For the feature-length documentary this is the largest federal production award with no regional strings: up to €500,000 for producing the film, and in justified exceptional cases up to €1m, decided by a separate independent jury for documentaries alone. The legal basis is the Richtlinie für die jurybasierte kulturelle Filmförderung des Bundes (guideline for the federal government's jury-based cultural film funding) of 31 March 2025, issued by the BKM (the federal government commissioner for culture and the media) and the FFA, in force since 31 March 2025 and valid until 31 December 2028 (§ 75 (1)). It is financed from the federal culture budget's tax revenue rather than from the film levy, and since 1 January 2025 it has been administered entirely by the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA). That documentary has its own jury here, rather than competing in a shared panel with fiction, is the most important structural difference from many Land schemes.
This record covers two funding stages, because the FFA runs them under one deadline and one jury: production funding and project development funding for documentaries, both closing on 8 September 2026 and both decided by the Förderjury für programmfüllende Dokumentarfilme (§ 13). Production funding gives up to €500,000, or in justified exceptional cases, having regard to particular artistic quality and financial need, up to €1m, and is aimed in principle at projects with total production costs of up to €5m (§ 68). Project development funding gives up to €100,000 for acquiring material, acquiring or developing a screenplay, or other measures preparing the production (§§ 46, 47). Crucially for documentary makers: in project development, writers and directors are expressly eligible to apply alongside the producer (§ 48 (2)) — which is not the case in the fiction feature area. For production funding, however, only the Hersteller (producer) may apply here too (§ 53 (1)).
The conditions differ by stage and by applicant. For production funding the producer applies, provided they do not meet the eligibility criteria of the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film (§ 52 sentence 4, § 53 (1)) — the suspension of that exclusion under § 75 (5) ended when the Kuratorium's new Talentfilm guideline came into force on 1 January 2026; projects using university money are excluded (§ 52). For project development funding the producer needs a Referenzfilm (a prior qualifying film that establishes eligibility) — at least one fiction, documentary or short film, or a series, produced and released (§ 48 (1)). Where writers or directors apply in their own right, § 43 (1) applies accordingly: a screenplay or documentary treatment that was produced and released, a long work of fiction published outside self-publishing, or a nomination for or the award of a significant screenplay prize — unless an already established producer is demonstrably attached. In every case there is also residence or a registered office in Germany, or a German establishment (§ 23 (1)), an erhebliche deutsche kulturelle Prägung (substantial German cultural character) under § 3 (3), and a regular first cinema release in Germany — which for documentaries the FFA treats as satisfied where the film has been shown within one month on at least seven days in a cinema with regular programming, for a normal market admission price.
Competition is somewhat more open than for fiction features, and the sums are smaller. At the session of 7 July 2026 there were 25 production applications and four films were funded with €726,617.82 between them; in project development there were 21 applications and five awards totalling €201,979.63. At the session of 23 March 2026, 18 production applications produced four awards totalling €800,000, and 18 project development applications produced five awards totalling €210,291.30. Those are success rates in the region of 16% to 28%. What stands out is how closely the stages interlock: three of the four films given production funding on 7 July 2026 had previously been funded in development. Only the Richtlinie as currently in force and the FFA's own statements are binding; there is no legal entitlement to funding, and § 24 (1) makes every award subject to the funds available. This summary replaces neither the Richtlinie nor a conversation with the responsible funding officer at the FFA.
Submission deadline 23:59 on 8 September 2026 — for production funding and project development funding for documentaries together, and it is the only date still open in this strand in 2026. These applications are decided by the Förderjury für programmfüllende Dokumentarfilme at its session on 26–27 November 2026 (§ 13). This jury sits up to three times a year, less often than the fiction feature jury.
Submission is through the FFA-Serviceportal and all documents must be in German. This date does not apply to fiction features — there the deadline is 29 September 2026 before a separate jury (§ 12). For feature-length children's films it is 1 September 2026 before the Förderjury für Kinderfilme (§ 14), and that includes documentary children's films: § 3 (5) defines a children's film by its audience rather than by genre, and § 14 (1) gives the children's film jury production funding for feature-length children's films with no genre qualifier, whereas § 13 covers feature-length documentaries generally.
A feature-length documentary children's film therefore belongs to the 1 September 2026 deadline, not to this one. Filmlotse keeps a separate record for the fiction feature strand. For 1 September 2026 it also keeps two children's film records: the jury-based cultural treatment and screenplay funding for children's films, and the jury-based cultural production funding for short films — Kinderkurzfilm (up to 30 minutes), both before the Förderjury für Kinderfilme (§ 14).
For the feature-length children's film — documentary ones included — there is not yet a record covering production and project development funding; by the FFA's own deadline table that submission date is likewise 1 September 2026. Open, but only just. As at 26 August 2026 the 8 September 2026 deadline is 13 days away, and it is the last published date for this strand in 2026 — no submission deadlines for 2027 have been published as at 26 August 2026.
Anyone starting now has very little time for a production application with a budget, a financing plan with evidence, distribution details and the confirmation that the ecological standards are met, which the FFA expressly asks applicants to apply for early. Project-specific individual advice is offered only „bis spätestens 2 Wochen vor dem jeweiligen Einreichtermin" (until two weeks before the relevant deadline at the latest), so for 8 September 2026 that window has already closed as at 26 August 2026. What remains is the FFA webinar „Projektentwicklungs- und Produktionsförderung (Spielfilm und Dokumentarfilm)" at 12:00 on 26 August 2026, which may not deal with project content for data protection reasons, and the webinar deck of 24 June 2026 in the downloads area.
