Introduction of the Green Filming Department and methodology

The ecological transformation of the Austrian film industry has become an integral part of funding schemes. It is firmly enshrined as an aim in the Film Funding Act.

Green filming has become an integral part of sustainable production methods. This Green Filming Report on austrian cinema films by the Austrian Filminstitute highlights the development of green filming in recent years and, through a wide-ranging analysis of project data, documents the success story of sustainable filmmaking. In just a few years, the film industry in Austria has proven that sustainable cinema film projects can be integrated into current practice and that they work with cooperation and commitment.

With the introduction of green filming at the Austrian Film Institute in 2019, there was a clear need within the industry for reliable data for the quantitative evaluation of sustainable production methods.

Against this backdrop, a decision was made early on in cooperation between the European competence centre EVERGREEN PRISMA, the Austrian Film Institute and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture (then BMKOES, now BMWKMS) to systematically collect data to support a sustainable transformation of Austrian cinema film production through targeted measures.

The Austrian Film Institute is playing a pioneering role in this regard across Europe, as it is the first nationwide film funding institution to implement a holistic system for green funding that also considers the collection of data on both detailed emissions and additional costs incurred.This is institutional green film consultancy.

This is made possible by the Catalogue of criteria for ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI/ÖFI+, the mandatory ‘Final Green Report’, the calculation and presentation of additional costs, and the comprehensive recording of production-related emissions using the Austrian film-specific CO₂ calculator from KlimAktiv by EVERGREEN PRISMA.

The KlimAktiv calculator is provided free of charge to professional Green Film Consultants by EVERGREEN PRISMA/LAFC/the Province of Lower Austria as an essential tool for their work, subject to the public institution’s terms of use. The high-quality, multilingual KlimAktiv calculator is currently available in Austria, Germany, South Tyrol and Switzerland. The four film- and country-specific KlimAktiv CO₂ calculators are comparable bridging tools for cross-border film and TV projects.

As part of his master’s programme in SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT at the BFI University of Applied Sciences, Christian Ruthner, MSc, conducted a thorough analysis of greenhouse gas balances of domestic cinema films and examined the use of CO₂eq indicators in his master’s thesis ‘Analysis of CO₂eq balances and final reports of cinema film productions in the context of Austrian and European climate neutrality targets’. Findings from the thesis are incorporated into the present Green Filming Report of the Austrian Filminstitute.

Since 2023, green filming has been a defined as an aim and subject of Austrian cinema film funding:

Film Funding Act, version dated 20 March 2023:

§2. (1) h): The aim of film funding is to create incentives for ecologically sustainable film production.

Special provisions for funding based on the location principle

§12a. (5): […] An additional subsidy of 5% may be granted if the project’s implementation complies with the ecological sustainability standards specified by the Film Institute. […]

Funding guidelines in accordance with the Supervisory Board resolution of 3 and 15 December 2025 (valid from 1 January 2026)

5. Funding for project development:

5.1. […] The Film Institute recommends that the Film Institute’s Green Filming measures, which are based on the UZ 76 Austrian Ecolabel ‘Green Producing in Film and Television’ guideline, be taken into account as early as the project development phase, that a ‘Green Concept’ be created and that an expert (e.g. ‘Green Film Consultant’) be involved.

6. Production funding:

6.1.3. …be submitted for the film project:

• a statement from the producer on the planned implementation of green filming.

6.1.7. …the Film Institute’s regulations for green filming are complied with by the applicant and a mandatory final report is submitted.

Either the project must demonstrably comply with the minimum number of criteria 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 comply with them for technical reasons. The application must be submitted before the funding agreement is concluded.

6.a ÖFI+ production funding:

6a.8. […] In addition, a 5% green bonus can be applied for in accordance with the relevant guidelines (see section 6.1.7.) of the Austrian Film Institute for ecologically sustainable production. The green bonus is part of the funding, regardless of the actual expenses associated with the green filming measures.

6a.11. […] If no Green Bonus has been applied for or if there is evidence that the criteria for fulfilling such a bonus will be met after the end of filming or before the completion of the project, an advance payment of up to two-thirds of the final instalment may be made.

