Hesse Film and Media

What Hesse Film and Media does

Hessen Film & Medien GmbH is the state-owned film funding and promotion organization for the German state of Hesse, established in 2016 and headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Operating under the supervision of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art, the entity disburses government grants to film and media projects through a portfolio of programs including Main Jury production funding, Talentfilm, script and treatment development, distribution support, festival participation, cinema investment, and media funding. In 2024 it allocated 10.15 million euros across 375 projects, with 4.8 million euros directed to new film and series production and approximately 2,000 shooting and animation days supported.

Beyond grant-making, the organization operates the Film Commission Hessen, which serves as the first point of contact for productions filming in Hesse, providing a Production Guide (crew and service provider database), a Location Guide (filming locations database), and sustainability support through the Grüner Film initiative aligned with the Green Motion ecological standard. Its sub-brands STEP and nextSTEP provide talent development and a one-year founding/mentoring program with rent-free workspaces at Frankfurt's Osthafen for film and media entrepreneurs. The organization maintains an international presence at Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, and Munich Filmfest, coordinating through the FOCUS Germany umbrella of nine regional German film funds and partnering with European Film Promotion, JETS Initiative, and Alca Nouvelle-Aquitaine on cross-border co-productions.

Commercially, Hessen Film & Medien is a private limited company (GmbH) wholly owned by the state of Hesse. It does not generate commercial revenue in the conventional sense; its funding flows from Hessian state budget allocations for cultural and film policy. Managed by Geschäftsführerin Anna Schoeppe under a supervisory board chaired by Staatsminister Timon Gremmels, the organization runs a small team (11-50 employees) that administers a grant portfolio, jury processes, industry events, and ecosystem programs, with final cost verification handled by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Wirtschafts- und Infrastrukturbank Hessen. Its 2024 output and 2026 10th-anniversary milestone reflect a mature state-backed funding infrastructure rather than a venture-backed growth business.

Name

Hesse Film and Media

Legal name

Hessen Film & Medien GmbH

Website

https://hessenfilm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hessen Film & Medien GmbH is the state-owned film funding and promotion body for Hesse, Germany, disbursing government grants to film and media projects while operating the Film Commission Hessen, STEP talent program, and nextSTEP startup incubation services for the regional film industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Funding and Promotion Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Grant Funding & Public/Nonprofit Financing (MPADAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI), Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

Keywords

• Film funding programs
• Film commission services
• Talent development
• Script development grants
• Location scouting support

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Film and Media Project Funding: Government grants provided to film and media projects in Hesse. Funded through the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art. Not revenue-generating for the organization itself.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hessen Film & Medien GmbH is the state film funding and promotion body for the German state of Hesse, disbursing grants for film and series production, documentary filmmaking, script development, distribution, festivals, and cinema investment through jury-evaluated programs. It also operates the Film Commission Hessen, providing production-location services (Production Guide, Location Guide, Grüner Film sustainability support) and runs the STEP and nextSTEP talent/founder development programs.

Product overview

Hesse Film and Media (Hessen Film & Medien GmbH) is the state film funding body for Hesse, Germany, operating as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected services. The core offering consists of film funding programs (Talentfilm, Main Jury, Script Development, Distribution, Festivals, Cinema Investment), managed through an online application portal. Supporting services include the STEP and nextSTEP talent development and startup programs, the Film Commission's Production Guide and Location Guide databases, and the Grüner Film sustainability initiative with a CO2 calculator. Together these services support the full film production lifecycle from script development through distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Film Commission Hessen: The Film Commission Hessen is the first point of contact for all those who want to shoot or produce in Hesse, offering services including Production Guide, Location Guide, Green Film standards, and production mirror.
• STEP
• nextSTEP

