09/03/2012 - Four German film industry associations have disassociated themselves from the German Federal Film Board (FFA) over the new federal cinema law

The Film Distributor Association (VdF - Verband der Filmverleiher), the Cinema Interest Group (HDF Kino), the Federal Association for Audiovisual Media (BVV - Bundesverband Audiovisuelle Medien), and the German Producers Alliance (Allianz Deutscher Produzenten - Film & Fernsehen) have published their comments in response to the German Federal Film Board (FFA)'s document about Germany's new federal law for cinema (Filmförderungsgesetz, FFG).

They did it together and independently from the FFA, only a few days after the latter published the comments of other associations and groups representing those with interests in the industry. It is the latest move in an increasingly evident divide between a section of the industry and the institution in charge of watching over cinema at the federal level.

In the document, they suggested reducing the industry's contributions to the FFA's support fund and outlined several ways for it to adapt to the resulting reduction of its budget. In particular, they suggested a reduction in the FFA's running costs, and suggested that any cinema making more that €40,000 in benefits a year give the fund 1.5 % of these, as opposed to the current range of between 1.8 % and 3 % of benefits in three chunks.

In the words of Uli Aselmann, head of the cinema section at the German Producers Alliance, the aim is "to overcome past controversies and to make the FFG [the new law] sustainable". The original document is available in German here.

(Translated from Spanish)