Logo Bayernportal
Home > Procedures

Apply for the Cinema Program Award

Apply with your cinema for the Cinema Program Award.

Online services & Forms

Online services

  • Bewerbung Kinoprogrammpreis

    Alle Formulare und Merkblätter zu allen Preisen und Förderungen im Bereich Film auf der Internetseite der Bundesregierung.

Responsible for you

Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien

Street address

Potsdamer Platz 1
10785 Berlin

Postal address

Potsdamer Platz 1

10785 Berlin

Mehr zur Behörde

Procedure details

The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) awards annual cinema program prizes. The prize is awarded to cinemas with a culturally outstanding annual film program.

Annual film programs are outstanding if they

  • have a particularly high proportion of German and European films and
  • these films are of artistic quality.

The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) presents the following awards and prizes as part of the Cinema Program Award:

  • best annual film program: EUR 20,000
  • Further outstanding annual film programs: EUR 15,000
  • outstanding annual film programs: EUR 10,000
  • particularly good annual film programs: EUR 7,500
  • Special award for best children's and youth film program: EUR 10,000
  • Special award for best short film program: 10,000 EUR
  • Special prize for the best documentary film program: EUR 10,000
  • depending on the gradation:
    • Special prize for children's and youth films: EUR 2,500 or EUR 5,000
    • Special prize for short film: EUR 2,500 or EUR 5,000
    • Special prize for documentary film: EUR 2,500 or EUR 5,000

Cinemas that have received monetary support in the form of financial grants, rent waivers or waivers of other operating costs from municipal or state authorities for the application year are excluded from the application process if, based on the total amount of municipal grants received, it can be assumed that the applicant cinema is economically equivalent to a municipally run cinema. You can apply for several awards.

Applications can be submitted by

  • Owners of commercial and stationary cinemas in Germany

Further requirements:

  • Applications can be submitted for cinemas that can provide evidence of at least 275 screenings and at least 9 months of screenings in the previous year. Only screenings in cinemas are taken into account (e.g. no open-air screenings).

  • Required Documents
    • online application
    • Complete program

    You can optionally submit additional documents online to give the jury a better insight into the cinema's annual program.

You must submit your application for a cinema program award online to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).

Submit your application online:

  • Go to the website of the federal portal verwaltung.bund.de and fill in the application form electronically.
  • You will need an electronic ID document for the online application, for example your ELSTER organization certificate.
  • Upload the required documents as a file (in PDF format, maximum 10 megabytes per file) and submit the application.

Further procedural steps:

  • The jury for the Cinema Program Award discusses the submitted applications. The BKM decides on the award based on the jury's recommendation.
  • The BKM announces the awards at an award ceremony
  • If you receive an award, the Federal Office of Administration (BVA) is responsible for paying out and processing the award.

There are no costs.

The application deadline for the Cinema Program Award is published on the website of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). Applications can be submitted until midnight on the relevant day.

For processing the application: about 6 months

  • Action before the administrative court

Status: 14.03.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien
Source: Federal Portal