INSTITUTIONS / LEGISLATION Germany
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg receives an additional €15 million to invest in the region’s booming audiovisual sector
- The new cash injection will bring the Berlin region’s overall funding to €17.2 million for 2022 and €17.9 million for 2023
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (MBB) will receive an additional allocation of €15 million from Berlin’s local government to boost investments in the local audiovisual sector over the next two years. These extra resources will bring the body’s total funding to €17.2 million for 2022 and €17.9 million for 2023.
Moreover, the Berlin Senate has also boosted funding for the MBB’s Digital Film Produktion pilot programme, which supports Berlin-based VFX outfits – this will increase from €5 million to €9 million for 2022 and 2023. Projects already supported through this scheme include Gregor Schnitzler’s School of Magical Animals [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and David Yates’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
“The substantial increase in the funding is good news for all filmmakers and VFX companies in the region, and also secures the hub’s leading position internationally,” said Kirsten Niehuus, CEO of MBB. Niehuus added that 2021 had seen a record of 6,000 shooting days for series and films in the region. “In the last ten years alone, the level of shooting has quadrupled in our city. Every film and every series made here is great promotion for our city. We want Berlin to become even more film-friendly in the future,” commented Franziska Giffey, Berlin’s governing mayor.
Furthermore, the Berlin Senate is planning to provide €1.7 million specifically for the creation of a point of contact for productions seeking shooting permits. The mayor has also announced an increase in the Senate’s budget contribution to the German Film & Television Academy (DFFB) – up 22% on 2021 to €6.6 million for 2022, and up another 21% to €8 million for 2023. These funds will be invested in the school’s development and digital transformation, along with the plans afoot for moving it from Potsdamer Platz to a new location in Westhafen at the beginning of 2025.
