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FFA In Brief

The German Federal Film Board (FFA) is Germany's national film funding agency. It supports feature films in all phases from script development to production to distribution. Additional funds are used to support cinemas, preserve Germany's film heritage, promote and distribute German films abroad, and provide film education. As the central service provider for the local film industry, the FFA regularly collects, analyses and publishes the most important market data on the film, cinema and video industry in Germany.

Its budget is financed via the so-called film levy which is raised from, among others, the cinemas, the video industry and television networks.

In addition, the FFA implements the tax-financed film funding of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). This includes the incentive funding schemes German Film Fund (DFFF) and German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF) and the jury-based cultural film funding of the Federal Government.

The FFA cooperates with other European funding institutions to support the development of cross-border projects and co-productions.

Legal basis

The Film Funding Act (FFG) forms the legal basis for the German Federal Film Board. It first came into force on 1 January 1968 and has been amended at regular intervals since then. The FFG 2025 has been in force since 1 January 2025, replacing the provisions of the FFG 2024.

Organisation

Peter Dinges is the CEO of FFA; Jolinde Sawahn (Head of Funding) and Martin Michaelis (CFO) are his deputies. The FFA has a staff of more than 100 people. All fundamental issues within the FFA’s area of responsibility are decided upon by the Administrative Board consisting of 36 members. Its members are named – and subsequently appointed by the BKM – from:

  • the German Bundestag (Lower House),
  • the Bundesrat (Upper House),
  • the highest federal authority responsible for culture and media,
  • the trade associations of the film and video industry,
  • the public and private broadcasters,
  • the German Film Academy
  • the German Film Exporters Association (VDFE)
  • the trade unions
  • and the churches.

The Executive Committee consists of ten members elected from the Administrative Board and supervises the activities of the Management. The chair of the Administrative Board, Kirsten Niehuus, is at the same time the chair of the Executive Committee and FFA President.

EFAD

The FFA is a member of the European Film Agency Directors (EFAD), an association bringing together film funding institutions from 35 European countries.