Administrative Regulations

The Hessen Film Fund (Hessische Filmförderung, HFF) consists of the Cultural Film Fund of the State of Hessen (Kulturelle Filmförderung des Landes Hessen, HFF-Land) and the Hessischer Rundfunk Film Fund (Hessischer Rundfunk Filmförderung, HFF-hr).

Cultural Film Fund of the State of Hessen (HFF-Land)

Regulations Governing the Allocation of State of Hessen Film and Cinema Support Funding

1. Goal

The State Government of Hessen supports film and cinema culture in Hessen with the goal of increasing its diversity and quality and contributing to the development of Hessen as a media location. In working towards this goal, it strives to achieve the closest possible cooperation with the Hessischer Rundfunk Film Fund(Hessische Rundfunk Filmförderung, HFF-hr).

2. Connection with Hessen

Projects that have no connection with the State of Hessen can only receive support under exceptional circumstances (e.g. sponsorship by an association of state film funds). A connection with Hessen exists:

1. when the main focus of the applicant’s artistic work is in Hessen;
2. when the support funds are primarily spent in Hessen;
3. when the subject of the project involves the State of Hessen.

3. Scope

Support is provided in the fields of

1. production, including
   1. preproduction,
   2. production,
   3. postproduction,
2. distribution, also including non-commercial distribution systems,
3. screening, including
   1. commercial screening locations, non-commercial screening locations, local film societies especially in rural areas, particularly for innovative projects and special equipment,
   2. series of films for children and young people,
   3. additional copies of new films for Hessian movie theatres in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants,
   4. the production and distribution of copies of important repertory and art films,
4. other measures, and
5. festivals.

4. Prizes

1. The Hessen Film Prize (Hessischer Filmpreis) is awarded to honour outstanding feature, documentary, short or experimental films that have a connection with Hessen.
2. The Hessen Student Film Prize (Hessischer Hochschul-Filmpreis) is awarded to honour the best student film produced as a final-year project at a Hessen higher education institution.
3. The Hessen Cinema Prize including the Hessen Film Art Prize (Hessischer Kinopreis einschliesslich des Hessischen Filmkunstpreises) is awarded to honour qualitatively outstanding commercial cinemas in Hessen and outstanding achievement in the area of non-commercial screening.
4. The Hessen Screenplay Prize (Hessischer Drehbuchpreis) is awarded to honour screenwriters and screenplays that have a connection with Hessen.

5. Hessen Film Prize

The Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts awards the Hessen Film Prize, which is worth 75,000 euros, to the film director of the selected film or selected films. The prize can be distributed between a maximum of three films. Additionally, the members of the jury for the film prizes and the screenplay prize can recommend that an outstanding individual achievement in one film (e.g. camera, editing, music, etc.) be honoured with an unendowed Special Jury Prize.

6. Hessen Student Film Prize

The Hessen Student Film Prize is worth 7,500 euros and is awarded to the graduate who produces the best film as a final-year project for a course of study at a Hessen higher education institution.

7. Hessen Cinema Prize including the Hessen Film Art Prize

The Hessen Cinema Prize including the Hessen Film Art Prize is endowed with prize money of 95,000 euros. The Hessen Cinema Prize is worth a total of 75,000 euros and is awarded to commercially operating, non-publicly funded cinemas in Hessen for outstanding cultural commitment. As a rule, the prize money shall amount to at least 7,500 euros for each cinema. The Film Art Prize is worth 20,000 euros and is awarded to non-commercial screening locations, municipal cinemas and local film societies.

8. Hessen Screenplay Prize

The Hessien Screenplay Prize is worth 7,500 euros and is awarded to a (successful) author of a screenplay who has a "connection with Hessen" – within the meaning of section 2 – either personally or as a result of the submitted work.

9. Rules

The prizes named in section 4 shall be jointly awarded on an annual basis within the framework of one or more official events.

Producers, directors, graduates, screenwriters, cinemas and non-commercial screening locations can apply for the prizes with productions, programmes, projects or works that were completed or executed in the past year.

The prizewinning films must be approved for general release by the Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Film Industry (Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft, FSK).

10. Juries

Three juries shall be formed to allocate support funding and select prizewinners. These juries shall be responsible for:

1. the production, screenplay and distribution sector,
2. the film prizes and the screenplay prize, and
3. the screening sector, film festivals and the cinema prize including the film art prize.

Juries a) and b) shall each consist of three members; jury c) shall consist of five members. The Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts shall appoint the members of the juries for the production, screenplay and distribution sector as well as for the film prizes and the screenplay prize respectively on the basis of a joint recommendation of Film- und Kinobüro Hessen e.V. and Filmhaus Frankfurt. (The recommendations shall be accompanied by a record of the joint decision-making process and all the candidates nominated by the individual associations and considered during the selection process.)

The members of the jury for the screening sector, film festivals and the cinema prize including the film art prize shall be appointed by the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts on the basis of recommendations from Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kino e.V., Film- und Kinobüro Hessen e.V. and two recommendations from Verbund Filmfestivals Hessen.

Each jury shall elect one member as its chairman/chairwoman.

Substitute members shall be nominated and appointed for all members of the jury.

The members of the jury for the film prizes and the screenplay prize are appointed for two years. The members of the jury for the production, screenplay and distribution sector are appointed for two years. Re-appointment is not possible.

The members of the jury for the screening sector, film festivals and the cinema prize including the film art prize are appointed for two years. Members can be re-appointed to the jury once only.

