Fi lm FUNDING BERLIN BRANDENBURG
Contacts Kirsten Niehuus
Berlin-Brandenburg. Germany’s first region for film production!
Managing Director Film Funding
Christian Berg Distribution, International Co-Productions, Animation c.berg@medienboard.de
Brigitta Manthey Development, Production (especially Eastern European Co-Productions) b.manthey@medienboard.de
Teresa Hoefert de Turégano International Co-Productions (incl. Documentaries), Development t.hoefert-de-turegano@medienboard.de
Veronika Grob Newcomers, Development, Production v.grob@medienboard.de
Anja Dörken Newcomers, Development, Production a.doerken@medienboard.de
Daniel Saltzwedel Documentaries, Fiction d.saltzwedel@medienboard.de
Andrea Mallwitz Administrative Assistance a.mallwitz@medienboard.de
Kristin Beutel Administrative Assistance k.beutel@medienboard.de
Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel – The opening film of the 64. Berlinale
Berlin-Brandenburg is the most exciting and thriving film location in Germany. It is a film friendly region and has an illustrious tradition of film making. More than 300 films are shot here every year. The region houses the largest studio capacity in Europe, including the world renowned Babelsberg studios, which operate as a one-stop shop and are equipped to handle all aspects of physical production. Berlin has highly skilled technical crews experienced in international co-productions and in working with multilingual teams. Not to be overlooked, is the cooperative and helpful administration. It has a broad range of shooting possibilities including historic locations, contemporary architecture and sweeping, wild and lake-filled countryside.
The Monuments Men
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH
Film Funding and Media Business Development August-Bebel-Str. 26 – 53, 14482 Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany Tel. + 49 (0)331 / 743 87- 0 | Fax + 49 (0)331 / 743 87- 99 info@medienboard.de
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www.medienboard.de
The Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission, which is a department of the Medienboard, provides all the information you need on shooting in Berlin and Brandenburg, such as an online location database and a digital production guide. The commission has extensive experience and is an excellent facilitator and mediator for those who are shooting in the region. www.bbfc.de
Medienboard. One of the largest film funds in Europe
Do you have a great film project? Are you looking for funding? Welcome to the German Capital Region! Who can apply? — producers with a place of business in Berlin or Brandenburg Funding possibilities include — development, production (features, shorts, documentaries, animation, international co-productions), distribution (p+a for German cinema releases)
James Franco and Wim Wenders on the set of Everything Will Be Fine
The Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg is a key institution for film and media professionals in Germany. Based in the capital region, the fund is open to outstanding national projects and it also has a strong focus on international coproductions, ranging from high quality art house to blockbusters. The film funding department’s annual budget is approx. 25 million €. Films which we have helped finance include The Monuments Men by George Clooney, The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson, Beauty and the Beast by Christophe Gans, The Book Thief by Brian Percival, The Congress by Ari Folman, Night Train to Lisbon by Bille August, Every Thing Will Be Fine by Wim Wenders, the Oscar® and Palme d’or winner Amour by Michael Haneke, Oscar® winners Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino, The Reader by Stephen Daldry, The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck as well as Cloud Atlas by Tom Tykwer, Lana & Andy Wachowski, Don – The King Is Back by Farhan Akhtar, Anonymous by Roland Emmerich, Unknown Identity by Jaume Collet-Serra, The Three Musketeers – 3D by Paul W.S. Anderson.
Eligibility — applications must be submitted before shooting — projects must be intended for theatrical distribution — you must provide adequate equity in the financing of the project (30 %) Regional spend — at least 100 % of the allocated funding must be spent in the r egion Deadlines and decisions — five application deadlines per year with decisions announced approx. six weeks after each deadline (for current deadlines please check the website) Soft loans — we give out soft loans that go up to a maximum of 1 m € — your loan must be repaid if your film is economically successful — combining funding from several German funds is possible For more information please check our guidelines at www.medienboard.de
How to finance your next film in Berlin-Brandenburg?
The Reader
Your budget (German spend) DFFF rebate (20 %) Medienboard up to 1 m €
15 m € 3m€ 1m€
You’ll receive up to 4 m €*! * plus any additional German and European funding The Monuments Men
Inglourious Basterds
The Dark Valley
Apart from Medienboard support, the German rebate s ystem for film production might be interesting for you: 20 % off each Euro spent in Germany! Beneficiaries —G erman or German-based companies with a solid track record (exceptions are possible for first films) — I nternational co-productions with German producers are w elcome Eligibility criteria —m inimum budget: 1 m € for features, 2 m € for animation, 200,000 € for documentaries —2 5 % of total budget must be spent in Germany, if budget is over 20 m € only 20 % German spend is necessary — 75 % of financing must be in place — theatrical release in Germany must be guaranteed — apply before start of principal photography — for international co-productions the German participation must be at least 20 % – if budget is higher than 25 m € a participation of 5 m € is sufficient — film must pass a “cultural test” – points are given for using German locations or studios, German actors, artists or technicians, German story or history — qualifying German production costs — costs that don’t qualify for rebate: preproduction, underlying rights, legal fees, insurance and financing costs, travel, transportation of actors, overheads, contingency — r ebate is capped at 4 m € —e xception: cap at 10 m € if at least 35 % of total budget or film scores 66 % of possible points in the cultural test
Detailed information at www.dfff-ffa.de
Example Shah Rukh Khan
The German Federal Film Fund (DFFF)