Austrian Film Institute (ÖFI)

Overview

The Austrian Film Institute (Österreichisches Filminstitut, ÖFI) is the primary federal agency supporting the development, production, and distribution of Austrian cinema. It was founded in 1981 as the Austrian Film Funding Fund (Österreichischer Filmförderungsfonds) under the Film Funding Act of 25 November 1980, and was renamed the Austrian Film Institute in 1993. It is a legal entity under public law with its registered office in Vienna.

The ÖFI supports theatrical features, documentaries, and animations of any runtime with cultural content. It funds all production phases from script development through distribution. Alongside the ÖFI, the Film Fund Vienna (Filmfonds Wien) provides regional support for productions with Vienna connections, and the ORF (Austrian national broadcaster) provides broadcaster co-financing for qualifying Austrian films.

Annual Budget

The ÖFI receives annual federal contributions, listed separately for selective film funding (ÖFI) and location promotion (ÖFI+):

The 2025 ÖFI+ figure includes a special allocation of EUR 6.8 million. From 2026 onward, the ÖFI's selective funding budget increases to EUR 36.5 million, while ÖFI+ location promotion transitions to a separate EUR 2.5 million allocation managed through the ÖFI.

ÖFI+ Location Funding (from 2026)

From budget year 2026, ÖFI+ funds cinema productions of all types (feature, documentary, animation) with cultural content. To apply for ÖFI+ production funding, a project must already have a funding commitment from the BMWKMS (Federal Ministry for Housing, Culture, Media, and Sport) Film Department or from the Talent LAB (a joint ÖFI and Film Fund Vienna initiative).

Key ÖFI+ funding terms:

• Base grant: 30% of eligible production costs spent in Austria
• Green Bonus: Additional 5% (up to 35% total) for ecologically sustainable production, meeting ÖFI Green Filming requirements
• Gender Gap Financing: Lump sum of EUR 25,000 if the project reaches a defined target value for female employees in head departments
• Assessment basis: Eligible costs, capped at 80% of total production costs
• Minimum Austrian spend: EUR 150,000 for fiction features; EUR 80,000 for documentaries
• Maximum grant per project: EUR 5,000,000 for a film or individual episode; EUR 7,500,000 for a series or series season
• Maximum per applicant per year: EUR 6,000,000 (production company and affiliated entities)
• Aid intensity cap: 50% of total production costs (60% for cross-border co-productions involving multiple EU member states)

Applications can be submitted no earlier than 6 months before principal photography and no later than 8 weeks before. Projects with an ÖFI+ application volume exceeding EUR 1.5 million must be submitted at least 12 weeks before shooting and require a mandatory consultation with the ÖFI.

Grant disbursement is in five installments: 30% after contract signing, 25% at start of principal photography, 20% at wrap, 10% after rough cut screening, and 15% after final audit.

FISA+ (Film Industry Support Austria)

FISA+ is Austria's film production incentive for international and national productions, administered by ABA (Austria Business Agency) in agreement with the Federal Minister of Finance. FISA+ is separate from ÖFI selective funding and ÖFI+ location funding. The current FISA+ guidelines are in force from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027, with applications accepted until 31 October 2027 and approvals until 31 December 2027.

FISA+ funds international films, series, and episodes produced by service productions, and Austrian films, series, and episodes not produced on behalf of audiovisual media services for television and streaming. Key terms:

• Grant type: Non-refundable grant
• Base rate: 30% of accepted eligible costs
• Green Bonus: Additional 5% (up to 35% total) for sustainable production
• Gender Gap Financing: Lump sum of EUR 25,000 for qualifying projects
• Assessment basis: Accepted eligible costs, capped at 80% of total production costs
• Minimum eligible costs: EUR 150,000 for fiction features/series/episodes; EUR 80,000 for documentaries/VR
• Maximum grant: EUR 5,000,000 per film or episode; EUR 7,500,000 per series or season
• Aid intensity cap: 50% of total production costs (60% for cross-border co-productions)
• Mandatory consultation: Required for grant amounts exceeding EUR 1,500,000

FISA+ funding can be combined with grants from other institutions or regional authorities, provided the total aid does not exceed GBER maximum aid ceilings. Cumulation with federal funds, particularly the Austrian Television Fund, is generally excluded, with exceptions for the "Excellence Bonus" programme.

The Austrian Television Fund funds television films (including series and documentaries) with a maximum overall budget of EUR 1.8 million, and series with a maximum budget of EUR 600,000 per episode. This is separate from both ÖFI and FISA+.

International Co-Production

Austria is an active international co-production partner, particularly with Germany, Switzerland (sharing German as a common language), France, and Italy. The ÖFI manages Austria's bilateral treaty co-production relationships and provides guidance on structuring qualifying co-productions.

For co-productions accessing ÖFI selective funding, the financial participation by ÖFI (including any revenue share from selective funding) must correspond pro rata pari passu in the recoupment arrangement. The ÖFI reserves the right to require a Collection Agreement. For purely Austrian productions, at least 30% of the Austrian financing share for fiction films and 25% for documentary films must be secured. For majority co-productions, at least 30% of the non-Austrian share must be secured. For minority co-productions, at least 60% of the non-Austrian share must be secured (reduced if a value-creation bonus applies).

International co-productions accessing FISA+ must demonstrate an incentive effect: the project cannot be carried out in Austria as a film location, or not to the extent necessary, without FISA+ funding.

Austrian Cinema Context

Austrian cinema has produced internationally recognised work in the contemporary arthouse tradition. Michael Haneke won the Palme d'Or at Cannes twice (for The White Ribbon and Amour). Stefan Ruzowitzky won the Academy Award for Best International Feature for The Counterfeiters (2007). Contemporary Austrian directors including Jessica Hausner, Barbara Albert, and Sebastian Meise have continued building Austria's international festival presence.

Austria's production landscape includes Vienna's baroque architecture, Alpine regions, and lake districts, which have attracted international productions. The combination of ÖFI selective funding, ÖFI+ location funding, FISA+ rebates, Film Fund Vienna regional support, ORF broadcaster co-financing, and experienced German-language crew base creates a multi-source financing structure for both Austrian independent production and international co-production.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For international productions considering Austria as a shooting location or co-production partner, FISA+ offers a 30% non-refundable grant on eligible Austrian expenditure (up to 35% with Green Bonus), with a maximum of EUR 5 million per film. The minimum Austrian spend is EUR 150,000 for fiction or EUR 80,000 for documentaries. Applications must be submitted between 6 months and 8 weeks before principal photography. For grants exceeding EUR 1.5 million, a mandatory ABA consultation is required before submission.

For Austrian filmmakers, ÖFI selective funding is the primary public financing available for theatrical feature development and production. From 2026, ÖFI+ requires a prior funding commitment from the BMWKMS Film Department or Talent LAB before an application can be submitted. Building relationships with ÖFI development executives and understanding the Fund's quality-oriented assessment criteria is foundational for any Austrian filmmaker pursuing a theatrical feature career.

See Also

For the German-language production and funding context, see BVK (Germany) and BVR (Germany) in this directory. For the European Film Academy context, see EFA in this directory.