boldly daring – short film funding

The special funding program “wage-mutig – Short Film Funding” of the Arts Foundation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt is aimed at filmmakers and production companies who are self-employed as their main occupation and have a residence or project connection in Saxony-Anhalt. It supports the conception of narrative, animated, documentary, and experimental short film formats up to 30 minutes in length through a three-month scholarship of €1,500 per month for script and project development. Additionally, mentors from film production disciplines can be supported in debut works. The goal is to provide young filmmakers with professional guidance and a financial foundation for creative projects that enrich the region’s cinematic spectrum and set visible impulses for the short film scene.

In the area of production funding, “wage-mutig” covers 90% of the total costs up to a maximum of €20,000 as a grant. A fixed-amount funding of up to €2,000 is available for presentations at national and international film festivals. A positive funding decision requires that no other public funding exists for the same period at the time of application and that the project has not yet started. Applications can be submitted until June 8, 2026, 11:59 p.m.; the funding period begins on January 1, 2027. Not eligible to apply are pupils, students, and trainees, as well as projects with in-kind contributions exceeding 10% of total expenses or reserves in the financing plan.