Nahaufnahme von grünem Nähgarn, bei der die einzelnen Fäden und ihre Struktur deutlich sichtbar sind.

THE COMMON GREEN THREAD – THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYNERGY MODEL GREEN FILMING AUSTRIA AND GREEN FILMING & FUNDING ÖFI and ÖFI+

Milestones in the development of green filming at the Austrian Film Institute since 2019

  • The presentation by EVERGREEN PRISMA – Competence Center for Green Filming on green filming and funding in Europe and existing green incentive models on 28 October 2019 provided the impetus for the creation of sustainable film funding incentives. Building on this, the event marked the launch of the “ÖFI GOES GREEN” initiative, within the framework of which Mag.a Nina Hauser was appointed as Sustainability Officer at the Austrian Film Institute.
  • On 27 November 2019, the “Green Filming Austria” working group was founded. It functioned as a working group of regional and national film funding bodies with the aim of developing a uniform and industry-friendly incentive system for green filming in Austria, based on existing European models. Dr Barbara Fränzen initially took over the chairwomenship on behalf of the BMWKMS (formerly BMKOES).

The working group’s objective was to identify synergies between the funding institutions and to take these into account in the design process. The long-term aim was to prepare for the integration of environmentally sustainable criteria as quality standards into national and regional film funding guidelines.

The strategic guidelines at the time covered the contribution of film funding bodies to environmental and climate protection, ensuring the artistic quality of film projects, the efficient use of funding including potential savings, and the greatest possible harmonisation with Germany as a key co-production partner.

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  • In January 2020, the expanded digital platform of EVERGREEN PRISMA, the centre of excellence for green filming, was launched.

Since then, the EVERGREEN PRISMA LAFC digital platform alone has recorded more than 1 million page views and 270,000 users from 139 countries worldwide.

The six pillars of Evergreen Prisma function as a colourful, innovative kaleidoscope and effectively interlock to advance the green transformation of the film industry. All six areas are continuously updated, expanded and further developed:

1. Practice: TOOLS – Evergreen Practice Kit & Carbon Calculator

2. Education: TRANSFER – Evergreen Prisma Academy

3. Communication: SPOTLIGHT – Greening News

4. Professionalisation: POOL – Knowledge Base & Link Collection

5. Horizon: PANORAMA – Green Filming Practice & Map of Green Incentives

6. Specialisation: CONNECTIVE – Hub of Green Consultants for Film & TV

  • Launch of the collaboration between ÖFI and EVERGREEN PRISMA and mentoring of ÖFI/Nina Hauser by EVERGREEN PRISMA/Linn Rott.
  • Following several workshops in 2018 and 2019 on the overarching theme of Green Filming, launch of the EVERGREEN PRISMA webinars in cooperation with Philip Gassmann on various key topics and for specific target groups, including:

o What is Green Filming?

o Green Filming for Austrian Film Commissions & Funds

o Webinar Camera & Light: Green Filming for Filmmakers

o Green Filming for Set, Costume and Make-up

o Green Storytelling – How do you tell a story the green way?

  • A four-day training seminar on the topic of Green Filming in March aimed to impart the basics to interested parties from the film industry. The seminar was organised in cooperation between the European centre of excellence for green filming, EVERGREEN PRISMA, and the ÖFI, featuring international speaker Philip Gassmann.
  • The establishment of the Working Group of Film Commissions in Austria for sustainable filmmaking by EVERGREEN PRISMA took place in August.
  • In December, the CO2eq calculator for Film & TV Austria, developed by KlimAktiv, was introduced by EVERGREEN PRISMA.
  • EVERGREEN PRISMA LAFC receives the International Makers & Shakers Award as ‘Film Commission Initiative of the Year 2020’ and is nominated for the first time for the European Cultural Brands Award 2020 in the category ‘Sustainability in the Cultural Market’.

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  • The Supervisory Board of the Austrian Film Institute approved an amendment to the funding guidelines with effect from 1 January 2021, extending the eligibility criteria to include green filming (section 6.1.7 of the guidelines). The aim of the amendment to the guidelines was to make a substantial contribution to national and European climate protection targets and to establish environmentally sustainable production as a contemporary quality standard for films supported by the Austrian Film Institute during production.
  • From 2021, targeted and expanded funding was provided for training measures in the field of environmentally sustainable film production.
  • Any additional costs incurred in meeting the sustainability criteria during film production became eligible for funding as a matter of principle.

