Apply for reference film funding Screenplay Preproduction

If you need reference film resources for your particularly elaborate measures, you can apply for funding under certain conditions.

You can receive funding of up to 75 percent, but in any case up to EUR 100,000 for the following costly measures:

• Material procurement,
• script acquisition, or
• script development, or
• Preparation of a new program-filling film.

If you have received funding from other institutions, this will be deducted from your project costs.

You are obliged to inform the German Federal Film Board (FFA) whether and from which other funding institutions you have applied for funding for this measure or in what amount you have received such funding.

If the FFA has granted funding for your material procurement or screenplay procurement and development or in any other way for the preparation of a new program-filling film, you can no longer have these costs recognized as production costs in the amount of the funded amount as part of a later funding of the project.

You cannot receive the grant until you submit an application for payment.
You submit your application informally to the German Federal Film Board (FFA).

You have no legal claim to the approval of your application.

When applying, you must submit the following documents:

• Calculation customary in the industry
• Financing plan
• Proof of financing
• Description of the planned action
• Treatment or screenplay contract

In addition, if the funding is used for the preparation of a new program-length film:

• Production-ready screenplay
• Detailed project description
• Description of the planned exploitation of the film

When you have completed your measure, you must submit the following documents:

• final screenplay / treatment
• Final cost breakdown (comparison PLAN / ACTUAL)
• financing plan
• if samples are requested: corresponding contracts, invoices and payment documents such as option, license or filming contracts, respectively
• Statement on the status and further progress of the project

• Forms: no
• Online procedure possible: no
• Written form required: yes
• Personal appearance: no

You submit your application informally to the German Federal Film Board (FFA).

Applications can be submitted by:

• Producer of the film for which the reference funds have been awarded.

Further requirements:

• the producer's acting costs are up to 30,000 EUR for projects with production costs up to 300,000 EUR.
• The producer's action can be calculated with up to 5 percent of the production costs without producer's fee.

The application must specify whether the company is a micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)

• less than 250 employees and
• a maximum annual turnover of EUR 50 million or
• a maximum balance sheet total of 43 million EUR

It is possible to file an objection.

You must submit your application for reference film funding informally to the German Federal Film Board (FFA).

• Send your signed application by mail to the German Federal Film Board (FFA).
• Your application will be processed and reviewed by the FFA's funding department.
• Subsequently, the application will be submitted to the board of the FFA.
• The board decides whether to approve or reject the application.
• The decision is communicated to the applicant by mail in the form of an approval or rejection notice.
• At the latest after one year of disbursement of the reference funds, you are obliged to inform the FFA about the progress or the result of the funded measures.
• The costs must be proven by submitting appropriate contracts, such as option, license or filming contracts.
• Proof of payment must be provided on request by means of appropriate receipts.

Funding must be used no later than three years after the respective funding decision has been issued.
The FFA must be informed of the progress or outcome of the funded measure no later than one year after disbursement of the reference funds.

There are no costs involved.