03/06/2011

Exhibition giant UCI (United Cinemas International Multiplex) has decided to appeal against last February’s ruling by the German Federal Administrative Court which greenlighted the German Film Funding Law, FFG (Filmförderungsgesetz), after the changes introduced and approved by Parliament (see news). Its decision further strains relations between certain exhibitors and the German Federal Film Board (FFA) after the institution’s brief but apparent return to normality after more than a year of disagreements.

The appeal, which was lodged shortly before the appeal deadline ran out, comes as no surprise. UCI reignites a court case that began in 2009 when it denounced the FFA’s alleged unfair treatment of the exhibition sector in comparison with mainstream TV networks regarding their contributions to the institution’s funds.

The legal proceedings led to the revision of the FFG, which regulates film funding and the source and amount of contributions to the fund made by each industry sector. The same court with which the UCI has now lodged an appeal greenlighted the law after these initial proceedings.

With 26 multiplexes and 240 screens spread between Germany and Austria, the exhibition giant is also well-established in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy, making its power of influence far from negligible. Therefore uncertainty still hangs over the much-needed harmony between the different industry sectors after one of the most disastrous years in the German box office’s recent history.

(Translated from Spanish)