Berlin, 14 May 2025: Confident despite the difficult market situation, united in the face of the challenges and the new political leadership in the country - this is how the Association of Technical Companies for Film and Television (VTFF) presented itself at its spring conference on 12 May at the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich. An expanded board team was elected with an overwhelming majority. The association intends to continue its dedicated communication work to influence the new federal government in order to make the interests of technical and creative service providers in the film and TV industry heard. The focus remains on the demand for a tax incentive system.

The long-standing VTFF Chairman of the Board Stefan HoffManaging Director of MMC Studios Cologne and MMC Movies Cologne, welcomed the 80th member just in time for the spring conference. "This means that the VTFF has doubled its membership in recent years and has grown into a strong community," said Hoff. The reports from the VTFF group board members clearly showed how difficult the situation remains for service providers across all trades. "The market is under extreme pressure," explained Markus Osthaus, TVN Group and Board Member for Outside Broadcasting. "We are dealing with a massive exodus of projects abroad, a lot of expertise is flowing out," reported Andrea Peters, Theatre Arts and Director of the Fundus companies. For the post-production trades, there is a lack of a fair basis for remuneration in the client's project calculation, and the companies are increasingly experiencing economic difficulties, he added. Inken Griese, Board Member Postproduction. The Managing Director of Bavaria Studios Friedhelm Bixschlag appealed to the unity and resilience of the members: "The high ancillary labour costs and excessive bureaucracy are causing problems for technical and creative service providers, which puts Germany at a massive disadvantage in international competition. We need to become more visible again and get back on the map". It was only during the Berlinale that the VTFF launched its powerful "Appeal 2025" (www.vtff.de) has addressed ten key demands to industry players and politicians, which remain at the centre of its communication work.

With the arrival of the black-red federal government and thus the new Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), the journalist and media entrepreneur Wolfgang Weimer, the association sees a fundamental understanding for necessary solutions in the film industry. The increase in the funding rate from 20 to 30 per cent and the increase in the caps for the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF) - initiated at the very last minute by the old government - have created a basis for the further development of the reform of film and series funding, explained VTFF Managing Director Achim Rohnke. "The glass is half full, not half empty." The demand for an automated, uncapped, tax incentive system remains central. "Only with an internationally competitive incentive system can Germany as a production location return to the world map and jobs and technologies in Germany be maintained and even expanded," says Rohnke.

The election of the VTFF Board was a vote of confidence in the old Board and a signal for the expansion of VTFF activities. The members were confirmed and elected with overwhelming majorities:

• Stefan Hoff as Chairman of the Executive Board
• Inken Griese (post-production, sound, film heritage),
• Andrea Brüggemann (Personnel),
• Andrea Peters (Fundus),
• Markus Osthaus (outside broadcast),
• Friedhelm Bixschlag (Studio)
• Sven Pannicke (VFX and Virtual Production)
• Paul Hasel (Rental)

Resigned from the VTFF Board of Directors Bojana Nikolaidis. The VTFF members thanked her warmly for her many years of constructive commitment. She will be succeeded by Paul Hasel, Managing Director of the rental company Maier Bros. The newly established Personnel Group will be headed by Andrea BrüggemannManaging Director of BUCH MICH. With Sven PannickeManaging Director of Rise Visual Effects Studios and Rise Pictures, visual effects companies (VFX) are represented on the association's board for the first time. "We are delighted to be part of a strong VTFF community," says Pannicke.