Eurimages Co-Production Fund

Overview

Eurimages is the cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in 1989 to promote European cinema by financing co-productions between member states. As of January 2026, the fund has 40 member states: 39 European countries plus Canada. Malta joined in January 2026, expanding the fund's reach further. The annual budget is approximately EUR 30 million, derived from member state contributions and returns on loans. Since its founding, Eurimages has co-funded over 2,600 international co-productions.

The fund provides production financing for feature-length fiction, documentary, and animated films that involve co-producers from at least two member states. A producer submits the application, not the director. The fund operates four application deadlines per year, with exact dates published on the Eurimages website. Applications must be submitted online by 12:00 noon French time on the deadline day, without exception.

For a European producer assembling a multi-country co-production, Eurimages is often the single largest piece of soft money available. A Eurimages commitment also signals to other funders, distributors, and festival programmers that the project has passed an independent quality assessment. This credential matters when you are pitching to national film funds, sales agents, and festival selection committees.

What It Covers

Eurimages operates four support schemes:

1. Co-production support: Production financing for feature-length fiction, documentary, and animation films made as co-productions between at least two member states
2. Film Marketing and Audience Development (FMAD): Support for marketing and audience engagement strategies for European films
3. Exhibition support: Funding for cinemas that program European films, up to EUR 15,000 per cinema per year
4. Promotion support: Funding for industry events and initiatives that promote European cinema

Co-Production Support: Amounts and Terms

• Maximum grant: EUR 500,000 per project
• Fiction and animation: Capped at 17% of the total production cost. If one or more female directors are attached, the cap increases to 25% of the total production cost.
• Documentary: Capped at 25% of the total production cost, regardless of director gender
• Support up to EUR 150,000: Provided as a non-refundable subsidy
• Support above EUR 150,000: Provided as a conditionally repayable, interest-free loan (advance on receipts)

The gender equality provision is a deliberate incentive. Projects with female directors get a higher percentage cap, which can translate to tens of thousands of euros in additional support. This is one of the few film funds where the director's gender directly affects the maximum award amount.

New Requirements for 2026

• Applicants must describe sustainable production measures on the submission platform (Screen 8)
• Applicants must provide information about each co-producer's ownership and independence using a dedicated form
• The Board of Management discourages commercial exploitation of supported films in the Russian Federation. Producers are encouraged to retain rights to the Russian Federation when licensing territories to sales agents.

Eligibility

Project Requirements

• Must be a co-production between at least two independent producers established in different Eurimages member states, of which at least one is a Council of Europe member state
• Must comply with the legislation of the co-producing countries and any bilateral or multilateral treaties in force
• Must be feature-length: 60 minutes or longer for fiction; 50 minutes or longer for documentary and animation
• Must demonstrate artistic and/or technical co-operation between co-producers from different member states (assessed based on nationality/residence of heads of department, cast, shooting location, and post-production facilities)
• Must have a viable financing plan with confirmed co-production partners and evidence of financing

Producer Requirements

• Must be a legal entity governed by the legislation of one of the fund's member states
• Must be an independent producer (not a subsidiary of a public or private audiovisual media service provider)
• The majority co-producer must be from a member state

Points System

Eurimages uses a points system to assess the degree of co-operation between member states. Points are awarded based on the nationality or residence of the director, scriptwriter, composer, director of photography, sound engineer, editor, art director, costume designer, and main cast, as well as shooting location, post-production location, and laboratory facilities. A project must achieve a minimum number of points to be eligible. The full points table is published in the regulations document on the Eurimages website.

How to Apply

1. Confirm eligibility: Review the 2026 Co-Production Support Regulations on the Eurimages website. Contact the Eurimages Secretariat or your country's National Representative on the Board of Management for guidance.
2. Prepare your application package: Screenplay, director's statement, production budget, financing plan with evidence of confirmed financing, co-production agreements, distribution strategy, producer's note of intention (including description of the amount of support requested from Eurimages), sustainable production measures description, and co-producer ownership/independence forms.
3. Submit online: Applications are submitted through the Eurimages online platform in English or French. All materials must be uploaded by 12:00 noon French time on the application deadline day. Late or incomplete applications are excluded.
4. Review process: The Eurimages Secretariat checks eligibility. Co-production Working Groups review projects and make recommendations. The Executive Committee adopts recommendations. The Board of Management makes final funding decisions at its meetings.
5. Notification: Applicants are informed of the decision after the Board meeting. Successful applicants sign a contract with Eurimages setting out payment terms and conditions.

Application Tips from the Regulations

• Contact your National Representative before submitting. They can flag potential eligibility issues early.
• The financing plan must show confirmed sources. "Confirmed" means you have written commitments, not verbal assurances. Equity investments, deferrals, and in-kind contributions are acceptable if documented.
• The producer's note of intention must include a description of the amount of support requested from Eurimages and how it fits into the overall financing plan.
• If your project involves sales agent pre-sales or minimum guarantees, these must be documented and acceptable to the Executive Director.

40 Member States (as of January 2026)

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkiye, Ukraine.

Canada is the only non-European member state. This means a Canadian producer can co-produce with a European partner and access Eurimages funding, provided the project meets all other eligibility requirements.

Who Should Apply

European producers assembling co-production packages for feature-length films. If you are a producer working across European borders, or a Canadian producer partnering with a European co-producer, Eurimages is one of the most significant funding sources available. The fund is open to both emerging and established filmmakers, but the application requires a fully developed financing plan with confirmed partners. First-time producers without co-production experience should work with a more experienced co-producer or consult their National Representative before applying.

Directors cannot apply directly. The application must come from a producer. If you are a director reading this, your first step is to connect with a producer in a Eurimages member state who can assemble the co-production package and submit the application.

See Also

For understanding European co-production structures, see International Film Markets. To plan your feature film budget, use the Production Budget Calculator. For information on another major filmmaker support program, see Film Independent Project Involve.