One thing to settle first: only producers may apply. If you want to develop your own material — as its writer or as its director — you cannot apply for yourself here; you need a production company to file the application and to sign a Drehbuchvertrag (screenplay contract) with you, and enrolled students cannot themselves be the applicant — though their project can still be funded where an eligible production company applies. If you are eligible, the first step is not the application but the compulsory Antragsgespräch (advisory call with a funding officer): for the 20 October 2026 deadline it must have been held by 6 October 2026, and only afterwards does the application portal open to you at all — so the thing to do now is request that appointment. As to what is funded, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg's Stoffentwicklungsförderung (story development funding) pays for the writing: producing filmable screenplays for cinema and television films, and in exceptional cases for documentaries; in practice Medienboard also funds animation material on this line. It is the earliest project stage Medienboard funds — before Projektentwicklung, which already presupposes a production-ready screenplay, and long before production funding. In the Förderrichtlinie (the funder's binding funding guideline) it sits under clause 2.1, “Förderung der Stoff- und Projektentwicklung”; on the website Medienboard lists it as “Projekt- und Stoffentwicklung”. The binding detail is in the Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG (Spiel- und Dokumentarfilm) — a Merkblatt being the funder's binding guidance sheet for a line — carrying the Stand (the version date printed in the document) 25 February 2026.
Eligibility in detail: only producers may apply — clause 2.1.1 of the Förderrichtlinie writes “Produzent/innen”, the Merkblatt “Produzentinnen und Produzenten”. Anyone wanting to write their own material, or to develop their own project as its director, cannot apply here for themselves; they need a production company to file the application and to sign a Drehbuchvertrag with them, and that contract is itself one of the required documents. Medienboard does not, however, require any particular legal form: alongside GmbHs, the 2026 development awards include a sole trader, a GbR (a partnership under civil law) and one application filed by a named individual. Enrolled students are as a rule not eligible — and the Nachwuchsförderung (emerging talent funding) is not a way round it: its own Merkblatt opens by excluding students too, and excludes them expressly for short films. The one exception is a graduation film at the dffb or the Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, and even there the applicant is a production company and/or the film school, not the student. Anyone looking for development money for their own writing, in their own name, will not find it at Medienboard and has to turn to the federal cultural film funding or to fellowships.
The money is not a grant. Funding takes the form of a conditionally repayable, interest-free loan administered by the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB), repayable in full on realisation, at the latest at the start of production or on any other exploitation of rights (Merkblatt, Rückzahlung no. 1). So it is repaid only if the project actually goes into production or rights are exploited; if the film is never made, the repayment obligation normally ends five years after the final report is submitted. Medienboard publishes no ceiling in euros; what is regulated is the rate — as a rule 50%, in exceptional cases up to 80% of development costs, against an Eigenanteil (own contribution) of at least 20%. That Eigenanteil is a floor, not a target: if the funding stops at 50%, the other half of the development costs still has to be covered somehow, usually by putting in more of your own. And the obvious shortcut does not work — deferred screenplay, dramaturgy and directing fees are expressly not counted towards the own contribution. The published funding decisions show the real order of magnitude: in 2026 up to 24 August 2026, 20 awards in the category “Film Entwicklung” totalling €504,000, individually between €10,000 and €100,000, averaging some €25,000. On top of that comes the Regionaleffekt, an obligation to spend the funding inside the funder's region: at least the funds granted must themselves be spent in Berlin and Brandenburg. In plain terms, if you are awarded €25,000 then €25,000 has to go to people and companies based in the region who do the work there — in practice your writer, your dramaturg and your consultants. It is the sum awarded once over, not a multiple of it, and Medienboard may waive it in whole or in part where the region has a particular interest in the project; the Merkblatt REGIONALEFFEKT sets out what counts.
This summary does not replace the binding sources. What governs are the Förderrichtlinie of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH in the version applying from 1 January 2024 and the Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG (Spiel- und Dokumentarfilm) carrying the Stand (version date) 25 February 2026, supplemented by the Merkblätter EIGENANTEIL and REGIONALEFFEKT and the current schedule of dates on medienboard.de. Dates and figures were researched as at 24 August 2026, and Medienboard itself publishes the schedule subject to change. In any case an Antragsgespräch with the responsible funding officer is compulsory before any application — that is where open points should be settled.
Compulsory Antragsgespräch (advisory call with a funding officer) by 6 October 2026, application deadline 20 October 2026, feeding the first Fördersitzung (funding session) of the 2027 committee round, which meets on 12–13 January 2027. Only after that call is access to the online portal unlocked — anyone who misses it cannot submit on 20 October 2026. Medienboard publishes the whole schedule, “Deadlines Filmförderung 2026/27”, expressly subject to change (unter Vorbehalt).
