Regional incentive
Belgium has 3 regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.
The Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) supports audiovisual production in, as well as international co-productions with Flanders. The Fund was set up by the Flanders government in 2002 and is headquartered in Brussels.
The Fund performs four main tasks. It provides financial support for audiovisual productions and promotes these in Flanders as well as abroad. The Fund also grants scholarships, finances professional training and supports/organizes workshops as well as carries out surveys on the audiovisual field. It receives an annual grant from the Flanders government which in 2009 was worth € 16.5 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 projects. There are four types of support: scriptwriting, development, production and promotion support.
To find out more about the Fund, see www.vaf.be/
Wallimage supports the audiovisual industry (productions and enterprises) in the Walloon region. The Fund was set up by the Walloon region in 2001 and is based in Mons. Since 2009, the two regions Wallonia and Brussels joined forces to invest in Walloon AND Brussels audiovisual productions. Wallimage/Bruxellimage was born!
The Fund's strategy is to act as a co-producer for full-length feature films, television films, documentaries and animated films (feature or series) that use Walloon and/or Brussels talent and technicians, during either production or post-production. The Fund has a yearly budget of € 2.5 million to invest in Walloon feature films, € 1 million for animated series pilots and € 2 million for mixed Walloon/Brussels co-productions. They also support the setup and development of audiovisual service companies through capital investments or conditional loans.
Finally, Wallimage offers practical assistance, such as a database of Walloon and Brussels talents. It also coordinates the actions of the Walloon Film Commissions.
Since its launch, the Walloon Fund has supported more than 80 feature films for a total investment of over € 20 million.
To find out more about the Fund, see: www.wallimage.be