FUNDINGS PRODUCTION

Hamburg filmmakers Anne Döring and Nicolaas Schmidt have made the tragicomedy Something New Has Begun (500,000 euros, Amerikafilm, Berlin). The film is about Jaron and Mona, two midagers who no longer see any meaning in life. When their paths cross in Hamburg Eimsbüttel and they set off together in search of the average colour of the universe, they have a special experience: the new has often been there for a long time: in the firmament, visible to stargazers and cloudwatchers. The film will have 17 shooting days in Hamburg and five shooting days in Schleswig-Holstein.  

The Hamburg singer-songwriter and lyricist Wolf Biermann is at the centre of the documentary Biermann (120,000 euros, Instant Film, Berlin) by Directors Jens Meurer. A film that uses Biermann's works to build a bridge between the complex past and the red-hot present. There will be six days of filming in the funding region. The script is by Dirk Kämper and Pamela Biermann. Hercules Falling (100,000 euros, Heimathafen Film & Media, Hamburg) by Director Christian Holten Bohnke is about Danish war veteran Youssef: Youssef suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after many years in combat operations and seeks help at a rehabilitation centre for veterans to find a way back into life. There will be five days of filming in Schleswig-Holstein. The lead role will be played by Game of Thrones actor Dar Salim, who can currently be seen in Guy Ritchie's series "The Gentlemen" on Netflix. A further 60,000 euros in production funding will go to The Arctic Circle of Lust (dirk manthey film, Hamburg) by Director and Script Writer Markku Heikkingen. The Documentary tells the story of Finnish men who are confronted with an unspoken sexual desire and their bisexuality and have to decide whether to keep their secrets to themselves or come out despite the social pressure to conform.

FUNDINGS PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

• Das Erbe (40,000 euros, Tamtam Film, Hamburg) Script: Aliaksei Paluyan, Esther Bernstorff, Directors: Aliaksei Paluyan  

• Grammatik (33,000 euros, Fünferfilm, Hamburg) Script + Director: Popo Fan

FUNDINGS DISTRIBUTION

• Animal Christmas (40,000 euros, Luftkind Filmverleih, Hamburg) Script + Directors: Caroline Attia, Camille Alméras, Ceylan Beyoğlu, Natalia Chernysheva, Haruna Kishi, Olesya Shchukina

• And the King Said, What a FANTASTIC MACHINE (10.000 Euro, Little Dream Pictures, Hamburg) Script + Directors: Axel Danielson and Maximilien van Aertryck

An overview of all funded projects can be found here.

The funding decisions were made on 15 March 2024 by Vanessa Ciszewski, Anita Elsani, Sara Fazilat, Timo Großpietsch, Ann Carolin Renninger and Helge Albers.