Open. 20 October 2026 is the next published submission date for Stoff- und Projektentwicklung; the previous deadline was 14 July 2026, the applications filed for it are decided at the funding session on 29–30 September 2026, and the outcome had not been published as at 24 August 2026. Two qualifications apply. First, the Einreichtermine (submission dates) page is headed “Deadlines Filmförderung 2026/27 (unter Vorbehalt)” — on its wording the reservation covers the whole table, so 20 October 2026 as well, not only the 2027 dates.
Second, the Antragsgespräch by 6 October 2026 is the date that decides in practice: without that call the application portal stays locked and the 20 October 2026 cut-off can no longer be met. The Förderrichtlinie in force applies from 1 January 2024 and expires at the end of 30 June 2027; the Merkblätter STOFFENTWICKLUNG and PROJEKTENTWICKLUNG carry the Stand (version date printed in the document) 25 February 2026. No successor version of the Förderrichtlinie had been published as at 24 August 2026.
That does not affect an application for 20 October 2026 or the decision on 12–13 January 2027, but it does affect the handling of a development project that runs over several years.
Hard cut-off dates, not rolling submission: Medienboard sets one application deadline per funding session, by which the application must be complete and filed digitally in the application portal (clause 3.2.2 of the Förderrichtlinie; Merkblatt, Antragstellung no. 5). Stoff- und Projektentwicklung shares its dates with Produktion and Highend Serien; after 20 October 2026 come 2 February 2027, 13 April 2027, 6 July 2027 and 5 October 2027. Every submission must be preceded by a compulsory Antragsgespräch, held at least two weeks before the submission date; Medienboard names a separate date for each deadline by which those calls must have taken place (Merkblatt, Antragstellung no. 4).
Allow for the lead time before that: the applicant is the production company, and the Drehbuchvertrag (screenplay contract) with the rights holders is one of the required documents — neither can normally be put together in a few weeks. Only one application per applicant, whether a person or a company, is admissible per funding session, and a project may normally be submitted only once in the same funding category (Merkblatt, Antragstellung no. 2). Incomplete applications that are not supplemented on request count as not filed.
Work on the project must not have begun when the application is made; an early start is possible only on a separate request in specially justified exceptional cases and creates no entitlement to funding (clause 3.2.3).
Neither the Förderrichtlinie (the funder's binding funding guideline) nor the Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG states a ceiling in euros, so none is given here. Only the rate is regulated: as a rule the funding should not exceed 50% of development costs, in exceptional cases up to 80% (Merkblatt, Finanzierung no. 1). It is measured against the German share of the financing (Merkblatt, Finanzierung no. 4; clause 3.1.5 of the Förderrichtlinie).
The only hard cap is a state-aid one: a single award under this guideline is limited to €3m of eligible expenditure (clause 3.7.3) — a figure story development never approaches in practice. The realistic order of magnitude comes from the published funding decisions: in the category “Film Entwicklung” Medienboard made 20 awards totalling €504,000 in 2026 up to 24 August 2026, an average of some €25,000; the individually listed awards range from €10,000 to €100,000. That category bundles Stoffentwicklung and Projektentwicklung, and Medienboard publishes no separate figures for story development alone.
This is not a grant but a conditionally repayable, interest-free loan (clause 2.1.2; Merkblatt, Allgemeine Grundsätze no. 4), repayable in full on realisation, at the latest at the start of production or on any other exploitation of rights such as a sale (Merkblatt, Rückzahlung no. 1); clause 2.1.2 of the Förderrichtlinie names the start of principal photography at the same point, and for this line the more specific Merkblatt governs. The repayment obligation normally ends five years after the final report is submitted. The applicant's Eigenanteil (own contribution to the financing) is not treated as ranking ahead of the loan.
Payment is normally made in three instalments as the project progresses, with the last instalment of 15% of the sum released only after the final report has been examined. The budget must also include a processing fee of 1% of the loan payable to the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB), with a minimum of €500 on loans between €10,000 and €50,000.
Committee decision with no legal entitlement: since January 2026 a five-member Gremium der Filmförderung (film funding committee) decides on applications — four film and cinema experts covering creative work/dramaturgy, production/financing, exploitation and broadcasters are appointed in rotation from a pool published on medienboard.de, joined by the managing director of Medienboard's film funding arm. Decisions are taken at fixed Fördersitzungen (funding sessions), not on a rolling basis. There is no legal entitlement to funding; awards are made only within the trust fund Medienboard administers (clause 3.1.2 of the Förderrichtlinie).
The award is state aid under Article 54 GBER, and statements made in the application are subsidy-relevant within the meaning of § 264 of the German Criminal Code.
