EURIMAGES (Council of Europe Film Support Fund)

Overview

EURIMAGES is the cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, providing co-financing for European co-productions. Active since 1989, the fund has 40 member states (39 European countries plus Canada, with Malta joining in January 2026). EURIMAGES has an annual budget of approximately EUR 30 million and has supported 2,642 co-productions for a total of approximately EUR 754 million since its creation. The maximum contribution per project is EUR 500,000. If you are a European producer planning a co-production involving at least two member states, EURIMAGES is one of the most significant pan-European funding sources available, with new regulations in force from 1 January 2026.

Funding Amounts and Structure (2026 Regulations)

New co-production regulations apply from 1 January 2026.

Maximum financial support: EUR 500,000 per project

Support type depends on amount:

• EUR 150,000 or less: Non-refundable subsidy (grant)
• Over EUR 150,000: Conditionally repayable interest-free loan (advance on receipts), repaid from revenues generated by the project. The Executive Director may terminate the support agreement 10 years after first commercial exploitation.

Payment schedule:

• First instalment: 70% of total awarded, payable after signature of the support agreement, first day of principal photography, and (if applicable) signature of the collection account management agreement
• Second instalment: 30% of total awarded, payable after approval of the credit list, confirmation of cinema release in co-producing countries (or festival selection for documentaries only), and receipt/approval of final cost statements

Eligibility Requirements

Co-production structure:

• Projects must be co-productions between at least two independent producers established in different EURIMAGES member states, of which at least one is a Council of Europe member state
• Projects must comply with the legislation of the countries concerned and bilateral/multilateral treaties in force
• Each co-producer must have the benefit of either public support, a television pre-sale, a minimum guarantee for the territory, or another verifiable financing arrangement (equity investments, deferrals, and in-kind contributions do not qualify)

Creative co-operation assessment:

EURIMAGES assesses artistic and/or technical co-operation based on the nationality and/or residence of:

• Heads of departments: director, scriptwriter, composer, director of photography, sound engineer, editor, art director, costumes
• Main roles: first, second, and third roles
• Studio or shooting location
• Post-production and laboratory facilities and service providers

Points are awarded based on elements originating in Council of Europe or EURIMAGES member states. Projects that do not achieve minimum points may still be considered eligible if they have national accreditation (provisional recognition of co-production status from competent national authorities).

Eligible producers:

Legal persons governed by the legislation of a EURIMAGES member state, whose principal activity is producing cinematographic works, and whose origins are independent of public or private audiovisual media service providers.

Member States (40 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.

Malta became the 40th member on 22 January 2026. Canada is the only non-European member.

Recent Funding Decisions

EURIMAGES holds three project evaluation sessions per year, with independent experts making recommendations to the Executive Committee.

March 2026 session:

• 32 feature films supported (including 2 documentaries, 1 animation)
• Total: EUR 9,835,000
• 17 of 32 projects (59.71% of funding) directed or co-directed by women
• Individual awards ranged from EUR 150,000 to EUR 500,000

November 2025 session:

• 33 feature films + 10 documentaries + 5 animations supported
• Total: EUR 9,696,000
• 12 of 33 projects (29.38% of funding) directed or co-directed by women

June 2025 session:

• 35 feature films + 5 documentaries + 2 animations supported
• Total: EUR 10,738,000
• 13 of 35 projects (39.41% of funding) directed or co-directed by women

The application platform closes at 12:00 noon CET (changed from 18:00 in 2025).

Additional Support Schemes

Eurimages Co-production Development Award - EUR 20,000

Presented at industry events (most recently at Karlovy Vary) to support co-production development.

Film Marketing and Audience Development (FMAD)

Support for marketing and audience development of Eurimages-supported films.

Cinema Exhibition Support

• EUR 1 per non-national eligible admission at participating cinemas
• Maximum EUR 15,000 per cinema per year
• Additional EUR 5,000 bonus for programming Eurimages-supported films
• Three programming objectives, each triggering theoretical support of EUR 5,000
• Requires programming priority for non-national and Eurimages films

Promotion of Co-Production and Exhibition

Support for industry events and initiatives that promote European co-production.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For European producers: EURIMAGES co-financing requires at least two independent producers from different member states. The maximum award is EUR 500,000, capped at 17% of production cost for fiction/animation (25% with a female director) or 25% for documentaries. Awards under EUR 150,000 are grants; awards over EUR 150,000 are interest-free loans repaid from revenues. Plan international partnerships early - retrofitting co-production structures onto nationally developed projects does not meet the genuine creative co-operation requirement.

For the application: You need definitive co-production contracts, a revised financing plan, chain of title documents, and provisional recognition of co-production status from national authorities. The Executive Director verifies and assesses the budget, financing plan, and requested amount. Applications must be submitted before the platform closes at 12:00 noon CET on the deadline date.

For gender equality: Projects with one or more female directors attached receive an increased cap (25% of production cost instead of 17% for fiction and animation). EURIMAGES tracks and reports the percentage of funding awarded to women directors in each session.

For Canadian producers: Canada is the only non-European EURIMAGES member. Canadian producers can participate as co-producers, but at least one co-producer must be from a Council of Europe member state. Canadian co-productions with European partners have received support, with individual awards ranging from EUR 150,000 to EUR 500,000 in recent sessions.

See Also

For the European directors federation working within the EURIMAGES framework, see FERA in this directory. For national funds that often co-finance alongside EURIMAGES, see Netherlands Film Fund, BFI, and Austrian Film Institute in this directory. Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to model co-production financing structures with EURIMAGES contributions capped at 17-25% of production cost.