DFFF I

§ 7 Applicant producer

The producer or co-producer of a film is eligible to apply. If, in the case of a co-production, several co-producers fulfil the application requirements, they must agree on who will submit the application.

The applying producer must present a reference project as an entrepreneur or person. One of the following references must have been submitted within the last ten years prior to the application:

• Cinema reference film: At least one feature-length film has been commercially exploited in cinemas in Germany. The reference film must have been exploited with at least 20 prints if production costs exceed EUR 2 million , and with at least 10 prints if production costs are less than EUR 2 million. Four copies are sufficient for documentary films.
• TV/VoD reference film or reference series: A film or series has been produced that fulfils the special funding requirements for films and series in accordance with § 5 and 6 of the BKM "German Motion Picture Fund" guidelines:

Student graduation films exploited in the cinema and films whose total production costs are below the minimum production costs for DFFF funding are not considered as reference films, so that the applicant falls under the following regulation of the first film.

If you are applying for funding for a first film, the award of funding by the BKM, FFA or a film funding organisation of the federal states is sufficient as a reference.

If the applicant company is not based in Germany and is only planning to establish a branch in Germany, proof of the German branch must be provided by the time the grant is paid out at the latest.

For companies that have their headquarters outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, the authorisation requirements (e.g. proof of the reference film) must be met by the subsidiary or branch in Germany. Since leaving the EU, this also includes companies from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

In particularly justified exceptional cases, the FFA Executive Board may authorise exceptions to the requirements for the reference film, especially if it was not possible to exploit the reference film to the required extent due to force majeure or comparable circumstances.

§ 8 Film-related requirements

You can receive funding for your film if it fulfils the following criteria:

• The film has a screening time of at least 79 minutes. For children's films, 59 minutes is sufficient.
• The total production costs (excluding provisions and supplies) are at least
• 1 million euros (feature film) or 200,000 euros (documentary film) or 2 million euros (animated film).
• Filming or animation work has not yet begun.
• At least one final version of the film must be produced in German. A subtitled version is sufficient.
• In addition, a barrier-free final version must be produced.
• The film does not glorify violence or pornography, nor does it violate any laws in force in the Federal Republic of Germany.
• There is a binding rental commitment from a lender that fulfils the necessary reference.
• At least 25 per cent of the costs are actually spent in Germany.
• At least 20 per cent of the funding comes from Germany.
• The required points and criteria of the cultural characteristics test are fulfilled.
• Ecological standards are observed in the production of the film. Further information can be found here and under question 23.

You cannot receive funding from DFFF I for your film if it fulfils the project-related requirements for funding under DFFF II at the time of approval. Exceeding the minimum total production costs of 20 million euros by up to 10 per cent can be disregarded if an application for DFFF I is preferred.

§17 (2) Application and application procedure

A project can be submitted at any time, but the application must be received electronically by the FFA at least six weeks before the start of the measure. The measure begins on the first real or virtual day of filming. Applications may not be submitted after the start of the measure. Funding does not have to be 65 per cent secured at this point; we recommend that funding of between 40-50 per cent be secured by means of binding evidence.

If a distribution agreement is not yet available at this time, a binding letter of commitment (LOC) or a deal memo can be submitted as proof of cinema exploitation. A letter of intent (LoI) is not sufficient.

Further information is available under "Application".

§ 8 (7) Film-related requirements

In principle, the measure or the filming or animation work can only be started after the grant notification has been issued. In justified exceptional cases, an application for an early start of the project can be submitted. You can find the form in the download area.

The application must be submitted in good time, but no later than one week before the start of the project. For approval, it is important that the 6-week deadline for submitting the funding application is met.

The application must justify the compelling content-related and production-related circumstances for the early start of the measure and why the applicant producer is still dependent on DFFF funding.

Please also note that the application for an early start of production can only be approved if the basic requirements for access to the DFFF are met, e.g. passing the cultural quality test or submitting a binding distribution commitment.

§13 (4) Cultural Characteristics Test

You only need a project certificate from BAFA if you are producing a film in accordance with the European Convention and wish to use the Convention's cultural characteristics test. The certificate is issued by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control. Here you can also find out which member states have acceded to the European Convention.

