The future of the German film industry: An interview with Peter Dinges of the FFA (German Film Funding Board)
In September, we invited Peter Dinges (Chairman of the German Film Funding Board) to speak to our first-year filmmakers for their induction to BIMM University Berlin. In his presentation to the students, he spoke about the German film industry, its opportunities and the future.
He shared insights about what the current film industry in Germany looks like and how the Covid-19 pandemic affected cinemas and film enthusiasts:
“Streaming platforms had already played a part in changing the audiovisual world – not just in Germany but also in Europe and across the globe. This important shift that was already happening was only accelerated by the pandemic.”
He further explains how the demand for new films and TV shows on streaming platforms led to a production boom. Within the film industry there is a now a high demand for skilled workers and new talent thanks to this boom.
With institutions such as the FFA funding and supporting upcoming filmmakers, there is a real opportunity for filmmakers starting out in their career. For highly international cities like Berlin that live and breathe film and creativity, the opportunities are even greater. “In total, the FFA awards some 75 million euro per year to convincing projects in a wide variety of areas, such as scriptwriting, production, distribution and marketing – and recently also to the digitalisation of cinemas.” – Goethe Institut*
Additionally, Peter also sees a huge opportunity in collaborating internationally saying “the future is international” and that, today, “films are financed across borders”. This is especially apparent with films such as Holy Spider (directed by Ali Abbasi) or Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund) that have been produced by several partners from across the world.
With a need for new ideas to be shared and stories to be told, Germany is the perfect place for aspiring filmmakers to take their career to the next level and share their work.
Watch the full interview with Peter Dinges below and hear what he has to say about the German film industry in more detail:
