Oulu audiovisual production incentive

Under the Business Oulu public utility, the North Finland Film Commission aims to support and promote the growth of the audiovisual sector in the region. In June 2021, the City of Oulu launched a production incentive for the audiovisual industry, which allows the production companies to get up to 10 % of the production costs incurred in Oulu refunded.

For the year 2026, the total production incentive budget in the North Finland Film Commission area is €250,000. The allocation is as follows: €200,000 from the BusinessOulu budget for costs incurred within the city of Oulu, €20,000 from the City of Kalajoki for costs within Kalajoki, and €30,000 from Naturpolis Ltd for costs within the Koillismaa region.

The regional production incentive can be applied for using the same application form from the North Finland Film Commission, regardless of the region/city. The incentive can also be applied to pre- and post-production phases. Applications will be processed in the order of arrival. The application must clearly indicate in which region* the costs occur.

Eligible costs include all production-related expenses in the region*:

• Purchases of services and goods
• Salaries paid to residents
• Equipment rentals
• Other costs (20% flat rate)

In production, the following must be utilized:

• The region* as a location and/or
• Artistic or other creative expertise obtained from the region*

*City of Oulu and/or City of Kalajoki and/or Koillismaa.

Productions that form an independent, artistic work and have a distribution plan and distribution agreement, as well as 50 % of the total production budget already in place, can apply for the production incentive. If the applicant is a foreign company, a Finnish co-producer or production coordination company must be involved in the production. The incentive is not provided for commercials or promotional videos.

Read carefully the general terms and conditions of the Oulu audiovisual production incentive and the application form (updated 1/2026). If the production does not meet all the criteria listed in the conditions, please contact the Film Commission before submitting the application.

If all the application criteria are met, send the completed application in PDF format to the City of Oulu registry at kirjaamo@ouka.fi. Mark it with the tag “Oulu audiovisual production incentive”. The application is deemed to have arrived on the date on which all the information and/or documents required to meet the application criteria are received at the Registry.