Fixed submission deadlines, not rolling. The jury for feature-length documentaries sits up to three times a year (§ 13 (2)); the FFA publishes deadlines and session dates on its „Einreich- und Sitzungstermine" page. Applications are filed digitally through the FFA-Serviceportal's application tool; registering and having the account activated can take several days.
The papers must be complete by the submission date — incomplete applications cannot be considered (§ 23 (2)). Only write-protected PDF files are accepted, and all documents must be submitted in German (§ 23 (3)). Additional essential documents whose timely delivery is outside the applicant's control can be uploaded during a two-day supplementary window roughly two weeks before the session; changes to the underlying material are excluded once the deadline has passed.
Particularly relevant for documentary is § 54 (2): shooting may not begin until the Zuwendungsbescheid has been issued, and the first real or virtual shooting day counts as the start. Where a long-term observational project has already been shot, this must be settled with the responsible funding officer before submitting — the FFA can consent to an early start only in a justified exceptional case and only after a funding commitment has been given. If an application is refused, a Widerspruch may be lodged (§ 36); the one-month period after notification comes from general German administrative law, not from the Richtlinie; the revised application must be resubmitted within one of the regular deadlines for a coming session, failing which the jury decides on the file as it stands after two years.
One record, two funding stages, and the published maximum is the exception rather than the rule. Produktionsförderung (production funding): up to €500,000 may be awarded for producing a feature-length documentary, rising in justified exceptional cases, having regard to the particular artistic quality of the project and its financial need, to €1m (§ 68 (1)). The scheme is aimed in principle at projects with Gesamtherstellungskosten (total production costs) of up to €5m (§ 68 (2)) — a million less than for fiction features.
Projektentwicklungsförderung (project development funding): up to €100,000, rising to €150,000 in a justified exceptional case for particularly elaborate animation productions (§ 47). Actual award behaviour sits far below both maxima: at the session of 7 July 2026 four documentaries shared €726,617.82 of production funding — €250,000, €241,617.82, €155,000 and €80,000 — and five project developments shared €201,979.63, between €25,724.25 and €63,000. On 23 March 2026 it was €800,000 of production funding for four films and €210,291.30 of project development funding for five projects.
No documentary received €1m in any published 2026 round. The sums are not rounded but awarded to the cent, which suggests the jury examines need and financing gap rather than assigning flat rates. At both stages this is a non-repayable Zuwendung in the form of a Zuschuss (grant), paid as Anteilfinanzierung (a percentage share of eligible costs) under § 25 — not a loan.
According to the FFA the Eigenanteil (own contribution) is at least 5% of total costs, calculated on the German financing share for international projects (§ 56 (2), § 50 (4)); writers and directors applying for project development funding need not provide an own contribution at all, as the FFA states expressly. On Beihilfeintensität (aid intensity — the maximum share of the film's costs that public money may cover) the Richtlinie and the FFA disagree: § 21 (1) sets a general limit of 50% of total production costs, up to 60% for cross-border EU productions, and allows an increase to up to 100% for difficult audiovisual works under § 3 (8); the FFA programme page and the webinar deck of 24 June 2026 give 95% at the same point. For documentaries this matters in practice, because § 3 (8) expressly counts them among the difficult audiovisual works — the higher intensity is the normal case here, not the exception.
This record follows the Richtlinie and flags the discrepancy. Project development funding already granted is set off (§ 51 (2)). Two budgeting limits apply: the Herstellerhonorar (producer's fee — at most 5% of total production costs before the fee itself is entered, and at most €250,000; for total costs up to €300,000 a flat maximum of €15,000, and between €300,000 and €500,000 a flat maximum of €25,000) and the Handlungskosten (overheads — at most 10% where production costs are up to €5m, 5% above that, capped at €650,000).
Jury-based selection with no legal entitlement: project development and production applications for feature-length documentaries are decided by one and the same Förderjury für programmfüllende Dokumentarfilme (funding jury for feature-length documentaries) of five independent members who take no instructions, with a quorum of three (§ 9, § 13). The FFA then awards by Zuwendungsbescheid (formal funding decision) within the available budget and in the proper exercise of its discretion (§ 24 (1), § 29). A refusal must give reasons; a Widerspruch (formal objection) may be lodged and is decided by the same jury at a future session (§ 36); the one-month period for it comes from general German administrative law, not from the Richtlinie.
01Who may apply depends on the stage — and this is where documentary differs from fiction. Production funding: only the Hersteller (producer) may apply, provided the eligibility criteria of the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film are not met (§ 53 (1)). Project development funding: the producer may apply (§ 48 (1)), and in the documentary area the writer or director expressly may too (§ 48 (2)). So writers and directors can apply in their own right for development, but not for production.
02Referenzfilm (a prior qualifying film that establishes eligibility) for a producer applying for project development: before applying, the applicant must have produced and released at least one fiction, documentary or short film, or a series, in Germany, another EU member state, another EEA contracting state or an equivalent state (§ 48 (1)). On the wording of the Richtlinie a short film is therefore enough; the FFA's project development page names a children's film in place of the short film at that point — this record follows the Richtlinie and logs the divergence in its open questions. According to the FFA a fiction or documentary film counts as feature-length from 79 minutes, and a series format from 120 minutes with at least two consecutive episodes; dailies, reality and true crime are not recognised. Release means cinema, TV, streaming or a festival, evidenced for instance by a release confirmation from the distributor, a broadcaster's confirmation, a festival invitation, an IMDb screenshot with the relevant details or equivalent; a self-declaration is not accepted.
03Eligibility for writers and directors in project development: § 43 (1) applies to them accordingly (§ 48 (2)). At least one of the following is therefore required — a screenplay for a feature-length fiction film or a series, or a treatment for a documentary, that was produced and released; a play, novel or other long work of literary fiction published outside self-publishing; or a nomination for, or the award of, a significant prize for a short or feature screenplay. That requirement falls away where the applicant works with a producer who is pursuing the filming and who has themselves already produced and released a feature-length film or a series. Writers and directors applying in their own right need not provide an own contribution, as the FFA states expressly.
01The first step is registering, not writing. Applications must be filed through the FFA-Serviceportal's application tool, which requires registration and activation of the account by the FFA — something the FFA says can take several days. With 13 days to the deadline that is not a formality but the time-critical step. The master data requested cover the company's name, registered office and legal form, and its VAT identification number. Technical help is available Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:00 on 030 27577-599, or portalservice@ffa.de.
02Content documents for production funding (uploads as write-protected PDFs): a persuasive covering letter (optional), a short synopsis of no more than 1,000 characters, where applicable details of the literary source, the screenplay in German — a translation where the original is in another language — and proof of the filming rights through a screenplay contract, filming contract, option contracts and where relevant further contracts in the chain of title. At this point the FFA's webinar deck of 24 June 2026 says „Treatment / Drehbuch", which is the more workable wording for documentary projects; which version the application form actually requires should be settled in advance.
03Crew and participants for production funding: details of the writers, the director, the cinematographer and the lead producer, each with a letter of intent and filmography and where relevant significant awards, plus a company profile for the lead producer; a crew list; where relevant details of co-producers with letter of intent, deal memo or contract, company profile and where relevant a joint-and-several liability declaration; a list of protagonists or cast.
04Other information for production funding: shooting period and location, shooting schedule, details of the production process, details of the distributor with letter of intent or contract, expected admissions and target audience, a marketing concept or commercial assessment, where relevant details of the world sales agent and of broadcasters each with letter of intent, deal memo or contract, the confirmation that the ecological standards are met — to be applied for early — and where relevant director's and producer's statements, moodboards, a teaser, a trailer or links to comparable films.
26 August 2026, 12:00FFA webinar on project development and production funding (fiction feature and documentary)An online group advice session over Microsoft Teams, 13 days before the deadline. General questions about the scheme and technical questions about the FFA-Serviceportal are answered, but not project content, for data protection reasons. Since individual advice for 8 September 2026 has already lapsed, this is the last remaining advice opportunity before the deadline; the deck of 24 June 2026 is in the downloads area of the programme page.
By 23:59 on 8 September 2026Submission deadline for production and project development funding, documentaryThe complete application must have been sent through the FFA-Serviceportal by this point. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. It is the last date published for this strand in 2026; no deadlines for 2027 have been published as at 26 August 2026.
Roughly two to four weeks after the deadlineFormal examination by the FFAAfter the deadline all projects are checked formally, which the FFA says takes roughly two to four weeks. Where something needs adjusting, applicants receive a notification and a short window in which to make the change.
Around mid-November 2026, for two daysSupplementary upload window in the FFA-ServiceportalRoughly two weeks before the session the FFA opens a two-day window for additional essential documents whose timely delivery was outside the applicant's control — typically funding decisions by other institutions. The FFA sends an automatic reminder. Screenplays may neither be supplemented nor exchanged.
There is no separate published annual budget for this strand. According to the press release on the 2025 funding and business report, dated 12 August 2026, tax-financed jury-based cultural production funding for feature-length films totalled around €20.4m and project development funding around €1.2m; how that splits between fiction feature, documentary and children's film is not published. The 2026 sessions show for documentary: €800,000 of production funding for four films and €210,291.30 of project development funding for five projects on 23 March 2026; €726,617.82 for four films and €201,979.63 for five projects on 7 July 2026 — around €1.94m in two rounds.
The jury for feature-length documentaries sits up to three times a year (§ 13 (2)) against up to five for the fiction feature jury, so missing a round costs correspondingly more time. Every award is subject to the funds available (§ 24 (1)).
The FFA publishes application and award figures for every session. Production funding for documentaries: 18 applications and four awards on 23 March 2026; 25 applications and four awards on 7 July 2026 — roughly 22% and 16%. Project development funding for documentaries: 18 applications and five awards on 23 March 2026; 21 applications and five awards on 7 July 2026 — roughly 28% and 24%.
The rates are calculated from the published figures; the FFA itself states no success rate. They are visibly higher than for fiction features, mainly because fewer applications arrive rather than because awards are more generous: the individual sums are small and cut to the cent. The highest single documentary production award published in 2026 is €300,000 („Grenzgänger Krug", 23 March 2026) and the lowest €80,000 („In To My Heart", 7 July 2026); in project development the awards ranged from €15,000 („Tallboy", 23 March 2026) to €65,000 („Leroy" (AT), 23 March 2026).
What stands out is how permeable the stages are: three of the four films given production funding on 7 July 2026 had previously received federal treatment, screenplay or project development funding. On gender: on 7 July 2026, of 25 production applications eight involved a female writer, eight a female director and 14 a female producer; of the four funded projects the figures were three, three and one. In project development there were 21 applications, twelve with a female writer and eleven with a female director; five projects were funded, three with a female writer and three with a female director.
The FFA runs the jury-based cultural production and project development funding for feature-length films on one programme page, but with three separate deadline tables and three separate juries: documentary closing 8 September 2026 before the jury for feature-length documentaries (§ 13), fiction feature closing 29 September 2026 (§ 12), and children's film closing 1 September 2026 (§ 14). Filmlotse keeps separate records for documentary and fiction feature, because one record can carry only one date. From the children's film strand it carries treatment and screenplay funding for children's films and production funding for children's short films (up to 30 minutes) as records of their own, both closing on 1 September 2026; what has no record yet is production and project development funding for the feature-length children's film — and therefore for the feature-length documentary children's film too. For documentary, what comes before this stage matters especially: the jurybasierte kulturelle Treatmentförderung under the same Richtlinie is open to documentary projects and gives up to €15,000 to the writer (§ 40), whereas the screenplay funding stage is not open to documentary at all — after the treatment, documentary projects move on to project development funding, which this record covers. Treatment funding has its own deadline (14 September 2026) and its own jury (§ 11); Filmlotse keeps a separate record for it. Documentary short films of up to 30 minutes go through the jury-based cultural production funding for short films, with up to €40,000 (§ 69) and its own jury (§ 15). The Deutscher Filmförderfonds (DFFF I) can be combined but counts towards aid intensity; Land schemes can be combined and must be disclosed under § 34 (2).
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.
01Widerspruch zur Beihilfeintensität zwischen Tier 1 und Tier 2: § 21 Abs. 1 der Richtlinie erlaubt bei schwierigen audiovisuellen Werken nach § 3 Abs. 8 – zu denen Dokumentarfilme ausdrücklich zählen – eine Erhöhung der Beihilfeintensität auf bis zu 100 % der beihilfefähigen Kosten. Die FFA-Programmseite und die Webinar-Präsentation vom 24.06.2026 nennen an derselben Stelle bis zu 95 %. Der Datensatz folgt der Richtlinie (100 %) und weist die abweichende FFA-Angabe (95 %) aus. Für den Dokumentarfilm ist diese Differenz praktisch erheblich, weil die hohe Intensität hier der Regelfall ist. Bei der FFA klären, welche Zahl im Bescheid angewendet wird.
02amountMax von 1.000.000 € folgt § 68 Abs. 1, wonach in begründeten Ausnahmefällen unter Berücksichtigung der besonderen künstlerischen Qualität und des Finanzbedarfs bis zu 1 Mio. € vergeben werden können; das ist die veröffentlichte Höchstsumme der Vorschrift, und eine Obergrenze von 500.000 € würde eine Grenze behaupten, die die Richtlinie nicht setzt. Die Regelobergrenze beträgt 500.000 € und steht in amountLabel unmittelbar hinter der Projektentwicklungsstufe. Den Anfang der Zeile – die rund 60 Zeichen, die in der Listenzeile vor dem Umbruch sichtbar sind – beansprucht seit dem 26.08.2026 die Projektentwicklung mit der Antragsberechtigung für Regie und Buch: Die Listenzeile zeigt als Phase nur phases[0] („Produktion") und als Betrag nur amountMax, sodass die Entwicklungsstufe sonst im Zeilenbild überhaupt nicht vorkäme; die Regelobergrenze folgt direkt danach und bleibt in der zweiten sichtbaren Zeile. Gestufte Beträge im Label voranzustellen ist dasselbe Muster, das der Datensatz zur FFA-Treatment- und Drehbuchförderung verwendet. In den 2026 veröffentlichten Runden hat kein Dokumentarfilm 1 Mio. € erhalten; der höchste Einzelbetrag lag bei 300.000 € („Grenzgänger Krug", 23.03.2026). Das ist ausdrücklich kein Beleg dafür, dass die Ausnahme nicht angewandt wird – die FFA veröffentlicht nur zwei Runden des Jahres –, aber die Reihe ist zu kurz für eine belastbare Aussage. Der Wert setzt den Datensatz in den Förderhöhe-Bucket 500k–1m; mit 500.000 € fiele er in 100k–500k. Bewusste Entscheidung für die veröffentlichte Obergrenze, nicht für die Vergabepraxis. Bei weiteren Vergaberunden nachziehen.
For many projects the realistic next step is therefore the first session of 2027, whose date the FFA has not yet published. The budget reservation applies: § 24 (1) of the Richtlinie makes every award subject to the funds available. The intake stop announced on 20 August 2026 for the Deutscher Filmförderfonds (DFFF) and the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF) does not affect this scheme; they are separate procedures and the FFA has published no such notice for the jury-based cultural film funding.
The tightened application requirements taking effect on 14 September 2026 apply to treatment and screenplay funding, not to this strand.
The 4% cap on a director's fee where roles are doubled up expressly does not apply to documentaries below a threshold of €1.5m. These maxima are stated by the FFA's own programme page for the jury-based cultural production funding for feature-length films, under „Hinweise zur Kalkulation" (retrieved 26 August 2026); that page in turn refers to the Richtlinie für die Herstellung von programmfüllenden Filmen zum FFG (the FFG guideline on producing feature-length films), which was not consulted in full for this record — so the figures rest on the FFA's statement rather than on the FFG instrument itself. The flat rates of €15,000 and €25,000 and the director's-fee cap appear in the same place.
Payment is in instalments tracking production (§ 58 (4)); money paid out must be spent within six weeks for awards of €50,000 and above (§ 58 (3)).
04No shooting before the decision — the critical rule for long-term observational work: shooting or animation work may not begin until the Zuwendungsbescheid has been issued, and the first real or virtual shooting day counts as the start (§ 54 (2)). Anyone who has already shot — in documentary the normal case with research and long-term material — must settle this with the responsible funding officer before submitting. The FFA can consent to an early start only in a justified exceptional case, and the request is possible only after a funding commitment has been given; it creates no entitlement to funding, and starting is at the applicant's own risk.
05Residence or registered office: applicants must have residence or a registered office in Germany. Those based in another EU member state, another EEA contracting state or Switzerland need an establishment in Germany (§ 23 (1)). There is no Regionaleffekt (an obligation to spend a multiple of the grant in the funding region) and no tie to a particular Land. The producer must also hold the rights in the material; according to the FFA this should be evidenced at least by a current option (§ 48 (3)).
06Substantial German cultural character: only films intended and suitable for public screening in German cinemas, whose focus is on artistic expression and ambition, and which meet all four criteria of § 3 (3) are funded — German original language, or a director with German, EU, EEA or Swiss nationality or permanent residence; at least one lead producer with such nationality or permanent residence; a German producer share at least as large as the largest foreign one; and a regular first cinema release in Germany, a festival premiere being irrelevant for this purpose. For other preparatory measures under project development funding, criteria 1 to 3 suffice (§ 46 (2)).
07Regular first cinema release, documentary definition: according to the FFA, a regular first release is achieved for a documentary where the film has been shown within one month on at least seven days, in a cinema-suitable technical format, in a domestic cinema with regular programming, for a normal market admission price. A festival release does not substitute for this — the equating of festivals with cinemas under § 70 applies expressly to short films only. For subsequent exploitation the holdback periods of the Filmförderungsgesetz (FFG, the film funding act) apply accordingly (§ 31).
08Feature-length here means a running time of at least 79 minutes (§ 3 (6)). For animation films this may be departed from in particularly justified exceptional cases. The funding expressly includes animation and experimental films and hybrid forms (§ 51 (1)) — for the animated or essayistic documentary, that is the operative clause. Series are not a subject of funding; they appear only as possible evidence of eligibility.
09Documentaries count as difficult audiovisual works: § 3 (8) expressly lists them, along with directors' first and second films, experimental films and low-budget productions. In state aid terms this is the most important sentence in the Richtlinie for this strand, because it lifts the permissible Beihilfeintensität (aid intensity — the maximum share of the film's costs that public money may cover) above the standard 50% limit — to up to 100% of eligible costs under § 21 (1), or to up to 95% according to the FFA. This record follows the Richtlinie and flags the discrepancy.
10University projects are excluded: projects to be financed with university money — for example as exercise or graduation films — cannot be funded (§ 52 sentence 5). The Talentfilm exclusion applies here too, and it is in force for the deadline of 8 September 2026: anyone meeting the eligibility criteria of the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film is not eligible for production funding (§ 52 sentence 4, § 53 (1)). By the FFA's definition a Talentfilm is a fiction or documentary production up to the second feature-length film after completing a degree or vocational training, where the criteria apply to at least two of the three roles of screenplay, direction and production, and total production costs are below €2m. The suspension under § 75 (5) ran only until the Kuratorium's new Talentfilm guideline entered into force; that guideline has applied since 1 January 2026, so the condition has been met and the suspension has ended. As at 26 August 2026 the FFA programme page still carries the transitional note even though its condition is satisfied — this record follows the Richtlinie and logs the divergence in its open questions; settle it with the FFA before submitting. Talentfilme belong in the Talentfilmförderung of the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film; Filmlotse keeps a separate record for that.
11Accessibility and ecological standards are funding conditions: all final versions of the film must be produced in an accessible version and made accessible in it at every domestic exploitation stage by the time of each first release; for films in other languages this requires German dialogue (§ 32). Production funding is granted only where effective measures for ecological sustainability are taken, and the confirmation must be applied for early through the FFA's online tool (§ 66). Productions with production costs below €50,000 and short and experimental film productions are exempt.
12Appropriate employment conditions and own contribution: staff pay must follow collective agreements or be based on them (§ 33), and the FFA flags the social minimum standards as new for budgeting in its webinar deck of 24 June 2026. Producers must show an own contribution of at least 5% of total costs, calculated on the German financing share for international projects (§ 56 (2), § 50 (4)). Errors in the own contribution cannot be corrected after the deadline and, where they take it below the minimum, generally mean exclusion from the round.
13Content exclusions and disclosure duties: films with anti-constitutional or unlawful content, with a pornographic or violence-glorifying focus, or which manifestly and inappropriately offend religious feelings deeply, cannot be funded (§ 26). Applicants must state whether and from which other funding institutions they have applied for, or received, funding for the same measure; such funding is set off against project costs (§ 34 (2)).
14No legal entitlement: awards are made subject to the budget funds provided; the FFA decides in the proper exercise of its discretion within the funds available (§ 24 (1)). The selection is made by the independent five-member Förderjury für programmfüllende Dokumentarfilme (§ 13); members with a close relationship to a project, or who are themselves involved in it, may not take part in the deliberation or the decision (§ 19).
15Documentary children's films do not belong in this strand: § 3 (5) defines a children's film by its audience — films aimed at children in particular through their themes, their story and their treatment — rather than by genre, and § 14 (1) gives the Förderjury für Kinderfilme production funding for feature-length children's films and children's short films with no genre qualifier, whereas § 13 (1) covers feature-length documentaries generally. A feature-length documentary children's film therefore goes before the children's film jury, with a submission deadline of 1 September 2026 — three weeks before this record's date. The FFA lists children's film as a row of its own in its deadline table. Settle borderline cases with the FFA before submitting.
05Costs and financing for production funding: an industry-standard budget using the FFA's pre- and post-costing template or a comparable system; details of multiple roles and own services; where relevant proof of discounts; and a financing plan with evidence for every financing component in place. The total of the financing plan and the total production costs in the budget must match to the cent. Broadcaster participation must be broken down into licence and co-production shares and entered as a net amount — the commonest pitfall for a documentary with a broadcaster attached. Cash must be evidenced by a statement from the project account or a bank confirmation; the FFA does not accept digital transaction details from online banking.
06Documents for project development funding — a different list, the same deadline: a covering letter greeting the panel and introducing the application; a one-page synopsis; for documentaries at least a project description of 10 to 35 pages; a description of the measure; a material or project development plan; a plan for realising the film once the measure is complete; where relevant a writer's statement, the director's filmography, a crew list and a list of protagonists; evidence of the rights in the material; a company profile; the writers' filmographies; evidence of eligibility; a financing plan with the own-contribution calculation and the state of the financing; financing evidence; and a costing observing the maximum rates for fees, the Herstellerhonorar (producer's fee) and overheads at the maxima the FFA's programme page gives under „Hinweise zur Kalkulation"; the FFA's project development page refers for these to the Richtlinie für Produktionsfilmförderung zum FFG, which was not consulted in full for this record. The webinar deck of 24 June 2026 additionally names a schedule.
07Formal requirements that can lead to exclusion: in principle only write-protected PDF files can be uploaded. All application documents must be submitted in German (§ 23 (3)); there is no English-language route. The FFA asks for an appropriate font size, well-structured paragraphs and a clear layout. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. No changes to the underlying material are permitted once the deadline has passed.
08Late additions are tightly limited: additional essential documents whose timely delivery was outside the applicant's control — for instance funding decisions by other institutions issued only after the deadline — can be uploaded in a two-day supplementary window roughly two weeks before the session, and the FFA sends an automatic reminder. Supplementing or exchanging screenplays is excluded. Errors in the own contribution are expressly not correctable.
09To be settled before the decision: a preliminary project certificate from the Bundesamt für Wirtschaft, Außenhandel und Klimaschutz (BAFA, the federal office for economic affairs, foreign trade and climate protection) must be submitted as a precondition for issuing the Zuwendungsbescheid; this does not apply where there are obviously no concerns, for example on projects without foreign co-producers. The final BAFA certificate must be submitted before the closing instalment is paid (§ 57). The FFA also requires a tax clearance certificate from the competent tax office, no more than three months old when submitted, and a separate project account with project-specific bookkeeping; overnight deposit accounts are not permitted.
10Advice whose window has already closed for this date: the FFA offers project-specific individual advice only „bis spätestens 2 Wochen vor dem jeweiligen Einreichtermin" (until two weeks before the relevant deadline at the latest) — so for 8 September 2026, until around 25 August 2026. As at 26 August 2026 what remains is the webinars, which may not deal with project content for data protection reasons, and the deck of 24 June 2026 in the downloads area. According to the FFA programme page the contacts for fiction feature and documentary are Elisabeth Bartels (030 27577-150, bartels@ffa.de), Barbara Groben (030 27577-183, groben@ffa.de), Nadja Jumah (030 27577-419, jumah@ffa.de), Greta Kallsen (030 27577-403, kallsen@ffa.de) and Romy Roolf (030 27577-159, roolf@ffa.de); the team leader is Sonja Halbherr (030 27577-429, halbherr@ffa.de). The webinar deck of 24 June 2026 assigns documentary expressly to Barbara Groben.
11After project development, before applying for production: the results of a funded project development measure must be submitted to the FFA for examination by the jury within one year of the funding decision at the latest (§ 49 (1)). Anyone entering the project for production funding must also present the final version for formal acceptance by the submission deadline — and must do so additionally by email as a PDF to the responsible funding officer, not merely as the underlying material in the new application. If the jury refuses formal acceptance, the submission must be withdrawn. Where production funding follows, the development measure must be completed before shooting begins.
26–27 November 2026Session of the funding jury for feature-length documentariesFive independent members decide production and project development applications in the same sitting (§ 13). According to the FFA, the previous session in July 2026 was attended by Daniel Abma, Melanie Andernach, Claas Danielsen, Ines Johnson-Spain and Maximilian Moll. Sessions are not public; afterwards the FFA gives written notice of the decision, and a refusal must give reasons (§ 29 (1)).
Once the funding decision has become finalEarliest possible start of shootingShooting may not begin until the Zuwendungsbescheid has been issued (§ 54 (2)). For long-term observational documentary this is the scheme's hardest rule: material already shot must be discussed with the responsible funding officer before submitting. The FFA can consent to an early start only in a justified exceptional case and only after a funding commitment; the start is then at the applicant's own risk.
Within 12 months of the funding commitmentProof that the financing is closedThe FFA can issue a funding commitment where the sources named in the financing plan appear plausible. The commitment lapses if proof of secured financing is not provided within 12 months; in justified exceptional cases the FFA can extend the period at most twice, by up to 12 months each time (§ 54 (1)).
Within one year of the funding decision at the latest (project development)Submission of the results for acceptance by the juryThe results of a funded project development measure must be submitted to the FFA for examination by the jury; an extension is possible in justified cases (§ 49 (1)). If the project is then entered for production funding, the final version must also be available for acceptance by the submission deadline — additionally by email as a PDF to the responsible funding officer. The Verwendungsnachweis (final accounting proof) is as a rule due within three months of acceptance.
03
Unterlagenliste für den Dokumentarfilm in der Produktionsförderung nicht eindeutig: Die FFA-Programmseite verlangt unter „Inhaltliches" ein „Drehbuch in deutscher Sprache", was für viele dokumentarische Vorhaben nicht existiert; die Webinar-Präsentation vom 24.06.2026 schreibt an derselben Stelle „Treatment / Drehbuch (deutsches Originaldrehbuch oder Übersetzung)". Der Datensatz gibt beide Fassungen wieder und legt sich nicht fest. Gegen das Antragsformular im FFA-Serviceportal abgleichen und bei der zuständigen Ansprechperson in der FFA klären, welche Stoffgrundlage für ein dokumentarisches Produktionsvorhaben verlangt wird.
04Zuständige Ansprechperson: Die FFA-Programmseite führt fünf Förderreferentinnen einheitlich für „Spielfilm, Dokumentarfilm" auf; die Webinar-Präsentation vom 24.06.2026 ordnet den Dokumentarfilm ausdrücklich Barbara Groben zu. Der Datensatz führt als contactEmail Barbara Groben (groben@ffa.de) und nennt in requirements alle Ansprechpersonen samt Teamleitung. Bei jedem Check gegen die Programmseite abgleichen.
05Keine Einreichfristen für 2027 veröffentlicht: Am 26.08.2026 endet die veröffentlichte Terminliste dieses Zweigs mit dem 08.09.2026 und der Sitzung am 26./27.11.2026. Der Datensatz projiziert keinen Termin für 2027, obwohl das für Antragstellende die drängendste Frage ist – die Jury tagt nur bis zu dreimal im Jahr. Sobald die FFA die Termine 2027 veröffentlicht, nachtragen.
06Kein veröffentlichter Etat je Zweig: Die 20,4 Mio. € des Jahres 2025 sind die Summe der jurybasierten kulturellen Produktionsförderung für Langfilme insgesamt; eine Aufteilung auf Spielfilm, Dokumentarfilm und Kinderfilm veröffentlicht die FFA nicht. Der Datensatz nennt deshalb nur die Summen der einzelnen veröffentlichten Sitzungen.
07Mindestförderquoten nicht veröffentlicht: § 68 Abs. 3 erlaubt der FFA, im Einvernehmen mit der BKM Mindestförderquoten festzulegen. Ob solche Quoten existieren, ist keiner der ausgewerteten Quellen zu entnehmen.
08Tier-1/Tier-2-Konflikt zum Talentfilm-Ausschluss: § 75 Abs. 5 knüpft die Aussetzung von § 52 Satz 4 und § 53 Abs. 1 an das Inkrafttreten der neuen Richtlinie für die Talentfilmförderung des Kuratoriums junger deutscher Film; diese ist seit dem 01.01.2026 in Kraft, die Bedingung ist eingetreten und die Aussetzung damit beendet. Die FFA-Programmseite trägt den Übergangshinweis am 26.08.2026 unverändert weiter. Der Datensatz folgt Tier 1 – der Ausschluss gilt zum Einreichtermin 08.09.2026 – und weist die abweichende FFA-Angabe aus. Bei jedem Check erneut prüfen, ob die FFA den Hinweis entfernt hat.
