The Danish Production Incentive Scheme - The Live Action Scheme

The Danish Production Incentive Scheme may be applied for by independent lead producers, co-producers, or production service companies.

The Live Action Scheme provides funding the production of feature films, fiction series, documentary films and documentary series in Denmark.

At the time of payment of the grant, the grant recipient must carry out business activities through a permanent place of business or a similar establishment in Denmark.

Who may not apply:

Grants cannot be awarded for the production of commercials, news, reality and entertainment programmes, coverage of sporting events, etc.

The purpose of the Danish Production Incentive Scheme is to provide grants for film and series production in Denmark with the aim of promoting Danish culture.

The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces processes applications and makes decisions regarding grants. Decisions are made on the basis of a specific assessment of whether the applicant meets the conditions for funding.

A production must meet the following conditions in order to be eligible for a grant under the Live Action Scheme:

1.  Feature films must have:
   • a total budget of at least DKK 25 million, and
   • eligible costs of at least DKK 3 million.
2.  Fiction series must have:
   • a total budget of DKK 150,000 per minute and a total budget of at least DKK 15 million per season of the fiction series, and
   • eligible costs of at least DKK 3 million.
3.  Documentary films and documentary series must have:
   • a total budget of at least DKK 4 million, and
   • eligible costs of at least DKK 1 million.

In addition, the following conditions generally apply to the Danish Production Incentive Scheme:

• The production must have 60 per cent of its total financing confirmed at the time of application.
• At the time of application, the applicant must be able to document in the production budget that at least 25 per cent of the production’s total budget derives from a foreign financing source.
• The production’s lead producer must have produced at least one film, series, documentary or animation production with wide distribution.

The decision is made on the basis of a prioritisation of the applications according to the following three parameters, each of which carries a weight of one third:

• The production’s Danish spend on eligible costs
• The production’s total budget
• The production’s number of points obtained in the production and cultural test (see the annex under "What must the application contain?)"

The applications are awarded points based on the stated parameters. The applications are prioritized according to the points awarded, from highest to lowest. In the event of a tie, productions with the highest level of eligible expenditure in Denmark are given priority.

You can read more about the eligibility requirements in the Guidelines for Applying for Support under the Live Action Scheme (PDF), available under the section “What must the application contain?”.

Applications must be submitted via the Grant Portal. When applications are open, a link to the Grant Portal will be available at the top of this page.

In the Guidelines for Applying for Support under the Live Action Scheme (PDF), you can read more about how the various eligibility requirements are interpreted and how to complete the individual fields in the application form in the Grant Portal.

Please note that a number of mandatory appendices must be attached to the application.

The following templates must be used and included in your application:

1. A completed total budget for the production, indicating the Danish spend, the eligible costs and which eligible costs the grant is applied for. 
   Use this mandatory template (Available when applications open on March 11, 2026)
    
2. A completed financing plan showing confirmed financing of at least 60 per cent of the production’s total budget, of which at least 25 per cent comes from a foreign financing source. 
   Use this mandatory template (Available when applications open on March 11, 2026)
    
3. An auditor endorsement of the financing plan. The auditor's statement can either be submitted at the time of application, or no later than three weeks after receipt of the letter of approval. The auditor’s statement must be prepared as specified in the Auditor Instructions for Issuing a Statement in Connection with an Application to the Danish Production Incentive Scheme (Available when applications open on March 11, 2026)
   
   The auditor must use this mandatory template for the statement (Available when applications open on March 11, 2026)
    
4. A completed declaration of any other State aid or EU funding granted to the applicant for activities attributable to the production. 
   Use this mandatory template (Available when applications open on March 11, 2026)
    
5. A completed financing plan covering the remaining financing of the production, in addition to what has already been confirmed.
   Use this mandatory template (Available when applications open on March 11, 2026)
    
6. A completed Production and Cultural Test (for feature films and fiction series or for documentary films and series, depending on what the grant is applied for).:
   • Use this mandatory template for feature films and fiction series (PDF version)
   • Use this mandatory template for documentary films and series (PDF version)
     
     Note: Editable versions of the production and cultural tests in XLSX format will be available when applications open on March 11, 2026.
7. A completed declaration confirming the accuracy of all information provided in the application for a grant under the Danish Production Incentive. 
   Use this mandatory template (Available when applications open on March 11, 2026)

Make sure to have all appendices ready before completing the application form in the Grant Portal.

Applications will be processed based on the information and materials submitted at the time of the application deadline.

Please note that once the application form has been submitted, it is no longer possible to make changes to the application.

The scheme is structured as a rebate scheme under which 25 per cent of the eligible expenditure incurred in Denmark for the production may be reimbursed to the grant recipient.

Feature films and fiction series must apply for funding on the basis of eligible costs of at least DKK 3 million, while documentary films and documentary series must apply for funding on the basis of eligible costs of at least DKK 1 million.

Please also note that a maximum grant of DKK 20 million may be awarded.

The total grant available for distribution among recipients for the current application round of the Live Action Scheme is DKK 50.8 million (2026 level).

Please note that the receipt for submission of the application must be downloaded manually when submitting the application. It is therefore not possible to receive the receipt by email.

A decision on the application can be expected approximately six weeks after the application deadline.

Grants from the Danish Production Incentive Scheme are awarded in accordance with to the Act on Production Incentive for Film and Series Production and the Executive Order on the Production Incentive Scheme.

If the applicant is awarded a grant, the grant letter will specify how and when the grant is paid, as well as the reporting requirements.

Any grant will be paid to the NemKonto linked to the CVR number stated in the application. The grant will be paid in two instalments, with 70 per cent of the grant paid immediately after the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces has received the auditor-endorsed financing plan, and the remaining 30 per cent paid once the reporting has been approved by the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces.

A grant is valid for 12 months from the date stated in the grant letter. The production must start within this period. If the production has not started within 12 months, the grant expires without further notice.

Read more about the payment of grants and reporting requirements in the Guidelines for Applying for Support under the Live Action Scheme, available under the section “What must the application contain?”.

The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces processes and makes decisions regarding applications for grants from the Danish Production Incentive Scheme.