Support to Sales Agents

Distribution

The aim of the “Sales Agents” scheme is to encourage and support the wider transnational distribution of recent European films by providing funds to sales agents, based upon their performance on the market, for further reinvestment in new non-national European films.

The scheme also aims to encourage the development of links between the production and distribution sectors thus improving the competitive position of non-national European films and the competitiveness of European companies

Eligible Activities

The “Sales Agents scheme" works in two phases:

The generation of a potential fund which will be calculated according to the performance of the company on the European market during the reference period.
Reinvestment of the potential fund: the potential fund thus generated by each company must be reinvested in:

minimum guarantees or advances paid for the international sales rights on eligible non-national European films;
the promotion, marketing and advertising on the market of eligible non-national European films.

International sales:

Any commercial activity designed to promote and sell the exploitation rights to a cinematographic film on the marketplace, in particular to cinema distributors. This activity includes, inter alia:

the negotiation and execution of contracts licensing the rights to exploit or exhibit the film;
the promotion and advertising of the film in markets or festivals (screenings, advertising, promotional events)
the design and dissemination towards potential buyers of promotional material for the film (EPK, stills, slides, “making-of”, …)
the design and dissemination towards the press (trade press or other) and the potential audience of the film of promotional material and information (web site, …).

Cinema / Theatrical distribution:

Any commercial activity designed to bring to the attention of a wide audience a film for the purpose of exploitation in cinema theatres. Such activity may include aspects of the technical publishing of an audiovisual work (dubbing and subtitling, striking of prints, circulation of prints, etc.) as well as marketing and promotional activities (production of trailers and publicity material, the purchase of advertising space, the organisation of promotional events etc.).

The film must comply with the following criteria:

it must be a work of fiction (including animated films) or documentary, with a minimum duration of 60 minutes;
it must not consist of alternative content (operas, concerts, performances, etc.), advertising, pornographic or racist material or advocate violence;
it must be majority produced by a producer or producers established in the countries participating in the MEDIA Sub-programme. To be considered as the actual producers the production companies must be credited as such. Other elements such as copyright appearing on the rolling credits, creative control, ownership of exploitation rights and share of profits may also be taken into account to determine who the actual producer is;
and it must be produced with the significant participation (as per the credits) of professionals who are nationals/residents of countries participating in the MEDIA Sub-programme. ‘Significant participation’ is defined as having more than 50% of the points on the basis of the table presented in the guidelines

if the film has been produced at the time of application, it must have an interoperable standard identifier, such as ISAN or EIDR (reinvestment stage only).

National / Non-national European film:

European films will be considered as “national” in the country participating in the MEDIA Sub-programme whose nationals/residents have participated in the highest proportion in the making of the film, on the basis of the points table shown above. This country is considered as the country of origin of the film for the purpose of the scheme. They will be considered as “non-national” outside the country of origin.

Support to Sales Agents

Eligible Applicants

Eligible Activities

Budget

Annexes