Munich Film Fund

Munich is a film city.

The festivals, the schools, the studios, the funding. It is all here, and almost none of it is reachable. The money moves through the same few hands, decided by committees that want you to already have a name before they will help you make one.

Look at the big state fund. Tens of millions a year, and what does it buy? Criteria. Reference points, broadcaster commitments, distribution guarantees, forms about forms. It is funding built for television and for producers who already have everything, and it works exactly as designed: the same companies, the same faces, year after year. Independent film is not underserved there. It is not served at all. If your film ticks the boxes, you did not need the money. If it does not, you were never getting it.

We are looking to fund people who do not want to ask for permission.

Munich Film Fund puts money behind the films the gatekeepers won’t touch. First features. Low budgets. Real risk. No résumé, no waiting your turn. We would rather back ten debuts that might fail than one safe film that always comes out the same.

We fund bold, inventive storytelling. The strange form, the new voice, the idea that does not fit a genre box. A film shot on nothing that tries something is worth more to us than a polished one that tries nothing.

What we believe:

• Talent is everywhere. Access is not. We fund the work.
• We back the first feature. Low budget, high creativity. We fund the bold debut and the script no committee understands yet, and we trust a creative approach over a big number.
• No gatekeeping. Simple rules, public decisions, an open call anyone can answer. No scoring grids, no committee arithmetic.
• You do not have to be born here to belong here. A filmmaker who has made Munich home is a Munich filmmaker.
• Strong culture comes from strong institutions and strong policy, built for everyone, not a handful.
• Community over competition. We connect filmmakers, crews, and audiences. The point is that the scene thrives, not that one of us wins.

If you make films in Munich, want to make them, or simply want this city’s culture to stay strong and alive, let’s talk.

Munich, 2026
hello@munichfilmfund.com