Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds

What Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds does

Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF) is a public institution of the Flemish Community, established in 2003 and headquartered in Brussels at Bischoffsheimlaan 38 (the "Huis van de Vlaamse Film"). Operating on assignment from the Flemish government, VAF is the single designated public funding body for the professional audiovisual and games sector in Flanders. It distributes subsidies and provides non-financial support to film, series, game, podcast, and immersive media creators and producers in the Flemish region.

VAF operates through three specialized funds — VAF/Filmfonds for theatrical films, VAF/Mediafonds for series and podcasts, and VAF/Gamefonds for game development — plus a Publiek (audience) division for screening and education and Screen Flanders for international promotion. Its core technology is the myVAF digital platform, an online portal where applicants submit subsidy requests, track application status, and manage documentation. Funding decisions are made by external expert review committees (beoordelingscommissies) coordinated by dedicated project managers (projectbeheerders). VAF also runs an automated incentive system (impulspremie) that rewards creators based on prior work without requiring full committee review, plus talent development programs including the LEF leadership program for underrepresented creators.

VAF's business model is non-commercial: it receives annual appropriations from the Flemish government under multi-year management agreements (2026-2030 for all three funds) and redistributes these funds as merit-based subsidies. Its "go-to-market" is sales-led for individual producers applying to specific funds, community-led through quarterly sector dialogue meetings with professional associations and broadcasters, and event-driven through workshops and masterclasses (e.g., AI workshops for creators). VAF employs 11-50 staff, manages a substantial catalog of supported productions (715 on streaming platforms in 2025 across 21 platforms), and serves a long-tail customer base of production companies, game studios (89 reporting into sector research), and individual creators.

Name

Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds

Legal name

Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds

Website

https://vaf.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF) is the Flemish Community's public funding institution that distributes subsidies to the professional audiovisual and games sector in Flanders, Belgium. Operating three funds (Film, Media, Games) under 2026-2030 government management agreements, it serves producers, studios, and creators through its myVAF digital application platform and expert review committees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Subsidy Distribution: VAF operates as a public institution of the Flemish Community, working on behalf of the Flemish government. It receives public funding allocation and distributes it as financial support (subsidies) to the audiovisual and games sector. The fund provides various types of support including creation support (scenarios, development, production, post-production), promotion support, and audience/pubic support across Filmfonds, Mediafonds, and Gamefonds divisions.
2. Public Funding - Management Agreements: VAF operates under management agreements (beheersovereenkomsten) with the Flemish government for each of its three funds: Filmfonds (2026-2030), Mediafonds (2026-2030), and Gamefonds (2026-2030). These agreements govern the distribution of public funds to the sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds is a Flemish public institution that distributes government subsidies to support the professional audiovisual and games sector in Flanders and Brussels. It operates three specialized funds — Filmfonds (films), Mediafonds (series, podcasts, interactive media), and Gamefonds (games) — covering the full creative lifecycle from scenario development and production through post-production and international promotion. Support includes creation subsidies, talent development programs, automatic incentive premiums (impulspremies), and audience/public outreach.

Product overview

The Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF) operates as a unified umbrella organization with three distinct funding programs: VAF/Filmfonds for theatrical films, VAF/Mediafonds for series and podcasts, and VAF/Gamefonds for game development. Under these funds, VAF provides financial support across the creative lifecycle including script support, development funding, production support, and promotion subsidies. The organization also runs talent development initiatives (Talentontwikkeling) offering coaching, workshops and grants, and an Audience (Publiek) division supporting screening and education activities. All applications are managed through the myVAF digital platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VAF/Filmfonds: Film fund supporting fiction films, documentaries, animation, and experimental film projects
• VAF/Mediafonds
• VAF/Gamefonds