§ 9 Obligation for theatrical release

The conditions for theatrical releases have changed with the Guidelines of 1 January 2025. If a grant notification was issued for your project before 1 January 2025, the conditions under point 8 of your notification apply.

The film must be screened on at least seven consecutive days in a technical format suitable for cinemas in a cinema with regular screenings in Germany for a usual market fee. The required number of prints is at least 20 copies for feature films and animated films, and at least 10 prints for grants of less than 320,000 euros. Documentary films must be released with at least 4 prints. For documentary and children's films, one screening on at least five days within a week is sufficient.

A legally binding, unconditional distribution agreement with a distributor who fulfils the necessary reference according to § 9a para. 4 of the DFFF guidelines is a prerequisite for funding the film. On our website you will find a list of distributors who fulfil the reference. The list does not claim to be exhaustive.

If a distribution agreement is not yet available at the time of application, a binding LOC or a deal memo can be submitted as proof of a theatrical release. A letter of intent or LOI is not sufficient.

When issuing contracts, please note that

• the cinema exploitation rights in Germany may not be sublicensed to third parties
• the holdback periods in accordance with FFG must be observed
• the minimum number of prints according to Section 9a of the DFFF Guidelines must be guaranteed.

Annex 1 point 9 producer's fee, special regulation for the producer's own services and for multiple actuation

The maximum amount for the producer's fee is 5 per cent of the total production costs (without prior recognition of the fee), up to a maximum of EUR 250,000.

For projects with total production costs of up to 500,000 euros, the following scale applies:

Projects with total production costs of up to 300,000 euros may calculate a flat-rate producer's fee of up to 15,000 euros, while projects with total production costs of between 300,000 and 500,000 euros may calculate a flat-rate fee of up to 25,000 euros.

The following example illustrates the calculation:

In this example, the maximum producer's fee is 154.375,00 euros and may only be calculated in this amount.

As the maximum producer's fees and handling costs for international co-productions differ in the respective countries, these rates may initially be included in the total production costs.

However, when calculating the German manufacturing costs and the other calculations, the producer's fee may only be set to the maximum possible amount.

In special cases, justified applications for exceptions may be submitted for producer's fees that exceed the maximum limits, on which the FFA Executive Board will decide.

Annex 1 point 9 Manufacturer's fee, special regulations for the manufacturer's own services and for multiple actuation

If the producer or co-producer or the owner, sole or majority shareholder of the producing company provides an additional service and is therefore active more than once, certain fee rates must be taken into account.

Director's fee: 4 per cent of the total production costs (without prior recognition of the fee); this regulation does not apply to documentary films up to a threshold value of 1.5 million euros total production costs.

Upon application, the FFA Executive Board may grant exceptions if this is justified by the particularly low production costs of the film and the complexity of the project.

The following example illustrates the calculation of the production levy:

In this example, the maximum HL fee is EUR 85,320.00 and may only be calculated at this level.

If several production manager fees have been calculated, all calculated fees are considered together when checking the capping limits.

Multiple activities of the producer in a consulting service, e.g. dramaturgical or commercial consulting, cannot be remunerated additionally and must be compensated via the producer's fee.

German production costs are all costs that are spent on production in Germany. These are all services and goods provided on German invoices or contracts. This also includes the costs for the salaries of German cast and crew members as well as the personnel costs of foreign cast and crew for the time of filming in Germany.

Calculation method:

Total production costs (total from Annex 10 of the application)
minus all items with foreign invoices
= German production costs

German costs do not include:

• Dolby licence
• Foreign cast and crew abroad
• Foreign equipment in Germany

When calculating the German production costs, the decisive factor is not who pays the costs, but whether they are German costs.

§ Section 16 Amount of the grant; eligible production costs

Approved German production costs (ADHK) are all German costs less the items listed in Section 16 (3) of the Guideline. In addition, the costs incurred in Germany for external shooting abroad may only be recognised up to 40 per cent of the total shooting days. In the case of documentary films, the upper limit of 40 per cent of the total shooting days does not apply.

Calculation method using the example of a feature film:

German production costs (total from Annex 11 of the application)
minus all items in § 16 para. 3 of the Guidelines
minus the costs incurred in Germany for external shooting abroad that exceed the recognised shooting days
= approved German production costs

The costs for the German team, German actors, German technology, props, costumes, etc. incurred for filming abroad can only be subsidised for the recognised external filming abroad. Preparation, processing and travelling days abroad are not subsidised. In accordance with Section 16 (3), the following costs do not count as approved.

German production costs:

• Pre-production costs
• Costs for rights to stock and to existing works (books, pieces of music, etc.)
• Legal and tax advice
• Insurance
• Costs of finance
• Travel and transport costs for actors (however, accommodation costs in Germany are approved)
• Handling costs
• Actors' fees, insofar as these exceed 15 per cent of the German production costs
• Contributions and deferred fees for services provided by those involved in film production
• Contingency fund, provided it is not reversed to approved German production costs by the end of the project
• Costs for filming and other work abroad, insofar as these do not fulfil the requirements of Section 16 (5) of the Guideline (see question 14).
• Contributions to the central service organisation of the German film industry for the representation of German films abroad.

The following costs can only be included in the approved German production costs up to a certain limit:

• Script up to 3 per cent of the German production costs or a maximum of 150,000 euros
• Actors' fees (main and supporting actors as well as day roles) up to 15 per cent of German production costs
• For documentary films only: Archive material up to 30 per cent of the German production costs

Please note that travel and transport costs can only be approved for crew members if you take off or land in Germany and have a German invoice.

Projects with approval in 2025 under provisional budget management

In principle, production costs can only be taken into account as approved German production costs in accordance with Section 16 (4) of the Guidelines if they fall within the approval period specified by the FFA in the grant notification. The approval period begins with the notification of the grant decision, but at the earliest with the approval of the early start of the project. Notwithstanding this, however, production costs incurred in the period of one year before the application is submitted up to the start of the approval period may also be taken into account as approved German production costs if and to the extent that they are necessary for submitting the application.

The above-mentioned option of approving production costs incurred before the start of the approval period requires a budgetary basis. Provisional budget management applies for 2025 until the adopted budget is passed (probably in autumn). It is assumed that the Budget Act 2025 will make it possible to approve preliminary costs, as in previous years. In order to be able to approve projects and make initial payments before the Budget Act comes into force, there is an interim solution: production costs incurred before the start of filming or before receipt of the grant notification will be approved subject to the condition precedent that the Budget Act provides for a corresponding budgetary regulation for recognition.

As the budget for 2025 has not yet been adopted, there is a certain residual risk that production costs incurred before the start of the approval period cannot be recognised after the 2025 budget comes into force and the total funding amount in the grant notification is subsequently reduced accordingly.

§ Section 12 Minimum amount of production costs issued in Germany

At least 25 per cent of the total production costs must actually be spent in Germany. However, the costs incurred in Germany for filming abroad cannot be offset against this.

If the total production costs are higher than EUR 20 million, the minimum amount must be at least 20 per cent.

All costs incurred in Germany for filming abroad must be deducted from the German costs. This includes all fees, film material and equipment that was rented in Germany and taken abroad. Travel expenses for filming abroad must also be deducted, as must the costs of travelling abroad during preparation and post-production. In addition, no returns and supplies can be counted as production costs actually spent in Germany.

Calculation method:

German production costs (total from Annex 11)
less all costs incurred in Germany for foreign filming and preparation/post-production
less all returns and provisions
= Actual amount German production costs spent in Germany

The grant amounts to 30 percent of the recognised German production costs, up to a maximum of 5 million euros per film.

Projects that began shooting before 1 February 2025 will receive a grant depending on their German production costs of either 20 per cent with German production costs of up to 8 million euros or 25 per cent for projects with German production costs of over 8 million euros, up to a maximum of 4 million euros per film.

There is a general upper limit of 80 per cent of the total budget on which the subsidy can be calculated.

Changes may still be made to the budget and financing during the review of the submitted documents and up to the time the grant notification is issued. Once the grant decision has been issued, no increase in the grant stipulated in the decision is possible unless additional costs are incurred during production due to force majeure. Only in this case can these additional costs be subsidised upon application up to the amount of the respective permissible percentage grant. Subsequent approval is limited to a maximum of 30 per cent of the original grant.

Projects with grant notification from 1 April 2021:

For projects whose grant notification is issued from 1 April 2021, the trustee fee for auditing the final costs is 1.5 per cent of the grant up to a funding amount of 1.5 million euros. In addition, a further 0.75 per cent audit fee is charged up to a funding amount of 3 million euros (cap).