NETWORKING AND COOPERATION

A central focus of the joint efforts towards a sustainable transformation of Austrian filmmaking was on cross-institutional cooperation involving representatives of the film industry.

In this context, the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture (BMKOES, now BMWKMS), the Austrian Film Institute (ÖFI), the Austrian Ecolabel (ÖUZ), EVERGREEN PRISMA LAFC, the Vienna Film Fund (FFW), the Film and Television Agreement (ORF) and Film Location Austria (FISA, now FISA+) worked together on harmonising content and structures.

This coordinated collaboration was intended to create a sustainable foundation that would enable (other) decision-makers to draw on a well-founded and coordinated knowledge base. Furthermore, the institutional exchange helped to motivate other film funding bodies to implement their own policy extensions in the field of sustainable production and to serve as a model in this regard.

  • Thanks to the targeted strategic and networking efforts of EVERGREEN PRISMA, professional green film consultants have also been trained at all film funding bodies in Austria since 2021 as part of its Green Filming Academy.
  • As part of the introduction of the Green Filming Guidelines, effective from 1 January 2021, a ‘Final Green Report’ and two explanatory guidelines were developed by Mag.a Nina Hauser to complement the funding phase for production and project development. These tools served to ensure the structured documentation and practical implementation of the Green Filming requirements within the funding process.

The catalogue of measures set out therein was based on the production-related criteria of the Austrian Ecolabel (UZ 76 “Green Producing for Film and TV”). At the same time, through collaboration with the international expert Philip Gassmann and the internationally networked competence centre Evergreen Prisma, initial conceptual approaches for cross-border cooperation and harmonisation with the co-production country Germany were already considered at this early stage.

  • In 2021, the training and certification programme for “Green Film Consultant Austria”, initiated and funded by the EVERGREEN PRISMA ACADEMY, was established in Austria. The training has a modular structure and comprises several teaching modules as well as a final examination by a panel of examiners, consisting of written and oral components, including a project assignment.

The “Green Film Consultant Austria” training format was further developed for Austria by the internationally recognised Competencecenter for green filming, EVERGREEN PRISMA, in collaboration with the expert Philip Gassmann, the creator of the German training programme; it was expanded to include EVERGREEN PRISMA’s versatile digital toolkit and made available to filmmakers free of charge.

Subsequently, EVERGREEN PRISMA has continuously internationalised, further developed and updated the training content.

Up to and including 2025, eight cohorts of Green Film Consultants Austria have been trained – a total of 90 filmmakers, 63% of whom are women, including staff from film funding organisations.

Mag.a Nina Hauser completed the training to become a Green Film Consultant at the EVERGREEN PRISMA ACADEMY when the training initiative launched in May 2021.

  • In this context, the Association of Green Film Consultants Austria (VGFCA) was founded in November 2021. Since then, it has acted as a representative body and is a member of the umbrella organisation of Austrian filmmakers. Founded by Linn Rott/Evergreen Prisma, Nina Hauser/Austrian Film Institute, Tamara Seliger and Barbara Weingartner, who was elected to the first association board at the constituent assembly.
  • The involvement of a professional Green Film Consultant in each film project was made mandatory following consultation between the funding bodies.
  • In May 2021, the Austrian Film Institute/Nina Hauser and EVERGREEN PRISMA/Linn Rott joined the EURIMAGES ‘Sustainability Study Group’ as experts and Austrian representatives to bring the national perspective to the European sustainability initiative for film funding.
  • In April 2021, the Austrian Film Institute began the certification process as an OekoBusiness Vienna-certified organisation. This involved establishing 13 environmental performance targets and eight measures within a three-year environmental programme and drafting an eco-social mission statement documenting the Institute’s commitment to sustainable and socially responsible working practices. Initial certification took place in 2022, with recertification in 2025.
  • In 2021, as part of its Green Filming Academy, Evergreen Prisma organised numerous training webinars in cooperation with international experts such as Philip Gassmann, alongside the ‘GREEN FILM CONSULTANT AUSTRIA’ programme. Several webinars were dedicated to teaching the basics of green filming to professional filmmakers, whilst one was aimed at Austrian funding bodies and film commissions. One webinar introduced the topic of green cinema to Austria for the first time. Numerous presentations and workshops also took place within an international context.
  • In June 2021, EVERGREEN PRISMA, in its role as a pan-European information hub for green filming, was invited as a key speaker by the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe, to the first global conference on sustainability in the media landscape.
  • For the first time, EVERGREEN PRISMA also directed its knowledge transfer specifically towards emerging national and international filmmakers.
  • With “GET READY!”, Linn Rott and Philip Gassmann also began teaching at the Film Academy Vienna, which has made Green Filming a compulsory part of the undergraduate curriculum.
  • EVERGREEN PRISMA’s first pilot project, which has since been dedicated annually to a different theme from the world of sustainable filmmaking, also examined the synergy for Green Filming between domestic funding bodies. This enabled a young talent project and its team to be supported by a Green Film Consultant Austria from the EVERGREEN PRISMA ACADEMY and by cooperating film institutions and evaluated the experience for further steps.
  • For its outstanding and innovative achievements, EVERGREEN PRISMA LAFC received the European Cultural Brand Award 2021 in the category “Sustainability in the Cultural Market”.

