Local public broadcaster RundfunkBerlin-Brandenburg (RBB) is to provide German funding agency MedienboardBerlin-Brandenburg (MBB) with an annual Euros 1m for the backing of cinema andTV co-productions.

Decisions on theallocation of the Euros 1m will be taken jointly by RBB and MBB and benefitproductions that have a special connection to the capital and Brandenburg. Thefocus will be on feature films or documentaries that have the potential to beattractive for both a cinema and television audience.

This funding agreement with RBB follows similararrangements signed by the Medienboard with ProSieben, SAT.1, and ZDF.

Meanwhile, MBB's latest round of funding awardeda total of Euros 2m to new film projects by such filmmakers as Sergei Bodrov,Hal Hartley and Michael Schorr.

Euros 200,000 production support each wasallocated to Hartley's espionage thriller Fay Grim, which will beproduced with Berlin-based zero film; Bodrov's adventure epic Mongol - TheEarly Years Of Ghenghis Khan, which begins shooting from August 10; andSchorr's follow up to Schulze Gets The Blues, the social satire SchroedersWunderbare Welt, which reunites him with production company FilmkombinatNordost and distributor UIP.

However, the largest individual sum - Euros250,000 - went to actor-director Carsten Strauch's feature debut CuttingEdge (Offene Wunden) which will be produced by Paradise Now co-producerRazor Film with e-m-s new media's production arm 3L Filmproduktion.