New film funding at national level

On 3 December 2015, a directive of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on the establishment of a new film subsidy fund came into force. The “German Motion Picture Fund” will have an annual funding volume of 10 million euros and is specifically geared at internationally co-produced films and series with high production costs.

The film industry as a driver of innovation

The purpose of this funding programme is to strengthen innovation and competitiveness of the German film industry. But what is new compared to other funding programmes is the focus on digital filmmaking. The Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has declared its mission to encourage “innovative, creative work” in order to push internationally recognised production standards and “the emergence of digital content as a major growth factor for the digital economy” (Article 1 of the German Funding Directive).

Funding requirements

(Co-)producers of films and series who are resident in Germany or have their place of business or a branch here are allowed to apply. Cinema films have to cost at least 25 million euros to produce and series at least 1.2 million euros per episode to be eligible for subsidies. The funding is linked to a successful reference film or reference series. The subsidy will be paid out in the form of a non-refundable grant whose value is based on the German production costs eligible for funding. These have to make up at least 40% of the total costs. A grant is generally limited to a sum of 2.5 million euros. The funding scheme is initially limited until 31 December 2018. Applications for grants can be made to the German Federal Film Board (FFA) from 15 December.