Creative Europe MEDIA: €38 million for film distributors, deadline 8 April 2027

On 30 September 2026 the European Commission published the European Film Distribution 2027 call (CREA-MEDIA-2027-FILMDIST), the largest of the Creative Europe MEDIA strand calls published so far for 2027: 38 million euro for film distributors in the countries participating in MEDIA, including Romania. Each distributor receives a "potential fund" calculated from tickets sold in 2026 for non-national European films, money that it must reinvest in the co-production, acquisition and promotion of other European films. The call opens on 3 December 2026, and applications must be submitted by 8 April 2027, 17:00 (Brussels time).

In brief

• Programme: Creative Europe 2021–2027, MEDIA strand, European Film Distribution call (CREA-MEDIA-2027-FILMDIST)
• Authority: European Commission, through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
• Beneficiaries: theatrical film distributors (cinema releases), established in and majority-owned from countries that participate fully in MEDIA
• Total budget: €38,000,000
• Value per project / intensity: potential fund of up to €1,000,000 per applicant; reinvestment costs are reimbursed at 70%
• Submission period: 3 December 2026 – 8 April 2027, 17:00 (Brussels); one application per applicant
• Status: call published, awaiting opening; results announced in October 2027, contracts signed in January 2028

Who can apply?

The applicant must be a European company active as a theatrical film distributor, for which cinema distribution is the main activity of the company or of one of its divisions. The call sheet sets four cumulative conditions for the films claimed: you must hold the theatrical distribution rights in the country concerned, actually carry out the distribution (set the release date, plan and run the campaign), pay the distribution costs directly, and have distribution operations in that country.

The company must be established in a country that participates fully in the MEDIA strand and be owned, directly or indirectly, wholly or in majority, by nationals of such countries. The application must include a declaration on independence and ownership structure, following the template in the submission system. Only applications with a single beneficiary are accepted.

How is the potential fund calculated?

The mechanism is "automatic": no artistic project is assessed, only commercial performance in the previous year. The fund is obtained by multiplying the number of eligible admissions achieved between 1 January and 31 December 2026 by a coefficient that depends on the nationality of the film and the country of distribution.

Eligible admissions must be tickets paid at the normal price, for non-national European films, and must be certified by the national authority designated by the Member State. Certification is the distributor's responsibility and must be obtained by the submission date; uncertified admissions are not counted. Films with fewer than 200 eligible admissions in a country are not counted for that year.

Romania falls into the "other eligible countries" group. For a Romanian distributor, the coefficient is 1.8 for French films and 2.1 for films from Germany, Spain, Italy or any other eligible country. The cap is 16,000 admissions per film in Romania, and the total fund cannot exceed €1,000,000 per applicant. The minimum threshold for Romania's group is €4,500: below this amount, no fund is awarded. If the sum of all the funds generated exceeds the call budget, each fund is reduced proportionally.

Calculation example: an Italian film with 10,000 certified admissions in Romania in 2026 generates a potential fund of €21,000. The same number of admissions for a French film generates €18,000. A film that has reached the cap of 16,000 admissions brings in at most €33,600 (or €28,800 if it is French).

Eligible films are fiction productions (including animation) or documentaries of at least 60 minutes, with first copyright established in 2023 or later, produced mainly by producers from MEDIA countries and with over 50% of financing coming from these countries. Alternative content (operas, concerts, shows), advertising, and pornographic, racist or violence-inciting material are not accepted. A film is "national" in the country whose nationals contributed most to making it, and "non-national" in all other countries.

What can the money be reinvested in?

The fund generated must be reinvested, within a 12–18-month project, in a maximum of 12 eligible non-national European films, through four types of activity:

• co-production of eligible non-national European films, based on a co-production contract signed during the eligibility period of the funding contract;
• acquisition of theatrical and/or online distribution rights, including minimum guarantees;
• promotion, marketing and advertising for cinema releases, including subtitling, dubbing and the acquisition of language versions, booking and billing, and digital copies (digitisation and transcoding);
• promotion, marketing and advertising for online releases.