Projects with grant notification until 31 March 2021:

If, in addition to the DFFF, the financing includes other production funding processed by the FFA (GMPF, BKM cultural film funding, Minitraité, FFA production funding, reference funding), the trustee fee for auditing the final costs is 1.375 per cent of the approved grant. If only the DFFF and none of the above-mentioned production funding processed by the FFA is included in the financing, the trustee fee is 1.65 per cent of the grant.
Trustee fees count as recognised German production costs.

In principle, a reasoned application for authorisation for filming abroad must be submitted for any planned filming abroad (Annex 20 of the application). This application can be made informally and must be submitted together with the funding application. Depending on the type of film, external filming abroad may or may not be recognised. For feature films, a maximum of 40 per cent of the total shooting days can be approved.

• This upper limit does not apply to documentary films. 100 per cent of external filming abroad can be approved
• No animation work abroad is approved for animated films

This means that the German crew and cast as well as film material, equipment, props and costumes that were rented from Germany can be counted towards the recognised German production costs in the amount of the recognised outside shooting days abroad. Preparation, handling and travelling days abroad are not subsidised. For the crew's flights to be recognised, they must take off or land in Germany and be booked through a German travel agency. Diets can only be recognised if they are paid into a German bank account or in Germany.

Example:

A German camerawoman is working on a feature film project with a total of 35 shooting days, 19 of which are in Germany and 16 abroad.

Of these 16 shooting days abroad, 15 are 'predominantly' outdoor shooting days (the camera is mainly outdoors) and one indoor shooting day.

For feature films, the DFFF only subsidises German costs for external filming abroad up to a maximum of 40 per cent of the total shooting days (in Germany and abroad) of the project.

In our example, there are 15 external shooting days abroad, but only 40 per cent of 35 total shooting days can be recognised, i.e. a maximum of 14.

Fees for preparation and follow-up days and days spent travelling abroad are not eligible.

The camerawoman has a contract with a compensation of 46.020 euros and a total of 78 days, which results in a daily fee of 590 euros. The breakdown is as follows:

How does this affect the German costs, approved German costs and minimum amount?

• German costs: The German costs include 100 per cent of the fee, as the camerawoman pays tax here in Germany.
• Approved German costs: The approved German costs now include all German days, i.e. 56 PLUS the approved external shooting days abroad, i.e. 14.
• A total of 70 days can be subsidised. Multiplied by the daily fee, 41,300.00 euros can therefore be transferred to the approved German costs.
• Minimum amount: Only the German days are included in the minimum amount, i.e. 56 days.  Multiplied by the daily fee, 33.040,00 euros can therefore be transferred to the minimum amount.

In summary:

Foreign cast and crew members are fully recognised for the time they work in Germany (fees and ancillary wage costs), as they are subject to limited tax liability in Germany in accordance with Section 49 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG). The place of performance is decisive for the recognition of these costs. If the foreign co-producer employs cast and crew members who work for the filming in Germany, these costs can be recognised if the corresponding employment contracts and proof of payment are submitted for the final audit.

Example:
The French costume designer has a total of 78 working days, because she prepares 3 days in Germany and 30 abroad, she shoots 19 days in Germany and 16 abroad, has one day of processing/post in Germany and 5 days abroad, as well as 2 travelling days within Germany and two days in/abroad. With 78 working days and a fee of 30,000 euros, this results in a daily fee of 384.62 euros.

How does this affect the German costs, aproved German costs and minimum amount?
All German days are included in the German costs, the approved German costs and the minimum amount, i.e. 3 + 19 + 1 + 2 = 25. Multiplied by the daily fee, this makes 9,615.50 euros.

Insurance reimbursements must be deducted from the cost-reducing income in the calculation as part of the final cost audit. This also applies to the German production costs, approved German production costs and the actual German production costs - depending on how the insurance reimbursement is allocated to the individual cost types. If, for example, the insurance company also reimburses part of the HUs or travel costs of actors, these are not to be deducted from the approved German costs - as they may not be included there in principle.

