In co-operation with the German Federal Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes) the Berlin International Film Festival has set up the World Cinema Fund (WCF) to support filmmakers from transition countries. Until 2007, the geographical focus has been on Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. In February 2007, the WCF announced an expansion of the focus regions: since summer 2007, film projects from South East Asia and the Caucasus are also eligible for support from the WCF.  

Download WCF-Booklet 2008 (PDF) (5347 KB)  

 

The aim of the World Cinema Fund is to help the realisation of films which otherwise could not be produced, i.e. feature films and creative feature-length documentaries with a strong cultural identity. Another important goal is to strengthen the profile of these films in German cinemas. The World Cinema Fund has an annual budget of about 500,000 Euros at its disposal and provides support in the fields of production and distribution.  

 

One out of many successful WCF funded projects is Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now. The gripping drama ran in the Competition of the Berlinale 2005, won the Blue Angel prize for Best European Film endowed by Agicoa, and was then shown in more than 50 countries. In January 2006 the film won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. 

 

Eligible for funding are production companies with directors from the above mentioned regions as well as German production companies working with a director from these regions. The maximum amount which can be granted to a film for production is 100,000 Euros. In order to receive such funds, a German partner is required. However, the film does not necessarily have to be a co-production.  

 

German distributors can apply for distribution support. The maximum amount that can be granted to a film for distribution is 15,000 Euros.  

 

Up to 100,000 Euros per project.  

The budgets of the projects should range between 200,000 – 1,000,000 Euros.  

The funds should be spent in the countries in which the film is to be produced.  

 

Up to 15,000 Euros per project.  

The funds have to be spent on distributing the film in Germany.  

The following documents are necessary for the application:  

3-page synopsis, film script (English or French), director's CV and previous films on VHS or DVD, scriptwriter's CV, production company's profile/filmography, rights' clearance, detailed budget in Euros, financing plan in Euros and copies of the co-production contracts (the latter only if applicable). 

The WCF aims to support films in the WCF regions by developing lively cooperations between producers and directors from these regions and German partners. Therefore, German film companies play an important role in the structure of the WCF - in a cultural-political and economic way - approaching a positive understanding of globalisation. 

 

The foreign producer can submit a project without having a German partner attached at the time of the application. However, a German partner is needed as soon as a project is recommended for funding by the WCF jury. The WCF often serves as a bridge between producers from abroad and German companies, i.e. it can assist in finding an adequate partner. Once the German partner is attached, the WCF jury's recommendation can be turned into the actual funding. 

 

The WCF explicitly calls the German affiliates "partners" (not "producers") to also provide the opportunity for cooperations with other film related companies in Germany (like world sales agents or distributors), and to avoid additional bureaucracy. However, the German partners are usually "regular co-producers" of the film who can also look for further financing sources. 

 

The German partner signs the funding agreement with the WCF and is the recipient of the WCF support, and therefore is also held liable by the WCF. At the end, the German partner has to prove that the WCF funding amount (minus a possible handling fee of the German producer of 7.5% max) was entirely spent in the WCF regions. The German producer has to prove this by giving the WCF a confirmation about the spent costs signed by a certificated auditor. 

The World Cinema Fund is initiated by the  Kulturstiftung des Bundes , German Federal Cultural Foundation, and supported by  Goethe Institute.