Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg

What Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg does

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH is the primary public funding institution for the film and media industry in the German capital region, jointly owned by Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) and Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB) at 50% equity each. Founded in 1999 (with the Cinema Program Prize awarded annually since inception) and headquartered at August-Bebel-Straße 28 in Potsdam-Babelsberg, the organisation operates two main divisions: Film Funding, which supports theatrical films, high-end series, television films, experimental films, newcomer films, festival presentations, and distribution; and New Media Funding, which funds games, immersive content (VR/AR/XR), serial formats, and innovative audiovisual projects. Beyond grant-making, Medienboard runs the Berlin-Brandenburg Film Commission (BBFC) for film permits and location services, hosts the Creative Europe Desk Berlin-Brandenburg as one of four German MEDIA information offices, and organises a calendar of industry events including the MBB Party at Berlinale, Spotlight Games Berlin, and the Cinema Program Prize.

The organisation does not develop or commercialise technology products. Its technology footprint is limited to its digital presence (medienboard.de, bbfc.de, bbfc-cloud.de), a GDPR-compliant newsletter delivered via Brevo, social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube, and the MediaJobs portal for industry vacancies. Operational delivery follows a committee-based funding model: applicants must complete mandatory pre-application meetings with funding executives before formal submission, expert selection committees (4 industry experts plus the managing director for Film Funding; 5 industry experts plus the managing director for New Media Funding) review and approve awards, and the New Media Funding division convenes four committee meetings per year on fixed deadlines in October, February, April, and July.

As a publicly funded grant-making body, Medienboard does not generate commercial revenue; its operations are financed by its two state investment bank shareholders, and it disburses non-repayable grants rather than selling products or services. The April 2026 funding cycle disbursed €5.6 million across 25 projects from 68 submissions, with the largest single allocation of €850,000 to filmmaker Félix Koch. The organisation maintains an active international presence at Berlinale, Festival de Cannes (MIPTV and MIPCOM), the Venice Film Festival (Venice Immersive), and gamescom, and runs joint industry events with German Films, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, A MAZE. Berlin, medianet Berlin-Brandenburg, and SKW Schwarz. Governance is via a Supervisory Board chaired by Florian Graf (Berlin Senate Chancellery) with Hendrik Fischer (Brandenburg Ministry for Economic Affairs) as Deputy Chairman, with twin Managing Directors Sarah Duve-Schmid (Film Funding) and Helge Jürgens (New Media Funding).

Name

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg

Legal name

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH

Website

https://medienboard.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg is a public film and media funding institution jointly owned by IBB and ILB, serving filmmakers, game developers, and cinema operators in Berlin-Brandenburg with grants, film commission services, and industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Media Funding Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Grant Funding & Public/Nonprofit Financing (MPADAAAO)

Keywords

• Film funding programs
• Media industry grants
• Film commission services
• Games funding programs
• Immersive media funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding: Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg is a public funding institution whose operations are financed by its shareholders: Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) and Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB), each holding 50% equity. The organization does not generate commercial revenue from products or services.
2. Grant Disbursement: Medienboard disburses grants to films, series, games, and innovative audiovisual projects in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. It does not charge recipients for grants; funding is provided as non-repayable contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg is a public funding institution that disburses non-repayable grants to films, high-end series, games, immersive/XR content, and arthouse cinema projects in the Berlin-Brandenburg region through two divisions — Film Funding and New Media Funding — allocated via expert selection committees. It also operates the Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission (BBFC) for film permits and location services, runs the Creative Europe Desk Berlin-Brandenburg for EU MEDIA funding guidance, and organizes industry events including MBB Party @ Berlinale, Let's Get Started, Spotlight Games Berlin, and the Cinema Program Prize.

Product overview

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (MBB) is a public funding institution for the film and media industry in the German capital region. It operates as a multi-program funding organization with distinct divisions: Film Funding supports theatrical films, high-end series, experimental films, and festival presentations; Series Funding covers serial formats across fiction, entertainment, and factual genres; Games Funding promotes game development and production; and Immersive (XR) Funding supports virtual reality, augmented reality, and other immersive media projects. The organization also operates the Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission (BBFC) for film permits and location services, runs the Creative Europe Desk Berlin-Brandenburg for EU MEDIA programme guidance, and organizes industry events including the MBB Party @ Berlinale, Let's Get Started, Spotlight Games Berlin, and the Cinema Program Prize.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Funding Non-repayable grant program supporting films and film-related projects across categories including script and project development, production, distribution and sales, television films, high-end series, digital film production, experimental films, newcomer films, and festival presentations. Awards are made by an expert selection committee (4 industry experts plus the Managing Director).
• Series Funding (Serien) Funding for high-end series and serial formats in fiction, entertainment, and factual categories, supporting Berlin-Brandenburg producers of serialized audiovisual content.
• Games Funding Promotes the development and production of games through direct funding and event support, including a dedicated Indie Showcase at gamescom and partnership events (A MAZE., Spotlight Games Berlin).
• Immersive (XR) Funding Funds innovative audiovisual content including virtual reality, augmented reality, 360° video, XR installations, virtual worlds, and immersive media projects, with categories for Innovative Audiovisuelle Inhalte, DIGI.TALE, and festival presentation support.
• Cinema Support (Kinos) Suite of supports for cinema operators in Berlin-Brandenburg, including the annual Cinema Program Prize (Kinoprogrammpreis, awarded since 1999 and separately for Berlin and Brandenburg), Cinema Investment Funding, Innovative Cinema Marketing support, and Europa Cinemas support to maintain a culturally sophisticated cinema landscape.
• Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission (BBFC) First point of contact for film teams seeking to shoot in Berlin-Brandenburg. Provides film permit facilitation, advice on filming locations, and directories of production companies and crews at bbfc.de and bbfc-cloud.de; also supports green filming practices.
• Creative Europe Desk Berlin-Brandenburg Information office for the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, one of four MEDIA information offices in Germany. Provides guidance on EU MEDIA funding and assistance with applications to Brussels for producers, distributors, cinema operators, festivals, and other audiovisual sector companies.
• Media Events Programme Annual industry events organized and co-organized by MBB for networking, market representation, and industry development: MBB Party @ Berlinale (first Saturday of Berlinale), Let's Get Started kickoff (with SKW Schwarz), Spotlight Games Berlin, German MIP Cocktail @ MIPTV/MIPCOM (with Film- und Medienstiftung NRW), MBB x German Films Reception @ Cannes, Venice Immersive support, Berlin Brandenburg Reception @ gamescom, and the Cinema Program Prize.