01Only producers may apply (clause 2.1.1 of the Förderrichtlinie: “Produzent/innen”; Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG, Antragstellung no. 1: “Produzentinnen und Produzenten”). This is the most important restriction on the line: anyone wanting to develop a screenplay for themselves — as its writer or as its director — is not eligible. A person who needs money for the writing must find a production company to file the application; the writer's fee is then financed through that company's budget. Medienboard runs no pure Drehbuchförderung (screenplay funding paid directly to authors).
02What that means for timing: a writer or director who lands on this line needs, before applying, a production company willing to apply and a signed Drehbuchvertrag — and that contract is one of the required documents. Neither can normally be put together in the few weeks before a deadline that is already running. Without a production company and without that contract, 20 October 2026 cannot be reached at all; the realistic target is then the deadline after next, and the first step is finding a producer, not opening the application form.
03No particular legal form is prescribed. The guideline and the Merkblatt speak of “Produzentinnen und Produzenten” (producers), not exclusively of companies; clause 3.2.1, by contrast, provides that funds are to be granted to Unternehmen (undertakings) — a Soll-Regelung, a binding rule departed from only in atypical cases. In practice Medienboard also funds natural persons and partnerships operating as producers: the 2026 awards in the category “Film Entwicklung” include, alongside GmbHs, a UG and a GmbH & Co. KG, also “Katrin Rothe Filmproduktion” (a sole trader), “Mitosfilm GbR” (a partnership under civil law) and one application filed by a named individual, “Michal Kosakowski”. What is required is therefore working as a producer in a business capacity, not a limited company.
04Students are as a rule not eligible (Merkblatt, Antragstellung no. 1). Importantly, the Nachwuchsförderung (emerging talent funding) under clause 2.3 of the Förderrichtlinie is not a substitute — its Merkblatt begins with the same exclusion and expressly excludes students for short films. What it does support is graduation films by students of the dffb and the Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF only, and even there the applicants are producers and/or the film school itself, not the students.
01Antragsgespräch (advisory call) with the responsible funding officer, at the latest two weeks before the deadline; for the 20 October 2026 date Medienboard names 6 October 2026 as the last day. Only afterwards is access to the online portal unlocked.
02Complete digital submission in the application portal by the deadline; the required documents are named there and must be uploaded.
03For fiction features, a detailed Exposé (a prose outline of the story) or a treatment setting out the plot with at least one fully written dialogue scene, or a screenplay in an early draft; for documentaries, a detailed Exposé.
04Synopsis.
05Financing plan for the story development.
06Budget of the expected development costs, with the Regionaleffekt itemised in euros in the standard industry budget format.
07Declaration by the rights holders (screenplay, directing) or an option contract running for the term of the repayment obligation of the development funding applied for; independently of that, the following is always required as well:
Since January 2026Committee model in forceMedienboard has changed its funding model: since the first funding session in January 2026 a five-member committee decides on film funding applications — four film and cinema experts covering creative work/dramaturgy, production/financing, exploitation and broadcasters are appointed in rotation from a pool published on medienboard.de, joined by the managing director of the film funding arm. The change was announced on 28 August 2025; Medienboard's own reason for it is “a transparent award process”. The Förderrichtlinie of 1 January 2024 still says generally in clause 3.4.1 that Medienboard decides “as a rule at fixed dates” and does not describe the committee.
By 6 October 2026Hold the AntragsgesprächFor the 20 October 2026 deadline the Antragsgespräche must have been held by 6 October 2026. The call is compulsory, and only afterwards is access to the application portal unlocked — so this date, not the deadline two weeks later, is the real hurdle.
20 October 2026Application deadlineApplication deadline for the first committee funding session of 2027, shared with production and high-end series. The application must be complete and filed digitally in the application portal; incomplete applications that are not supplemented on request count as not filed. Medienboard publishes the entire 2026/27 schedule subject to change.
12–13 January 2027Committee funding sessionThe film funding committee decides on the applications submitted for 20 October 2026. Almost three months therefore pass between deadline and decision — a period in which, under clause 3.2.3 of the Förderrichtlinie, work may not begin without an approved early start.
Medienboard publishes no separate annual budget for story development, but it does publish its funding decisions with totals per category. For 2026 the overview as at 24 August 2026 shows 218 awards totalling €28,173,405.98. Of that, “Film Produktion” accounts for 44 awards with €13,140,000, “Digitale Filmproduktion” for 12 awards with €4,845,965.71, “Standortmaßnahmen Film” for 109 awards with €6,410,940.27, “Serien Produktion” for 4 awards with €2,300,000 and “Verleih” for 28 awards with €932,500.