09Struktur des Datensatzes – bewusste Abweichung von der Ein-Phasen-Konvention: Die FFA führt Produktions- und Projektentwicklungsförderung für programmfüllende Filme auf einer Programmseite, aber mit getrennten Einreichtabellen und getrennten Jurys je Filmgattung – Dokumentarfilm 08.09.2026 (§ 13), Spielfilm 29.09.2026 (§ 12), Kinderfilm 01.09.2026 (§ 14). Produktion und Projektentwicklung sind bewusst nicht getrennt worden, obwohl das strukturell eine Abweichung ist: Alle bisher in data.json geführten Datensätze tragen genau eine Phase, und die FFA unterhält für Produktion und Projektentwicklung zwei getrennte Programmseiten mit eigenen Unterlagenlisten. Hier wiegt der Einwand schwerer als beim Spielfilm, weil sich die Antragsberechtigung zwischen den Stufen unterscheidet: § 48 Abs. 2 lässt in der Projektentwicklung auch Schreibende und Regieführende zu, § 53 Abs. 1 in der Produktion nicht. Dafür sprechen eine gemeinsame Einreichfrist, eine gemeinsame Jury und der Programmname, der „Produktions- und Projektentwicklungsförderung" bis in die Listenzeile trägt; die Antragsberechtigung je Stufe steht in eligibilityDe[0] an erster Stelle. Der Preis ist, dass amountMax (1.000.000 €) die Produktionsstufe abbildet, während die Projektentwicklung bei 100.000 € endet. Für /check-programmes: prüfen, ob die FFA die Struktur beibehält, und entscheiden, ob die Bündelung zugunsten je eines Datensatzes pro Förderart aufgelöst wird.
10Die zum 14.09.2026 geänderten Antragsanforderungen betreffen diesen Datensatz nicht: Der Hinweis der FFA steht auf der Seite der Treatment- und Drehbuchförderung und nennt ausdrücklich nur diese sowie die Treatment- und Drehbuchförderung für Kinderfilme. Für Produktions- und Projektentwicklungsförderung hat die FFA am 26.08.2026 keine geänderten Antragsanforderungen veröffentlicht. Bei jedem Check erneut prüfen.
11Bescheinigung in Steuersachen und Projektkonto sind in der Richtlinie nicht ausdrücklich als Antragsvoraussetzung genannt; sie stammen aus dem FAQ-Bereich der FFA-Programmseite und werden deshalb der FFA zugeschrieben, nicht der Richtlinie.
12Tier-1/Tier-2-Konflikt zum Referenzfilm nach § 48 Abs. 1: Die Richtlinie nennt „Spiel-, Dokumentar-, Kurzfilm oder eine Serie"; die FFA-Seite zur Projektentwicklungsförderung nennt „Spiel-, Dokumentar-, Kinderfilm oder ein Serienformat". Der Datensatz folgt Tier 1. Praktisch heißt das: Ein Kurzfilm genügt als Nachweis der Antragsberechtigung, obwohl die FFA-Formulierung ihn nicht nennt, und ein Kinderfilm ist nach dem Wortlaut der Richtlinie an dieser Stelle gerade nicht genannt. Vor der Einreichung mit der FFA klären.
13Dokumentarischer Kinderfilm – auf Tier 1 entschieden: § 3 Abs. 5 definiert den Kinderfilm nach der Zielgruppe und nicht nach der Filmgattung, und § 14 Abs. 1 weist der Förderjury für Kinderfilme die Produktionsförderung für programmfüllende Kinder- und Kinderkurzfilme ohne Gattungsvorbehalt zu, während § 13 Abs. 1 für programmfüllende Dokumentarfilme allgemein gilt. § 14 ist die speziellere Vorschrift und geht vor. Ein programmfüllender dokumentarischer Kinderfilm gehört deshalb vor die Förderjury für Kinderfilme mit der Frist 01.09.2026, nicht vor die Dokumentarfilmjury am 08.09.2026; der Datensatz sagt das in eligibility und im Fristlabel ausdrücklich. Eine schriftliche Auskunft der FFA zu Grenzfällen – etwa Filmen mit Familienpublikum – liegt nicht vor; solche Fälle vorab mit der FFA abstimmen.
14Kalkulationsvorgaben – woher die Zahlen stammen und was offen bleibt: Die Höchstansätze für Herstellerhonorar (5 % der Gesamtherstellungskosten ohne vorherigen Ansatz der Gage, höchstens 250.000 €; bei Gesamtherstellungskosten bis 300.000 € pauschal 15.000 €, zwischen 300.000 € und 500.000 € pauschal 25.000 €) und Handlungskosten (10 % bei Fertigungskosten bis 5 Mio. €, darüber 5 %, gedeckelt bei 650.000 €) sowie die Kappung der Regiegage auf 4 % mit der Ausnahme für Dokumentarfilme bis 1,5 Mio. € stehen wörtlich auf der FFA-Programmseite zur jurybasierten kulturellen Produktionsförderung für programmfüllende Filme unter „Hinweise zur Kalkulation"; der Datensatz zitiert sie seit dem 26.08.2026 dort und nicht mehr bei einem FFG-Instrument, das nicht ausgewertet wurde. Offen bleibt, welches FFG-Instrument dahintersteht: Die Richtlinie selbst nennt für den Eigenanteil § 17 der Richtlinie D.2 für Referenzfilmförderung zum FFG, die FFA-Produktionsseite spricht von der Richtlinie für die Herstellung von programmfüllenden Filmen zum FFG, die FFA-Seite zur Projektentwicklungsförderung von der Richtlinie für Produktionsfilmförderung zum FFG. Keines dieser Instrumente lag diesem Lauf im Volltext vor. In einem künftigen Lauf beschaffen, die Höchstansätze gegen das Original prüfen, es als eigene Quelle aufnehmen und in beiden Datensätzen dieser Richtlinie einheitlich zitieren.
FFA – Jurybasierte kulturelle Projektentwicklungsförderung (Antragsberechtigung auch für Schreibende und Regieführende im Dokumentarfilm, kein Eigenanteil für diese, Unterlagenliste, Abnahmeverfahren)
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.