07/01/2009

At the press conference held in Düsseldorf before the festive period, Michael Schmid-Ospach – director of the NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) regional fund – stated that 2009 would be an "excellent, international year, dominated by major names, for people now know that the region not only offers financial support but also perfect production conditions on a technical level, and in terms of studios, filming locations and skills".

Schmid-Ospach also pointed to the significant (and unexpected) increase in the number of days of film shoots in 2008 (977, compared to 762 in 2007). The box office success enjoyed last year by titles shot in the region (including Marco Kreuzpaintner’s Krabat [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) is also encouraging.

In 2008, the region played host to directors such as Stephen Frears (for Chéri), Lars von Trier (who filmed the whole of his new project Antichrist here), Stephen Daldry (The Reader [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Margarethe von Trotta (Vision - Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen), Sönke Wortmann (for the intriguing project on the female pope Pope Joan), Theo Angelopoulos (The Dust of Time [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Matthias Glasner (This is Love), Hans-Christian Schmid (Storm) and Tom Tykwer (Deutschland 09).

Last year, North Rhine-Westphalia also welcomed German stars (including Jessica Schwarz, Benno Fürmann, Jürgen Vogel, Julia Jentsch and Corinna Harfouch) and international names (including Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Michel Piccoli and John Goodman).

The fund’s main purpose is to support productions: in 2008, the NRW granted around €31.4m to 117 film and TV productions. As every euro awarded corresponds to an expenditure of €1.50 in North Rhine-Westphalia, the region thus benefits from the so-called "NRW effect", which amounted in 2008 to €56m (192% with respect to the support allocated). These results bode well for a dynamic 2009.

(Translated from French)