Made in Berlin tour with Senator Franziska Giffey visits Theaterkunst and Lichthaus
On the current ‘Made in Berlin Tour’, Senator Franziska Giffey visited Theaterkunst GmbH, one of the leading costume outfitters for film and television in Europe, and LichtHaus Berlin GmbH, a full-service provider for film, video and eSports productions. Both companies received so-called commercial GRW funding. GRW stands for ‘Joint Task for the Improvement of Regional Economic Structures’. It is the most important funding instrument of the federal and state governments and is enshrined in the German Basic Law to create equal living conditions.
At Theaterkunst, the funding is being used to digitalise the company’s key processes. These include administrative tasks and, in particular, the digitisation of the inventory management system in order to optimise processes from inventory and delivery through to returns, invoicing and evaluation. Senator Giffey took a look at the inventory from all eras and carried out the intensive process of digitising several costumes herself.
‘This visit has shown that our Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises is a great advocate for the economy and, in particular, the media industry. Without the support of the GRW funding programme, Theaterkunst would not have been able to take this big step towards digitalisation and internationalisation,’ emphasises Andrea Peters, Managing Director of Theaterkunst GmbH.
The subsidised company LichtHaus Berlin GmbH has used the funds for the necessary expansion of its business premises. Here, the visiting politicians were given an insight into the warehouse, the business premises and the company’s own studio, where rooms are currently being prepared for the cinema production ‘Etty’. At the end of the tour, Giffey herself sat behind a professional film camera.
Managing Director Mike Zimmermann of LichtHaus Berlin GmbH says: “The Senator’s visit fills us with joy and pride! The exchange with Mrs Giffey on issues relating to the current film and television landscape and its challenges was very constructive. Of course, Germany’s competitive disadvantages compared to other European countries were also discussed. The Senator was very well informed, gave us valuable advice and impressed us with her great expertise. We wish Ms Giffey continued success in tackling the extensive challenges in her resort and would be delighted to have sensitised her to our concerns.”
An important topic of the visit was the urgently needed tax incentive model in Germany, so that international filmmakers can once again utilise Germany as a media location and the country does not lose touch with the expanding media locations of other European countries. Currently, technical and creative service providers are losing many contracts to foreign locations because German film funding is no longer competitive internationally. The reform of the Film Subsidies Act promised by the federal government is only making slow progress.
Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises: “Berlin is and will remain an important film location. We are doing a lot to achieve this at state level, but now it is up to the federal government to bring international productions back to the state. The structural conditions in Berlin are outstanding – from excellent costume hire to studios, film locations, film technology and the Film and Television Academy. However, the federal government, together with the federal states, must create reliable and clear conditions for internationally competitive film funding in Germany so that our country can once again become a lucrative place for creative professionals in the film industry.”
Copyright: Theaterkunst und Senat für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe
