Filmform is Sweden’s only organisation dedicated to the distribution and preservation of artists’ moving images, and one of the oldest of its kind internationally. Filmform has promoted experimental film and video art since 1950, and continues to distribute internationally to institutions, programmers, and curators, with a strong commitment to protecting artists’ rights.
Distribution application
If selected for distribution, your work will be made available through Filmform’s distribution catalogue, and will be accessible to rent for theatrical screenings, exhibitions, educational contexts, and other public events.
To be eligible for selection, your film must be produced in Sweden, made abroad by Swedish artists, or otherwise connected to a Swedish experimental film or moving image context. Please ensure that all rights, including those of other collaborators such as cinematographers or composers, are fully cleared before applying. Filmform welcomes both recently completed and older works.
Applications are free of charge and open year-round. You will receive a decision within six months. Please prepare the following using this online submission form:
– Contact details
– Title, duration, year of production and recording format for each work
– A digital preview (link and password, if required)
– CV and a short synopsis or descriptive text for each work
– Photographic documentation (if applying with a multichannel/installation work)
Selection criteria and decision
Filmform uses guiding criteria when assessing applications for the curated distribution catalogue. Works not accepted for distribution may be included in the reference archive, accessible for research purposes only.
The criteria includes:
– Works that employ original methods, practices, or experiences outside of conventional filmmaking’s artistic or technical frameworks, with the potential to renew and develop the field as a whole.
– Works that reflect the emergence of experimental film and video art, both from a contemporary and historical perspective and as part of a broader understanding of cultural heritage.
– Works with a connection to a Swedish artistic moving image field that demonstrate high artistic quality and are relevant to their contemporary context(s). The concept of quality is subject to change over time and is interpreted with regard to each individual work.
Priority is given to works that have been publicly screened/exhibited or created by artists with an active professional practice. Filmform is committed to fostering diversity across its catalogue, including a wide range of perspectives, themes, methods and backgrounds, ethnicity, class, gender, age and geographical representation. All decisions are made by a selection committee of Filmform representatives and external experts. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Agreement and royalties
Distribution will become effective once the distribution agreement has been signed and all requested documents and digital or analogue copies of the work have been submitted. The agreement remains active until further notice, and is subject to a three-month notice period. You retain full ownership and rights to your work.
You receive royalties each time your work is rented for a public context. Rates for theatrical screenings are based on film length. Exhibition fees are aligned with the MU-Agreement, a Swedish national framework for artist compensation. Payments are made as royalties by the end of each year. Filmform operates with only a small administrative fee charged to clients (minimum 10% based on the screening / exhibition fee).
Theatrical screening rates
Screening / exhibition fees for screenings in cinemas or similar contexts:
– 1–14 minutes: 1,000 SEK
– 15–29 minutes: 1,500 SEK
– 30–59 minutes: 2,000 SEK
– 60+ minutes: 3,000 SEK (minimum)
Educational screenings: 50% discount
Exhibition/installation screening terms and rates
For exhibition and installation contexts (looped screenings), fees are based on the MU-Agreement. Royalty fees are calculated based on the exhibition duration, size of the institution, and number of participating artists.