CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AUDIOVISUAL WORKS BY NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES

The Emilia-Romagna region recognises the film and audiovisual sector as a strategic factor for the economic, cultural and tourist development of the area that can promote identity and social cohesion, create internal economic results, encourage job creation and enhance the area in terms of tourist presence. For this purpose, through the establishment of the audiovisual fund, provided for in article 10 of the Regional Law No. 20/2014, it intends to support the production of cultural film and audiovisual works made in Emilia-Romagna, that can contribute to the development of the regional chain and professionalisation of its various players.
The call and the on-line platform form and instructions are only available in Italian language.
Recipients
Italian, European and non-European companies who mainly produce films and audiovisual works can submit projects, and thus be recipients of the regional grant, to the national call for applications.
The recipient company of the grant can be:
– sole producer;
– majority co-producer;
– executive producer
Each company can submit only one grant application for each of the two evaluation windows set for 2024.
Type of works
Each evaluation session is composed by 2 section:
SECTION A
Production (that means pre-production, filming/editing, post-production) of the following is included of:
1. Feature films (duration longer than 52’)
2. Television works with narrative content: films (duration longer than 52’) or series (at least two episodes with a total duration of 90 minutes or longer)

SECTION B
Production (that means pre-production, filming/editing, post-production) of the following is included of:
1. Feature films (duration longer than 52’)
2. Television works with narrative content: films (duration longer than 52’) or series (at least two episodes with a total duration of 90 minutes or longer)
3. Web works with a narrative content, (duration longer than 52’)
4. Documentaries, or series of documentaries, (duration longer than 52’)

Territorial constraints
SECTION A
To be eligible, films and television works must satisfy ALL following requirements:
1. Total production costs equal to or higher than euro 4.000.000,00;
2. ELIGIBLE expenses in Emilia-Romagna equal to or higher than euro 1.000.000,00;
3. historical or geographical setting, with narrative or biographical references, in Emilia-Romagna.
SECTION B
To be eligible, films and television works:
– must include at least 6 filming days in the region and meet at least one of the following criteria:
a) film at least 30% of total filming days in the Emilia-Romagna region;
OR
b) incur at least 30% of budgeted production costs in the Emilia-Romagna region.
The projects that include at least 18 filming days in the region are not required to meet the criteria listed in points a) and b) above.
Projects that carry out only 6 days of filming, without satisfying the territorial requirements indicated above, can access a reduced contribution (max 70.000 euro)

To be eligible, web works and documentaries must:
a) film for at least 30% of the total filming days in the Emilia-Romagna area;
OR
b) incur at least 30% of the budgeted “below the line” costs in the Emilia-Romagna area.

For projects that make use of a “music/soundtrack author” resident in Emilia-Romagna (documented by contract), it will be sufficient to shoot at least 6 days in the Emilia-Romagna region and satisfy one of the following criteria:
• film for at least 20% of the total shooting days,
• support at least 20% of the total production costs estimated in the region.
Projects that provide less than € 30.000.00 of eligible costs are not admitted.

Start and end
Activities in Emilia-Romagna region (pre-production, filming/editing or post-production), must not be carried out prior to the date for submitting applications for the grant.
Part of the activities must take place during 2024, and the final deadline for completing the project is set at 31 December 2025.

Available funding
The financial resources available for activities to be carried out in 2024 are 1.350.000 euro, divided as follows:
SECTION A and SECTION B:
– 700.000,00 euro for the first evaluation window;
– 650.000,00 euro for the second evaluation window;

Level of grant
The funding provided for in this call for applications consists of a non-repayable grant to be used for ELIGIBLE expenses.
The maximum grant that can be paid out is:
SECTION A
– 250.000 Euro for films and television works;
SECTION B
– 150,000.00 Euro for films and television works;
– 50,000.00 Euro for documentaries;
– 25,000.00 Euro for web works
The amount of the contribution will be determined and based on evaluation score obtained by the project, according to the following percentages:
• between 40% and 60% of the eligible expenses relating to the “personnel” cost category;
• between 30% and 50% of the eligible expenses relating to the cost category “purchase of goods, services and professionals”;
• between 50% and 70% of the eligible costs relating to the production costs of the soundtrack/music.

Eligibility of expenditure
The following expenses are eligible:
– Employees resident in Emilia-Romagna, registered in the Production Guide issued by Emilia-Romagna Film Commission;
– Services by professionals with fiscal residence in Emilia-Romagna.
– Occasional services by people resident in Emilia-Romagna
– Expenditure for services provided by the owner, partners and all those with a role in the applicant company, if residing in Emilia-Romagna, and bound by contract for a specific funcion in the production;
– Purchase of library images, from suppliers based in Emilia-Romagna;
– Purchase of non-durable consumables or services from suppliers based in Emilia-Romagna;
– Hire of spaces, locations, offices and relative utilities in Emilia-Romagna as long as they are exclusively to the project and for a defined period of time;
– Hire of durable goods from suppliers based in Emilia-Romagna;
– Costs for permits and authorizations
 promotion and marketing costs, for example trailer and teaser production costs, costs of
presentation of the work from suppliers based in Emilia-Romagna;

Deadlines for submitting applications
This call for applications provides for two time windows to submit the applications:
• from 4 p.m (Italian time) of 30th January 2024 to 4 p.m. (Italian time) of 29th February 2024;
• from 4 p.m (Italian time) of 1st July 2024 to 4 p.m (Italian time) of 31st July 2024.

The grant application, with attached documentation, must be filled on the on-line platform called SIB@C, at this address https://servizifederati.Regione.emilia-romagna.it/SIBAC and has to be sent through the same platform within the deadline of each session.

To access the online service, the compiler must have a SPID (Public Digital Identity System – https://www.spid.gov.it/en/) L2/CNS/CIE level digital identity.
The submission of the application is the responsibility of the legal representative of the company, who can also delegate the compilation activity to one or more persons, responsible for entering the data, uploading the documentation and sending the application on the Sib@c platform.
Before accreditation in the registry section, the legal representative of the company have to send a request to Emilia-Romagna Film Commission, asking the authorization for him and for not more than 2 compilers to operate on the platform, on behalf of the company. The request, signed by the legal representative, must contain name and surname, tax code and role (legal representative or compiler) of the users to be enabled with a form and must be sent via PEC to the address: servcult@postacert.regione.emilia-romagna.it
The Region will proceed to authorize access to the Sib@c platform of the user or users identified by the company, who will remain accredited to operate except in the case of further different communications to be sent exclusively via PEC.
The Region assumes no responsibility in the event of disputes between the company and the subject identified as compiler.

For more information, please e-mail to: filmcom@regione.emilia-romagna.it

Please consider that these notes have no legal value