Development funding is the smallest item: “Film Entwicklung” comes to 20 awards with €504,000, “Serien Entwicklung” to 1 award with €40,000. Development therefore accounts for around 1.9% of the volume awarded in 2026 so far — little money measured against its importance for getting a project started, but spread over many small awards. In the summer session published on 2 July 2026, of €4.3m in total, €4.15m went to 12 productions and €180,000 to 6 development projects.
Development funding is competitive but not hopeless. For the summer session published on 2 July 2026, Medienboard had 65 projects before it with a total requested volume of €14.3m. Development accounted for 22 submitted projects, of which 6 were funded — a success rate of a good quarter.
For production the ratio was 43 to 12. Anyone having to choose therefore has somewhat better odds in development, for considerably smaller sums: the 6 development awards at that session ranged from €20,000 to €40,000. Note the bar in the Merkblatt: only one application per applicant is admissible per funding session, and a project may normally be submitted only once in the same funding category — so a rejection cannot simply be repeated in the next round.
On top of that comes the compulsory preliminary step of the Antragsgespräch, which in practice works as a pre-selection.
These notes stay in German on purpose: they quote the conflicting sources word for word, and a caveat is the first thing lost in translation.
01Confidence des Termins: Der 20.10.2026 ist auf der Seite „Einreichtermine“ des Medienboards als Antragsdeadline veröffentlicht, die Tabelle trägt aber die Überschrift „Deadlines Filmförderung 2026/27 (unter Vorbehalt)“. Der Vorbehalt gilt dem Wortlaut nach für die gesamte Tabelle, nicht nur für 2027. Der Datensatz führt den Termin dennoch als confirmed, weil der Funder ihn konkret veröffentlicht hat – auf zwei Seiten, wobei der Terminkasten der Förderseite keinen Vorbehalt trägt –, und weist den Vorbehalt in labelDe/labelEn und statusDe/statusEn ausdrücklich aus. Die unabhängige Prüfung hat diese Einstufung bestätigt; wer strenger urteilt, kann sie auf expected setzen.
02Keine veröffentlichte Förderobergrenze: Weder die Förderrichtlinie noch das Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG nennen einen Höchstbetrag in Euro. Der Datensatz führt deshalb amountUnbounded: true und amountMax: null und fällt damit in den Bucket „ohne Obergrenze“. Das ist regelkonform, aber für die Filter irreführend: Die tatsächlichen Zusagen liegen 2026 zwischen 10.000 € und 100.000 €, wer auf „bis 25.000 €“ oder „25.000 – 100.000 €“ filtert, sieht das Programm nicht. amountLabel/amountLabelEn führen deshalb die reale Spanne voran; die von amountShort() erzeugte Kurzform „ohne Obergrenze“ bleibt davon unberührt. amountMin bleibt bewusst null, weil 10.000 € eine beobachtete Untergrenze der Zusagen ist und keine veröffentlichte Regel. Das ist dieselbe offene Designfrage, die bereits in der Notiz zur amount-Facette in taxonomy.json steht, und sollte bei der nächsten Neuberechnung der Buckets gemeinsam entschieden werden.
03Zuordnung der Beträge: Die Zahlen 20 Zusagen / 504.000 € und die Spanne von 10.000 € bis 100.000 € stammen aus der Medienboard-Kategorie „Film Entwicklung“, die Stoffentwicklung und Projektentwicklung zusammenfasst. Eine getrennte Statistik allein für die Stoffentwicklung veröffentlicht das Medienboard nicht; die Beträge für reine Stoffentwicklung dürften am unteren Ende der Spanne liegen. Der Datensatz weist die Bündelung in amountLabel/amountLabelEn und amountDetailDe/En aus. Die unabhängige Prüfung hat alle 20 Einzelzusagen einzeln ausgelesen; sie summieren sich exakt auf 504.000 €, die Quelle ist also vollständig.
05Establishment in the region: funds should be granted to undertakings that, at the time the funding is paid out, have a registered office, a branch or at least a place of business in Berlin-Brandenburg (clause 3.2.1). By way of derogation a project may also be funded where the funding is in the particular media-cultural or media-economic interest of Berlin-Brandenburg. That is a discretionary exception, not a free pass: residence in the region remains the rule. That the exception does get used is shown by the 2026 development awards — two of the twenty went to companies outside the region (Hamburg, Gröbenzell). Anyone based outside it should raise this point expressly in the Antragsgespräch.
06Public-service broadcasters, private broadcasters and broadcast operators, and platform operators are excluded (clause 3.1.6).
07Undertakings in difficulty within the meaning of Article 2(18) GBER are excluded (Merkblatt, Antragstellung no. 8; clause 3.7.5), as are undertakings that have not complied with a European Commission recovery order.
