View over Vienna and St. Stephen's Cathedral from the terrace at the Parliament

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FAQ

Click here for the full Funding Guidelines

Which productions are eligible for funding?

Funding is available for international fiction and non-fiction film productions (e.g. feature films, fictional series, documentaries) that are shot fully or partly in Vienna and are intended for international commercial distribution. The projects must be intended for cinema, TV or video on demand platforms, have a minimum duration of 45 minutes and involve at least two full days of actual filming in Vienna.

A cultural properties test will be conducted to ensure that the cultural purpose of the funding is fulfilled. Funding is only awarded if the project meets the required number of criteria and achieves the stipulated number of points.

What does the cultural properties test involve?

The cultural properties test is explained in Annex 1 of the Funding Guidelines. It is completed directly in the online application form (German only) and scores are calculated automatically.

How many points do I need in the cultural properties test to qualify for funding?

To ensure compliance with cultural properties criteria, fiction productions must achieve at least 21 points, while non-fiction productions require 12 out of a possible 40 points.

What share of the costs does funding cover?

Funding is provided for a maximum of 30% of the eligible production costs. The maximum funding is EUR 400,000. Funding is available for international productions with total production costs of at least EUR 4m for feature films, and at least EUR 500,000 for documentaries. Feature films must provide proof of eligible production costs of at least EUR 200,000 and documentaries of at least EUR 80,000. Details of eligible production costs are provided in Annex 2 to the Funding Guidelines.

Who can apply for funding?

Submissions can be made by Austrian/Viennese film service production companies that are commissioned to carry out filming in Vienna on behalf of a foreign production company.

Where can applications be submitted?

Funding applications can only be submitted digitally via the Vienna Tourist Board Vienna Film Incentive submissions portal (German only). Applications can be submitted at any time between now and December 31, 2025 or until such time as all of the available funding has been allocated. Funds will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

How many days before the start of filming do applications have to be submitted?

The complete funding application (i.e. with all required documentation) must be submitted via the Vienna Tourist Board submissions portal no later than two weeks before the start of filming. It is not possible to apply for funding retroactively.

When and how will I be notified if my production is eligible for funding?

The Vienna Tourist Board will reach a decision on all complete applications within seven weeks of the date of submission of the application. Successful applicants will be notified in writing. If filming begins in Vienna before a decision has been made by the Vienna Tourist Board, the applicant acknowledges that it does so at its own risk.

What happens after funding has been granted in principle?

The Vienna Tourist Board will send the applicant a funding offer (Funding Agreement) which must be returned with an official signature within two weeks.

What happens if actual expenditure differs from the amount on the application?

The Vienna Tourist Board must be notified immediately of any changes, such as delays in the start of filming etc.

How and when is settlement completed for approved projects?

Funding is paid out once the conditions of the Funding Agreement are satisfied and a final review of the production has been carried out. The documentation required for disbursement must be submitted to the Vienna Tourist Board no later than three months after completion of filming in Vienna and fulfillment of all obligations to the Vienna Tourist Board. See point 9 (Settlement and disbursement) of the Funding Guidelines for details of settlement, required proof and disbursement.

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