PARTICIPANTS GERMANY Reflecting Germany’s political system, the German film funding system is organised on a federal level and on a regional/state level. The federal system is divided into the FFA (Filmförderungsanstalt – German Federal Film Board) and the BKM (Federal Ministry of Culture). The FFA is geared towards strengthening the film industry according to economic principles, while the BKM focuses on the cultural aspects of films. In 2007, a new fund for the film industry was launched by the Federal Government: the DFFF (German Federal Film Fund). Originally established for three years, the DFFF was then extended for another three years until the end of 2012. In 2013 the German government agreed to an unlimited extension of three years with an increased budget of € 70 million for 2014. The German Federal Film Board (FFA) in Berlin is responsible for the execution of the DFFF.
Up to 20 % of the approved production costs spent in Germany can be funded. Not only major productions benefit from the DFFF, but funding has also gone to small and medium-sized projects. The DFFF aims at improving conditions for the film industry, preserving as well as enhancing the international competitiveness of film-related companies, and at providing sustainable impulses for Germany as a film production hub as well as achieving other economic effects. On the regional/state level, almost every federal state has its own film fund. These regional funds include Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Medienboard BerlinBrandenburg, FilmFörderung Hamburg SchleswigHolstein, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), Medien- und Filmgesellschaft BadenWürttemberg (MFG) and Nordmedia, to name the largest. In order to access regional funds, producers are required to generate a specific “economic effect” in the respective region. All German film funds support the development, production and distribution of films.