You as the producer are eligible to apply for funding for programme-length children's films or children's short films. A producer is someone who is responsible for the realisation of the film project.

• You are a producer with your place of residence or business in Germany.
• If your place of residence or business is in a member state of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you must have a branch office in Germany.

The production of your film project can be funded if the following conditions are met:

• It is a full-length children's film (screening time of at least 59 minutes) or a short children's film of no more than 30 minutes.
• The film has a significant German cultural impact within the meaning of the BKM's film funding guidelines.
• The production costs of the full-length children's film do not exceed EUR 5,000,000, unless this is a justified exceptional case.
• The funding should not exceed a total of 80 percent of the eligible production costs estimated in the preliminary cost estimate
• You contribute to the financing of the film with an appropriate share of your own according to the scope of the production, your capital resources and your previous production activities as defined by the German Film Subsidies Act. The own contribution must amount to at least 5 percent of the approved costs. In the case of international co-productions, the financing share of the German producer is to be taken as the basis for calculating the own contribution.
• The majority of the financing for the film must be German within the meaning of the BKM's film funding guidelines.
• You may not begin shooting or animating the film until you have been granted funding, unless you have agreed an exception with the BKM.
• You will produce at least one final version of the film in German, apart from dialogue passages for which another language is stipulated in the script. In the case of documentaries and short films, a German subtitled version suitable for cinema screening is sufficient.
• They will have at least one final version of the film by the time the regular theatrical release begins in a version
  • with German subtitles for people with hearing disabilities and
  • with German audio description for people with visual impairments
  • in marketable and cinema-suitable quality.
  • Their costs for this are recognised by the BKM and are to be taken into account in the calculation. In particularly justified cases, exceptions may be permitted upon application by the producer.
• if one or more television broadcasters are involved in the production of your film project:
• Proof that in the exploitation contract with the television broadcaster a reversion of the television exploitation rights to the applicant, in accordance with the regulations of the FFG and the guidelines issued on the basis of the FFG, has been agreed. The same applies to television exploitation rights which the producer has granted to a distributor or sales agent.

The decision on funding is made by a jury. In addition to the primary criterion of artistic quality, the feasibility of the project within a reasonable period of time as well as the expected distribution of the film, especially in the case of theatrical exploitation, are taken into consideration.
If you receive funding, you must also fulfil a number of conditions after completion of the film, otherwise the funding may be reclaimed:

• Compliance with blocking deadlines:
  • You must ensure regular initial theatrical exploitation. Under certain conditions you can apply for a reduction of the blocking period.
• Registration and archiving in the Federal Archives:
  • Within 12 months of the first public screening, you must register your film in accordance with the Federal Archive Act. At the time of registration, but within 12 months thereafter at the latest, you must notify the Federal Archives of the location of a technically sound archivable copy of the cinema film.
  • No later than 12 months after the first public screening of your film, you must provide the Federal Archives with a technically flawless copy of the film in an archivable format free of charge. Further details, in particular the technical specifications of the archivable copy, are governed by regulations of the Federal Archives.
• Document and notification obligations at the BKM:
  • After completion of the film, you must provide the BKM with two voucher DVDs and inform them immediately of the distribution title, date of theatrical release, participation and, if applicable, awards at German and international film festivals as well as other nominations and prizes.

Notes:

If, in the case of a co-production, several producers meet the requirements for approval, the application may only be submitted by one of the producers.

The resubmission of an unsuccessful project is only possible once. The prerequisite for this is that the project has been substantially changed from the project already submitted for funding. A change is not required if formal reasons for the rejection were decisive and no longer exist.