§ 11 financial contribution

The financial contribution is calculated in accordance with §§ 77 and 78 FFG. Accordingly, an financial contribution of at least 5 per cent of the production costs must be proven. In the case of international co-productions, the German financing share is used as the basis for calculation. If a public TV broadcaster is involved in the financing and a co-production share is stated in the broadcasting contract, the co-production share of the broadcaster may be deducted in order to obtain the calculation threshold for the financial contribution:

Total production costs
- Share of international co-producers
- TV share of co-production of the public broadcaster
= Calculation threshold

Of this calculation threshold, 5 per cent must be provided as a financial contribution.
This includes

Own investment:

• Cash and cash equivalents of the German producer
• Third-party investments (cash investment with or without proceeds participation). Investments can also be made by foreign third parties, but the contract must be concluded with the German producer and the cash flow to the German project account must be verifiable.

External investments:

• Only loans with an unconditional repayment obligation

Personal contributions:

• Deferred payments by the producer or his permanent employees as creative producer, production manager, director, cameraman, leading actor and deferred payments for the producer's exploitation rights to his own works, such as the novel, screenplay or film music, as well as his own archive material.
  This does not include overheads, non-cash contributions from the producer and non-cash credits from technical companies or other deferred services or rights.

Licence presales:

• Minimum guarantees from distributors
• Minimum guarantees from sales agents
• Other presales for German rights (also abroad or to sales agents)
• Presales of broadcasting rights (private or public broadcasting licences). In the case of public broadcasters, the broadcasting licence can only be counted as part of the financial contribution if it has been contractually specified or if the broadcaster has confirmed the corresponding amount of the licence. In the case of mixed contracts without a division into co-production and licence share, no licence share can be used for the calculation.
  

§ 14 International co-productions

In the case of international co-productions, the applicant producer must make a financial contribution of at least 20 per cent of the production costs; for production costs of over 25 million euros, a financial contribution of at least 5 million euros is sufficient.

In the case of a co-production involving a producer based outside the European Economic Area, the applicant producer must provide evidence of a reference film that he has produced alone or as a co-producer with a majority shareholding.

For co-productions made under the EU Treaty, the cultural characteristics test is conducted solely on the basis of the points system for which Annex II to the EU Treaty makes provision.

In the case of international co-productions, the production overheads (HUs) are calculated on basis of the German financing share.

They will not receive a grant if the German contribution consists solely of a financial contribution without the German parties sharing any responsibility for the content or being actively involved in production.

§ 17 (5) Application and application procedure

If you have to withdraw your funding application or your project has been formally rejected, you have the opportunity to submit a new application for this project twice. It is important that filming has not yet begun.

DFFF grants are genuine subsidies within the meaning of the administrative regulation on the application of the VAT Act and are therefore not subject to VAT (Section 10.2 UStAE on § 10 UStG).

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined in EU Recommendation 2003/361. This definition can also be found in Annex 1 Block Exemption Regulation (BER) No 651/2014 of the European Commission. According to this, a company is an SME if it has no more than 249 employees and generates an annual turnover of no
more than 50 million euros or has a balance sheet total of no more than 43 million euros.

These thresholds apply to individual companies. In the case of a company that is part of a larger group, the number of employees and the turnover or balance sheet total of the
group must also be taken into account, depending on the size of the shareholding. For statistical/empirical analyses, SMEs are usually defined according to the number of employees or the size of turnover:

• Micro-enterprise: up to 9 employees and up to 2 million euros turnover/year
• Small company: up to 49 employees and up to 10 million euros turnover/year and no smallest company
• Medium-sized company: up to 249 employees and up to 50 million euros turnover/year and not a micro or small company

Interrelationships between SMEs and other companies cannot (yet) be taken into account in official statistics.

§ 8 (8) Film-related requirements

The ecological standards must be complied with for all projects.

The information required as part of the application must be submitted using the digital tool for compliance with ecological standards.

After submitting your application, you will receive a process number which must be stated on the DFFF application form. Compliance will also be checked by the FFA once
the project has been completed.

§ 19 Disbursement

If a grant notification was issued before 1 February 2025, you can find the conditions for payment in your notification under point 9.

The grant is generally paid out after the final review of the project.

If payment in instalments has been approved for the project, the grant is paid out in instalments as follows as standard:

1st instalment when filming begins: 25 per cent
2nd instalment mid-shoot: 25 per cent
3rd instalment rough cut: 25 per cent
4th instalment after audit of the final costs: 25 per cent

The percentage distribution of the instalments can also be determined individually as required before the grant is awarded. It should be noted that only up to 33 per cent can
be paid out per instalment and a maximum of 75 per cent of the grant before the final audit.

