The Netherlands Film Production Incentive has become a key pillar of the Dutch film and audiovisual ecosystem. The scheme supports production, internationalisation and professionalisation, and is often decisive in enabling projects to proceed. At the same time, the evaluation shows that the context has changed significantly: sector growth, rising costs and a stable budget have led to oversubscription, reducing the predictability of the instrument.

The core challenge lies in the tension between the scheme’s original economic rationale and its current operation. While designed as a largely automatic cash rebate, increasing competition for limited funds has led to a more selective perception. This affects investment decisions, international attractiveness and the stability of the production landscape, and calls for clearer positioning and optimisation of the scheme.

Conclusions:

• Key driver of sector development: The Incentive has supported growth, higher budgets and international co-productions, strengthening sector professionalism.
• Crucial for project financing: For many productions, the scheme is decisive; without it, projects are delayed, scaled down or cancelled.
• Shift towards core financing: The Incentive is increasingly used as a funding foundation rather than a final gap-filling instrument.
• Reduced predictability due to oversubscription: Budget pressure creates uncertainty and late rejections, affecting planning and investment decisions.
• Tension in positioning: The scheme is increasingly perceived as (semi-)selective, which conflicts with its original economic purpose.

Recommendations:

• Reaffirm the economic positioning: Clearly position the Incentive as a cash rebate focused on economic impact, distinct from selective funding schemes.
• Introduce clear upfront conditions: Safeguard public values through knock-out criteria, while keeping allocation based on objective economic indicators.
• Restore its role as gap funding: Increase co-financing requirements to reduce dependency and reposition the scheme as a final funding element.
• Improve predictability and simplicity: Introduce a quick scan and simplify the scoring system to enhance transparency and planning certainty.
• Strengthen strategic and long-term direction: Improve alignment with market actors, focus on strategic areas and develop a clear long-term vision.

Geert van der Veen
Managing Partner

Elmar Cloosterman
Senior Consultant

Carlijn Schumacher
Consultant

Lidewij Heerkens
Analyst

Jan Willis Nillessen
Consultant