09/02/2007

According to figures published this week by the FFA, 2006 recorded 136.7m filmgoers (compared to 127.3 in 2005), a 7.4% rise in admissions and turnover of €814.4m, up 9.3%.

While these results are a far cry from the years before 2005, 2006 did manage to beat some records, starting with the number of film releases, 487 in total (174 German films, 163 US and 80 European).

German audiences flocked to theatres to see numerous German releases. Last year will be remembered in particular for German productions’ 25.8% market share, the best result ever recorded by the FFA since it began compiling statistics in 1991.

Key to this success were the quality and variety of German films released in 2006. The most popular films in 2006 were: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (5.5m admissions) and 7 Dwarves: The Wood is Not Enough (3.5m), as well as debut films such as the Oscar nominated The Lives of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Henckel von Donners…
interview: Ulrich Muehe
film profile] (1.7m) and Grave Decisions [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (1.3m).

German cinema also exported well in 2006. Aside from Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s film, which was also nominated at the Golden Globes and won over 20 awards, films enthusiastically received by foreign audiences included Into Great Silence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philip Groening
film profile], as well as other festival darlings such as The Free Wiill, Longing [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Emma's Bliss [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Requiem [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Sandra Hueller
film profile] and Four Minutes [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

With this encouraging progress and the setting up on January 1 of a new automatic financing system, the DFFF (see Special Report), the German film industry can look forward to an even more productive 2007.

For further information on the 2006 results, please consult the FFA publication "FFA-info 1/07".

(Translated from French)