Example of individual instalment payment as required for high costs during the shooting period:

1st instalment when filming begins: 30 per cent
2nd instalment mid-shoot: 30 per cent
3rd instalment rough cut: 15 per cent
4th instalment after audit of the final costs: 25 per cent

Example of individual instalment payment as required for high post-production costs:

1st instalment when filming begins: 20 per cent
2nd instalment mid-shoot: 22 per cent
3rd instalment rough cut: 33 per cent
4th instalment after audit of the final costs: 25 per cent

Please specify in the application for payment by instalments how you would like to receive the instalments. Please note that a disbursed instalment must be spent within 6
weeks.

To request the instalments, please use the request form, which you can find in the download area, and send it together with the following documents to the responsible
funding officer:

1st instalment (25 per cent or individually up to 33 per cent) when filming begins and finance is in place

• One signed original copy of the notification
• First daily report
• Evidence of finance in place (100 per cent)
• Signed copy of the order form for the final audit  (send the original to the audit company)
• Proof of place of residence/business (branch office if applicable) in Germany, if registered office abroad at the time of application

Please refer to your notification for the list of documents required. Promises of grants, binding deal memos for distribution and global distribution and the broadcaster’s data sheet are sufficient for payment of the first instalment. All the final contracts must then be submitted for the second installment.

2nd instalment (25 per cent or individually up to 33 per cent) mid-shoot

• Corresponding daily report

3rd instalment (25 percent or individually up to 33 percent) upon completion of the rough cut

• Proof of rough cut approval (by the broadcaster, distributor or producer)
• Last daily report
• Submission of all final contracts (distribution contract, broadcaster contract, loan agreements for the grants, world sales contract, etc.)

4th instalment (min. 25 percent) after audit of the final costs

• Declaration of agreement with the audit report
• Confirmation by the distributor of the cinema release, stating the number of prints. Should the film not yet have been released in cinemas, confirmation of the planned cinema release will initially be sufficient.
• Viewing DVD to audit the cultural characteristic test
• Evidence of delivery of a German version of the film to the German Federal Film Archive (may also be supplied later)
• Confirmation from the FFA that the ecological standards have been met

Projects with a grant of more than 2 million euros:

For projects with a grant of more than 2 million euros, a completion insurance or bank guarantee for the amount to be paid out must always be submitted. This can be waived
under the following conditions and the 1st to 3rd instalments can be paid out:

• Evidence in accordance with the requirements for the 1st to 3rd instalments (see above)
• Proof of completion of the final German version (zero copy)
• Confirmation by the distributor about the upcoming or completed exploitation
• Submission of a current cost status that does not fall significantly short of the approved costs (ADHK) stated at the time of application and thus does not give
  reason to expect that the funding amount will be reduced, and
• a declaration by the producer that the regulations of the DFFF remain fulfilled.

The payment of instalments will be made using the corresponding payment form and after submission of the necessary documents. The IBAN and BIC of the project account must be stated on each request of payment. The payment form can be obtained from the website's download area or from one of the funding consultants. Confirmation must be given upon an instalment's payment that the disbursed funds will be used promptly, or within the next 6 weeks at the latest.

The most important deadlines are the deadline for closed financing, the start of shooting, the completion of the final German version, the cinema release and the
deadline for the final audit. Please note that these deadlines are binding and if they are not met, the award of grant expires. In justified exceptional cases, an extension can be applied for. Please contact the funding consultant in good time. The deadlines were changed in the Guidelines dated 1 January 2025. If a grant notification was issued for your project before 1 January 2025, the deadlines according to the notification apply.

Finance in place:
5 months after issue of the award, 100 per cent of the financing must be substantiated.

Start of filming:
Filming must begin no later than 6 months after the decision is issued.

Completion of the final German version:
This is a date chosen by the producer and specified in the application form. In the case of international co-productions, it should be noted that this is the proof for the German
version. If you are unable to meet the deadline, you can apply for an extension of the deadline. We urge you to observe the deadlines, as the decision will automatically expire if the
deadline is exceeded.