The juries shall consider the submitted projects and determine their worthiness of support and the level of any such support on the basis of these regulations; in the process, they shall take into account the sums made available by the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts for the respective support areas.

In making their recommendations, the members of the jury shall be independent and not bound by any instructions. Written minutes shall be produced of all support and prize meetings (these records must contain explanations of the reasons for decisions and of the connection with Hessen). The Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts shall receive a copy of the minutes of each meeting.

The jury for the film prizes and the screenplay prize shall meet once a year. The jury for the screening sector and the cinema prize including the film art prize shall meet twice a year.

The jury for the production, screenplay and distribution sector shall meet twice a year, concurrently with the selection commission of the Hessischer Rundfunk Film Fund (HFF-hr).

11. Grants for Individual Projects

Support funding awarded on the basis of these regulations can also be combined with support funding from other institutions. Should upper limits for public-sector support funding be prescribed under German or European law, these shall also apply to support funding pursuant to these regulations. Exceptions apply particularly in the case of "small" and "difficult" films, e.g. short films, documentaries, films by up-and-coming film-makers, and children’s films.

In principle, the Hessen Film Fund does not provide 100% financing. Exceptions are only possible in very special cases.

The maximum amounts of support funding for individual projects are as follows:
Preproduction15,000 euros
Production75,000 euros
Postproduction10,000 euros
Distribution15,000 euros
Screening measures pursuant to section 3 paragraph C clause a)15,000 euros
Other measures pursuant to section 3 paragraph D 10,000 euros

Postproduction support can only be provided for physical resources and can only occur if the project has not yet received any other public funding.

Producers must arrange a cost-free performance of supported productions. One voucher copy, in the form of a video copy, shall be made available to the Hessen Film Fund.

Immediately after the film has been completed, one copy of the film in its original format shall be transferred to the German Film Institute (Deutsches Filminstitut DIF) – or another recognized German film archive – for archiving.

Other solutions are possible in cases when producers are unable to produce a voucher copy due to a small production budget.

The first use of a supported film shall ensue in movie theatres or other public screening locations for at least 12 months after its completion. Exemptions from this period can be permitted, especially in the case of topical film projects or when first use has come to an end or could not be achieved despite proven efforts to do so. Decisions on such exemption shall be taken by the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts in consultation with the Executive Office of the Hessian Film Fund (Geschäftsstelle Hessische Filmförderung).

All projects with total costs of more than 25,000 euros shall be subject to preliminary examination by a recognized auditor. Statements of the use of funds for the aforesaid projects shall also be scrutinized by a recognized auditor pursuant to the State of Hessen’s General Additional Regulations Governing Funds Allocated for Project Support (Allgemeine Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen zur Projektförderung).

The Hessen Film Fund recognizes investigations conducted by the Auditing Department of Hessischer Rundfunk (HR). It also recognizes investigations commissioned by other state film funds.

Support funding for the screening of films pursuant to section 3 paragraph C shall be distributed between the individual support areas by the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts. In consensus with the ministry, the jury may deviate from this distribution.

The Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts shall notify the applicants that have been recommended to receive support of the jury’s decision and inform the public of its decision; it shall also issue the authorization orders and scrutinize – if necessary, in association with a recognized auditor – statements of use of funds.

12. Film Festivals

Support for film events and film festivals in Hessen or film events and film festivals that have a connection with Hessen is intended to build contacts between film-makers and the public and/or provide an overview of film production in Hessen.

Support for film festivals shall occur through the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts in consultation with the jury for the screening sector, film festivals and the cinema prize including the film art prize.

13. Copies of Important Repertory and Art Films

The production of copies of important repertory and art films shall be supported to ensure the availability, circulation and inclusion in art film series.

They shall be chosen by the jury for the screening sector, film festivals and the cinema prize including the film art prize (the copies shall be administered by the Film- und Kinobüro Hessen).

14. Additional Copies

The German Federal Film Board (Filmförderungsanstalt, FFA) shall be allocated support funds on provision that these funds be used to produce additional copies of current popular films. These additional copies are intended for screening in Hessian movie theatres in communities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. The films are chosen by the jury for the screening sector, film festivals and the cinema prize including the film art prize by arrangement with the Film Fund and the film distributor.

15. Executive Office of the Hessen Film Fund
(Geschäftsstelle Hessische Filmförderung)

In order to prepare, administer and realize the promotion of film on behalf of the State of Hessen and the Hessischer Rundfunk, the sponsors shall support an Executive Office of the Hessen Film Fund (Geschäftsstelle Hessische Filmförderung) on the basis of contractual agreements with an independent agency.

This Executive Office is responsible

1. for preparing and completing the judging of the prizes;
2. for the processing of applications for funding – including the acceptance of applications, their formal preliminary investigation, the preparation and organization of jury meetings, notification of funding recommendations to the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts and the Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) as well as supporting the completion of the supported projects – and shall secure the relevant statements of use of funds prescribed by state fiscal legislation provided that an auditor has not been commissioned to do so and the Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) does not have special requirements.

16. Deadlines

The application deadlines for the prizes shall be determined by the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts by arrangement with the Executive Office of the Hessen Film Fund and published by the latter.

If necessary, additional deadlines shall be determined by the Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts by arrangement with the Hessischer Rundfunk (HR).

17. Additional Support Measures

The Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts shall decide on additional film promotion measures within the constraints of available budgetary funds.

18. Coming into Effect

These regulations shall apply from 1 January 2003.

Wiesbaden, 17 December 2002

Hessen's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts

In cases of doubt, the German-language version of the regulations shall be definitive.