News

PRESS RELEASE

Berlin / Potsdam – Despite the restrictions caused by Corona, film production in the German capital region has made it through the past 2 years successfully. 

◾ With 6,000 shooting days, a new record was set last year for series and films in the region.

◾ Film funding in the amount of EUR 33.6 million led to a 5-fold regional effect in 2021, i.e., more than EUR 184 million were spent for funded films in the region. In addition, there are further investments, e.g. by streaming portals, which are filming here without funding.

◾ Due to the high cultural and economic significance for the location, a significant increase has been earmarked in the Berlin budget that was just passed – in 2022 by an additional EUR 3.5 million above the 2021 budget to EUR 17.2 million, and in 2023 by an additional EUR 4.2 million above the 2021 budget to EUR 17.9 million.

◾ Furthermore, the 20/21 pilot programme “Digital Film Production”, which was endowed with EUR 5 million, got off to a successful start and cinema hits such as “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” or “The School of the Magical Animals” were brought to life on the computer by Berlin visual effects artists. 

◾ Due to the great demand, the funding is now to be almost doubled from EUR 5 million for 2 years to EUR 9 million.

◾ The Berlin-Brandenburg Cinema Programme Award remains at a high level of EUR 1.5 million in order to preserve Berlin’s unique diversity of cinemas and to support the work of the dedicated cinema operators to the best of our ability.

◾ Now, Berlin is once again the backdrop for great cinema and streaming: In addition to “Role Play” starring Billy Bob Thornton, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, “The King’s Land” starring Mads Mikkelsen, and the Bollywood film “Bawal”, new films by Christian Petzold, Barbara Albert, Simon Verhoeven, Annekatrin Hendel, Thomas Arslan and Valeska Grisebach are being made this shooting season, as well as high-end series by Pola Beck, Kida Ramadan, Dani Levy, Sabrina Sarabi and Özgür Yildirim.

◾ Films and series “Made in Berlin-Brandenburg” are in demand internationally and have become a global brand. Good image advertising for the city included.

In order to make Germany’s No. 1 film location even more attractive to crews from Germany and abroad, the state of Berlin, with the support of MBB, is also reviving the Senate resolution “Film-friendly City of Berlin”! A central point of contact for filming permits is intended to make it significantly easier for the industry to film in streets and parks as well as on lakes.

Franziska Giffey, Governing Mayor of Berlin: 
“Berlin is already an attractive film metropolis and one of the most sought-after locations for filming internationally. In the past 10 years alone, filming activities in our city have quadrupled. Every film and every series that is created here is a great advertisement for our city. We want to make Berlin even more film-friendly in the future. This is what the revival of the Senate resolution and our intention to streamline licensing procedures is representative of. We are also delighted to be able to provide Medienboard with more funds for film funding. Because film funding creates important artistic added value for Berlin and record economic effects for the entire region every year.” 

Kirsten Niehuus, CEO Film Funding, MBB: 
“Berlin has become a global brand as a film location. That is particularly evident in the run on the filming locations for films and series. Film production in the region is not just a significant economic factor, but also an important component of the cultural metropolis. The substantial increase in funding is good news for all film-makers and VFX companies in the region and secures the location’s top position internationally as well. The planned simplification of filming permits is an important location factor for realising films in Berlin.”

Film & Economy

The shooting boom of feature films and high-end series ensures full employment at the location, but also leads to a considerable shortage of skilled workers in the film industry. International and German film crews rub shoulders in the German capital region, plus hundreds of employees working behind the camera every day. Trades businesses, hotels and logistics companies also benefit from the shooting high. With at least 50,000 jobs, the “Audio-Visual Creative Industries” are an important job engine for Berlin and Brandenburg. As an industry of the future, the film industry is a driver of innovation and technology, and more and more highly qualified jobs are being created in Berlin in the ever-growing field of so-called visual effects, e.g. computer-generated images for worldwide blockbusters (including “Captain America” and “Fantastic Beasts” – currently one of the blockbusters of 2022 with 3 million cinema-goers).

Green Filming
◾ In order to receive MBB funding, producers must comply with certain minimum green standards.
◾ MBB funds higher costs for green shooting and for the training to become a green consultant.
◾ 2022, all German funding schemes will set the same minimum standards as a funding requirement.
◾ Together with the Berlin-Brandenburg Film Commission, MBB is offering well-attended continuing education workshops to become green consultants and regular industry talks in the “Keen to be Green” series.

Gender equality and diversity
◾ MBB is funding based on the principle “If the quality is equal, the project with a female director will be given preference”.
◾ MBB is funding proportionate costs for intimacy counsellors, harassment counsellors and on-set childcare.
◾ Workshops for the industry as well as training sessions for MBB employees on diversity are also funded in order to take a more sensitive look at depiction of role models and at social narratives.

Cinema again, at last!
◾ German Film Award: 18 LOLAs for 6 MBB-funded films
◾ Cannes Film Festival: 4 prizes for MBB-funded films, “Triangle of Sadness” wins the Golden Palm!
◾ Berlin-Brandenburg Cinema Programme Award: For the 3^rd time in a row, MBB is providing top bonuses totalling EUR 1.5 million.

Filming in the region (selection)
Feature films:The Red Sky (Christian Petzold), The Midday Woman (Barbara Albert), Girl You Know It’s True (Simon Verhoeven), Das Wunder von Köpenick (‘The Köpenick Miracle’) (Annekatrin Hendel), Bawaal (Nitesh Tiwari)
Series:Tender Hearts (Pola Beck), Asbest (Kida Ramadan), A Thin Line (Sabrina Sarabi, Damian John Harper), Para – We Are King Season 2 (Özgür Yildirim), I am Scrooge (Hannu Salonen), Electric Eye
Shooting finished:Alice (Nicole Weegmann), Trauzeugen ‘Witnesses to the Marriage’ (Finn Christoph Stroeks), Northern Comfort (Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson), 15 Vears (Chris Kraus), The Kangaroo Conspiracy (Marc-Uwe Kling)
Shooting to begin shortly:Role Play (Thomas Vincent) starring Billy Bob Thornton, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, The King’s Land (Nicolaj Arcel) starring Mads Mikkelsen

Coming soon to the cinema and streaming
Love Thing // Sonne und Beton (‘Sun & Concrete’) // The Kangaroo Conspiracy // Mittagsstunde (‘Midday’) // School of Magical Animals – Part 2 // 1000 Lines // In a Land That No Longer Exists // Triangle of Sadness // Rheingold (‘Rhine Gold’) // Einfach Mal Was Schönes (‘Just Something Beautiful’) // Dear Kurt // Caveman // Weekend Rebels // 1899 (series) // Haus der Träume (‘House of Dreams’) (series) // Babylon Berlin Season 4 (series)