Green filming has been a key concern for the Austrian Film Institute since 2019. Sustainable production has become established and is part of funding concepts (both at home and abroad) with regard to sustainability and CO2eq emissions savings. By supplementing the guidelines and anchoring them in the Film Promotion Act (according to §2 (1) (h)), the Austrian Film Institute is fulfilling the goal formulated therein of creating incentives and developing them further in a strategic and practice-oriented manner. Ecologically sustainable production as a contemporary quality standard for feature films supported by the Film Institute in their production supports the plan to achieve national and European climate protection goals.

Sustainable production is mandatory in Austrian feature film funding. Since 2021, a mandatory final report must be submitted. There are MUST criteria and SHOULD requirements that must be met during implementation in accordance with specific guidelines and regulations.

The Austrian Film Institute currently provides the following criteria catalogues:

  • Criteria catalogue of ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI and ÖFI+ (feature films and documentaries)
  • Criteria catalogue of ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI and ÖFI+ for ANIMATION
  • Criteria catalogue of minimum ecological standards for Austrian exploitation funding for cinema releases ÖFI+

In addition to the information below, please also use our FAQs section here:

FAQ – Frequently asked questions about green filming: Frequently asked questions – Österreichisches Filminstitut

Information and regulations on green filming at the Austrian Film Institute

According to the current Guidelines, the following points must be considered:

I.a.w. para. 5.1. The Film Institute recommends taking into account the measures for Green Filming of the Film Institute, which are based on the guideline UZ76 Austrian Ecolabel “Green Producing in Film and Television”, already at the stage of project development, to create a “Green Concept”, and to involve an expert like a Green Film Consultant.

A leaflet on the “Green Concept” can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.

The catalogue of criteria for ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI and ÖFI+, in collaboration with EVERGREEN PRISMA, the competence centre for green filming, and the Association of Green Film Consultants Austria (VGFCA), based on the Austrian Ecolabel UZ76, was developed in the interest of transnational harmonisation, based on the ‘Ecological Standards for German Cinema, TV and Online / VoD Productions’. This has been in effect since 1 January 2023 and is now available in its revised version (V2_2026).

All documents, both for submission and for the FINAL GREEN REPORT, can be downloaded as a zip file at the bottom of the page. Please note that the new version V2_2026 will be valid from 1 January 2026.

According to the current guidelines, the following points must be taken into account:

According to point 6.1.3, funding is conditional upon the producer submitting a statement on the planned implementation of green filming for the film project.

According to point 6.1.7, funding is conditional upon the applicant complying with the Film Institute’s regulations for green filming and submitting a mandatory final report.

Either a minimum number of criteria must be demonstrably met in relation to the project in accordance with the applicable criteria catalogue, or the project to be funded must be demonstrably certified with the Austrian Ecolabel in accordance with RL-UZ76. The Film Institute may, upon justified request, approve exceptions to the number of required criteria in cases where it is demonstrably impossible to meet them for technical reasons. The application must be submitted before the funding agreement is concluded.

The GREEN FILMING CHECK is an integral part of the funding application and the funding agreement. This allows productions to test in advance whether they can meet the required number of MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS. These are enshrined in the contract.

In addition to the mandatory final report ‘Final Green Report’, the current status of the GREEN FILMING CHECK is attached to the final report. The template can be found in the zip file at the bottom of the page.

GREEN BONUS ÖFI+: As the Green Bonus ÖFI+ is part of the financing, a decision must be made after the GREEN FILMING CHECK as to whether or not it can be applied for.

Further information on the Green Bonus ÖFI+ can be found in sections 6a.8 and 6a.12. of the current funding guidelines.

Overview of the basic rules for selective funding ÖFI and automatic funding programme ÖFI +:

MUST criteria, including basic criteria SHOULD criteria
TOTAL 26 15
ÖFI selective production Min. 20 MUST criteria incl. basic criteria Freely selectable
ÖFI + without green bonus Min. 20 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable
ÖFI+ with Green Bonus Min. 22 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable

 

According to point 15.12 of the funding agreement, it is stipulated that in the event of non-compliance in the case of purely selective funding, part of the funding from the Austrian Film Institute (up to a maximum of 5%) will be forfeited. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

If funding is applied for with ÖFI+ Green Bonus, 5% of the funds applied for will be forfeited in accordance with the applicable guidelines of the Austrian Film Institute, point 6a.12, if the minimum requirements are not met.

A calculation template, including the option to calculate the additional costs of green filming, must also be taken into account. Please refer to the information on this page regarding ‘additional costs of green filming’.

For your information:

Certification by the Austrian Ecolabel (UZ76) of both the production company and the production itself is not mandatory. However, the certification and the resulting final report (PART B) replace the Austrian Film Institute’s ‘Final Green Report’ – this also counts as proof, in addition to successful certification.

In addition, a total ACTUAL CO2eq balance sheet must be submitted using a film-specific calculator and a Green Film Consultant must be appointed. Further information can be found in the funding agreement.

The catalogue of criteria for the ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI and ÖFI+ for ANIMATION was developed in collaboration with experts and Green Film Consultants from the animation sector, Barbara Galante (GFC&VFX, AT) and Elena Pfändler (GFC, D). The need for this arose because the currently valid green filming criteria catalogues do not take into account the special features of animated films. The guidelines of the Austrian Ecolabel UZ76 also currently exclude animated films from certification because they are not ‘live-action film productions’.

The MUST and SHOULD criteria in this criteria catalogue for animated films reflect the necessary requirements and also enable a focus on sustainable production methods, as desired by the Austrian Film Promotion Act.

All documents, both for submission and for the FINAL GREEN REPORT, can be downloaded as a zip file at the bottom of the page. Please note that the new version V2_2026 will be valid from 1 January 2026.

The GREEN FILMING CHECK is an integral part of the funding application and the funding agreement. This allows productions to test in advance whether they can meet the required number of MUST REQUIREMENTS. These are then enshrined in the contract.

In addition to the mandatory final report ‘Final Green Report’, the current status of the GREEN FILMING CHECK is attached to the final report. The template can be found in the zip file at the bottom of the page.

GREEN BONUS ÖFI+: As the Green Bonus ÖFI+ is part of the financing, a decision must be made after the GREEN FILMING CHECK as to whether or not it can be applied for.

Further information on the Green Bonus ÖFI+ can be found in sections 6a.8 and 6a.12 of the current funding guidelines.

Overview of the basic rules for selective funding and automatic funding ÖFI+:

  MUST criteria, including basic criteria SHOULD criteria
TOTAL 20 14
ÖFI selective production Min. 15 MUST criteria incl. basic criteria Freely selectable
ÖFI + without Green Bonus Min. 15 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable
ÖFI + with Green Bonus Min. 17 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable

 

A calculation template, including the option to calculate the additional costs of green filming, must also be taken into account. Please refer to the information on this page regarding ‘additional costs of green filming’.

For your information:

Certification by the Austrian Ecolabel (UZ76) is not possible for animated films under the new version of January 2025.

Calculation of green filming additional costs:

  • These additional costs must be reported in a separate supplement entitled ‘Green Filming Additional Costs’ for both ÖFI and ÖFI+ (including Green Bonus) in cooperation with Green Film Consultants during the project application process. It is important to note that these additional costs are also part of the main calculation! Unlike the ‘ILV’ supplementary sheet, which contains an extract of all evaluated own contributions included in the calculation, only the ADDITIONAL COSTS are to be listed here.
  • Most of the budget areas in this supplementary sheet are freely designed and must be budgeted in cooperation with the Green Consultant.
  • Any additional costs incurred in complying with the measures within the scope of film production are generally eligible for funding (subject to review) and can be calculated accordingly in the production costs. Additional costs also include the costs for the mandatory Green Film Consultant.
  • In addition to fixed items such as a Green Film Consultant and Green Runner, additional staff members can be selected from drop-down lists. Weeks and weekly fees must be entered separately; the proportionate ancillary wage costs are calculated automatically on a pro rata basis if you tick the ‘Employment’ box.

Information on the Green Bonus in the ÖFI+ automatic funding programme:

  • The Green Bonus is calculated automatically when you tick the corresponding checkbox in the financing plan.
  • The Green Bonus is independent of the actual amount of the Green Filming ADDITIONAL COSTS.

