Apply for funding for follow-up project German Film Award

If your project has been nominated for the German Film Award or has received an award, you will be awarded funding for follow-up projects. You must apply to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) for the use of the funds.

If your project has been nominated for the German Film Award or has received an award, you will be awarded film prize funds which you may use for the production or preparation of further film projects. You must apply to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) to use the funds for so-called follow-up projects. Only then will the funds be made available to you. This financial support is awarded as a non-repayable grant.

Who is awarded the film prize money?

• In the case of a nomination, the entire prize is awarded to the producer.
• In the case of a gold, silver or bronze award, the director is entitled to 10 percent of the respective award.
• If the award-winning film was produced as a domestic German co-production, both co-production companies are entitled to the funds.
• In the case of international co-productions, only the German production companies or the production companies with a registered office or branch in Germany are entitled to the funds.
• If the film was realized jointly with a university, the award is granted exclusively to the producer.

They must submit the application for their new project within 2 years of the end of the year in which the premium was awarded.

Example:
Your film was awarded the German Film Prize in May 2019. The deadline for submitting the new project is 31.12.2021.

You may realize up to 4 projects with the film award funds.

For the production of a feature film:

• Short description (maximum 1 page)
• Screenplay in German language
• Treatment for documentary films; for animated films also storyboard
• Proof of the closed rights chain (contract on the acquisition of the filming rights to the book, material, title)
• Company profile (information on previous films of the production company)
• Filmography of the director (information on nationality, previous films, if applicable with links to view reference films)
• Staff list with residence details (including letters of intent from director, camera)
• Cast list (including letters of intent from the main actors/key supporting actors)
• Financing plan (including status of financing and calculation of own contribution)
• Proof of financing (contracts, bank statements, funding commitments)
• Preliminary calculation of production costs (the maximum fee rates are based on the guidelines of the German Federal Film Board FFA for project film funding)
• Overview of own contributions
• Distribution contract or presentation of the distribution plans/exploitation concept
• Shooting schedule or list of the orderly execution of the shooting according to shooting time and locations
• Extract from the commercial register/business registration
• Certificate in tax matters from the responsible tax office
• Provisional project certificate from the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA)
• When using the director's premium share, you must enclose a signed declaration of consent for the use of the funds.

For the preparation/development of a feature film:

• Brief description of the project (maximum 1 page)
• Treatment, screenplay in German if applicable
• For project preparation: proof of the closed rights chain (contract on the acquisition of the filming rights to the book, material, title)
• In the case of screenplay development or material acquisition: presentation of the required rights (no contracts may have been concluded yet, as this is a project)
• Company profile (information on previous films by the production company)
• Filmography of the director (information on nationality, previous films, if applicable with links to view reference films)
• Staff list with residence details
• Cast list (only to be submitted if already available)
• Financing plan (including status of financing and calculation of own contribution)
• Proof of financing (contracts, bank statements, funding commitments)
• Preliminary calculation of the costs for the project (the maximum fee rates are based on the FFA guidelines for project film funding)
• List of personal contributions
• Presentation of the distribution plans/exploitation concept
• Extract from the commercial register/business registration
• Tax certificate from the responsible tax office
• When using the director's premium share, you must enclose a signed declaration of consent for the use of the funds

You can receive the funding awards if

• your project has been nominated for the German Film Award or has received an award,
• the planned film is at least 79 minutes long. A children's film must be at least 59 minutes long,
• you have not yet started the film project,
• your project has a German cultural character,
• you must be able to show an own contribution of 5 percent and
• you can ensure a regular first theatrical release that takes place on 7 consecutive days in Germany for a fee.

• Administrative court action

You must submit your application for film prize funding online to the BKM.

Apply for funding online:

• Go to the federal portal and fill out the application form electronically .
  • You will need an electronic ID document for the online application, for example your ELSTER organization certificate.
• Upload the required documents as a file (in PDF format, maximum 10 megabytes per file) and submit the application.

Further procedural steps:

• The German Federal Film Board (FFA) is responsible for the administrative processing of BKM-funded projects.
• The FFA checks the documents and issues the funding decision.
• If necessary, the FFA will contact you to discuss which other documents you need to submit in order to receive a grant notification.

There are no costs.

There are no indications or special features.