Development Funding
Reference Development Funding
Reference funding is allocated for a successful film and may be used as a grant for a new project (reference principle).
On application, the FFA may allow up to 75 per cent of the allocated funding to be used for particularly costly measures for acquiring story ideas, acquiring or developing scripts or for making preparations in other ways for a new feature-length film. A larger proportion may be granted if 75 per cent of the allocated funding amounts to less than € 100,000.
Short film makers may use the full amount for the preparation of a new film.
Funding is granted for preparing films with plans for a theatrical release. Series and television films are not supported.
The procedure for the funding takes place in two stages. The first stage sees reference funding being allocated based on the success of the feature-length film. On receipt of the award notice, an application may be made in the second stage for the use and disbursement of the funding for a new project.
Authors can make an application for script funding on their own if two cinema productions based on their screenplays have previously been made and released in European cinemas.
If this condition is not satisfied, the application must be submitted together with a producer who has his place of residence or company headquarters in Germany. The producer must have produced at least one feature film which was released in Germany. The application must include a treatment, a one-page synopsis, and a completed scene of dialogue in the German language version.
The aid is not granted if the project has already been supported elsewhere at the respective stage of development. However, funding of project development or pre-production elsewhere is accepted provided that it is not exclusively related to script development.
Authors can only make applications for further script development together with the film's producer. A condition for making the application is that a screenplay of the author has previously been made and released in a European cinema. Similarly, the producer must have produced and released at least one film in the cinemas. Moreover, further development of the script may not be funded by another body. The further script development is monitored by a expert from the committee for production and script funding. The FFA can support up to ten measures for the further development of scripts each year.
Applications for project film funding can be submitted online by producers via the FFA website and must be filed at least four weeks before the funding session and checked for completeness. The committee for production and script funding usually takes decisions six to eight times a year.
Contact
Jury-based cultural development funding
As of 1 January 2025, the FFA took over full implementation of the Federal Government’s jury-based cultural film funding programme within the context of contract administration.
The new guideline for the Federal Government’s jury-based cultural film funding programme is currently the subject of consultations between various government departments. All of the involved parties are working at full speed to be able to publish the guideline as well as associated additional information about the application process as quickly as possible.
The BKM and the FFA are planning to have deadlines in place in March/April 2025. The first jury meetings are scheduled to take place from early summer.
The level of funding to be awarded will initially depend on the provisional budget. Once the federal budget for 2025 has been adopted, additional funding may be awarded at the subsequent jury sessions.
Applications for production funding for films by young talents (feature-length fiction films, documentaries and children's films, and shorts) can be submitted to the Federal Government's jury-based cultural film funding programme temporarily until the end of the provisional budget.
Thank you for your understanding and patience. We will keep you updated about all of the further developments.
