Three internationalco-productions have been awarded nearly $1.28m (Euros 1m) by the German FederalFilm Board (FFA) and France's CNC at thelatest sitting of the German-French Funding Committee.

The largest amount - $576,787(Euros 450,000) - was given to Peter Sehr and Marie Noelle'sGerman-French-Spanish co-production DieFrauen Des Anarchisten which will be produced by Sehr and Noelle'sMunich-based P'Artisan Film Produktion with France's Cargo Films. The historical drama had alreadyreceived $512,699 (Euros 400,000) production support from the Bavarian publicregional fund FFF Bayern last April.

A second German majorityco-production with France - Tony Loeser's animation feature A Case For Friends...How It All Began (EinFall Fuer Freunde..Wie Alles Begann) - received $256,319(Euros 200,000) from the committee.

Produced by Halle-basedMotionWorks with France's 2D3D Animations and Italy's Enanimation from February2007, the film is based on the children's author and illustrator Helme Heine's A Case For Friends books about theadventures of the mouse Johnny Mauser, cockerel Franz von Hahn and pig Waldemaras they solve all sorts of crimes in their home of Mullewapp. Warner Bros.Entertainment will release the film theatrically in Germany, while a series of 26five-minute episodes based on Heine's books has already been made for WDR's Die Sendung Mit Der Mauschildren's programme.

'The film will show howthe three friends became friends,' says Manuela Lumb, commissioning editorat Cologne-based WDR for the series and the feature film. 'There areall kinds of unusual storylines with exciting and emotional characters, and areal story of adventure aimed at the younger children rather than targettingthe whole family like the Disney films.'

Meanwhile, $422,845 (Euros330,000) was allocated to the only French majority co-production in this roundof funding, Claire Denis' 35 Rhums,which will be made as a French-German-Belgian co-production between SoudaineCompagnie, Pandora Film Produktion and Versus Production, with backing in placeso far from Ile de France Film Commission, public broadcaster Arte, and theBelgian tax shelter scheme. Wild Bunch will handle international sales.

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