The VAF/Film Fund supports audiovisual productions in Flanders, as well as international co-productions with Flanders. The aims of the Fund are threefold: to develop a sustainable audiovisual industry, to encourage and support upcoming audiovisual talent and to promote a vibrant audiovisual culture in Flanders. The Film Fund receives an annual grant from the Flanders government, which in 2011 was worth about €15 million. A minimum of 80% of the annual budget goes to production support. Filmmakers can apply for support to fiction, documentary, animation and so-called Filmlab (experimental) projects. There are four types of support: scriptwriting, development, production and promotion support.
The VAF/Media Fund was launched in 2011 in order to support the production of independent television series, co-financed by a Flemish broadcaster. The Media Fund supports three genres of series: animation, documentary and fiction series. The total budget of the Media Fund for 2011 was about €4 million. There are several types of support possible within the Media Fund: scriptwriting, development and production. For foreign series a minimum of 20% of the budget must be financed through a Flemish producer and the majority of the finance must already be in place. This means a minimum of 50% of the total budget must already be financed or the project must already have been granted support by a public film body.
For foreign producers interested in accessing VAF support, the best and easiest way is to first find a local producer (see www.vfpb.be - www.votp.be). To find out more about the Fund, see www.vaf.be/taal/en.