Cinema release:

The theatrical release of the film must take place no later than 1 year after completion of the final German version. An extension of the deadline can only be granted with an
exceptional authorisation from the FFA board.

Final audit:

Two years after completion of the final German version, your project should go into the final audit.

In cases of force majeure or comparable circumstances, the deadlines may be extended more than once.

All deadline extensions must be applied for. For this purpose, a legally binding signed application with a justification for the delay and a specific date for the deadline extension must be submitted by post. Applications can be submitted in advance by e-mail. In the event of a postponement of the cinema release, the distributor must also explain the facts of the case and confirm the rescheduled release in an accompanying letter in addition to the application from the funding recipient.

§9 (2-5) Obligation for cinema exploitation
§9a Number of copies, requirement for distribution

In principle, the theatrical release of the film must take place no later than one year after completion of the final German version. If a regular first release in cinemas is not possible for a significant period of time due to force majeure, this can take place in exceptional cases with special justification through an online first screening on paid video-on-demand services. The prerequisite for this is that the cinema industry receives a significant financial share in the exploitation of the film until the end of the regular picture carrier/VoD/PPV embargo period in accordance with FFG Section 54 (2) sentence 1.

This requires an informal, legally binding signed application. The justification must explain in detail how the film will be exploited alternatively and how the cinema industry will participate in the exploitation of the film. In addition to the producer's application, the distributor must also explain the facts of the case in an accompanying letter and confirm the new first screening. The application must be sent directly to the FFA's legal department (Jeannette Batz, Große Präsidentenstraße 9, 10785 Berlin).

In principle, the film must be released in cinemas with the minimum number of copies stipulated by the DFFF in §9a (1-2). In particularly justified exceptional cases, the FFA Board may authorise an exception upon joint application by the producer and the distributor. This requires an informal, legally binding signed application. The application must explain in detail why the guaranteed minimum number of copies cannot be adhered to. The planned number of copies must also be stated. The application must be sent to the DFFF funding officer responsible for the project.

§ 8 (4) Film-related requirements

The accessible version is the final version of the film with German audio description and with German subtitles for the hearing impaired.

Proof of production must be submitted before payment of the last instalment of the approved grant and at the latest after completion of the answer print and before the start of cinema exploitation.

§ Section 10 (1) Holdback periods and Television Broadcasting Rights (DFFF Guideline) and Section 54 holdback periods (FFG)

Provided that nothing conflicts with the film industry's interests, a shortening of the regular holdback periods may be authorised. Applications are submitted on an ongoing basis, but at the earliest after the cinema release. In order to ensure that your application is processed in good time, please submit your application in good time.

If you have received FFA and DFFF funding for your project, you can submit a joint application to reduce the holdback periods. The application and the relevant documents should be sent to Jeanette Batz at the FFA (Große Präsidentenstraße 9, 10178 Berlin).

§ 16 (6) Amount of the grant; eligible production costs

Any subsequent exceeding of the German production costs stated and approved at the time of application will generally not be taken into account.

If additional costs are incurred during production due to force majeure, these can be subsidised upon application up to the amount of the respective permissible percentage grant (20 per cent / 25 per cent / 30 per cent). Subsequent approval is limited to a maximum of 30 per cent of the original grant. A separate application for funding for additional costs due to the pandemic must be submitted for this purpose:

You must submit your project for the final audit no later than two years after the final German version has been completed. To do this, you send various documents to the DFFF and the auditors. If you have any questions about the final review, please contact the respective funding consultant. Detailed information on the process and the list of documents to be submitted can be found here:

§ 18 (4) Approval

Only relevant for projects with funding approval until 31 December 2024:

In principle, every producer is obliged to pay an export contribution if a film was produced with FFA or DFFF funding and sold abroad. The export contribution is payable on all proceeds from foreign sales, as well as on minimum guarantees from world sales agents, even if these are part of the film's financing. The contribution amounts to 1.5 per cent of the net proceeds, up to a maximum of 50,000 euros.

The export contribution is the film industry's direct contribution to the financing of German Films Service + Marketing GmbH and its tasks. Since 2013, the export contribution must be reported directly to the FFA. It is levied directly from the producers and no longer via the sales companies as was previously the case. For more information on the export contribution, please contact the FFA at exportbeitrag@ffa.de.