Quantifiable outcome

• €5.6 million awarded to 25 projects from 68 submissions in one funding cycle (April 2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Creative Europe Desk Berlin-BrandenburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four MEDIA information offices in Germany, the Creative Europe Desk Berlin-Brandenburg is an important industry partner for all questions relating to the Creative Europe Programme. Producers, distributors, cinema operators, festivals and other audiovisual sector companies can obtain information about MEDIA funding and assistance with applications to Brussels through this desk, operated as part of Medienboard's structure.
• German FilmscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman Films is a key international promotion organization for German cinema. Medienboard collaborates with German Films on joint events including the MBB x German Films Reception at the Festival de Cannes, one of the most important annual networking events for German and international filmmakers at the Croisette.
• Film- und Medienstiftung NRWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedienboard co-hosts the German MIP Cocktail at MIPTV (April) and MIPCOM (October) in Cannes with Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. This joint reception brings together around 350 guests from the international television and digital content industry.
• A MAZE. Berlin / A MAZE. FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA MAZE. Berlin is a games festival and community platform. Medienboard funds a dedicated A MAZE. booth at gamescom (Cologne) and jointly hosts networking events including the Pink Breakfast. The MBB-funded Indie Showcase at gamescom showcases indie games from the Berlin-Brandenburg capital region.
• medianet Berlin-BrandenburgminorGTM or Marketing Partnermedianet Berlin-Brandenburg is a regional industry network for the media and creative industries. Medienboard co-hosts events at gamescom (Cologne) at the medianet Berlin-Brandenburg booth and participates in joint networking activities to promote the Berlin-Brandenburg games industry.
• SKW SchwarzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSKW Schwarz is a media law firm and strategic advisory. Medienboard co-hosts the annual 'Let's Get Started' film industry kick-off event with SKW Schwarz. This event discusses topics that will shape the future of the industry creatively, politically, and economically.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Film- und Medienstiftung NRW: The largest regional public film and media fund in North Rhine-Westphalia. A direct functional peer with an identical mandate (film, series, games, immersive funding), and explicitly MBB's joint co-host of the German MIP Cocktail at MIPTV/MIPCOM.
• Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM): Regional public fund covering Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia with a similar film/games/XR support mandate. Directly comparable structure, similar public-shareholder governance, and competes with MBB for German regional productions.
• Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH): Public film fund for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein funding production, distribution, cinemas and series. Operates the same committee-based grant model as MBB with overlapping scope in film, series and cinema support.
• MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg: Baden-Württemberg's public film and media funding agency supporting film, games and innovative audiovisual content. A directly comparable regional state-backed fund with overlapping categories including games/immersive.
• FFF Bayern (Bayerischer Filmfonds): Bavaria's state-backed film fund supporting feature films, series and animation. Directly comparable state-funded mandate and competes for high-profile German productions against MBB.
• Hessen Film & Kinematographie: Hesse's regional public film fund with a mandate covering feature film, series and documentary production. Direct functional peer in the German regional film-fund landscape.

Broad incumbents

• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA): Germany's federal film funding body at the national level. A larger incumbent operating broadly above regional funds; MBB's Film Funding CEO Sarah Duve-Schmid was previously First Deputy CEO of FFA, evidencing direct institutional overlap.
• BKM (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media): Federal German ministry-level funding body for culture and media, including national film, series and games support. A broader incumbent that MBB co-funds and complements but cannot substitute for; defines the federal layer above MBB.

Others

• Creative Europe MEDIA (European Commission): The EU-level audiovisual funding program that MBB's Creative Europe Desk routes applicants into. Not a competitor but a directly connected upstream funder whose shifts in policy or budget propagate into MBB's regional pipeline.
• Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC): France's national film and audiovisual funding body. International peer operating at national rather than regional scale; useful as a model and comparator for governance and category scope, though it does not directly compete for German regional projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Medienboard
• Facebookfacebook.com/medienboard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medienboard-berlin-brandenburg-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/medienboard
• Xx.com/medienboard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg