As announced at the press conference of the Max Ophüls Prize film festival on January 15, contrary to his agenda of politically recognizing and supporting film culture and the film industry in all its diversity, Minister of State for Media Wolfram Weimer has significantly reduced BKM funding for a select group of German film festivals by 2026. This decision stands in direct contrast to the increase in federal funding for film production from 130 to 250 million euros starting in 2026 and completely ignores the fact that a significant proportion of German films do not generate a substantial share of their audience through regular cinema distribution, but rather through increasing presentations at film festivals.
