European Film Distribution

Key financial figures:Total indicative budget €38,000,000 (call 2027). Maximum potential fund eligible per applicant €1,000,000. Funding rate for eligible costs 70%; grant form budget-based 1.

Key objectives:Improve transnational distribution of recent non-national European films; increase investment in production, acquisition, promotion and distribution (theatrical and online); develop stronger links between production and distribution to improve the market position of non-national European films.

Two-phase structure of funded activity:Phase 1: generation of a potential fund attributed according to 2026 market performance (eligible paying admissions). Phase 2: the generated potential fund must be reinvested by the company in co-production of eligible non-national European films, acquisition of distribution rights (for example via minimum guarantees), and promotion/marketing/advertising for theatrical and online releases.

Eligible applicant types:European cinema/theatrical distributors (companies whose principal activity or company division is cinema/theatrical distribution) that hold theatrical distribution rights, execute distribution and promotion campaigns in the country of distribution, pay distribution costs and operate theatrically in that country. Legal entities can be public bodies, private companies, non-profits, associations and international organisations (subject to call rules). Affiliated entities may participate where relevant and must be declared and validated.

Other participant roles allowed:Affiliated entities, associated partners (without EU funding), subcontractors and third parties providing in-kind contributions are allowed. Financial support to third parties is NOT permitted under this call.

Eligible films:fiction (including animation) or documentary of minimum 60 minutes, first copyright established in 2023 or later, majority produced by producers established in MEDIA countries with >50% financing from MEDIA countries, significant participation of professionals who are nationals/residents of MEDIA countries (scoring table used to determine majority). Films composed of alternative content, advertising, pornographic or racist material, or advocacy of violence are excluded.

Admissions eligible to generate the potential fund:Eligible paying admissions must have occurred between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2026 in MEDIA countries; a normal ticket price must have been paid; admissions must be identifiable, declared in the Creative Europe MEDIA Database and certified by the designated national authority using the provided certified admissions template. Minimum 200 eligible admissions per film per country to count; maximum ceiling per film varies by country of distribution. Special ineligibility applies where distribution rights for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and/or Ukraine are licensed by sales agents to distributors/buyers established in Russia (these admissions will be excluded).

Eligible reinvestment activities (Phase 2):Reinvestment must be placed in up to 12 eligible non-national films and may include: 1) investment in co-production (amounts set in co-production contract within the grant agreement eligibility period); 2) acquisition of theatrical and/or online distribution rights (e.g. minimum guarantees, amount set in distribution contract within eligibility period; if multi-territory, co-financing limited to the territory of the distributor concerned and pro-rated if shares per territory are set); 3) promotion, marketing and advertising for theatrical releases (optical/digital prints, subtitling/dubbing, booking, PR, social/digital campaigns, talent invitations — personnel and travel excluded); 4) promotion, marketing and advertising for online releases (platform coordination, performance tracking, aggregators, virtual launches, etc.). Investments in co-production and acquisition combined may not exceed 70% of the direct reinvestment budget. Double funding with other EU marketing supports (e.g. Eurimages Film Marketing support) is not allowed and will be cross-checked.

Call total indicative budget for the topic:€38,000,000 (subject to final 2027 EU budget adoption). Individual project maximum grant amount: €1,000,000. Grant form: CREA Action Grant Budget-Based (budget-based actual costs with unit cost/flat-rate elements where applicable). Funding rate for eligible costs: 70%.

Cost eligibility highlights:Personnel costs must be evidenced in accordance with beneficiaries’ accounting and time-recording rules; subcontracting and purchases must follow usual procurement rules ensuring best value for money and no conflict of interest; travel and subsistence unit costs may be used where Decision C(2021)35 applies; depreciation method for equipment; indirect costs reimbursed at a flat-rate of 7% of eligible direct costs (categories A-D, excluding volunteers and excepted categories). VAT non-deductible is eligible only where it is non-recoverable under national rules (public bodies acting as public authority are generally not eligible to claim VAT).

Submission route:single-stage electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Application form structure: Part A (administrative) online; Part B (technical description) uploaded as PDF using the standard CREA MEDIA template obtained from the Submission System; Part C (additional data) online; mandatory annexes uploaded as PDFs in the specified slots. Mandatory annexes include the Certified admissions template, Declaration on independence and ownership control, and a PDF with film(s)/work(s) information generated from the Creative Europe MEDIA Database. Applications exceeding the Part B page limit (50 pages specifically for this call) will have excess pages disregarded. Applicants must confirm mandate to act for all participants at submission and will sign declarations of honour prior to grant signature.

