in some cases the grants might be reduced.

Applicants may apply for a maximum of four films per company per festival and three films per company per market. Applicants may reapply once for the same film(s) for another FSS listed festival or market to enhance sales to different countries but only if additional promotional/marketing activities are undertaken.

If the beneficiary spends less than calculated, the support is adjusted accordingly. The beneficiary has to inform EFP if he has received or will receive additional subsidies for the promotion of the respective film(s) at the respective festival or market.

The grant is disbursed after the festival or market and after the beneficiary presents EFP with proof of payment (signature) of all eligible costs in relation to the promotion/marketing activities for the film(s) at the respective festival or market. The beneficiary has to prove that a sales representative attended the respective festival or market. Completed proof has to be presented to EFP within 2 months of the end of the respective festival or market. The actual grants paid to the beneficiary will be published on European Film Promotion's website.

Application

Application deadlines for FSS are normally five or four weeks before the beginning of the respective festival or market. Application forms including a calculation of the promotional costs for the film(s) have to be sent to EFP by the respective deadline. For the support of films at festivals, the respective application form includes a declaration that the film(s) has (have) been invited by the respective festival and that the applicant accepts the film’s attendance and is attending the respective film festival.

Please send application forms to:
European Film Promotion
Susanne Davis (Project Director FSS)
Friedensallee 14-16
22765 Hamburg, Germany
Tel: +49 40 390 6252
Fax: +49 40 390 6249
davis@efp-online.com

ANNEX

1. Countries not participating in the MEDIA Programme:

Countries not participating in the MEDIA Programme are countries outside the EU, the EEA and those not associated with the MEDIA Programme.

2. Countries belonging to the EU, the EEA and to the MEDIA Programme:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Companies registered in and owned in majority by nationals from countries which are candidates to join the European Union will be eligible for FSS subject to the coming into force of their country’s participation in the MEDIA Programme.

3. Countries with a low audiovisual production capacity:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.

4. Maximum travel and accommodation/subsistence costs per country:

Maximum travel costs: €1,500 relating to an economy ticket.

Maximum accommodation/subsistence costs:

Charts related to the maximum accommodation/subsistence costs can be found on the following website: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/per_diems/index_en.htm

If there is no overnight stay, the amounts are reduced by 50 per cent.

5. EFP member organisations >> click here