Archive notice: This article was originally published on December 4, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
With this annual budget in Germany, we naturally cannot compete with Hollywood standards (Michael Bay spends that much on one explosion), but perhaps the plan to strengthen the economic performance and innovative capacity of the film industry in Germany will succeed.
The clocks usually tick more slowly in Germany, but Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Sigmar Gabriel has also recognized: “With the program, we want to expand the diversity and quality of German film and strengthen Germany as a film location. To do so, for the first time we are specifically focusing on internationally co-produced theatrical films and high-caliber series that can be marketed internationally, because this film segment is becoming increasingly important. We are supporting technical and creative service providers in particular. The future of the film industry lies in digital filmmaking—and by that I mean every stage of digital image and sound processing. We have therefore designed the funding criteria so that digital filmmaking from Germany is particularly rewarded. The program takes account of film’s dual role as a cultural and economic asset and supports the German film industry in the fiercely contested international competition between locations.”
The independent “German Motion Picture Fund” funding program will focus primarily on the BMWi’s priority topics: the digital economy and innovative technology.
So, may the good times begin in Germany for the VFX and animation industry? The “German Motion Picture Fund” launches with today’s publication of the funding guidelines. Applications can be submitted from December 15, 2015; payments will be made from January 1, 2016. The German Federal Film Board (FFA) was found as a partner to administer the funding program.
All information about the “German Motion Picture Fund,” including application forms, can be found here.
Editor’s note: As long as Til Schweiger and his buddy Matthias do not submit an application, we are satisfied …
