German government to provide film industry with extra €45m in pandemic support

The German federal government is to provide an extra €45m ($55m) in pandemic support to the nation’s film industry as part of its Restart Culture funding programme. 

Central government will boost its contribution to the existing production insurance scheme by €25m to €75m for feature films and high-end series production, with the application period extended until June 30, 2022.

The amount allocated for distributors and sales companies has also been almost doubled, with up to €20m now made available for distribution companies and €2m for sales companies, to help with various measures including promotional campaigns for children’s films.

In addition, state minister for culture and media (BKM) Monika Grütters is providing an extra €8m in the form of appreciation bonuses for the distribution and exhibition sector. This will see bonuses of up to €300,000 paid to distributors for “outstanding achievements” and is based on a points-based system.

Grütters said the bonuses were: “to acknowledge the commitment of the distribution sector under difficult Corona conditions, provide support for a genuine new start for the exhibition sector and the preservation of the cinemas as cultural venues and to help ensure that the diverse German distribution sector and the independent distribution companies in particular remain intact.“

German cinemas have been closed since November 2 and will not open until June 30 at the earliest.

This article originally appeared on sister site ScreenDaily.