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Considering the dynamic developments in green filming both in Austria and in other European countries, the focus in 2022 shifted increasingly towards networking with other stakeholders at European level. A key priority was to proactively shape developments across Europe alongside national initiatives, and to contribute the expertise gained in this regard.

  • The GREEN CO/PRO EUROPE working group, founded in 2022 by the Competence Centre for Green Filming Europe EVERGREEN PRISMA, marked the birth of Green Filming & Funding at European level and has since functioned as an innovative, cross-institutional platform for coordination between funding bodies and experts in Green Filming & Funding.

The Austrian Film Institute (ÖFI) has been a member since the outset and contributes its expertise. In doing so, green filming and green funding are linked across institutions, and new workflows for joint, green feature film projects are explored and subsequently tested in practice.

Building on established measures for sustainable film production, the partners are thus working together on systematic solutions for green, international co-productions and specific projects at a supranational level, thereby achieving not only enhanced networking within the European funding and production landscape but, above all, the harmonisation of strategies for Green Filming & Funding.

  • June 2022: The Austrian Federal Government’s decision in favour of an incentive model including a 5% Green Bonus for Austrian film productions in production and distribution funding for theatrical release from 1 January 2023 marks the launch of the automatic funding programmes and top-up funding from ÖFI+ and FISA+.
  • The revision of the Film Promotion Act (ÖFI) and the associated guidelines of the Austrian Film Institute, and thus the integration of the Green Bonus system, took place between June 2022 and December 2022.
  • EVERGREEN PRISMA, as a pan-European centre of excellence for sustainable filmmaking, is participating for the first time in the Berlinale Industry Panel on Green Filming & Funding and related workshops.
  • As part of its international lecturing activities and mentoring programme, EVERGREEN PRISMA presents the successful synergy model for Green Filming & Funding to an ever-wider media audience throughout the year and launches its creative workshops for emerging talent, including at the invitation of the EVIA FILM PROJECT GREEN CINEMA.
  • To support the practical implementation of Green Filming & Funding and professional exchange, the EVERGREEN PRISMA ACADEMY 2022 also launched specific practical workshops for Green Film Consultants trained by the academy.

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2023 was marked by the introduction of the automatic ÖFI+ funding scheme and the 5% Green Bonus. With the entry into force of the Film Funding Act and the new guidelines, the Green Bonus system was implemented. Clear targets for sustainable incentives in film funding were defined.

  • The Green Filming Department has been expanded to include Christian Ruthner, MSc, who will oversee the Green Filming & Funding agenda alongside Mag.a Nina Hauser.
  • The catalogue of criteria for minimum ecological standards for Austrian feature film productions (ÖFI/ÖFI+) was developed by the Austrian Film Institute, Green Filming Department, in cooperation with the competence centre for Green Filming Europe EVERGREEN PRISMA and the Association of Green Film Consultants Austria. FISA+ adopted the catalogue of criteria in the interests of national harmonisation. The findings and experiences from Austrian pilot projects at the time, as well as the studies “Reallabor” (Ökopol, 30 June 2022) and “100 Green Productions” (Öko-Institut e.V., 10 August 2022), provided an additional basis for the further development of the criteria catalogue.

The catalogue of criteria for minimum ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions (ÖFI/ÖFI+) is based on the RL UZ76 Green Producing in Film and TV introduced by the Austrian Ecolabel, as well as the “Ecological Standards for German Cinema, TV and Online/VoD Productions” developed by the Green Shooting Working Group (Germany). European harmonisation regarding joint co-productions was thus already considered at this early stage.

The EVERGREEN PRISMA pilot project 2023 focused on the catalogue of criteria for minimum ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions (ÖFI/ÖFI+).

