The Czech Film Fund has rebranded as the Czech Audiovisual Fund (CAF) with an enhanced budget and is extending its financial support from films to series and games.
The move follows the introduction of the Czech Republic’s new Audiovisual Act, effective from 1 January, which is funding the CAF through a 2% levy on cinema admissions and TV broadcasters and a 3.5% investment obligation on all streaming platforms.
Under its new name, the Czech Audiovisual Fund will continue to offer two aid schemes: selective support for audiovisual works and production incentives.
Both, however, undergo key changes. Production incentives have been raised from 20% to 25%, while animated and digitally-produced projects see their rebate rate rise to 35%, provided no live-action shooting occurs in the Czech Republic.
Under the new act, the amount collected from levies will be matched by a contribution from the government. In the case of selective aid, the government’s contribution will equal the total amount generated from levies. Its contribution towards production incentives will be six times the amount collected from levies.
Conservative estimates put CAF’s budget at €84m a year, with €64m for incentives and €20m for selective support, depending on the levies collected. This would represent a 35% increase from the 2024 budget of the former Czech Film Fund.
The former Czech Film Fund primarily focused on traditional filmmaking aimed at theatrical distribution. But funding support will now be offered across four areas: film, series, animation & video games, and infrastructure. For film and TV, this will span development and production, while infrastructure will include support to distribution, promotion and festivals, as well as to the technical modernisation of production facilities and workforce training.
Czech Audiovisual Fund CEO Helena Bezděk Fraňková said the CAF introduces “a new framework based on four categories designed to reflect the growing convergence of media sectors and the growing importance of audiovisual storytelling beyond cinema. The change also responds to the evolving needs of the global audiovisual industry. At the same time, the increased maximum percentage for production incentives will allow the Czech audiovisual sector to grow positively.”
A key component of the restructuring is the creation of specialised expert councils for each funding support area across the four areas.
The selective funding will begin once the councils and the board are installed. The first calls are expected to be launched in late May/June with the first application deadlines in September.
Films backed by the former Czech Film Fund include the country’s Oscar entry Wave and Annecy Jury Prize winning animation Living Large.
“The amendment to the Audiovisual Act is one of our key legislative proposals,” said Martin Baxa, the Czech Republic’s minister of culture. “After a year and a half of hard work and in-depth discussions with key players in the audiovisual sector, we have achieved a wonderful thing which will bring fundamental change and significantly alter the current reality of the audiovisual industry, ensuring financial resources to secure its future. Our goal is clear: to support high-quality Czech audiovisual content and Czech filmmakers, and to help our industry make itself noticed abroad.”
The CAF said that a second phase of reforms to the country’s production incentives, set to take effect on 1 January 2026, will include a streamlining of the project registration processes, a recalibration of minimum spend limits and running times in different project categories, and the introduction of an incentive for documentary series.
By boosting its incentives, the Czech government aims to attract a broader array of productions, ensuring that the country remains a viable choice for large-scale international projects.
The changes will also influence both the fund’s international divisions: the Czech Film Center and Czech Film Commission, which will see their activities expand. The Czech Film Center focuses on promoting Czech works and talents abroad, while the Czech Film Commission promotes the country and its film infrastructure.
The revamped fund will presented to the international industry for the first time at this year’s Berlinale.
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