Eberhard Junkersdorf, who called earlier this year for the introduction in Germany of tax-driven incentives similar to those in the UK, Ireland, Canada or Luxembourg, has launched his own media fund - Neue Bioskop Film - to finance four international feature productions in 2002 and 2003.

German individuals can invest a minimum Euros 25,000 by the end of this year in the fund whose Euros21.2m volume will comprise the investors contribution (Euros11m), national and regional public film funds (Euros8m) and bank loans or co-producers (Euros2.3m).

The four films backed by the fund will be chosen from six shortlisted projects - none of which have directors attached: David Michael Williamson' adaptation of Ray O Nolan' thriller The Prophet; Till Schauder and Michael Pohl' adventure film Goldrausch; Thomas C Davies and Torsten Wettcke' teen comedy Shooting Carlo; Thorsten Wacker and Tom Krause' action film Auferstanden; the German-French co-production of the prison story Julia, set to star Charles Aznavour and Jacques Gamblin; and CP Hant' biopic of the first German supermodel Uschi Obermaier.

According to the fund's managers, Junkersdorf and Dietmar Guentsche, 93.1% of the fund will be spent on production, with 6.9% spent on the launch and running of the fund.

Director Volker Schloendorff, with whom Junkersdorf produced the Oscar-winning 1979 film The Tin Drum, is artistic consultant for Neue Bioskop Film.