Products and services

• Film Funding Programs Multi-program funding portfolio covering talent film, main jury productions, distribution support, script development, media, festivals, and cinema investment for film projects in Hesse. Aimed at film and media professionals and production companies based in or shooting in Hesse.
• Online Application Portal Digital application management system at zuv-hessenfilm.antragsverwaltung.de for submitting funding requests across all programs; requires registration with email, name, institution, and project documentation for jury review.
• STEP (Talent Development Program) Talent development and further education funding program for young professionals in the Hessian film and media industry, providing financial support, workshops, and networking opportunities. Targeted at emerging filmmakers and media professionals in Hesse.
• nextSTEP (Founder Program) One-year support and mentoring program for founders and entrepreneurs in the film and media sector, offering individual consulting, workshops, networking, and rent-free workspaces at the Film and Media Foundation Center in Frankfurt's Osthafen. Aimed at film and media professionals starting their own businesses in Hesse.
• Production Guide Searchable database of Hessian film production service providers, including crew, contractors, and companies available for film productions. Used by productions planning to shoot in Hesse to find local talent and service providers.
• Location Guide Online database of filming locations across Hesse, allowing users to research and submit location ideas, with the Film Commission also facilitating connections to Hessian location scouts. Used by productions scouting filming locations in Hesse.
• Grüner Film (Green Film) Sustainability Initiative Sustainability initiative supporting eco-friendly film productions with know-how, consulting, and binding standards, including a free CO2 calculator for TV and film productions, and alignment with the 'green motion' label. Targeted at film productions operating in Hesse.
• Film Commission Services First point of contact for productions wishing to shoot or produce in Hesse, bundling the Production Guide, Location Guide, Green Film standards, Produktionsspiegel (production mirror) and location-scout introductions. Targeted at film productions considering Hesse as a filming location.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 marked as strongest production year since pandemic with 2,000 shooting/animation days
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FOCUS Germany (Umbrella of 9 German Regional Film Funds)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2023Hessen Film & Medien is part of FOCUS Germany, the umbrella organization of nine German regional film funds. The partnership coordinates the German Pavilion at Cannes and represents German film interests internationally.
• German FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2023German Films is the national information and advisory centre for international promotion of German films. Organizes the German Pavilion at Cannes together with FOCUS Germany.
• European Film Promotion (EFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHessen Film & Medien supports the European Shooting Stars program, a prestigious initiative showcasing emerging European acting talents at the Berlinale.
• JETS Initiative Partners (nordmedia, Telefilm Canada, Filminvest Norwegen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJETS (Junior Entertainment Talent Slate) initiative bringing together talent from Germany, Canada, Ireland, Norway, UK, and USA for co-production opportunities.
• Alca Nouvelle-AquitaineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen: A training program supporting script development, project development, and post-production of nine film projects connected to both regions.
• German Film Commissions - Keen to Be Green InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational sustainability initiative for film and media production. Supports green working methods and provides information on sustainable production practices.
• Green Motion (Ökologische Standards)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnified ecological standards for sustainable film production, supported by German film institutions, broadcasters, and streamers since January 2022.
• PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbHminorOthersPwC conducts final cost verification for funded projects as part of the funding compliance process.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FFA (Filmförderungsanstalt): Germany's federal film board providing national-level funding, distribution support and cinema investment — broader incumbent that aggregates and supplements regional state funds like HFM.
• German Films (national promotion body): National information and advisory centre for international promotion of German films — sits one level above HFM, coordinating the German Pavilion at Cannes and broader export efforts.
• Creative Europe MEDIA (EU): EU-level film and audiovisual fund supporting distribution, development and cross-border projects across Europe — broader layer-above entity that HFM's JETS co-production activity is designed to plug into.

Direct peers

• Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM): Joint film fund for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia — multi-Länder regional film fund with the same grant-plus-Film-Commission offering as HFM.
• MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg: Film and media funding agency for Baden-Württemberg providing production and distribution support plus a Film Commission — a direct regional-state comparator for HFM.
• Nederlands Filmfonds: Dutch national film fund providing script, production and distribution grants plus incentive schemes — a state-backed film fund with the same grant/Film Commission model as HFM.
• Film- und Medienstiftung NRW: State-owned film funding body for North Rhine-Westphalia — the same business model as HFM (production grants, distribution, talent development, Film Commission, festival support) for a different German Bundesland, making it the closest functional peer.
• MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein: Combined state film fund for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein — direct operational analogue covering production grants, distribution, and Film Commission services.
• FFF Bayern (FilmFernsehFonds Bayern): Bavaria's state film fund; offers production financing, distribution support and a film commission — same legal/governance structure (state-funded GmbH) and product set as Hessen Film & Medien.
• Österreichisches Filminstitut (Austrian Film Institute): Austrian federal film fund offering production, distribution and talent support — comparable DACH public film-fund institution with co-production overlap with Hesse via FreibeuterFilm and similar partners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgpJX3G5pbQyFMTbFcG7KIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HessenFilm/?locale=de_DE
• Instagraminstagram.com/hessenfilmundmedien/?hl=de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Hesse Film and Media