  • For the “Final Green Report”, a specific verification procedure was developed that complies with the newly introduced catalogue of criteria for the minimum ecological standards for Austrian cinema film productions (ÖFI/ÖFI+). This was drawn up in collaboration with Philip Gassmann and in consultation with the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and was coordinated in view of the rising number of cross-border co-productions.
  • With the introduction of the incentive model and the 5% green bonus for Austrian cinema releases, the first European catalogue of criteria for sustainable cinema release funding was established. As part of ÖFI+, the catalogue of criteria for the minimum ecological standards for Austrian distribution funding for cinema releases (ÖFI+) was introduced and developed for Austrian distribution funding of cinema releases.
  • The EVERGREEN PRISMA pilot project 2023 focused on the “Green Filming Department” and “Green Coordination”.
  • For the first time, EVERGREEN PRISMA was nominated for the Global Production Award, which is presented at the international Cannes Film Festival.
  • International presentations increasingly reflected the theme of professional green consultancy for film and TV. Under the title ‘The Intelligent Swarm of Evergreen Prisma’, EVERGREEN PRISMA and the ÖFI Green Filming Department, for example, focused on the principle of complementary collaboration between partners for the green transition at the international event ‘Unlocking the Potential of Culture’ in Prague.

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  • Further development of the catalogue of criteria for minimum environmental standards for the Austrian ÖFI+ cinema release funding scheme (Version 2): As part of a stakeholder process, the existing catalogue of criteria was revised and agreed upon by Christian Ruthner, MSc, in collaboration with Austrian film distributors. The revised catalogue is currently the sole standard for cinema releases.
  • In collaboration with experts and Green Film Consultants from the animation sector – Barbara Galante (GFC & VFX, AUT) and Elena Pfändler (GFC, D) – Christian Ruthner, MSc, has developed mandatory and recommended criteria that reflect the specific requirements of animated films and focus on sustainable digital production methods. The catalogue of criteria for the minimum ecological standards for Austrian feature film productions ÖFi-ÖFI+ for animation is also the first in Europe to be mandatory for animated films. Version 2.0 has been available since 2026.
  • In February 2024, Mag.a Nina Hauser joined the EFAD Sustainability Working Group (European Film Agencies) as a representative of the Austrian Film Institute to contribute her expertise in green filming and funding.
  • The first survey on international green consultancy for film and TV forms part of the EVERGREEN PRISMA pilot project in 2024.
  • LAFC EVERGREEN PRISMA launches a new section called TOPICALS, which links production agendas with a wide range of sustainability topics.
  • At the invitation of “Festival Visions du Réel” in Switzerland and the Kulturforum in Belgrade, Serbia, EVERGREEN PRISMA and the ÖFI Green Filming Department present their successful synergy system. This year, their joint focus is on the connection between strategy, system and practice.
  • Launch of the collaboration between EVERGREEN PRISMA & ÖFI Talent LAB, the support programme for emerging filmmakers within the newly established ‘Talents & Training’ department of the Austrian Film Institute. In the support scheme for emerging filmmakers, Green Filming & Funding is made a mandatory component and incorporated into the Talent LAB curriculum.

The topic of Green Filming & Funding is taught through workshops in close cooperation between the ÖFI Green Filming Department and EVERGREEN PRISMA. EVERGREEN PRISMA also facilitates the support of the five selected film projects by four professional Green Film Consultants Austria as part of its pilot project, which is dedicated to supporting emerging talent, and evaluates the experiences gained for the ongoing development of Green Filming.

  • From 2024, EVERGREEN PRISMA will increasingly present profiles of transformed national and international film projects in the Panorama section of its digital platform.

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  • Since the introduction of version 1.0 of the “Catalogue of Criteria for Minimum Environmental Standards for Austrian Feature Film Productions ÖFI/ÖFI+” in 2023, it has established itself as a binding standard within the Austrian film industry. Based on the experience gained by the Green Filming Department from the Final Green Reports, as well as a survey conducted in autumn 2025 among specific green filming stakeholders, the criteria catalogue has been revised and, since 2026, has been updated to its second version as the “Catalogue of Criteria for Ecological Standards for Austrian Feature Film Productions ÖFI and ÖFI+”.
  • In addition, Guideline 6.1.7 of the Austrian Film Institute has been adapted to the revised priorities of the ÖFI and ÖFI+ funding programmes; the changes come into force on 1 January 2026.
  • The European Audiovisual Information Centre of the Council of Europe published the report “Green Transformation in the Audiovisual Sector”, which analyses the environmental impacts of the audiovisual sector, legal frameworks, funding criteria and CO₂ calculation systems at European and national level. In this context, the Green Filming Austria synergy model, the Austrian Film Institute and the European competence centre EVERGREEN PRISMA are highlighted as best-practice examples of green filming and funding.

