The German Federal Film Board (FFA) has announced the creation of a new International Minority Co-Production Fund, endowed with €1 million each year. In detail, the initiative is set to provide backing to feature-length projects “of outstanding artistic quality which have high festival-run potential and commercially successful exploitation opportunities domestically and abroad”.

More broadly, the International Minority Co-Production Fund “aims to improve the international competitiveness of the German film industry as well as the commercial success and cultural appeal of German films abroad”.

Producers based in Germany can apply for funding from the FFA as conditionally repayable loans for international co-productions of animated, fiction and documentary features of at least 79 minutes (with the only exception being children’s films, whose minimum required length is set at 59 minutes), in which the German financial contribution is lower than that of the lead foreign producer.

Among other things, the application form should include a German-language script, a cast and crew list, a shooting schedule, proof of acquired rights, a financing plan and budget as well as a document highlighting distribution commitments for a theatrical release in Germany and in the leading producing country. In addition, since 28 February 2023, the commitment to comply with the national ecological standards has been part of the funding requirements for productions made in Germany. A dedicated form must therefore be filled in to prove compliance with the new environmental regulations.

The total budget of eligible fiction and animated features should be at least €2 million, and the German financing share should be no lower than €350,000. For documentaries, the minimum budget should be €700,000, with a German financing share of at least €150,000.

The minimum awarded amounts are €200,000 for fiction and animated films, and €100,000 for documentaries. Each project can receive a grant of no more than €400,000.

At least half of the financing in the lead producing country must already be secured, and filming must not commence before the application has been submitted.

The first call is open until 7 March.

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