6a.12. In the course of the final audit, the actual and lawful funding amount for a project is finally calculated. If parameters determining the amount of funding (in particular eligible Austrian production costs, green filming criteria and criteria for obtaining gender gap financing) have not been met in accordance with the contract, the agreed funding amount shall be adjusted to the lawful amount based on the actual circumstances.

9a ÖFI+ exploitation funding (cinema release)

9a.3. […] In addition, a 5% green bonus can be applied for an ecologically sustainable cinema release. The green bonus is part of the financing and can only be granted if the project complies with the ecological sustainability standards specified by the Film Institute in its implementation.

13 Use of funding

13.3. For the purpose of monitoring the appropriate use of the funding, the funding recipient must allow the Film Institute’s bodies to review the implementation of the project by inspecting the relevant documents, contracts, business records and receipts, as well as by conducting on-site inspections, and must provide them with the necessary information. The Film Institute shall be informed regularly in writing about the status of the project and about all exploitation agreements concluded for the funded project.

The gradual development and implementation of mandatory measures and associated criteria catalogues since 2021, which have been based on the experience gained and developed, are defined according to development levels.

These LEVELS of further development of Green Filming build on each other. The respective regulations with a corresponding gradual increase in mandatory measures have been defined over the years based on increasing experience in practical implementation and political changes.

• LEVEL 1 – 2021-2022:

Initial regulations and introduction of the mandatory FINAL GREEN REPORT

• LEVEL 2 – 2023-2025:

Introduction of ÖFI+ Green Bonus 5%, introduction of the criteria catalogue of minimum ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI and ÖFI+ and definition of mandatory thresholds of at least 22 out of 25 MUST criteria for implementation with Green Bonus. Recommendation of at least 20 out of 25 MUST criteria for all other projects that were funded during production.

• LEVEL 3 – from 2026:

Introduction of the newly revised catalogue of criteria for ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI and ÖFI+ and definition of mandatory thresholds for MUST criteria for selectively funded productions (at least 20 of 26 MUST criteria) as well as productions funded with Green Bonus (at least 22 of 26 MUST criteria).

Currently valid ÖFI and ÖFI+ criteria catalogues:

• Criteria catalogue of ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI and ÖFI+ (V2)
• Criteria catalogue of ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI / ÖFI+ for ANIMATION (V2)
• Criteria catalogue of minimum ecological standards for Austrian exploitation funding for cinema releases ÖFI+ (V2)

According to the Austrian Film Institute’s funding guidelines 6.1.7 (production funding), funding recipients are free to choose until the contract is signed whether they want to implement the ÖFI’s valid criteria catalogues or whether they want to have the cinema film project certified by the Austrian Ecolabel RL-UZ76 Green Producing in Film and Television. The costs are recognised as eligible costs.

The mandatory Final Green Report, which have been in place since 2021, the Catalogue of criteria for ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions ÖFI/ÖFI+, and the comprehensive information from the funded projects form the basis of the survey and its key figures. Data for the evaluation was considered as follows:

• Based on the activity reports of the Austrian Film Institute, project figures from the years 2021-2025 were used.
• Projects that had expired by the cut-off date of 31 December 2025 were not considered.
• Only projects that had submitted and been reviewed for an evaluated final report (‘Final Green Report’) by the cut-off date of 31 December 2025 were included in the data analysis.
• Transitional projects for 2021 and 2022 were not considered. These are projects that were approved up to and including the Commission meeting on 21 April.
• These projects are subject to the Green Filming regulations on a voluntary basis. (Exceptions are special ‘pilot projects’ that have implemented all regulations.)
• Special and exceptional projects are not included. These are projects that were filmed in war zones and/or under secrecy and therefore cannot be compared in the evaluation.
• The project figures collected are based on the approval of selective basic funding by ÖFI. Each project is counted only once. All projects approved up to and including 31 December 2025 were included.

The present Green Filming Report of the Austrian Filminstitute addresses the following topics on the basis of specially defined key figures and ranges:

• Analysis of the total figures approved, project development funding, production funding and ÖFI+ exploitation funding for cinema releases
• Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions
• Analysis of possible CO2eq compensation
• Analysis of green filming additional costs