Vote in the Bundestag: film funding reform is about to be passed

An important item is on the agenda for today's plenary session of the Bundestag: the vote on the draft bill for the new Film Subsidies Act (FFG), which was passed by the Bundestag Committee for Culture and the Media. The aim is to reform cinema film funding and secure the necessary levies from cinema revenues - just in time for the turn of the year.

If the bill is not passed, the German film industry would lack crucial funding for cinema production. While the CDU/CSU parliamentary group has announced its intention to reject the bill, the approval of other parliamentary groups is required to achieve a majority.

In their Press release the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (ver.di) sees the reform as an important step, as it firmly anchors compliance with collective bargaining and copyright agreement regulations for the first time. "Our demands have been heard: film funding must not only ensure production financing, but also protect fair remuneration and copyrights," explains Christoph Schmitz-Dethlefsen, member of the ver.di national executive board.

According to Schmitz-Dethlefsen, the law will bring significant improvements for filmmakers. Together with the recently reached collective agreement, which also provides for an industry-wide pension scheme for streaming and cinema productions, work in subsidised film projects would become significantly more social and sustainable. "If the law is not passed, there is a risk of job losses and a collapse in the film industry."

Despite this progress, there is criticism: the federal government has not yet managed to present further important legislative proposals. In particular, the investment obligation for streaming services and a tax incentive model for international productions are missing. Industry associations, employers and ver.di continue to call for these measures in order to keep Germany competitive as a film location in the long term.

The decision on the FFG could point the way for the future of the German film industry.