Berlin, 27 August 2026 – The German film industry is rallying against the planned cuts to federal film funding. 48 organisations, initiatives and institutions call on the Federal Government to completely reverse the cut in funding announced for 2027.

The reason for this is that the funding pots from DFFF I and II, as well as the GMPF. According to the industry, the funds have already been allocated four months before the end of the year. The high demand shows that the funding schemes are having an impact and that Germany as a production hub has the potential for growth.

The associations view the planned reduction in federal funding from the amount previously pledged with even greater concern 250 million euros to around 200 million euros in 2027. The cut would jeopardise planned productions, investments and jobs, and could undermine confidence in the reliability of the location.

The 48 organisations point out that, following the scrapping of the originally planned tax-based film funding scheme, the industry was promised annual federal funding of 250 million euros. This commitment must also apply in 2027 and in subsequent years.

There has also been criticism of the funding arrangements for the cinema investment scheme. Cross-subsidisation of the Cinema Programme for the Future using unspent DFFF and GMPF funds would not work. Instead, the associations are calling for separate budget allocations for the respective funding schemes.

The signatories include, amongst others, the Production Alliance, SPIO, German Film Academy, AG Kino, HDF KINO, Federal Association of Actors and Federal Association of Directors.

The joint demand is as follows: 250 million euros in federal funding in 2027 and beyond – reliably allocated and broken down by funding stream.