Quantifiable outcome

• 37% female representation in creation support applications, 39% in approved applications (2021-2025 cumulative)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Vlaamse Gemeenschap (Flemish Community)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAF is an institution of the Flemish Community operating on assignment from the Flemish government. It receives public funding and distributes it through its various funds. The relationship is governance-based, with VAF implementing government audiovisual policy.
• VRTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRT (Flemish public broadcaster) is represented in sector dialogue meetings and collaborates on research including viewing figures. VRT is a key broadcaster for Flemish audiovisual content and partner in streaming and viewership data collection.
• DPG MediamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with VAF on viewing figures research and data collection for Flemish productions. DPG Media is a major media company operating streaming and broadcast platforms in Flanders.
• Play MediamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in viewing figures (kijkcijfers) data collection for Flemish film and series performance on television.
• Flanders ImagecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational promotion partner for Flemish audiovisual content. Flanders Image logo is available for download alongside VAF logos for use on supported productions. Handles international promotion and marketing of Flemish film and series.
• FLEGA (Flanders Games Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLEGA represents Flemish and Brussels game studios and participates in semi-annual sector dialogue meetings with VAF/Gamefonds. FLEGA is also a partner in data collection for the Belgian Game Report and game sector research.
• CinedatamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData partner for cinema admissions figures (bioscoopcijfers) for Flemish film. Cinedata covers approximately 85-90% of the cinema market for data collection.
• European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on streaming availability data and contributes research reports including Yearbook Key Trends Audiovisual Services, box office analysis, and European content investment studies.
• KIDS RegiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for children's film research and benchmarking. VAF participated in the Building Bridges European Children's Film study.
• Flanders Game HubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in data collection and strategic insights for the Flemish game sector. Collaborates with VAF's Knowledge, Data & IT department.
• Film MattersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData partner for cinema figures and market research on Flemish audiovisual productions.
• FCB (Film Contact Bureau)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData partner for cinema admissions research and tracking of Flemish film performance.
• Unie van Regisseurs (Directors Guild)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association of directors that participates in ad hoc consultation meetings with VAF. One of the professional associations directly supported by VAF.
• Scenaristengilde (Screenwriters Guild)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association of screenwriters that participates in ad hoc consultation meetings with VAF. One of the professional associations directly supported by VAF.
• Vlaamse Onafhankelijke Film & Televisie Producenten (VOTF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association of independent film and television producers that participates in ad hoc consultation meetings with VAF.
• oKo (Film Organizations)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella organization for film organizations that participates in ad hoc consultation meetings with VAF.
• mediartemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSector organization for media professionals. Collaborates with VAF on inclusion action plans, tools for inclusive work (reflective questionnaires, intimacy toolkit), and action plan against transgressive behavior in the Flemish media and film sector.
• IDEA ConsultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted the 2025 study on Flemish game policy (Studie Vlaams gamebeleid) that was supported/referenced by VAF.
• IndivilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch bureau commissioned by the Department of Culture, Youth and Media and VAF to conduct the 2025 Filmbezoek in Vlaanderen (Film Attendance in Flanders) public survey.
• KunstenpuntminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to the 2025 Landscape Drawing (Landschapstekening) for arts and culture in Flanders that includes sections on the audiovisual sector.
• New Dawn (formerly partnered)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration between European film funds and Telefilm Canada to promote inclusion in the film industry. VAF discontinued its contribution to New Dawn, redirecting the budget to local inclusion incentives. The partnership was active but is no longer contributing.
• VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 2024 analysis of film exhibition in Flanders (Analyse van Filmexploitatie in Vlaanderen) and recommendations for a future-proof exhibition landscape.
• UA (Universiteit Antwerpen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 2024 analysis of film exhibition in Flanders (Analyse van Filmexploitatie in Vlaanderen) and recommendations for a future-proof exhibition landscape.
• UGent (Universiteit Gent)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 2024 analysis of film exhibition in Flanders (Analyse van Filmexploitatie in Vlaanderen) and recommendations for a future-proof exhibition landscape.
• SMIT (VUB Research Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in research on international vs. local VoD services preferences and motivations of viewers in Flanders (2024).
• Departement Cultuur, Jeugd en MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish government department that commissioned the film attendance research and oversees audiovisual policy. VAF operates under its authority.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Europe MEDIA: EU-level funding program supporting the European audiovisual, gaming, and cultural sectors. VAF-supported productions and game studios frequently access Creative Europe MEDIA co-financing, making it the supranational complement to VAF's regional funding layer.
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA): Germany's national film promotion agency, funded by industry levies and federal contributions. Overlaps with VAF/Filmfonds in production and distribution subsidy programs but operates at national scale across a much larger audiovisual industry.
• BFI (British Film Institute): UK's lead organization for film and the moving image, combining public funding distribution with cultural programming, heritage, and audience development. Comparable to VAF in funding function but materially broader in scope (BFI runs the London Film Festival, BFI National Archive, etc.).
• Centre national du cinéma (CNC): France's national film and audiovisual center, one of Europe's largest public funding bodies. Overlaps with VAF's mandate across film, series, and games support, but operates at significantly larger scale and with broader regulatory authority over the French audiovisual sector.

Direct peers

• Swedish Film Institute: Sweden's national public body funding film production, distribution, and exhibition. Directly comparable to VAF in lifecycle funding model and government-mandate structure, serving a similarly-sized Northern European creative sector.
• Nederlands Filmfonds: The Netherlands' national public film fund, distributing subsidies across development, production, and distribution. Closely comparable to VAF/Filmfonds in mandate, structure, and lifecycle scope, serving a neighboring Low Countries audiovisual ecosystem.
• Screen Ireland: Ireland's national screen agency funding film, television, and animation production. Comparable to VAF in scale (similar population served), mandate (creative content funding across formats), and reliance on government policy alignment.
• Danish Film Institute: Denmark's national film institute funding development, production, and international promotion of Danish film. Directly comparable to VAF in single-government mandate and small-population creative sector support.

Regional players

• Screen Brussels: Brussels-Capital Region's audiovisual fund supporting production in Belgium's other major region. Geographically adjacent to VAF's territory (Flanders) and operates a similar subsidy model for regional content production, occasionally co-funding projects.
• Wallimage: Wallonia's regional audiovisual investment fund supporting film and audiovisual production in French-speaking Belgium. Functions as the Walloon counterpart to VAF, operating a similar regional subsidy model in a different linguistic/cultural ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vlaamsavfonds
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBFChVa7ESa02MteRuij43w
• Facebookfacebook.com/VlaamsAudiovisueelFonds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vlaams-audiovisueel-fonds
• Instagraminstagram.com/vlaamsaudiovisueelfonds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds