Innovation and creativity: 39 million Euros for NRW’s outstanding film and media hub

The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW provided 38.8 million Euros in 2023 to support a total of 420 films, series, games, cinemas, festivals as well as education and training projects and initiatives to promote the region. Around 20.5 million Euros were invested in feature films. 6.6 million Euros in series and TV movies, and 2.2 million Euros in distribution and sales. The cinemas in NRW received 1.5 million Euros, of which 1 million Euros was in the form of cinema programming awards. Games and web video projects were supported with 3.6 million Euros, while festivals and innovative projects to promote the region were awarded 1 million Euros. The NRW effect generated by production was 287%. An overview of all the funding data can be found here.

Walid Nakschbandi, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW: "Last year, the media sector in NRW yet again demonstrated its creativity and set new standards with compelling and socially relevant films, games and series. Our thanks go to our film and media professionals who have been setting outstanding trends and wowing audiences. 2024 will also see us working together with our shareholders and funding partners to provide sustainable support and promote innovation, originality and the best ideas. NRW’s creative heart will now be beating for the next ten days at the Berlinale, something that we are really looking forward to."

Star cinema in front of the camera and up on the screen: while the likes of Anne Hathaway, Tilda Swinton, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Olsen and Lars Eidinger were in NRW for the filming of "Mother Mary", "The End", "The Assessment" and "The Light", "Rheingold", "The Hunger Games – A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" and "Weekend Rebels" were attracting audiences in their droves to the cinemas. At festivals and award ceremonies, "Till The End Of The Night" in Berlin and "Falling Leaves" in Cannes, in particular, were the talk of the town. High-end series such as "Babylon Berlin 4" and "A Thin Line" were hits for the streaming services, while "Love Sucks",  "A Better Place" and "Hameln" are new series set to go on air in 2024.

A mega success and new pilot programme: the "Game of the Year" "Chained Echoes" by Mathias Linda caused a national and international sensation and was able to pay back its successful funding at the gamescom. The beginning of the year saw the funding scheme for games being extended to include a programme to support serious games. The next generation of creative web video makers were supported in NRW with numerous initiatives and networking events such as the Creator College NRW and the VideoDays Festival.

NRW worldwide: the prestigious international Seriencamp had its successful premiere in Cologne in June and was funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW for the first time. The creative industries met up at two editions of the new AI Lounge, the Industry Get-together and Match Me. The Film- und Medienstiftung had a presence at such events as the International Emmys in New York, MIPCOM in Cannes or an XR Lunch in Venice.

Strong start to 2024: the year begins with an impressive presence at the Berlinale: 11 funded films, three of them in the Competition, were invited to screen at the festival. The cooperation with RTL saw the production budget more than double for the "Storytellers" competition aimed at emerging writers of series. The Filmstiftung also became the first regional film fund now to award grants for the development of films and series. The next few weeks will see the staging of the first gamescom LAN at Koelnmesse and the Game Changer for young audio directors with a history of migration as a collaboration by the Filmstiftung with WDR.