08What is funded are the costs of developing filmable screenplays for cinema and television films. A screenplay counts as filmable once the dramaturgy and dialogue of the material have been worked up into a script draft; for documentaries the Merkblatt says expressly that this applies only in exceptional cases, even though the Merkblatt is titled “Spiel- und Dokumentarfilm” (fiction and documentary) and requires a detailed Exposé for documentaries as an application document. Documentary projects are therefore fundable, but they are not the standard case for this line. Animation is not named in the Merkblatt title, but animated material is in fact developed on this line: the 2026 funding decisions list two projects with the genre Animation in the category “Film Entwicklung”, and the press release of 2 July 2026 lists “Tomi & Erika” (€40,000) under ENTWICKLUNGSFÖRDERUNG expressly as an Animationsfilm.
09Clause 2.1 of the Förderrichtlinie does name serial formats expressly; in practice, however, they run through their own Merkblatt — linked on medienboard.de as “Merkblatt ENTWICKLUNG HIGHEND SERIEN” and titled “Merkblatt ENTWICKLUNG SERIEN” in the PDF itself — and appear in the funding decisions as a separate category, “Serien Entwicklung”. For developing a series it is that Merkblatt, not the Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG, that governs.
10Work on the project must not have begun when the application is filed (clause 3.2.3; Merkblatt, Allgemeine Grundsätze no. 2). As a rule work may only start after the funding decision. In specially justified exceptional cases Medienboard may approve a request for an early start — that creates no entitlement to funding, and the financial risk of a wholly or partly negative decision lies with the applicant alone.
11Regionaleffekt: at least the funds granted by Medienboard must be spent in Berlin-Brandenburg (Merkblatt, Allgemeine Grundsätze no. 5; clause 3.3). In practical terms: €25,000 of funding means €25,000 that has to go to people and companies seated in Berlin or Brandenburg and performing the work there. It is the sum awarded once over, not a multiple of it — the same wording as in production funding, so it is not tightened at this early stage. Medienboard may waive it in whole or in part where the region has a particular interest in the project; clause 3.3 of the Förderrichtlinie grants that waiver generally, for every funding line, so it is no concession specific to story development — the Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG merely repeats it expressly. What counts as regional spend is set out in detail in the Merkblatt REGIONALEFFEKT (dated 6 March 2024): what matters is a company seat or a branch entered in the commercial register in Berlin or Brandenburg, and performance of the service there. Fees paid through agencies count in full only where both the person and the agency are based in the region; Handlungskosten (overheads) count only where the applicant company is seated there.
12Eigenanteil (own contribution): at least 20% of development costs (Merkblatt, Finanzierung no. 2; Merkblatt EIGENANTEIL I.2). It may be provided from own and third-party funds as well as deferrals and contributions in kind. Deferred fees of the creative team — screenplay, dramaturgy and directing fees — are expressly not recognised for this purpose (Merkblatt, Finanzierung no. 3). In practical terms: on development costs of €50,000 and a loan of €25,000, the remaining €25,000 must be covered from elsewhere, of which at least €10,000 as own or third-party funds, contributions in kind or deferrals outside the creative team. Anyone hoping to cover the own contribution purely by deferring the writer's fee will fail on this point.
13An Antragsgespräch is compulsory before applying. It takes place at least two weeks before the submission date, and only afterwards is access to the online portal unlocked (Merkblatt, Antragstellung no. 4). Without that call, submitting is technically impossible.
14Only one application per applicant, whether a person or a company, is admissible per funding session, and a project may normally be submitted for funding only once in the same funding category (Merkblatt, Antragstellung no. 2). A rejected story development therefore cannot normally simply be resubmitted at the next session.
15There is no legal entitlement to funding; awards are made only within the trust fund Medienboard administers (clause 3.1.2).
16Funding a screenplay creates no entitlement to funding for a film project based on that screenplay (Merkblatt, Allgemeine Grundsätze no. 9). Story development is not a provisional decision on later production funding.
17Rights in the material: the application must include a declaration by the rights holders for screenplay and directing, or an option contract running for the term of the repayment obligation, and — in every case in addition — a Drehbuchvertrag (screenplay contract) between the rights holders and the production company; where a literary work is adapted, acquisition of the film rights must be evidenced. Costs incurred before the application was filed — the acquisition of rights itself, for instance — are not recognised under story development funding (Merkblatt, Kalkulation no. 2).
18Medienboard reserves the right in individual cases to award in two stages: as a rule a first tranche of up to 50% of the loan is approved for producing a screenplay draft, or a documentary concept, plus a detailed progress report. Only if Medienboard accepts that draft can the second stage, and with it the full sum, be awarded (Merkblatt, Allgemeine Grundsätze no. 8).
