Deadline: 06-Oct-2025
The Dutch Film Fund is pleased to announce its Film Festival Subsidy Scheme to promote professional film through knowledge development, dissemination, profiling, and promotion.
Focus: The festival must take place in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the applicant must collaborate with private and public partners who substantially co-finance the event, with local financing from a municipality or province or affiliated fund of at least 5%; the festival must have held at least two previous editions within four years prior to the application (except for festivals dedicated to a single maker or author); the new edition of the festival must take place no later than eight months after submitting the application; the Filmfonds subsidy may cover up to 30% of total festival costs; the festival must present a program of national and international film productions with artistic and content quality and diversity, serve cinematographic significance, and provide insight into developments in the field; the festival must have social relevance and add value beyond standard film offerings; the festival must be accessible to a diverse audience, have nationwide appeal, and enhance geographic and programmatic diversity of film festivals in the Netherlands; the festival must have a sound track record in both content and business operations, with a balanced, realistic relationship between costs, requested subsidy, ticket revenue, and audience reach; the festival must articulate a vision and plan for Fair Practice, Cultural Governance, Diversity & Inclusion; the festival must articulate a vision and plan for sustainability regarding organizational and operational transition; preference is given to festivals with relevant ancillary programming in international cooperation, talent development, cinematographic innovation, education, or combinations thereof, and regional spread is considered.
The application can be submitted by a legal entity specializing in film (not a sole proprietorship or general partnership) from the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is responsible for organizing a film festival held in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This legal entity must have organized at least two editions of the festival in the four years preceding the application.
Funding for this scheme is structured into three categories. A maximum of €65,000 is available as a project subsidy for organising a film festival that takes place annually on at least six consecutive full days, with a festival budget between €300,000 and €500,000, an audience reach of at least 15,000 paying visitors, audience revenues of at least €50,000, and a proven track record with four previous festival editions. A maximum of €40,000 is available for a film festival that takes place annually or biannually on at least four consecutive full days, with a festival budget of at least €150,000, an audience reach of at least 5,000 paying visitors, audience revenues of at least €20,000, and a proven track record with three previous editions. A maximum of €20,000 is available for a film festival that takes place annually or occasionally on at least two consecutive full days, with a festival budget of at least €75,000, an audience reach of at least 1,250 paying visitors, audience revenues of at least €5,000, and a proven track record with at least two previous editions.
The application process involves submitting your full proposal—including an activity plan, list of selected films with explanatory notes, a cross-media marketing plan, budget and financing plan using the Filmfonds template, documentation of past financing, evaluation reports of recent editions, and a Chamber of Commerce excerpt—via the Filmfonds digital platform (Frame). The application is assessed through a two-tier review: an advisory committee together with the Project Manager for Talent Development and Film Activities reviews the content, while the Grants Office handles the financial and business aspects; the decision is then made by the film fund’s director or board.
The scheme offers a one-time project subsidy for a single festival edition, or alternatively, a two-year grant for two consecutive editions if the festival has successfully received subsidies and fulfilled obligations for at least four consecutive years prior. The next application deadline is 6 October 2025.
For more information, visit Dutch Film Fund.