VFF Documentary Film Production Award

Sponsored by VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film und Fernsehproduzenten mbH

The VFF Documentary Film Production Award at the DOK.fest Munich is a unique event in Germany that focuses on the work of documentary film producers. The prize is endowed with 7,500 euros and is donated by VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film und Fernsehproduzenten mbH.

VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten mbH is the collecting society of German commissioned producers, public broadcasters, private broadcasters and some regional television broadcasters. The shareholders are the Alliance of German Producers, the Federal Association of German Television Producers, Südwestrundfunk and Second German Television.

An Award for the German Documentary Film Industry

The importance of producers for documentary films cannot be overestimated. Far more than in a feature film, the production of a documentary film is accompanied by imponderables, because the plot often results from the events surrounding the protagonist only in the course of the process. The shooting can only be fixed to fixed days to a limited extent, the locations are usually changing, depending on the history and whereabouts of the protagonists. As a result, the amount of material shot is extensive and the montage of the film is usually time-consuming. Every documentary film demands an open approach from the directing team and the production, always in connection with costs that cannot be calculated precisely and often with tight budgets. Being a producer in the documentary film sector means one thing above all else: having courage. The VFF Documentary Film Production Award is intended to honour the role of producers in the creation of current documentary film projects.

Foundation and awarding of the prize

The award is donated by the VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film und Fernsehproduzenten mbH and is endowed with prize money of 7,500 euros.

Conditions of participation

Films that meet the following criteria are eligible for preselection for the VFF Documentary Film Production Award:

• cinema film production with a minimum length of 72 minutes
• at least 51% German production participation
• Publication after 1st January, 2021
• Public screening at the festival
• University films (including graduation films) are not permitted

The selection for the VFF Documentary Film Production Award is based on the following criteria:

• Commitment to the selection of a challenging subject
• Commitment to the composition of financing
• Creativity / innovation in the composition of financing
• Creative / innovative evaluation of the film
• Creative input from production

The submission has been closed since 01 February 2022.

Contact

DOK.fest München
VFF Documentary Film Production Award
Elisabeth Hamberger, hamberger@dokfest-muenchen.de
Nele Stoß, stoss@dokfest-muenchen.de
Dachauer Straße 116
80636 München

Tel.: +49 89 51 399 788