19No funding is given to projects that would produce a work breaching the constitution or the law, infringing personality rights or moral or religious sensibilities, or whose content is pornographic, glorifies violence or is harmful to minors within the meaning of §§ 131, 184 of the German Criminal Code (clause 3.1.1).
20Compliance with the Respect Code Film against sexualised harassment, violence and discrimination on film sets is, according to Medienboard, a condition of funding. In addition, a balanced ratio of women and men among the filmmakers involved is to be sought, fair working conditions are to be achieved through industry collective agreements or comparable social standards, and effective measures for ecological sustainability are to be used (Merkblatt, Allgemeine Grundsätze nos. 10 and 11).
21State aid and cumulation: the funding is granted under Article 54 GBER. A single award under this guideline is limited to €3m of eligible expenditure, and the European Commission publishes information on individual aid above €100,000 on its state aid transparency website (clause 3.7.3). Cumulation with funds from other funding bodies is possible under Article 8 GBER. If the screenplay is later filmed, the preparation costs are taken into the overall budget and counted towards the aid intensity of the film — unless the development funding has been repaid in full by the start of principal photography at the latest (clause 3.1.3).
08
In every case in addition: a Drehbuchvertrag (screenplay contract) between the rights holders and the production company.
09Where applicable, evidence of acquisition of the film rights; for adaptations of literary works, evidence of the necessary rights.
10Substantiated producer's notes — the producer's own written account of how the material will be developed and how the finished film is to be financed.
11Schedule for the development work.
12An external dramaturgical consultant with evidence of qualification should preferably be involved in the project — submit a CV showing that experience.
13In the budget: Handlungskosten (overheads) of up to 6% of the calculated total costs excluding the ILB fee.
14In the budget: contractually agreed fees for screenplay, where applicable a writers' room, dramaturgy and where applicable directing input, in so far as they are actually paid out during the funded development work.
15In the budget: a producer's fee for up to six months at up to €2,000 per month, or up to €1,000 per month for documentaries.
16In the budget where applicable: fees of a team already involved (production manager, location scout, for example), translation costs, costs of legal and specialist advice (“green filming”, intimacy coordination, “audience building measures”, for example) and research costs, as a rule no more than €10,000.
17In the budget: an ILB processing fee of 1% of the loan applied for; on loans between €10,000 and €50,000 a minimum of €500.
18Amounts are to be stated before deduction of tax and other charges and to be evidenced by written documentation.
19After the award: evidence that the project is fully financed within a maximum of six months — otherwise the award lapses; an extension is possible on request.
20During the term: where funding is awarded in two stages, a screenplay draft or documentary concept and a detailed progress report for Medienboard to accept.
21On completion: the finished screenplay to Medienboard as a PDF file.
22After the funded work ends: Verwendungsnachweis (final accounting proof) to the ILB at the latest six months after the planned completion date, following the Merkblatt on submitting documents for the final cost audit.
23During exploitation: immediate notification to Medienboard and the ILB of the start of principal photography and of the release date.
24Whenever the funding is credited: acknowledge it by using Medienboard's logo wherever funders are credited.
After the decisionAward letter and six-month deadlineA positive decision is followed by a written award letter. It lapses if the project's full financing is not evidenced within a maximum of six months of it being issued; the deadline can be extended on request (clause 3.4.3).
After the awardAdministered by the ILB, paid in three instalmentsThe loan is administered by the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB) once Medienboard has issued the award. It is normally paid in three instalments as the project progresses; the last instalment of 15% of the sum only after the final report has been examined.
At the latest six months after the planned completion dateVerwendungsnachweis to the ILBThe Verwendungsnachweis (final accounting proof) must be submitted to the ILB at the latest six months after the planned completion date. In addition the finished screenplay must be given to Medienboard as a PDF file.
At the latest at the start of productionRepayment of the loanStory development loans are to be repaid in full on realisation, at the latest at the start of production or on any other exploitation of rights such as a sale (Merkblatt, Rückzahlung no. 1); clause 2.1.2 of the Förderrichtlinie names the start of principal photography at the same point, and for this line the more specific Merkblatt governs. The Eigenanteil is not treated as ranking ahead of the loan. The repayment obligation normally ends five years after the final report is submitted — so if the film is never made, nothing is repayable after that. If the project is filmed, the preparation costs are taken into the overall budget and counted towards aid intensity — unless the funding has been repaid in full by the start of principal photography at the latest.
2 February 2027, 13 April 2027, 6 July 2027, 5 October 2027Further application deadlinesThe following application deadlines for Stoff- und Projektentwicklung, with their funding sessions on 20–21 April 2027, 22–23 June 2027, 28–29 September 2027 and 11–12 January 2028. Medienboard's reservation applies to these dates as well; the corresponding Antragsgespräche must have been held by 19 January 2027, 23 March 2027, 22 June 2027 and 21 September 2027 respectively.