If certification with the Austrian Ecolabel is planned for the project, the certification costs for the UZ76 and its consulting fees can also be recognised. (If certification is sought, we request that this be shown separately in the calculation).

If you have any questions regarding Green Filming, please contact Ms Mag. Nina Hauser or Mr Christian Ruthner BSc at: greenfilming@filminstitut.at

For the Austrian Film Institute, the sustainable implementation of a cinema film project is important not only domestically, but also abroad.

The foreign regulations mainly apply to countries that do not yet have their own legally and statutorily established regulations. These fall back on the regulations of the Austrian Film Institute. (All documents, including the criteria catalogues and templates for the final reports, are therefore also available in English).

For countries such as Germany (FFA) and South Tyrol (IDM), there are specific, close agreements for cross-border projects.

Following consultation and a decision by the Austrian Film Institute’s supervisory board in December 2023, the following regulations for co-productions were established:

Basic regulations for co-productions with shooting days abroad that do not yet have their own recognised regulations in place:

  MUST criteria, including basic criteria SHOULD criteria
TOTAL 26 15
ÖFI selective production & ÖFI+ without Green Bonus (minority & majority) Min. 20 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable
ÖFI + with Green Bonus (majority and national) Min. 22 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable
ÖFI + with Green Bonus (minority and shooting days in Austria) Min. 22 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable
ÖFI + with Green Bonus (minority and shooting days abroad) Min. 20 MUST criteria, including basic criteria Freely selectable

If you have any questions, please contact us at greenfilmg@filminstitut.at

All information regarding the final report and interim report or the examination modalities can be found in the respective criteria catalogue.

All documents, both for submission and for the FINAL GREEN REPORT, can be downloaded as a zip file at the bottom of the page. Please note that the new version V2_2026 will be valid from 1 January 2026.

If you have any questions regarding Green Filming, please contact Ms Nina Hauser or Mr Christian Ruthner BSc at: greenfilming@filminstitut.at

Ecolabel UZ 76

Since 2017, it has been possible in Austria to have a film production certified for Green Producing and awarded the Austrian Ecolabel by the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (BMNT).

The guidelines of the Austrian Ecolabel UZ76

The Austrian Ecolabel is awarded to specific film productions, not to individual production companies. The production company is thus exclusively a licensee and is not awarded.

For registration and certification with the Austrian Ecolabel, costs are incurred for certification and for the responsible environmental consultant and auditor of the Austrian Ecolabel.

The ecological requirements must be met along the entire production chain of a film production.

The guideline includes criteria for the specific film production in the areas of mobility and climate protection, set, materials for construction, set design and props, costume and make-up, technology, catering and accommodation. Although the specific film production is being awarded, criteria have also been defined that must be met by the production company. These must be proven during the initial environmental label test.

Here you can find all the the information and current guidelines for the Austrian Ecolabel UZ76

The “Criteria Catalogue of Ecological Minimum Standards for Austrian distribution funding for Cinema Releases ÖFI+” can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.

9a.3. The subsidy amounts to 30% of the eligible distribution and/or exploitation pre-costs. The definition of eligible distribution and/or exploitation pre-costs follows para. 6a.7.1. (personal services) and point 6a.7.2. (company-related services). In addition, it is possible to apply for a 5% green bonus for an ecologically sustainable cinema release. The Green Bonus is part of the financing and can only be granted if the implementation of the project meets the ecological sustainability standards set by the Film Institute.

For this purpose, the Austrian Film Institute has developed a Criteria Catalogue of Ecological Minimum Standards for Austrian Exploitation Funding for Cinema Releases ÖFI+ to be able to apply for the Green Bonus ÖFI+.

The minimum standards for Austrian exploitation funding (cinema releases) are the first fundamental measures for the implementation of sustainable thinking in the execution of cinema releases. These are to be evaluated in the future and further developed with the distribution companies.

 

The templates of the FINAL GREEN REPORT and all other documents provided here may only be used for funding-related purposes. The copyright lies with the Austrian Film Institute. For all other uses, please contact greenfilming@filminstitut.at

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