Location

The long-standing region of Berlin-Brandenburg has become the most important film location of Germany. The top film location attracts producers from all over the world because of its distinguished production conditions.

More information in the location booklet of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.

The Primary National and International Film Location

More than 300 films are produced in the capital region per year. Famous companies like UFA Cinema, Deutsche Columbia Pictures Film Production, Trixter Productions (txp) or Ziegler Cinema are situated in the area. The excellent production conditions offered by Berlin-Brandenburg attract producers from all over the world. In the last years many major international productions, successful documentaries and animated films were accomplished. The films were of tremendous benefit for production companies and numerous service companies of the region.

Important TV production location

Over 2.200 regional film and television companies generate more than 40 per cent of the business volume by the production of TV content. Among the major companies located in the area are the UFA Group, MME movement and Nostro Film. Further important production companies are teamWorks and Phoenix Film, which belong to UFA Cinema, as well as Studio Hamburg, Ziegler Film, Producers at Work, Novafilm, Granada, Eikon and Askania Media, and in the area of political talkshows TV21, Vincent Berlin, Will Media and probono.

Groundbreaking TV Location

Many traditional TV stations are situated in Berlin-Brandenburg, including rbb, N24 and Deutsche Welle-TV, as well as the capital studios of ARD, ZDF and RTL. Since 2004, MTV Networks, which belongs to the US-American media company Viacom, has its headquarters in Berlin. Besides the traditional range of programs, there are ten Pay-TV channels and digital platforms. The RBB runs the digital Play-out-Center ARD Digital, which belongs to the channel ARD, in Potsdam-Babelsberg. As the first urban centre in the world, Berlin-Brandenburg launched the digital terrestrial television DVB-T. Since 2008 there has been a broadband pilot scheme of mabb and T-Mobile in Brandenburg.

Modern Production Facilities and Inspiring Locations

The region holds three major high-quality production facilities: Studio Babelsberg, Studio Berlin Adlershof and Berlin Union Film. In the Media City Babelsberg, over 130 companies guarantee service for film productions at the highest international level. Besides the outstanding production opportunities, there are numerous attractive film spots in the region. Filmmakers in need of locations, filming permissions and equipment can find a team of expert advisors and an address database at the Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission (www.bbfc.de).

Digital Visual Effects (VFX) and Post-Production

Post-production service providers offer high-quality technology, know how and expertise for all formats. Whether premium visual effects for motion pictures, elaborate workflows for industrial TV productions, computer-generated special effects or comprehensive support for complex digital productions – Berlin-Brandenburg has qualified specialists for any demand. Additionally, the Academy of Film and Television “Konrad Wolf” organises Insight Out, Europe’s leading conference for digital cinema that connects prominent referents, creative professionals and students. The European animago AWARD, which honours outstanding works in the 2D/3D area, has been awarded in Potsdam-Babelsberg since 2009.

Film Funding and Networks

The German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), managed by the Berlin-based German Federal Film Board (FFA), is a funding body set up by the German Government in 2007 and is designed to strengthen the German film industry by providing € 60 million annually. The Federal Film Board has developed numerous measures to support film productions in Germany. Since 1994, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg has spent over € 323 million to promote over 2.879 films and location-based projects. Film-project financing is also carried out by regional banks, including the State Investment Bank of Brandenburg (ILB) and the State Investment Bank of Berlin (IBB). A range of professional associations and networks represent the interests of the film and TV industry and connect numerous creative professionals from different media branches.

Prominent Festivals, Awards and Fairs

The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) belongs to the most important film festivals in the world and enjoys by far the largest audience of any festival. The German Film Prize is the nation’s most prestigious film industry award and is presented each year at a big gala event in Berlin. In great demand is also the “First Steps” award, a contest for graduating students of German-speaking film schools. Fairs and awards like IFA and Golden Camera qualify the region as a significant TV location.

Capital of Political Journalism

Over 1.000 national and international correspondents report everyday from German’s political centre. Phoenix provides daily live broadcasts from the German Bundestag. 18 national and international stations have studios in the capital, including ARD, ZDF, RTL, N24, CNN, RAI, France 2, Al-Jazeera, TRT-INT, as well as the economic news channel Bloomberg TV.

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