30 June 2027Förderrichtlinie expiresThe Förderrichtlinie in force applies from 1 January 2024 and expires at the end of 30 June 2027 (clause 4). No successor version had been published as at 24 August 2026. Applications for the deadlines of 20 October 2026, 2 February 2027 and 13 April 2027 are still decided while it applies; the 6 July 2027 deadline already falls after it.
04Antragsberechtigung natürlicher Personen: Ziffer 2.1.1 der Förderrichtlinie und das Merkblatt nennen „Produzentinnen und Produzenten“, Ziffer 3.2.1 dagegen „Unternehmen“. Der Datensatz folgt der spezielleren Regelung in Ziffer 2.1.1 und der veröffentlichten Vergabepraxis: Unter den Zusagen 2026 stehen ein Einzelunternehmen, eine GbR und mit „Michal Kosakowski“ eine namentlich geführte natürliche Person als Antragstellung. Verlangt wird danach eine unternehmerische Tätigkeit als Produzentin oder Produzent, keine bestimmte Rechtsform. Eine ausdrückliche Aussage des Medienboards dazu, ob eine natürliche Person ohne Gewerbe antragsberechtigt ist, liegt nicht vor und ist im Antragsgespräch zu klären.
05Antragsberechtigung außerhalb Berlin-Brandenburgs: Ziffer 3.2.1 ist eine Soll-Regelung mit Ermessensausnahme, kein bundesweiter Zugang. Der Datensatz trägt deshalb nur berlin und brandenburg und nicht bundesweit, obwohl zwei der zwanzig Entwicklungszusagen 2026 an Firmen aus Hamburg und Gröbenzell gingen. Falls das Medienboard oder eine spätere Fassung der Richtlinie diese Öffnung ausdrücklich regelt, ist die Regionszuordnung zu überprüfen.
06Befristung der Förderrichtlinie: Die geltende Fassung tritt nach Ziffer 4 mit Ablauf des 30.06.2027 außer Kraft; eine Nachfolgefassung ist am 24.08.2026 nicht veröffentlicht. Fördersatz, Eigenanteil, Regionaleffekt und Verfahren gelten für Anträge zur Deadline am 06.07.2027 und später nicht als gesichert. Zusätzlich bildet die Fassung vom 01.01.2024 in Ziffer 3.4.1 das seit Januar 2026 geltende Gremienmodell nicht ab – das ist eine Lücke, kein Widerspruch: Ziffer 3.4.1 sagt nichts darüber, wer entscheidet, sodass die Tier-2-Quellen sie ausfüllen, ohne die Tier-1-Richtlinie zu überschreiben.
07Datumsangaben der Merkblätter: Die Merkblätter STOFFENTWICKLUNG (Seite 4) und PROJEKTENTWICKLUNG weisen im Dokument selbst „Stand: 25.02.2026“ aus, ebenso PRODUKTION VON FILMEN und ENTWICKLUNG SERIEN; das Merkblatt NACHWUCHS nennt „Stand: 12.01.2026“. Der Datensatz übernimmt jeweils die Angabe aus dem Dokument. Ohne Stand-Zeile sind nur die Merkblätter EIGENANTEIL und PAKETFÖRDERUNG; bei EIGENANTEIL ist deshalb allein der Dateiname datiert (11.03.2024), was der Datensatz als „Dateistand“ kennzeichnet. Beim Merkblatt REGIONALEFFEKT weichen Dokument und Dateiname voneinander ab: Im Dokument steht „Stand: 06.03.2024“, der Dateiname nennt 2024_03_05 – der Datensatz folgt der Angabe im Dokument. Auf dem Server liegt zudem eine ältere, undatierte Fassung des Merkblatts STOFFENTWICKLUNG (ohne Studierenden-Ausschluss, ohne Zwei-Wochen-Regel zum Antragsgespräch); maßgeblich ist die verlinkte Fassung, der dieser Datensatz folgt.
08Regionaleffekt: Das Glossar in language.md definiert den Regionaleffekt als Pflicht, ein Vielfaches der Förderung in der Region auszugeben. Beim Medienboard ist es ausdrücklich kein Vielfaches, sondern 100 % der gewährten Fördermittel (Merkblatt, Allgemeine Grundsätze Nr. 5; Ziffer 3.3), unabhängig geprüft und bestätigt. Der Datensatz weicht hier bewusst vom Glossar ab – der Wert ist richtig und darf bei einer späteren Prüfung nicht auf ein Vielfaches „korrigiert“ werden.