Cross-border networking continued to bear fruit in 2025: Drawing on the expertise of the Austrian Film Institute, the Nordic Ecological Standards (NES) were co-developed, which are based on the German ecological standards and incorporate elements of the ÖFI’s green filming system. The standards, developed by the Nordic film institutes and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, are set to apply in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden from 2026 onwards, expanding the European Green Filming & Funding System to include five further countries.

  • The focus on emerging filmmakers is being strengthened in 2025 through EVERGREEN PRISMA’s annual pilot project.

For Talent LAB#1, the EVERGREEN PRISMA ACADEMY will introduce the topic ‘Green Storytelling goes Future Storytelling’.

Together with the ÖFI Green Filming Department, this will be followed by a workshop on Green Filming & Funding, featuring the presentation of a national and an international practical example of successfully transformed projects. The five selected film projects will be supported by four professional Green Film Consultants from Austria and EVERGREEN PRISMA; empirical data will be collected and evaluated for the further development of green consultancy for feature films.

  • EVERGREEN PRISMA is placing an increasing special focus on international green co-production.
  • The first EU Green Report on Green Filming & Funding is published. The Synergy System for Green Filming & Funding Austria is portrayed in great detail as a best practice example.
  • In May 2025, EVERGREEN PRISMA will host, for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival, an internationally composed panel on the topic of ‘Cross-border Green Co-production’ featuring experts from Austria, Germany, Croatia, the UK and Norway.
  • The new version of the EVERGREEN PRISMA CO2 calculator for Film & TV Austria is launched in September 2025, featuring innovative new features such as those for communication between Green Film Consultants working in tandem and with funding bodies. Start of institutional data collection involving 170 film projects from 50 professional Green Film Consultants.

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  • Panel: “Unlimited green? Sustainability in international co-productions” as part of the 2026 Berlinale

Experts from Germany, France, Austria and Sweden were invited by Carl Bergengruen, Head of the Green Shooting Working Group. Mag. Nina Hauser, as a green filming and funding expert, spoke about her extensive experience regarding cross-border coordination between institutions, the work of the GREEN CO/PRO EUROPE think tank at the European competence centre EVERGREEN PRISMA, and a systematic and strategic approach to uniform ecological standards. The panel set as its goal the harmonisation of these different national regulations towards a potentially uniform, European, ecological standard.

Building on the expertise in cross-border cooperation developed since 2022 by the Competence centre for Green Filming Europe EVERGREEN PRISMA and the Austrian Film Institute/Green Filming Department, is supporting the necessary development process with sound specialist knowledge and proven approaches. The coordination mechanisms they have already established, the cross-border recognition secured for green co-productions, and their long-standing collaborations with international partner institutions all contribute to driving the process forward efficiently. The GREEN CO/PRO EUROPE working group already has access to comprehensive, practical experience from completed projects. Their expertise now forms the systematic and professional blueprint for the future of green, international co-production.

  • Presentation of the first “Green Filming Report on Austrian Feature Film Funding” by the Austrian Film Institute

The Green Filming Department of the Austrian Film Institute will present the first Green Filming Report, containing facts and figures on sustainable feature film production from 2021–2025, at the Diagonale Film Festival (Austrian Film Festival in Graz) in March 2026. The report reflects the successful collaboration achieved through the Green Filming Austria synergy model in recent years. It highlights the institutional responsibility for sustainability in the Austrian feature film industry assumed by the Austrian Film Institute.

  • 2026 will see the EVERGREEN PRISMA pilot project dedicated to international green co-production.
  • For Talent LAB#2, the EVERGREEN PRISMA ACADEMY, together with the ÖFI Green Filming Department, will introduce the topic of ‘Green Filming & Funding’; practical examples of transformed projects will illustrate the work of professional Green Film Consultants. The experience of Green Film Consultants Austria, which EVERGREEN PRISMA is once again providing to support the five selected film projects, will be incorporated into the further development of the specialist division.
  • Launch of the expanded digital platform EVERGREEN PRISMA PLANETARIUM www.evergreenprisma.eu in February 2026.

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