Co-production and rights acquisition, taken together, may account for no more than 70% of the direct reinvestment budget; the rest must go to promotion. The grant is budget-based and reimburses only eligible costs actually incurred, at a funding rate of 70%.

How and by when do you apply?

Applications are submitted exclusively online, through the European Commission's Funding & Tenders portal, between 3 December 2026 and 8 April 2027, 17:00 (Brussels). The application consists of the standard application form, a PDF with information on the films generated from the Creative Europe MEDIA database, the declaration on independence and ownership, and the annex with certified admissions, following the template in the submission system.

The evaluation has a single criterion, relevance, scored by the total 2026 admissions per application: 70 points for 200–30,000 admissions, 80 for 30,001–70,000, 90 for 70,001–150,000 and 100 points above 150,001. The pass threshold is 70 points, meaning any distributor with at least 200 eligible admissions passes. The indicative timetable provides for evaluation between April and August 2027, notification of results in October 2027 and contract signature in January 2028. The Commission reserves the right not to award the entire budget.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation for distributors in Romania: the reference year is 2026, and it has not yet ended. Releases of non-national European films in the last months of the year add to the potential fund, and the thresholds of 200 admissions per film and €4,500 per applicant are achievable for an active independent distributor. Keep records by film and by cinema from the first day of screening, because official certification of admissions must be in place at submission.

The most common pitfall is the certification file: without confirmation from the designated national authority, admissions are simply ineligible, however good the actual results. The second is the structure of the reinvestment: the fund cannot be spent entirely on minimum guarantees, and at least 30% of the direct budget must go to promotion. The third concerns co-financing: reimbursement at 70% means the company covers the rest from its own resources, so the reinvestment plan must be realistic for the cash flow of a 12–18-month project.

The scheme suits distributors who already work consistently with European films and want a predictable budget for acquisitions and campaigns. For campaigns coordinated at European level there is the separate Films on the Move 2027 scheme; the two can be combined in a company's strategy. If you are not sure you meet the conditions, use the eligibility check or talk to us before the call opens.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply if I distribute films only online, without a cinema release?

No. The call defines the applicant as a theatrical distributor, and the fund is calculated exclusively from tickets paid in cinemas in 2026, certified by the national authority. However, online releases are eligible in the reinvestment phase: you can acquire online rights and fund promotion campaigns for online releases.

Do Romanian films distributed in Romania count towards the fund?

No. The fund is generated only from admissions to "non-national" European films, that is, films produced in a MEDIA country other than the country of distribution. A Romanian film is "national" in Romania and does not count for a Romanian distributor, but it does count for a distributor from another country that releases it there.

How much can a Romanian distributor obtain?

The fund is calculated from certified admissions multiplied by a coefficient of 1.8 (French films) or 2.1 (films from any other eligible country), with a cap of 16,000 admissions per film and a minimum threshold of €4,500 per applicant. The absolute maximum is €1,000,000 per applicant, and if applications exceed the budget of €38 million, all funds are reduced proportionally.

Which films can I reinvest the money in?

In up to 12 eligible non-national European films: fiction or documentary of at least 60 minutes, with first copyright from 2023 or later, produced mainly in and more than 50% financed by MEDIA countries. Co-production and rights acquisition may cover at most 70% of the direct reinvestment budget, with the remainder going on promotion for cinema or online releases.

When will I receive the money?

The indicative timetable provides for results to be announced in October 2027 and funding contracts to be signed in January 2028. The grant reimburses 70% of the eligible costs actually incurred during the 12–18 month project period, so reinvestment spending takes place after the contract is signed, not in 2026.

Official sources

• Funding & Tenders Portal – call page CREA-MEDIA-2027-FILMDIST European Film Distribution
• European Film Distribution 2027 call document (Creative Europe Programme, call document)

Information checked on 19 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.