09Status der Paketförderung: Ziffer 2.1 der Förderrichtlinie sieht sie weiterhin vor, das Merkblatt PAKETFÖRDERUNG ist auf medienboard.de abrufbar, trägt aber kein Stand-Datum, nennt eine E-Mail-Adresse eines nicht mehr im Team geführten Ansprechpartners und ist von der aktuellen Seite „Förderung Film“ nicht verlinkt. Ob die Linie aktiv ist und ob die dort genannten 150.000 € noch gelten, ist ungeprüft.
10Animationsstoffe: Das Merkblatt STOFFENTWICKLUNG nennt im Titel nur Spiel- und Dokumentarfilm. In den Förderentscheidungen 2026 stehen in der Kategorie „Film Entwicklung“ jedoch zwei Projekte mit dem Genre Animation, und die Pressemitteilung vom 02.07.2026 führt „Tomi & Erika“ (40.000 €) unter ENTWICKLUNGSFÖRDERUNG ausdrücklich als Animationsfilm. Der Datensatz trägt animationsfilm deshalb in formats. Offen ist nur noch, ob der Merkblatt-Titel überhaupt einschränkend gemeint ist – zu klären, falls das Medienboard den Titel oder die Kategorie ändert.
11Abgrenzung Stoff- und Projektentwicklung bei einer Ablehnung: Das Merkblatt untersagt eine erneute Einreichung „in derselben Förderkategorie“, und die Förderentscheidungen führen beide Linien als eine Kategorie „Film Entwicklung“. Ob eine abgelehnte Stoffentwicklung damit auch einen späteren Antrag auf Projektentwicklung für dasselbe Projekt sperrt, ist nicht veröffentlicht und im Antragsgespräch zu klären; es entscheidet, ob eine Ablehnung das Projekt oder nur diesen Weg trifft.
12Regiehonorar in der Kalkulation: Das Merkblatt erlaubt in der Kalkulation Honorare für Drehbuch, gegebenenfalls Writers Room, Dramaturgie und „gegebenenfalls Regie-Mitarbeit“, während das Produzentenhonorar auf den Euro gedeckelt ist (höchstens sechs Monate, je Monat höchstens 2.000 €). Was „Regie-Mitarbeit“ umfasst und ob ein reguläres Regiehonorar an dieser Stufe anerkennungsfähig ist, ist nicht definiert und im Antragsgespräch zu klären. Gleichzeitig sind zurückgestellte Regiehonorare vom Eigenanteil ausdrücklich ausgeschlossen.
13Mechanik des Antragsgesprächs: Nicht veröffentlicht ist, wie schnell nach dem Gespräch das Portal freigeschaltet wird, ob zum Gespräch bereits ein Exposé vorliegen muss und ob es telefonisch oder in Präsenz stattfindet. Davon hängt ab, ob der 06.10.2026 tatsächlich als letzter Tag nutzbar ist.
14applyUrl: Das Medienboard veröffentlicht keine offene URL des Antragsportals – der Zugang wird nach dem Merkblatt erst nach dem Antragsgespräch freigeschaltet. Der Datensatz verweist deshalb auf die Förderseite medienboard.de/foerderung/film statt auf ein Portal. Falls das Medienboard eine öffentliche Portal-URL veröffentlicht, ist sie zu ergänzen.
15contactEmail: Das Merkblatt nennt keine Kontaktadresse, sondern verweist auf die Ansprechpersonen auf medienboard.de. Der Datensatz trägt v.grob@medienboard.de (Veronika Grob, Leitung Filmförderung, zuständig unter anderem für Stoff-/Projektentwicklung). Für dieselbe Kategorie führt das Medienboard fünf weitere Personen – Anja Dörken, Dr. Teresa Hoefert de Turégano, Simon Lubinski, Jan-Eike Michaelis und Alexander Roehl; wer konkret zuständig ist, hängt vom Projekt ab.
16Trade-Press-Sweep: Für 2026 sind keine Meldungen über eine Kürzung, eine Aussetzung oder eine Umstrukturierung der Entwicklungsförderung gefunden worden. Die einzige belegte Änderung ist die Umstellung auf das Gremienmodell (angekündigt 28.08.2025, wirksam ab Januar 2026). Der Blickpunkt:Film-Artikel dazu war beim Abruf am 24.08.2026 nur über eine Weiterleitung auf the-spot-mediafilm.com erreichbar und ließ sich inhaltlich nicht auslesen; die Angaben stützen sich deshalb ausschließlich auf die Tier-2-Quellen des Medienboards.
GUIDELINE
Merkblatt NACHWUCHS (Abschluss-, Kurz- und Debütfilm), Stand 12.01.2026 – schließt Studierende einleitend aus, Ausnahme Abschlussfilm dffb und Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Only the funder's guideline in its currently valid version and the institution's own statements are binding. This page summarises; it replaces neither the guideline nor the advisory call.