General
Kehittämö – Talent Development Lab is a collaborative programme by the Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture AVEK and Finnish Cultural Foundation aiming to give promising young audiovisual artists the means and support for developing their first major work as well as their own artistic voice and idiom. Filmmakers or media artists selected for the programme will receive support in developing their work for production, with the ultimate aim of obtaining production funding and reaching audiences.
Five filmmakers or media artists with their project proposals will be selected for the Kehittämö programme. A development plan will be tailored for each project together with the selected artist, a production company and a mentor designated for the project. A total sum of 55 000 euros will be granted for the development of the project, of which 52 000 euros will be granted to the production company. Mentoring costs will be covered separately by the programme.
The participants will have approximately six months to develop their projects. The results of Kehittämö – Talent Development Lab will be presented at the Finnish Film Affair industry event in Helsinki in the autumn of 2023.
Who Can Apply and How?
The Kehittämö Call for Proposals is open to filmmakers or media artists with either a recently completed education or otherwise sufficient merits in the audiovisual sector, who have an original proposal for their first professionally produced feature-length fictional or documentary film, media artwork or other audiovisual project (not a series).
The application is a two-stage process. In the first stage, the author will apply for the Kehittämö programme as a private individual with their proposal for an audiovisual project. From these applicants, ten will be selected and granted a sum of 3 000 euros to enable the completion of the second application stage.
At the start of the second stage, a networking event with production companies will be organized for the ten selected applicants. This event is meant especially for those participants who have not yet made contact with a production company. In the second stage of the application process, the application is submitted by the production company committing to a development plan devised together with the applicant. In the second selection stage, five projects will be selected for the final development work and to be granted the support.
Application period
- The application period opens on 22 September and closes on 21 November 2022 at 4.00 p.m.
- Information session on 12 October at 10–11.30 a.m. Register to the session by October 10.
- The selections of the first application stage will be announced in January 2023, and the final five selected projects will be announced in March 2023.
Evaluation and selections
The evaluation of the applications will be based on overall assessment weighing the originality and quality of the proposed projects as well as the sample of previous work sent by the applicant. At the first stage, the Kehittämö applications will be evaluated by experts outside AVEK, and the decision on the ten proposals selected for the second stage will be made by the Director and Commissioners of AVEK.
The decisions on the five selected projects will be made by the group of international mentors joining the programme to mentor the applicants.
Other expertise outside of AVEK may be sought when evaluating the applications.
AVEK’s Board of Directors will validate the decisions. The applicants will be notified personally.
The reporting on the 3 000 euro grant of the first stage will be considered completed when the applicant has submitted their second-stage application together with their designated production company.
First stage: Application
The application must be filled out in the AVEK Application System. Before applying, you must register in our Application System as an applicant. Instructions for registering can be found on the home page of the Application System and the registration page.
Application
The application may be filled out in the Scriptwriting Support section of the Application System. In addition to personal details of the applicant, the following sections should be filled out:
Application title
The title of the application must begin with KEHITTÄMÖ, followed by the title and format of the proposed project. Example: KEHITTÄMÖ: Time of the Rose, experimental feature fiction film
What the support will be used for in brief and non-technical language
A short description of the proposed artwork: a short synopsis, one-liner or other applicable description.
Applied amount and the total budget
The sum and total budget at this first stage is 3 000 euros.
Itemisation of the project’s cost estimate – not necessary.
Extensive content description
A longer description of the proposed project and its content (max. 5 000 characters)
Working plan
Tell us what stage of development are you currently in, and what do you see as the next step or any possible needs for the further development of the proposed project? What are your thoughts and wishes on the exhibiting, screening and distribution potential of the project? Tell us what kind of audiovisual artist do you see yourself as and how does your sample of work represent your artistic offering?
Required attachments:
- A link to a previous work that you think best represents you as a filmmaker of media artist
- Account of applicant’s previous activity: A resume or other presentation of previous artistic work or other activities relevant to the proposed project.
Other attachments:
You may supplement your application with other appendices, but always make sure that the main application form contains all essential information concerning your proposed project. You may also add to the attachments other links relevant to the proposed project, such as materials regarding the presentation of the project.
Further details
All communication related to the application should be conducted through the Application System.
Information session about applying to Kehittämö is organised online 12 October at 10 a.m. You may send questions beforehand in the registration form.
