Germany

New funding instrument for cinemas showing German, European and artistic/creative films

IRIS 2025-10:1/22

Christina Meese

Institute of European Media Law

A new funding instrument was launched in Germany in October 2025. The “Liebling Kino” programme will award financial incentives to cinemas that give special prominence to German, European and artistically ambitious films as part of a high-quality programme. Although the funding is only meant to pay for cinema operations, a points system should ultimately benefit the entire funding chain, from production to distribution, by creating appropriate incentives. Applications should be possible from November 2025.

The new grants will be awarded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) through the Filmförderungsanstalt (Federal Film Board – FFA) and will be based on cinemas’ film programmes from the previous year. The recipients will be selected using an automated process in accordance with a points system that takes into account audience figures for German, European and artistic/creative films as well as special cultural achievements. Funds will be granted on application to cinemas with at least 2,500 points, which are awarded according to three criteria: “audience success”, “screen factor” and “special cultural programme work”.

A cinema’s “audience success” in relation to German and European films corresponds to the number of admissions for these films in the previous year, while this number is doubled for artistic/creative films. German and European films are full-length films produced mainly by one or more producers resident or based in one or more countries participating in Creative Europe’s MEDIA programme and with significant participation of professionals from these countries. Artistic/creative films are full-length films that have already received funding within the framework of jury-based cultural film funding programmes, received talent film funding from the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film (Young German Film Board) or achieved success at certain festivals or award ceremonies. In order to include small cinemas, the “screen factor” gives cinemas with no more than two screens a 20% bonus on their audience success score. Under the “programme work” criterion, additional points can be earned if a cinema fulfils at least two criteria, including the organisation of school cinema events, repertoire screenings, documentary and short film series or events on socially relevant topics.