German Federal Film Fund (DFFF I&II, GMPF)

Program description

DFFF and GMPF are economic, automatic funding systems of the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) for feature-length cinema films (DFFF) and high-end series and films that are not first exploited in cinemas (GMPF), for which the grant is awarded as a subsidy. Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis, but must be submitted at least six weeks before the start of shooting. One of the prerequisites is that 75% of the financing has been secured.

DFFF I: More information on DFFF I&II here.

• Funding share of up to 20 % of the recognized GHK; up to 25 % if these costs exceed € 8 million or even 30 % with additional production funding from FFA and BKM
• Maximum amount per film € 4 million
• Eligible to apply: Production companies

DFFF II:

• the funding share is up to 25% of the approved German production costs
• Maximum amount per film € 25 million
• Eligible to apply: Production service providers

GMPF (German Motion Picture Fund):

• Funding share for series: up to 20% or 25% of the approved German production costs; depending on the German production costs and the score in the culture test; max. € 10 million
• Funding share for films: up to 20% of the approved German production costs, max. € 2.5 million
• Eligible to apply: Producers

Further information can be found here.

Institution

German Federal Film Board (FFA)

The German Federal Film Board (FFA) is Germany's national film funding body. Its budget is financed by the so-called film levy, which is collected from cinemas, the video industry and television, among others.

The FFA supports theatrical films in all phases of their creation and exploitation: from script development and production to distribution, sales and video. Further funds are used for the promotion of cinemas, the preservation of the German film heritage, the perception and dissemination of German film abroad and for the mediation of film education. As a central service provider for the local film industry, the FFA regularly collects, analyses and publishes the most important market data for the film, cinema and video industry in Germany.

Deadline

There are no application deadlines for the DFFF, but submission is possible on an ongoing basis and projects are processed according to the date of receipt. However, applications must be submitted at least six weeks before the start of filming. The processing time is usually 4-8 weeks, depending on the volume of applications.

Funding criteria

DFFF I:

• For production companies of small and medium-sized feature-length cinema productions with total production costs of at least € 1 million for feature films, € 200,000 for documentaries and € 2 million for animated films
• At least 25% of the total production costs (TCO) must be spent in Germany; at least 20% for TCO of over € 20 million

DFFF II:

• For production service providers commissioned with the production of a film or part of a film, for projects with TCO of € 20 million or more
• German HK of at least 8 million euros for feature films and at least 2 million euros for animated films and films with virtually animated components

Further information on DFFF 1 as well as the funding and approval requirements for production service providers (DFFF 2) can be found in the funding guidelines.

GMPF (German Motion Picture Fund):

• For producers of high-end series and films that are not first exploited in cinemas
• Films: with GHK of at least € 25 million per film
• Series: with GHK of at least € 30,000 per minute for fictional series; € 9,000 per minute for documentary series

Additional conditions

Important requirements for eligibility to apply to the German Motion Picture Fund are

1. The applicant must have produced at least one full-length feature film (reference film) in Germany or in another EU or EEA member state within the last five years prior to submitting the application and exploited it in German cinemas.
2. A purely financial contribution by the producer is not sufficient.
3. Public and private broadcasters and providers of video-on-demand services are not eligible to apply.

It is important to note that the applicant must have a place of business in Germany at the time of payment if their place of residence or business is not in Germany.

Expenses for (commercial)

Third-party services/orders, Production costs

Funding focuses on

Strengthening the local/regional economic power

Stage of the company/self-employment

existing company

Application type

by mail, Consultation in advance

Application procedure/documents

Advice is required before submitting an application. The German Federal Film Fund will be happy to advise you in person or by telephone. The best way to do this is to contact one of the funding officers directly.

The application must be submitted to the DFFF in 1 copy and perforated. You will receive the application form from the funding officers by email after a consultation. It must be enclosed in the original with the required attachments. These include the calculation scheme and the cultural characteristics test. The calculation scheme is freely selectable(DFFF scheme in Excel, Sesam, Movie Magic, Line Producer). It is important that the calculation of the various costs can be checked in a comprehensible manner.
Please number the attachments accordingly and enclose the screenplay separately. The screenplay can also be submitted in bound form.

Jury/Decision-making body

The projects are supervised by the funding officers. Projects are processed in order and usually take 4-8 weeks, depending on the volume of applications. Subsequent submissions are possible at any time during this period. You will receive initial feedback on your project by email. You will then have another opportunity to correct the points that have been objected to.

Once the project review has been completed, you will receive a grant notification. All required documents must be submitted and at least 75% of the funding must be closed (excluding the DFFF grant).
Your notification contains all important dates and deadlines that must be met. Please remember that you are responsible for meeting the deadlines and that you should submit the necessary evidence to the DFFF without being asked.

Assistance/Downloads

FIND OUT ABOUT GERMANY’S VARIETY OF FUNDING PROGRAMMES
This pdf-brochure offers key information about a multitude of funding opportunities
for producers of national and international films and high-end series:

Spotlight on Film Funding in Germany (BKM)

FAQ Url

Funded by

Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media

Funding area

Germany