Lombardy Call for Proposals: Development of Cinematographic and Audiovisual Works

The call supports the development phase (writing and pre-production) of cinematographic and audiovisual works, with the aim of fostering the creative potential of authors, enhancing the narrative of the Lombardy region and its historical, artistic, and landscape heritage, and promoting the attractiveness of the regional territory as a setting for audiovisual productions.

General characteristics of the incentive

• The incentive is granted as a non-repayable contribution for the development and pre-production of cinematographic and audiovisual works and the aid intensity cannot exceed 50% of the eligible costs. supported for the project.
• The amount of aid for each beneficiary company cannot exceed the maximum amount of 30,000 euros. for all categories of cinematographic and audiovisual works, with the exception of documentaries and serial documentaries for which it cannot exceed the maximum amount of 15.000 euro.
• Aid is granted on the basis of Regulation (EU) No. 2831/2023 of 13 December 2023 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid, and in particular Articles 1 (scope), 2 (definitions and in particular the concept of “single undertaking”), 3 (de minimis aid), 5 (cumulation), and 6 (monitoring and reporting).
• Aid is granted on the basis of Regulation (EU) No. 2831/2023 of 13 December 2023 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid.
• Pursuant to EU Regulation No. 2831 of 13 December 2023, the total amount of de minimis aid granted to a single company must not exceed €300,000.00 over a three-year period. Compliance with the three-year limit will be verified by consulting the National State Aid Register before granting the aid.
• Compliance with the three-year limit will be verified by consulting the National State Aid Register before granting the aid.

Eligible Expenses

• Only expenses relating to the development and pre-production phase of the audiovisual work, actually incurred and paid by the beneficiary company, starting from the date of January 1, 2025, and up to the reporting date. Expenses related to the acquisition of rights or options are an exception, and may be dated prior to January 1, 2025.
• The following expenses incurred are eligible:
  • Option and acquisition of rights;
  • expenses in favour of authors and creatives for the writing of the screenplay and the treatment up to the final version;
  • Any translations of the screenplay;
  • Research activities in the Lombardy region, including site visits to specific locations identified by the applicant (for animation: graphic research);
  • Creation of a storyboard;
  • Search for key technicians and casting;
  • Preparation of the production budget estimate;
  • Preparation of a financial plan;
  • Fundraising activities and search for partners, financiers, co-producers, distributors;
  • Preparation of the production plan;

Fundable Projects

• This call supports the development and pre-production of cinematographic and audiovisual works that have one or more of the following characteristics:
  • mainly set in Lombardy;
  • that tell stories connected to the regional territory and/or that enhance the historical heritage, cultural, artistic and landscape of Lombardy;
  • which promote the attractiveness of the regional territory as a set of productions audiovisual;
  • which foresee artistic, cultural and professional collaborations of subjects resident in Lombardy.
• The development and pre-production of cinematographic and audiovisual works belonging to the categories indicated below are eligible for funding:
  • Line A:
    • Feature-length fiction films with a minimum running time of 52 minutes, intended for cinematic and/or television exploitation (including VoD and SVoD);
    • fictional serial works intended primarily for television exploitation (including VoD and SVoD).
  • Line B:
    • documentaries with a minimum duration of 52 minutes, including animation techniques, intended for cinematographic and/ or television exploitation (including VoD and SVoD);
    • Serial documentaries, including those produced using animation techniques, intended primarily for television exploitation (including VoD and SVoD).
  • Line C:
    • animated works with a minimum duration of 52 minutes, intended for cinematographic and/or television exploitation (including VoD and SVoD);
    • animated serial works intended primarily for television exploitation (including VoD or SVoD).
• For all project categories, including serial works, admitted projects must be completed and reported by December 31, 2026, under penalty of revocation of the grant.

Beneficiaries

• Applications may be submitted by micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (pursuant to Annex I of Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014 of 17 June 2014, as amended), which meet the following requirements on the date of application submission:
  • Be regularly registered as “Active” with primary or secondary ATECO 2025 code J 59.11 (NACE code J 59.11) in the Company Register (or equivalent EU register).
  • Be established for no less than two years from the submission date, with at least two filed balance sheets or tax returns.
  • Be independent producers.
  • Be sole producers or co-producers of the submitted project, holding majority rights (via option/assignment contracts).
  • Already have an operational headquarters in Lombardy (or commit to establishing one before grant disbursement).
  • Operate in compliance with national/territorial collective bargaining agreements.

For more information, visit Lombardia Film Commission.