Activities that can be funded (scope)

Support will be given to independent European production companies able to develop a slate of 3 to 5 audio-visual works (fiction, animation, creative documentary). This should allow production companies to reduce risks and increase their capacity to attract and retain talents.

The European slate development shall provide support to the development of minimum 3 and maximum 5 works for commercial exploitation intended for cinema release, television broadcasting or commercial exploitation on digital platforms or a multi-platform environment in the following categories: animation, creative documentary or fiction. Applicants may add a short film by emerging talent to their slate (optional).

The aim is to provide funds to audio-visual production companies to develop work with high creative value and cultural diversity and wide cross-border exploitation potential. Companies are encouraged to develop strategies for marketing and distribution from the outset of the development phase thus improving the potential to reach audiences at a European and international level.

Greater cooperation, including co-development, between operators from different countries participating in the MEDIA Strand is also pursued as well as strengthening the competitiveness of European audio-visual production companies by consolidating their capacity for investment in the development phase and expanding companies’ activities and their innovation capacity to explore new fields and markets.

Applications should present adequate strategies to ensure a more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.

Applicants must present a slate including a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 eligible works.

Only the development activities for the following works are eligible:

• Feature films, animations and creative documentaries of a minimum length of 60 minutes intended primarily for cinematic release;
• Fiction projects (one-off or series) of a total duration of minimum 90 minutes, animation (one-off or series) of a total duration of minimum 24 minutes and creative documentaries (one-off or series) of a total duration of minimum 50 minutes intended primarily for the purposes of television or digital platform exploitation;
• Interactive, immersive fiction, animation or creative documentary projects (e.g., narrative virtual reality projects) of any duration.

The following works are ineligible for both development and short film activities:

• live recordings, TV games, talk shows, cooking shows, magazines, tv-shows, reality shows, educational, teaching and “how to” programmes;
• documentaries promoting tourism, “making-of”, reports, animal reportages, news programmes and “docu-soaps”;
• projects including pornographic or racist material or advocating violence;
• works of a promotional nature;
• institutional productions to promote a specific organisation or its activities;
• music videos and video-clips;
• video games, e-books and interactive books;
• student films and graduation works.