Bundesportal | Apply for funding to prepare for production of full-length children's film projects

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Publisher

The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media

Last update or date of publication

July 10, 2020

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

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As a producer of a children's film, you can apply for film funding from the BKM to realize your project. The funding is awarded as part of the cooperation between the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film.

If a screenplay is already available, funding can be provided to finance the project development of a program-length children's film project.

You can receive the funding as a conditionally repayable, interest-free loan of up to EUR 50,000.

Your project can also be funded in several funding stages in succession, as provided for in the funding guidelines of the Curatorship of Young German Film, i.e. first for the screenplay, then for project development, for example.

synopsis of the film project, no longer than one DIN A4 page,
a brief characterization of the main characters,
information about the target group,
planned measures for the realization and evaluation of the project,
script or, especially in the case of documentaries or animated films: another description of the project suitable for the project
Staff list with biography of the producer and biography of the director,
details of your professional career, previous works of the director and the production company, if any,
statement of copyrights to the material and title, or
- if you do not have these rights: Evidence of the acquisition of these rights or the option to do so,
Calculation of project development,
financing plan of the project development,
preliminary financing plan of the total production costs

Forms: yes

Online procedure: no

Written form required: yes

Personal appearance required: no

Preconditions

As a producer, you can apply for the subsidies if

you already have a screenplay that indicates the exceptional artistic quality of the project.
you, as a producer, have your residence, usual place of abode or center of activity in Germany, and
you contribute an appropriate share of at least 20 percent of the recognized production costs.

In addition, your project must meet the following requirements:

exceptional cinematic quality,
"considerable German cultural influence" as defined by the BKM film funding guidelines, for example
- original language German or
- the director and the lead producer reside in Germany or are citizens of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
- have predominantly German financing, and
- the initial theatrical exploitation will take place in Germany,
a theatrical exploitation is expected,
you calculate the costs in a way that is customary in the industry and economical in accordance with the current guidelines for project film funding under the German Film Subsidies Act, and
you have not yet begun project development at the time of application.
You cannot apply for funding as a public or private broadcaster.

Hints

If the Board of Trustees for Young German Film has already rejected funding for your project, you must revise and change it in essential points for a new funding application. You must then describe these changes in your application. As a rule, resubmission is only possible in the Long Film production funding category. The Board of Trustees of Young German Film decides on exceptions.

in case of rejection: none
in case of approval: Administrative fee in the amount of 2 percent of the allocated sum. This amount is retained when the loan installments are disbursed. The fee is part of the cost of the funded project.

Basis for legal action

Richtlinie für die Projektfilmförderung der Filmförderungsanstalt

Richtlinie für die Verwendung von Förderhilfen der Filmförderungsanstalt

Ziffer 4.3 der Förderrichtlinie des Kuratoriums junger deutscher Film

§§ 9, 6 Absatz 4 Satz 2 und 3 der Richtlinie für die kulturelle Filmförderung der BKM

Procedure

You must submit your funding application in writing and additionally by e-mail:

Download the application for the children's film funding section from the website of the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film or the BKM.
Fill out the application and compile all required documents.
Send 11 copies of the application and documents to the Federal Archive.
Send the application and documents additionally as a PDF file by e-mail to the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film(antrag@kjdf.org).
The selection committee of the BKM and the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film will discuss your application. Based on the vote of the selection committee, the board decides whether your application is approved or rejected.
You will then receive a notice of approval or rejection.

If your application is approved:

Sign a funding agreement with the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film.
During filming, you must refer to the funding in the opening credits, closing credits, or both, and display the logos of the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film and the BKM.
After filming, you must generally provide the Kuratorium with a cinema-quality copy for archiving and for festivals.
You grant the Board of Trustees the right to use funded films in the context of a self-presentation alone or in cooperation with third parties, free of charge.
You must comply with the blocking periods that apply in each case according to the Film Funding Act when the funding agreement is concluded.
Start now with the project development.

Deadlines

You must submit the application before starting your project.

As a rule, there are 2 submission deadlines per year. The current deadlines can be found on the websites of the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film and the BKM. The date of receipt by the Federal Archive applies.

Processing time

It takes approximately 12 weeks from the time you submit your application to the time a decision is made on your application.

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