Evaluation and award:Single-stage evaluation by an evaluation committee. The award criterion is Relevance (100 points) scoring the performance of the applicant on the European market (admissions in 2026): scoring bands allocate 70–100 points according to total admissions achieved in 2026 (200–30,000 = 70 points; 30,001–70,000 = 80; 70,001–150,000 = 90; >150,001 = 100). Overall threshold to pass: 70 points. Proposals passing the threshold will be considered for funding within available budget and ranked by score. Detailed award criteria, thresholds and evaluation process are set out in the Call Document.

Form and templates applicants must use:Applicants must use the Submission System templates: Standard Application Form (CREA MEDIA) in Part B, Certified admissions (CREA MEDIA FILMDIST) spreadsheet template, Declaration on independence and ownership control template, and must attach the Creative Europe MEDIA Database export PDF for the declared films. The Application Form Part B follows the CREA MEDIA template structure including sections on relevance, quality, project management, dissemination, work packages and budget details. Part A is filled online. All mandatory annex templates are available in the Submission System and must not be altered.

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):Applicants must be established in countries participating fully in the MEDIA strand of Creative Europe (EU Member States and non-EU countries associated to MEDIA). The call text refers explicitly to European/Creative Europe participating countries; EU and EEA country lists and MEDIA participating country lists govern eligibility. Films and admissions are considered in participating countries; specific rules apply for admissions in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine when sales agents license rights to distributors established in Russia.

Target sector:Audiovisual sector — film distribution, theatrical release, online distribution, promotion and marketing, co-production financing and rights acquisition.

Mentioned countries (explicit in call text):France; Germany; Spain; Italy; Austria; Belgium; Poland; The Netherlands; Czech Republic; Denmark; Finland; Greece; Hungary; Norway; Portugal; Sweden; Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania; Ireland; Malta; Ukraine; Russia (mentioned with specific licensing restrictions).

Project stage expected:Market-ready distribution operations and commercial exploitation capacity: distribution, promotion and commercialization activities. Projects should be at the commercialization/distribution stage with demonstrated 2026 admissions performance for Phase 1 fund generation and commercial plans for reinvestment in Phase 2.

Funding type and nature of support:Primary mechanism: grant (budget-based action grant). Beneficiaries will receive monetary support (reimbursement of eligible costs). No financial support to third parties is allowed under this call.

Consortium requirement:Single-applicant (mono-beneficiary) proposals are allowed. Affiliated entities and associated partners can be included where relevant and must be validated. The coordinator role applies for multi-beneficiary grants, but this specific call allows single-beneficiary submissions.

Application type and stages:Single-stage open call (one submission). Evaluation by external experts and an evaluation committee; successful proposals go to grant preparation where legal entity validation, financial capacity checks and other formal checks take place prior to signature. The call uses a single-stage submission but the award process includes evaluation plus grant preparation (effectively two implementation stages before payment).

Number of application stages to obtain funds:1 (single-stage submission) for evaluation; then 1 additional stage for grant preparation and legal/financial validation prior to signature — total process includes evaluation + grant preparation.

Co-funding requirement:Yes. The grant finances up to 70% of eligible costs; beneficiaries must provide the remaining co-financing (own resources, revenue generated by the action, third-party contributions etc.). The potential fund calculation is generated from eligible 2026 admissions and then reinvested by the distributor; reinvestment amounts are subject to eligibility rules and ceilings.

Templates and form structure:Part A is generated by the Portal (administrative forms). Part B contains the technical description, work packages and budget details per the CREA MEDIA Application Form template. The Certified admissions Excel template collects admissions by film, territory and categories (school screenings, festivals, subscriptions/loyalty schemes) and requires signature/stamp from national designated authorities. The Declaration on independence and ownership control template requires a full ownership chain and nationalities of owners to verify MEDIA strand ownership eligibility. The Model Grant Agreement (CREA MGA) and Annotated MGA govern legal and financial set-up.

Where to find call documentation and support:All call documents, annexes, templates (Standard application form, Certified admissions, Declaration on independence and ownership control, Model Grant Agreement), the Call Document (Call fiche) and the dedicated Topic page are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page for CREA-MEDIA. For technical submission questions use the IT Helpdesk; for call-specific questions contact your national Creative Europe desk or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The Portal Online Manual explains the submission workflow and required templates.